Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write. Things are starting to get a bit busier around here, so my updates probably won't be as frequent. I'll try to give you a run down on what I've done since my last post. Thursday I had class, but after class I went over to Noelle and Yoli's for lunch. Noelle had met a woman named Amelia, who is the daughter of a Rotarian, a few weeks before. Conveniently, Amelia's husband is a chef and works in a restaurant here in Sevilla! So not only did we get lunch, but we got cooking lessons as well :) Jorge showed us how to make tortilla española (which is a type of potato/onion omelet) as well as a soup similar to gazpacho called salmorejo. We also made lightly fried eggplant with caña de miel, which is a special type of super concentrated honey that is similar to molasses. It was all wonderful! I liked the salmorejo and the eggplant the best, but it was an excellent lunch. I'm going to be seeing Amelia and Noelle again tomorrow (Tuesday) because we are going to a bull fight!
Friday the weather was a bit threatening so I didn't do much most of the day, but that night I had the chance to meet up with my friend Ana from class. We walked around the city together for awhile then met up with some other girls from the Facultad de Medicina. They were studying in one of the other hospitals (not the Macarena like Ana and me), but it was cool to talk to them. We went to a Plaza called El Salvador where people often congregate at night, and there we met up with a bunch of other Spanish students. Some of you may have heard of Erasmus, which is a study exchange program within Europe. Well all of these students were with a group called Seneca, which is a program similar to Erasmus but within Spain. So these people were from all over Spain and it was cool talking to them. I definitely felt a little overwhelmed surrounded by so many people speaking Spanish! My Spanish is improving...but when they all start talking to each other at once I have to really concentrate to catch the conversation...it's a little bit exhausting! I prefer smaller or one-on-one conversations more...they are more manageable. Regardless, it was fun to meet everyone!
If the weather on Friday was threatening, the weather on Saturday was just downright gross. It was raining on and off for most of the day, so I again spent a lot of time inside. Later that night Marta and I went to the apartment of one of her friends from class. He is an Erasmus student from Germany, and it turns out that he lives two buildings over from us! Everyone there was really nice (it was all German students, Marta, and me). I really enjoyed hanging out with them and I hope we get the chance to again.
On Sunday I met up with Noelle again and we went downtown to a park where they are having a festival called Festival de las Naciones. It's basically a big international celebration with stands selling things from different cultures. But the best part, in my opinion, was the food. They had little food stands set up representing different countries and cuisine typical of that culture. It all looked and smelled so good! After much deliberation, I ended up having some Argentinian churrasco and Noelle had a Venezuelan dish. It was delicious, and I want to go back to try out some of the other food. Also, I was most curious to see what kind of food they were selling as typical "American" food...but I don't really think of the U.S. as having a specific food profile. Well, they were selling fried chicken, chicken nuggets and turkey legs. The festival lasts until November 1st so I definitely want to get back to try some more!
This weekend is what the Spanish call a puente...I think it essentially means a holiday weekend. The holiday itself actually isn't until Tuesday and today isn't officially considered a holiday, but a lot of people take the whole weekend off to go to the country (a lot of city people have houses in small towns outside the city). So the point is that today is basically still a weekend! This morning I went to the center of the city to visit a museum I've been meaning to check out, the Museo de Bellas Artes. It is a small manageable museum with some really impressive works from lesser known Spanish artists. The building used to be a convent so it's broken up into cloisters and has beautiful patios, just like most buildings around here. It was a nice thing to do today. I'm trying to set a "do one culturally enriching thing a week" goal for myself. Last week was the Alcazar, this week the museum. Next, I'm dying to see the cathedral from the inside again. I saw it a few years ago when I visited Sevilla, but I don't remember much. I think I'll save climbing the 35 story Giralda (the giant tower of the cathedral) for when my aunt Donna gets here...because I know for a fact she'll want to do it!
Anyway, I know this has been a bit long, but there was a lot to cover! I'll update after the bullfight tomorrow...I'm sure I'll have plenty to tell about that!
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