Blogs from Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 9

Due to the fact that I found a cockroach in my bed, I am attempting to pull an all-nighter so that I can sit safely on this stool, which has become my fortress of safety. I will update you on the yesterday and today. Last night I went to a bar called Woodstock with some friends from school. It was pretty low key, we were getting to know someone new who just came to Cadiz yesterday from Mexico. She said she was having a difficult time understanding the accent here. We didn't stay out too late (at least not by Spanish standards), we got home around 1:30 in the morning. Our host brother and sister usually don't get in until 7 in the morning! I went and had breakfast with Devin and Hayley this morning in ... read more

Hello friends! My new classes started on Monday. The biggest challenge is not necessarily the difficult material, it is adjusting to yet another school system. Let me tell you what I have learned so far. 1) Professors can hold class on days when class is not scheduled. For example, I don’t have classes on Fridays, however, my professor decided that we would have class this morning since the course didn’t start until Wednesday. We also have class on Fridays that follow a school holiday to make up for the class we miss. 2) There are not any printers in the library. How do we print off the readings for class you ask? We go to a copy room in the university, tell the worker which class we want papers for, choose which documents they need to ... read more

On Saturday morning Hayley and I met up with the other 6 API students and our director, Juan, at the train station in Cadiz. It only took two hours to get to Sevilla (or Seville for English speakers) and it was well worth it. Sevilla is incredible. The first thing we did after checking in to our hotel was a three-hour bike tour. Everything about the city was beautiful, the parks, the classic roman style houses, the modern architecture, beautiful botanic gardens filled with horse-drawn carriages, a variety of flowers and hundreds of trees. The word I find that best describes Sevilla is romantic. As one of the oldest cities in Europe, it has a rich history with Roman ruins that date back as far as 207 B.C. It was fascinating to see the Cathedral, which ... read more

September 19th 2011 Today was a difficult day for my roommate Hayley. She lost her 17-year-old brother a year ago to the day. It is really hard for her to be apart from her family right now, but Devin and I have been doing our best to support her. Hayley asked us to go with her to the beach tonight to light a candle in her brother’s honor. When we told Milagros and Jesus where we were going, they insisted that they go with us for support. It was really touching to see two people take on a parenting role to a couple of girls who they haven’t known for more than a few weeks. Jesus told us to think of him as a real father while we are here. When we got to the beach, ... read more

Hey y’all! I hope everyone is having a fabulous mid-September! I hope I can get this posted before my computer dies…I am now having issues at my internet café, people are finding out about it! The last two days I’ve come in someone has taken my corner. I think more international kids are starting to show up. Uhg. Today I will start with the thing that was I most excited about this morning...Rocket Power was on TV!!! (In Spanish of course) You can’t even find it in the US anymore. I love that show, so I’m pretty excited about it! . Oh, nope, Pepa just changed it to the news. Padres and their morning news, uhg. It’s no “Today Show” but it’s pretty good. The other day I was sitting in the living room/dining room and ... read more