MY BIRTHDAY!

It's not over yet, but I'm pretty sure I know where the rest of the day is headed... (studying... I have finals tomorrow...)
This week hasn't been super special (other than the fact it was spent in Spain).
Up till now few things have happened, but here's what was out of the ordinary:
On Tuesday, Angela and I made our ways down to the office at CC-CS to sign up for different activities and trips in March (the free ones, claro!) and when we were down there I slammed my head on a fire hydrant in front of all of the administrators. Nothing really came of it, but it was pretty darn embarrassing.
This is the last week of the 3-week "intensive" period. I'm not sure why they call it that because it's been quite do-able, but whatever. So far I don't think that the classes have been hard at all. I'm totally rocking it! I've gotten an A on everything. I think the SMC Spanish program is a really good one. There have been a lot of cases amongst students from other schools of simple mistakes that need correcting and simple concepts that need teaching. Mistakes that a Smick chick would never make ;) Also, we got our second test back today and there was one question on the test that asked, "what about Spain do you fear?" Well, we filled it in accordingly with the proper grammatical structure. When my Prf. passes them back, what does she do? She reports the most common answers (Because isn't that what every kid wants, their fears read aloud, in public?) The most common answers were: dancing in public and Spanish men. HAHA
I saw people smoking pot TWO times this week... Interesting.
One of them was actually AT school... There is a kid in this program that is VERY strange. No one thought he was even IN the program until classes started. He is... hard to describe. I think he's a little older than all of us. But anyway! He blatantly rolled a joint in a student lounge, stepped out onto the patio, and smoked it! It was the strangest thing I've seen this far (other than the 40 year-olds that were about half a "base" from having sex in the MIDDLE of cross walk). When the boy walked back into the school he wreaked of marijuana and just waltzed through the school like nothing'd happened.
The second incident was actually this morning. I didn't SEE him smoke pot, so I should take that back, but he, too, smelled of the plant and was so baked he didn't even realize he hadn't paid when he boarded the bus with me... Whatever hahaha
Yesterday I didn't go to class, I was still really sick. Good news: I'd say I'm about 95% healthy today! Just in time for finals and Morocco!
Today, my b-day:
Got up late, of course... Rushed through breakfast, hustled to school, coughed a lot, turned in my last paper and then went on a tour of the Alcazar (I think spelled that wrong). It was prolly the coolest of the buildings I've been in so far. It was a building mad by the Muslims when they had control of Spain. But, over the years Roman and Spanish parts have been added to it. That is one thing I just love about Spain, the constant mixing of themes, people, times, food, etc.....
It was beautiful, ornate, well-conserved... perfection. Second bit of good news: I can go any time, FOR FREE, whenever I want!
Whoop whoop!
After the tour I had lunch at my apartment. It was with Mari, her sons, her cousin, and Samara. It was delicious. But, before all that, she and her cousin and I were all alone eating snacks and waiting for the rest to come to the apartment. So, how did they occupy their time? By talking about my hair... She made me a special meal. It was zucchini with meat and cheese and sauce on the inside. Then, crouquetas, of course. The cake was really really good, it reminded me of creme broule.
Things I took note of:
In a family setting, it is perfectly acceptable to speak when someone else is speaking. You call people by their relation to you, not by name (Amelia becomes "prima", Rai is "hijo"). It's custom to make the birthday person drink. I had vermouth and sprite... It tasted like pizza hahahahahah. I made a little video right after the cake for my mama.
Also, after they sang Feliz Cumpleanos to me, Mari's cousin spoke to Mari's son about her husband's will... Right in front of me... Buzz killll... hahahah
That's another thing about Spaniards, they're quite open. They don't really care who hears what or what they say. It's quite liberating :)
That's pretty much it for now... I'll update again when I get back from Morocco!!!!

Some Things Just Don't Translate

I'm finally in the swing of my trip here and really gotten to know the lay of the land. I know the best places to go for anything I could need, how to get to necessary places, I have mass times memorized, etc...
This also means I've taken a fair amount of notes regarding the differences and similarities between the Spaniards I've met and myself.
Such as:
It is custom here to kiss a person on each cheek when you meet them. I'm not much of a toucher (unless it's Natalie and I want to make her uncomfortable) so kissing as a greeting is way out of my comfort zone.
It is very common to see panty-hosed, high heeled, skirted, pea-coated, helmet wearing women on motorcycles. And they zip around the traffic like no man's business.
If tomorrow when I boarded the metro, a man of 70 or 80 years stopped dead in his tracks to stare at me for an incredibly uncomfortable amount of time (only stopping when forced to as the metro takes off), it wouldn't be the first time.
I'm ALWAYS the "over umbrella", as I've come to call it. It's been raining a lot lately (which is NOT normal) and every head is covered by an umbrella. I'm quite taller than the average Sevillano. As a result, when I pass other people with umbrellas I am the one that has to lift my umbrella allowing them to lower theirs to keep them from colliding. I've only gotten to lower mine TWICE since I've been here.
Old men are ridiculously forward... Did I mention that?
The supermarkets here sell NOTHING. Not even magazines. Just food, and not even that much. If there's something a special you want, it's probably got it's own store. Like bread, everyday Spaniards buy bread. And NOT from the supermarket, from a bakery. Candy? Not at a supermarket. At a candy store. SOOOoo, this has made finding ANYTHING a little bit of a trip.
Spaniards are NOT afraid to make noise. In the US, if someone is slamming stuff around, they're probably a little miffed. Here, that's just how everyone is ALL the time. I still haven't gotten used to it.
I just learned that my host mom, Mari, is separated, not widowed. This came as quite a shock to me. But it's good for me because she has this vase in the family room that I always assumed was her husband's ashes... I can now stop avoiding it.
My host mother always:
Puts a tablecloth down before we eat.
Gives almost every food its own plate.
Wears a cute little pink track suit around the house if she has no were to go.
Puts her hair in curlers quite often. If she doesn't feel like using them, she just kinds of rolls her hair without them and pins it in place (this is quite the sight).
Uses the FUNNIEST hand gestures.
Gets really close to me/Samara/whoever when she talks to them.

Mari's sons are 30 and 31. The older is married. She still cooks for them quite often, and the younger lived with her up until just last year, this is not uncommon. It's almost their custom to live with their family until marriage.

Spaniards are quite... rough... sounding. In America, we constantly say "please, thank you, excuse me, would you mind..." Not here. It's, "talk to me, don't, give me it," and there's rarely any "thank you"s or "excuse me"s. It's all about the tone they say it in. It's not mean, it's just cutting the fluff off daily speech.

As far as my daily life, I've been trapped indoors a lot, due to a cold and the rain. It's no big deal though. I'm enjoying spending time with Mari and reading my Harry Potter (Spanish translation).
Yet, on Thursday, I did pay for my trip to Morocco (half with my parent's money because a lot of people here are having major ATM problems and I didn't have enough cash). I was also stood up (as was half of my school) by my intercambio at the school's party that was thrown for us to meet them. An intercambio is just a local Spanish person. Each student gets paired with a one. It's to help with our Spanish, networking, or learn a little more culture from.
I also got a 95 on my first test! Friday night I went out and got felt up by a bouncer (My Spanish is still not strong enough to know how to tell someone off... He's lucky). And Sunday I went to mass with Mari, this time at her normal church and not at the cathedral. So, there was music!
Next week is gonna be awesome! Thursday is my birthday (it's supposed to rain, oh, well). Friday is our day for final exams (because it's the end of our "intensive period"). And Saturday I go to Morocco. About half the girls at cc-cs are going so I'm VERY excited.

Cadiz and the Carnaval

Saturday was the Carnaval in Cadiz.
What do I want to say about the Carnaval? ...I'm not sure.
I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't go again. All I know is, I'm glad the trip was cheap and I had big, strong friends there. We had a good time walking through the streets, checking out people's costumes and talking to the natives.
Oh, btw, I didn't know what the Carnaval was until two days ago, so I'll assume others don't as well:
Carnaval is the biggest Carnival in all of Spain. It started as a way for the Spaniards to get all of the partying out of their systems before lent started. Because, in the days of yore, Lent was a very serious time and there was no drinking, parties, drugs, etc, etc.... I guess it's every Saturday before lent.
There really were SO MANY PEOPLE.
I have never in my life been around that many people at once. I was a little freaked out for part of it, I'm not gonna lie. I was in a group of about seven or eight people yet our tour guides said to be good about sticking with our friends because the cell reception was going to be horrible due to demand. So, we linked our arms together and forced our way through (not a "sea," a sea brings to mind freely moving water) a swamp (ya, stickier and heavier than water) of people. I had complete strangers pushed up against me from head to toe for BLOCKS. That's a lie, I'm taller than all of them... Neck to toe.
Also, this weekend made me develop a little bit of a prejudice against Spanish girls. There were about 3 open bathrooms in all of Cadiz and there were about a bazillion people there that night.
So, naturally, the line to the bathroom was ridiculously long. TWENTY MINUTES of waiting in line for a toilet later, Angela and I are potty-dancing about six people from the door. Each girl that went in took about 5 minutes... That adds up real fast when you are about to burst (because for some reason, in Spain they don't have toilets on Coach buses and I had to go before I had even gotten on the bus.) So, Angela and I really tried hard not to laugh at each others' jokes and kept our legs crossed tight. The girls in front of us were quite bold (a common trait amongst their kind) and kicked on the door several times as a simple reminder to the girls in the bathroom to please leave quickly. Yet, when it's their turns, each of them take about SEVEN minutes despite Angela yelling "Emergencia!!"... I used the men's room WITH Angela to save time and almost had my pants down before she'd securely closed the door.
I talked to a friend about this... He said that Spanish girls WANT to be portrayed as stuck up. Hmm...
Little did I know, the night was just beginning:
One of my friends got a little... "sick" on the way home and my friend Clay and I got to care for him. Fun.
We got back at 5 in the morning and I was WIPED. I assumed my roommate and host mom were asleep so I quickly and quietly got in bed. In the morning, my host mom, with bags under her eyes, tells me of how my roommate had gotten desperately ill last night at 3 and they were at the hospital until 6. All is well, she's ok.
When they finally got back, however, I'd locked the door (as I was told to do) and I'd also slid the chain lock across (because that's what my host mom does, and it was 5 in the morning!). They were locked out. They called my cell (which is a crappy rent-a-phone and doesn't ring or even beep) and sounded the doorbell (but I sleep in the room farthest from the speakers). Luckily, Samara's grown up in apartments and after 25 minutes slid the chain out of the lock position with her hand wrapped around the door.
Poor dears...

Friday was a little bit of "a day" for me...
It was raining all day (which is really atypical for Seville) and it was freezing. Then, I had to turn in my first paper, but it wouldn't pull up on the computers at The Center. But, everything worked out fine, I turned it in and I think it was pretty decent. On my way home, the bus was PACKED because no one wanted to walk in the rain. I missed my stop because I was in the back of the bus and people weren't getting out of my way. So, I had to get off near a construction site where I'm always cat-called. I out my hood up to keep the rain and eyes of the construction workers off of me, unfortunately I wasn't paying close enough attention by staring at the ground and when I finally looked up I was on the wrong side of a construction fence with a bunch of angry workers giving me impatient looks and waiting for me to get out of the way. They were moving a crane load of material onto another story (and the load was RIGHT ABOVE MY HEAD). I freaked out and ran all the way to the next corner. Next time I pass, I am pretty much guaranteed a pass on the "Hola, guapa,"s and earned myself a "tonta..."
My stupid moves didn't end then. Later that night, as I was getting ready to go out, I tried plugging in my hair dryer and blew the lights throughout the apartment. Angela laughed really hard when I called her saying, "I might be late tonight... I have a little bit of a problem..."
Luckily, my senora came home soon (not soon enough to save Samara and I a trip to the SUBbasement trying to find the breakers...) and she turned on the lights again after only ten minutes of darkness.
Friday night was really fun though!
A bunch of center girls, Derek and Rich and I went to a tapas bar. Lauren Harrell had brought a boy with her. Small world: when I saw him I thought he looked familiar, but I couldn't place him. Turns out, he was a foreign exchange student from Germany at Penn when I was a sophomore! He was even in my Chem. class with the crazy teacher. He's still super nice and he goes to the University of Seville.
Then we went to what is quickly becoming our usual hang out, Big Ben's. It was the most fun night out I've had yet. I got to witness a Spanish bachelor party (the grooms are required to make fools of themselves and this one had to dress up as a cook.) I got home quickly and safely with Megan (who I now know lives very close to me!)
Today I'm going to Carnaval in Cadiz... I CAN'T WAIT!!

More Class

Wednesday I had four hours of class. I kept trying to buy my book from the copy store but they were ALWAYS closed. Either way, I think my professor really likes Angela and I. Every time one of the two of us laughs or smiles (this happens a lot considering we sit next to each other) she wants to know what's so funny hahaha. It rained all that night so when AA and I went shopping, we weren't in the best of moods. I still hadn't bought a single thing for pleasure (except gelato and coffee). I'd only bought really necessary things, which was a little depressing to me. I want better boots. Every woman here has just really great boots. I have a pretty good pair, too. But, they're wet and it's so humid here that nothing EVER dries...
This Thursday (and for the next 2 as well) we had a 1/2 day of class and took a tour of (this week) the cathedral. It is gorgeous, again. I went to dance class for the first time later that day... Sweet Lord. There can't be many things funnier than watching a group of people get a dance lesson from a woman who speaks incomprehensible Spanish and not a lick of English. None of us knew the terms and I in particular, kept getting my left and right mixed up. So, I was HORRIBLE. The professor made me dance with her hahhahaha.
Where did those YEARS of dancing go?! I'm definitely dropping the class. I think I can take the one credit blow.
I finally got my other book, which is good because I actually have homework for tonight. I signed up for a tour of The University of Seville, because I am honestly considering it as post-grad material. Then, we got gelato.... :)
There are no words that could capture the degree of beauty that the guys who work at the geladeria have. We were somewhat bold in discussing how adorable they are (in English) six feet from them. When we were finally able to tear ourselves from them until the next time, we told them goodbye and waved. HAHAHAH then, when we were walking away we turned for one last look and saw them watching us and then they waved again. I told Angela we can't ever go back :)
There was a market with international goodies set up in the Plaza Nueva and I bought two super cheap, but wildly adorable bracelets. I'm very happy now.
Good week. Good week.

Wait... I have to go to class??

Saturday night a big group of us went out and hung with some REAL Spaniards. They pretty much rock.
Sunday I went to mass in the cathedral with Mari (my host mom). It was gorgeous. Mari showed me around and made sure I got a great seat for mass. I just need to learn the prayers... I told Mari that I kept getting lost and she was totally willing to help. The 5' 2" woman took me by the arm (she likes to touch people (not my favorite)) and dragged me around repeating over and over where I was to go to get to school and quizzing me on where the bus stops were and their numbers, etc... (she is SO cute. she reminds me of my grandma and her apartment is just like my Aunt Jo's house). I got to school on Monday NO PROBLEM, save my alarm not going off, leaving me with 20 minutes to eat and get out the door... Samara and I got to class on time. Luckily, I have my class with some good friends and a great professora. The class went for two hours and she dismissed us early (or so we thought). Two hours after I get home, beaming due to my lack of homework and abundance of free time, I get a call saying we were all supposed to go back for class. She was only giving us a break... OOPS!
The whole class didn't show, so it was no big deal.
The next day, I had two classes (my four hour one and a one hour class). I have the SAME prof. for both classes hahaha. That's pretty rare. I hurried home to eat and nap. Five hours of class can really take it out of you. Then, Angela and I decided to "pasar por el centro". It's really common in Spain. All you have to do is walk through the streets and stop in the shops. It was a great way to orient myself with what stores sell what, which places are cheap... We went into EVERY Gelateria we could find. When we''de finally seen them all we chose the one we liked best. (It just so happened to have a very attractive staff). We ate and talked for like an hour before packing it in.
When I got home, Mari and I watched THE SADDEST MOVIE EVER. Roomies, I'm talking cry-fest material. It won about a million awards this year. It was called Camino, look it up (you'll need subtitles tho, obviously).

After the Flight In

So we'd made fast friends on the plane and the bus ride to the hotel, at which we'd spend only one night. We got our cell phones, had dinner went to meetings, I met my roommate, hung with friends, wandered the city, shopped, etc...
SO MUCH was packed into those first hours, it's ridiculous. But after a long night's sleep we had even more coming out way. WE had more meetings, tours, wandering, learning, and placement test taking to do. fun fun fun.
I keep getting lost, but there seems to be no place safer to do such. The streets are constantly flooded with families, shop keepers, students, locals, and tour groups. There doesn't seem to be such a thing as a "back alley" everything seems open and sunny. That's not to say I'm not watching my back all the same. I mean, I am in a foreign country.

So, I've met my host mother and she is to die for. She's exactly the kind of person I could have wanted for this strange job she has. She's co pretty (especially for being close to 60, I'm sure) she is short and has an infectious laugh. She has a really strong accent and I'm still having a little trouble understanding her. But, it already seems easier, or she's learned to speak slower....
I went to mass at the GORGEOUS Cathedral this morning. I noticed that other than us young CCCS students, everyone in attendance was pretty old... A boy we met last night mentioned that it's really rare for people to wait to have sex till they're married here. Unfortunately, they treat it REALLY casually. When all four of us girls he was with told him we were all virgins... "shocked" wouldn't really describe his reaction hahaha. He took some convincing because he didn't believe that we were telling the truth. But when he finally bought it, he was astonished, just baffled. He said a lot of girls lose their virginity when they're like 14...
Enough about sex.
The food here is AMAZING. My host mom can really cook. Mari has been most accommodating. She is patient with me, laughs at my silly mistakes with me, and genuinely wants us to have a good time. When I mentioned to her that I kept getting lost, she took me out of the apartment and showed me exactly what bus to take, where it stops and the easiest routes to places I'd be going. I feel about a million times better now. My poor sense of direction was the only thing that seemed it could keep me from having an excellent time here.
Speaking of walking, my feet are SO SORE. I have not stopped walking since I got here. It is ridiculous. It's not like the places are THAT far, but there are so many places to go!!
The city is much busier than I thought. I was picturing Seville as a quaint, older European town. What I found, was a vibrant, fully-packed, Mediterranean dream that's enough to make anyone think they've died and gone to heaven. I. love. it. here.

Holy Crap, I'm in Spain!

I didn't have internet until now, but I did make some notes on my travels and first day while I was out. Here they are:
Thursday Feb. 4, 2010
I’M IN SPAIN!
Hallelujah!
It was a little bit of a bumpy ride... there seemed to be a little hitch every step of the way. Whether I was dropped off at the wrong terminal, an airline account was malfunctioning, having to go through security checks twice as many times as everyone else, barefoot, or the actual plan ride itself. However, as I write this I’m in Madrid. I have a couple hours till my flight to Sevilla. I figured I’ll start this now, to give everyone an update.
The flight was pretty long. It was very bumpy and pretty hot, too. I sat next to a guy named Tony. He was so nice. He was a paramedic from Granada and he was very helpful. We talked for a lot of the flight. He was very interested in discussing American and Spanish cultures and the differences. He made me a list of places to go and things to do while I’m in Spain. (No, Mom he was 0% creeper).
I was very wary of him in the beginning. He was a stranger. I kept my bags far from him and tried not to get into a long convo. However, he was so helpful and willing to answer my questions. He gave me his name so I can find him on facebook. (You all can check him out).
I am definitely a SMC student. I wasn’t off that plane 5 seconds and all of the other SMC girls were on my back asking me about him.
Things I’ve noticed so far:
1) Spanish men are “go big of go home” when it comes to cologne.
2) People speak here really fast.
3) Three minutes of walking around this airport taught me I stick out like a sore thumb. (Tony mentioned he knew I was a foreigner before I even opened my mouth.) (He claims that this will give me a lot of “victory” with Spanish men (He said this while holding up two fingers in a V shape Hahaha)).
This unwanted attention isn’t fun. I constantly feel like I have food in my teeth and toilet paper on my shoe, but I am helpless to fix it.
4) Airport things are expensive.
5) Goldfish crackers make metal detectors go off.
6) SMC has arrived, Spain. Get ready.

Day Zero: Holy You-Know-What

I am leaving my house in 35 minutes. I could hardly sleep last night... Excited? Anxious? Nervous? Triple yes.
I'm praying nothing goes wrong at the airport and I get there (with all my luggage).
Today is gonna be awesome.
The adventure begins!