Feliz dia nacional de la mujer! Happy National day of the Woman! Apparently today is a holiday. I was in the API office earlier and Kepa, one of the staff here, and my group leader, came in with a bunch of flowers. We teased him about them, then he started handing them out to all the girls! He also gave us some candy. And a few minutes ago (I'm back in the office after going home for lunch) he came out distributing banana bread. I like this holiday! We have mother's day in the U.S. but I definitely appreciate just general [View Full Entry]

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Last Friday we went to Cadiz and Jerez with API. We loaded buses around 10, and took off! In Jerez we toured a winery and then did some wine-tasting*! Cool huh? NOT. The wine was AWFUL. Seriously, the wine tasting was one of the worst experiences of the trip. We tasted 6 different kinds, I think, and we were given pretty generous portions of each! Probably a third of a glass each time. So yes, the wine tasted like rubbing alcohol and it got sweeter and sweeter with each kind and more disgusting. We used the same glass each time and [View Full Entry]

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Maddie, a girl I met in my Advanced Spanish Conversation class last semester, is studying in Ronda, Spain, which is near Seville. I went to visit her this past weekend. Ronda is up in the mountains of Andalusia. It was warm when I got on the bus in Seville and quite cold when I got off in Ronda! The trip was 2 1/2 hours by bus. I was informed it's much shorter in a car. The buses around here are pretty cheap, but take forever. The trains really aren't much better. I guess it's because the trains and buses both have [View Full Entry]

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I was just worrying which country to choose, Spain or Great Britain and the wonderful site has Gibraltar listed by itself! How handy. Yes, Gibralter. I went there on Tuesday, February 28th with a group called Sol Chasers. This is a travel company that organizes all sorts of cool day and weekend trips around Spain. They are targeted towards students and are very affordable. I also like not having to plan things myself! I'm traveling to Morocco with them at the beginning of April as well. We left from Seville, and drove south to a town called La Linea, The Line. [View Full Entry]

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We had planned to rent a car and drive to Valencia, when that fell through we decided to take a train, then the train was full, so we went to Malaga instead! In case you're totally lost, I'm talking about a couple of weekends ago, February 24 - 26. I traveled with a friend of mine from K-State, Leshia, and two of the girls from her program, CEA. Lauren, one of the girls is a home ec major from CSU and Marie is a music major from Iowa. I had a blast with them. They're great traveling companions. The train to [View Full Entry]

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It is February 23rd, I have been in Spain exactly one month. Reasons to celebrate: 1. I am alive (having survived several large cities, long bus trips, being a pedestrian and eating the food) 2. I have not yet lost my mind (from culture shock and speaking another language) 3. I am still here (you'd be surprised how many people only last a few days, or even just a few hours, before giving up and hopping on a plane back to the U.S.) I feel confident that this first month has been an indication that I'll be fine the rest of [View Full Entry]

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I had a really delightful weekend. Friday I had a very long to/do list, which I'm still working on, but got through a lot of. Saturday and Sunday were spent exploring and discovering - always fun! #2 on the list was getting a haircut. I planned to donate my hair to locks of love and was really getting sick of it, so I knew it was time for it to go! Getting a major haircut is always traumatizing, but getting a major haircut in a foreign country where communication is challenging is VERY traumatizing! Also, Spainards, well all Europeans actually, have [View Full Entry]

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Apparently I upset a few native Spaniards with my last post. I had totally forgotten that the general public have access to this thing... If any millionaires happen to drop by...my bank account could use a donation, the Euro/Dollar exchange rate is killing me! ;) Anyway, I am sorry if I offended anyone. I truly love Spain and am very thankful to be here. Keep in mind this is only the opinion of one person and this one person's opinions don't represent the opinions of the masses. To the Sevillano boy who invited me to his parent's restaurant: I appreciate the [View Full Entry]

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I've avoided writing a blog about the food in hopes that it might get better, but it hasn't. I apologize in advance for the negativity of this post... Our first week in Spain, when we were traveling, I was really disappointed with the food. It was very expensive (especially in Madrid) and it really wasn't good. I would order something safe like a ham sandwich but it would come with strange sauces and the meat was far more fat than ham. I ordered a salad in Toledo that came covered in raw fish innards...I was afraid to ask any more questions [View Full Entry]

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This one was printed Friday, I think. Enjoy! Oh, and Happy 11th Birthday to my brother Jesse yesterday! Seville, where I live and attend classes at the University of Seville, is a beautiful city located in the Andalusia region of southern Spain. A fascinating mix of different cultures, the city is filled with peaceful parks, stunning architecture, hundreds of quaint little bars and restaurants, as well as many museums and places of historical interest. The Guadalquivir River cuts across the edge of the city, providing entertainment for residents and tourists alike. At the banks of the r [View Full Entry]

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