Ayer (Yesterday) felt like the longest day ever, considering it did start at 7:30 AM. I managed to have myself put together and waiting in order to coger el autobus (catch the bus) by 8:10. The plan was that all the students from The International College of Seville who were pre-registered for classes at la Universidad (U Seville) --all 8 of us-- were to meet at our program's home base so we could all walk over together at 8:30. Well, of course nothing here ever goes as planned because this bus system es poco fiable (is unreliable). So I waited... and waited... and waited... in the dark... for the bus to finally come at 8:30. And by the time I got to our program's site, everyone had left. I feel like there is a pattern to all my bus-taking stories.
Luckily, the walk to la Universidad from our program is a ten minute walk through el Parque de Maria Luisa (the park I always talk about) and I was able to find the ICS students. We went on a brief tour with un guía turístico (a tour guide) who showed us where all our classes would be, within las Facultades de Geografía y Filología (The colleges of Geography/History and Philology-- all my classes are in the latter of the two). We didn't get to peek inside the classrooms, but the building-- as I've described in earlier posts-- is absolutely colossal! I am currently enrolled in like 4 or 5, and was only planning to take 3, but I figured I might just give them all a try and go from there. If I like them that much, I might just drop the other classes at the program... those are pretty cool but they're not that challenging and I'm starting to feel really sheltered en ese ambiente (in that environment). What's great about taking classes at la Universidad is that they are giving foreign (AMERICAN) students a chance to study with actual university professors, at the university pace, with other foreign students in the same boat. So it is not as scary as taking classes with other Spanish students who would easily kick my butt, sino (but rather) an opportunity to mix with people from other big programs, on mi nivel (on my level) of Spanish.
The big orientation presentation, itself, was kind of long and I couldn't get over how many other students were there. It was SO refreshing to look into a crowd of new faces (although I did recognize some people from back home) apart from the 50 or so in ICS. We were introduced to a panel of administrative and faculty members, some of whom talked SO fast that every other sentence was:
"Estudiantes... me entendéis?" (DO YOU UNDERSTAND A WORD I AM TRYING TO SAY)
The good news was that I think I did catch most information-- at least the important information. Their downfall was giving each student a pencil and pad of non-lined paper al llegar (upon our arrival), so most students walked out of orientation with really pretty doodles, but maybe not so much clarity on the expectations de la Universidad. Oh well.
I think my favorite part of the orientation was the virtual tour of la biblioteca (the library). I'm SORRY.. I know that makes me a HUGE weirdo but all the libraries were BEAUTIFUL. And really big. La Universidad has several campuses scattered throughout the city, so while my specific college is located in el Centro, there are campuses with libraries on that strip along Calle Reina Mercedes, that hot spot right behind our house! So if something should possess me to estudiar (study) at the library, I can go around the corner and just flash my ID card. The website seems to operate in a similar manner to Cornell's, but they advised us not to change the language over to English-- "Necesitáis practicar!" (you all need to practice!)
It also seemed like there were extra-curricular activities that encouraged American involvement. I read something in the pamphlet related to psychology, but I wasn't really sure what it meant to be honest. This is the part where you need to swallow your stupid orgullo americano (American pride) and ask questions.
After orientation, they offered us all a big desayuno (breakfast) that was actually too chaotic to be anything too great, but it was a chance to mezclarse con la multitud (mingle with the crowd). The kids from ICS didn't really seem intent upon branching out, so I sort of listened in on their conversation while doing some people-watching on my own. I'm excited to see who will be in my classes when we start el lunes (on Monday!)
By the time this was all over, we needed to head back over to el parque de Maria Luisa-- more specifically towards La Plaza de América (America's Square)-- for our tour of El Museo Arqueológico: the Archeology Museum. This site was nearly 30 rooms of prehistoric, Phoenician, Greek, and Roman antiquities. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures in the museum, but I don't think I will have trouble remembering our favorite exhibits. And, of course, there is always that ONE annoying girl who brings her camera around a pesar de (in spite of) the law, so when she posts her pictures I'll be sure to pick out some good ones. I think Laura did an excellent job describing some of the major points in her blog:
"The highlight of the museum was inarguably the Tesoro de Carambolo (the treasure of Carambolo), intriguing because it is the only tangible evidence of the lost Tartesic land. Basically, the land of the Tartesso's dissapeared abruptly around 6 centuries BCE, burned to the ground. No one knows for sure what happened, there are many theories including that of how the Carthaginians took over and killed everyone. But the intriguing part was that there was a treasure, compiled of 21 pieces of 24-karat gold jewely- cufflinks, pectorial protectors, a necklace, etc. that was buried in clay pots, known only to the king and a few others, who were killed in the attack. The treasure was recently found by construction workers in 1958 ("yesterday, in chronological time"), and all the gold was almost perfectly preserved. This is the only remaining evidence of that lost land, and today there are divers and people trying to find it underwater. Some say it is linked to the lost Atlantis. But this is all speculation.
Anyways, what made it so special when we went was that there is usually only a replica of this treasure on display, and the original is stored in a safe somewhere. The real treasure was first put out on display in 1922 for an Exposition, and apparently the guy who gave the ok to that decision was fired. However, it has now been put on display again this year, for reasons my tour guide was unsure of. It is only going to be out until February 28th, so it really was a treat to be living in Seville right now. There is a security guard that stands in that room 24 hours, even with the museum is closed and locked to the public.
Other highlights included, but were not limited to, clay pots with the first evidence of artwork done "for the sake of art" (rather than spiritual or superstitious purposes), many statues of both roman gods and regular people, roman columns, mosaic creations, and more. Aside from the actual exhibits, I was really surprised by the way the museum was set up. I feel like all the museums I have been to in the US have put every exhibit behind glass or with a felt ropes surrounding it. Here, the statues and larger sculptures had nothing surrounding them to prevent people from just walking right up to them and touhing them, but it was understood that you didn't. Even a display of a burial tomb with the BONES STILL INSIDE OF IT was just on the floor, with nothing preventing anyone from just reaching inside and taking a bone. I guess it goes to show how in other countries, people are able to appreciate the protocols of art, and nobody tries to do anything stupid."
I must emphasize how exhausted we were after this trip-- it was kind of an information overload, considering we saw so much in so little time. But the beauty of all of this is the proximity of this museum to our school (it's across the street). So, as long as we bring along our student ID, we can easily go back for an afternoon after class before returning a casa (home).
Another HUGE accomplishment of this week was finally setting our plans for our two major spring breaks in stone... or, as Ana insists, making PLANES CONCRETAS (concrete plans). She likes to sqwawk on and on, "Mira niñas. Cuéntame algo. Necesitáis planear todo todo todo ahora. Todo todo todo (shaking head). El tiempo va a volar, niñas. Mira! (points to places on map)" (Look, girls. Tell me something [or I will tell YOU something, rather]. You need to make all your plans in advance. Now now now is the time. Time is flying!) I guess this was the final kick in the butt we needed to physically go to the Discover Sevilla office and book our trips! The guys who work there are GREAT at what they do. We spent about 2.5 hours talking to them, searching for the best deals, and making planes concretas (The Ana-ism for concrete plans). So considering the chaotic nature of Semana Santa (Holy week: March 29th-April 4th) and Feria, we were advised to get the heck out of here and go somewhere.
We will definitely (in the greatest manera concreta) be going to Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands during Holy Week. Ana explained to us that it is PLENTY to be here for one day of the festivities, considering the streets are literally impossible to navigate once the middle of the week rolls around. The plan concreta is to leave Wednesday, March 31st, and come back Sunday, the 1st!
Laura and I are also officially going to TENERIFE, the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic, off the coast of Africa, during Feria-- Wednesday, April 21st until Sunday the 25th. The agent helped us find a realllly good deal for an all inclusive hotel walking distance from both the beaches and the city, in the center of both day and night life for youth. To top it off, the price of the entire package cost the same as a single flight to Paris or Florence for the same week. So we grabbed it, por supuesto (duh).
To top of an amazing afternoon of solidifying our spring breaks, our night was also divertida (fun). We were SOOO excited to get into the notorious discoteca called "Boss," which NEVER lets Americans in!!! There is always a HUGE line guarded by mean bouncers who lie and say the club is full if you are not Spanish. Con mucha confianza (with much confidence), Laura and I strutted up to the front of the line. The trick: KEEPING OUR MOUTHS CLOSED. We betrayed no weakness and, as if this reallyyyy wasn't the big deal we were making, they let us walk right in. That was definitely fulfilling! Unfortunately, the scene was definitely a little old for us (Dad, I think your dance moves were considered pretty popular... you would've fit in nicely with all the parents of Spencer/Brent's Bar Mitzvah years). I think the hardest part about navigating la marcha (night life) in Sevilla is determining which clubs and bars will be attractive which crowds on all the big nights of the week. It's pretty tiring, but still fun trying to anticipate where people will be going.
Yesterday, I had my first mini-meltdown during la comida. I have always been really open and willing to try all of Vicki's dishes, and so I embraced the seafood like I have been everything else. When my dish was placed in front of me, there was a HUGE squid/shrimpy(?) looking thing... so I kind of pushed it around for a minute and started to cut it. As I put the mysterious food to mi boca (my mouth), Paloma screamed:
"NO!! NO LO COMAS! AH" (NO DON'T EAT THAT!!!)
And so the crowd stopped to stare at the tonta americana (stupid American) who attempted to eat the fish with the shell still on it. And as if I didn't feel dumb enough, everyone started talking at me AT ONCE, because my reluctance to move was translated as: my not liking the dish, my not liking seafood, my lack of culture, etc. I think I learned my lesson...
Laura and I spent the rest of the afternoon in El Centro. We got there around 4 and sat on a bench in Plaza Nueva, and literally people-watched for an hour and a half. We were on the lookout for fashion do's and don'ts, cute little babies, and kids riding skateboards. We met up with some friends for a merienda (snack-- we chose coffee), and stayed in El Centro to window shop until about 8. There is really so much to do there, and we can't wait to go back when Deborah comes in a few days!
That's pretty much it for now! There is a partido de fútbol going on now in the BETIS stadium now, so you can imagine the commotion! We cracked our windows and it's basically like being there... BEHHHHH-TISSSSS BEHHHHH-TISSSSSS! We found a site that tracks the score, so we can stay involved from across the street.
Superbowl tonight (Sunday)-- we'll be watching!
Hasta hora!
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