A lot has happened since my last post. Classes started, we met and have been hanging out with the other international students, we went grocery shopping and cooked our first meal in the apartment, we actually got internet to work in our apartment so we don’t have to go to the hotel down the street to borrow their wifi, I opened my Spanish bank account, we successfully got a backup gas tank for the apartment so we can have hot water, and we went on our first Spanish bar/clubhopping night. I’m sure there’s many more firsts that I’ve experienced, but those are the major ones.
By the way, I am updating this right now as we watch Spanish game shows that we discovered a few days ago. Our favorites are “¡Ahora, Caigo!” (Spain’s version of Who’s Still Standing?) and “Atrapa un Milion” (Million Dollar Money Drop)and “Uno Para Ganar” (Minute to Win It) It’s just like at home where we watch primetime game shows while we eat dinner. It’s nice to know that things haven’t changed too much, but at the same time, doing things that are so similar to what we do at home just makes me miss it more.
There is a store here called El Corte Ingles. It’s Spain’s super version of a department store and it’s magical. It has everything you could possibly need. It has all the things a normal department store would have, like clothes and shoes and home accessories and makeup, but it has way more of all those things. And it also has things like a grocery store and a hair salon and kiosks for all the major electronic companies, like Apple and Dell and Vodaphone The one near us is 6 stories, and each level is enormous. If I don’t update my blog for a while, ya’ll can go ahead and assume that I was lost in the Corte Ingles.
We and the other students have founds some great deals around the city. There is a restaurant that does a deal where you can get a pizza and a sangria or beer for 3 euros (They call it PizzaMania), another restaurant where you can get 2 beers and nachos or French fries for 2 euros (SuperLunes), and a bar where on different nights of the week, certain drinks are 50 cents. We have definitely found some places that we will be at a lot.
Getting internet to work in the apartment was much more of an adventure than it sounds. Our landlord, who speaks no English, met up with us so that she could go with us to the store to explain our situation and what we wanted. I don’t know how we would have done it without her because it was a very complicated process. She and her friend picked us up in her 2-door Yaris sized car and we all somehow crammed in that (Trevor’s knees were in his chest) and we made our way to one store, where we were told that you needed a passport to have an account with them, and then we went to another store where we spent 2 hours there trying to figure everything out. We have it now though and it is so nice!
This weekend was our first experience with Spanish nightlife and it was amazing. We have found some spots that we can tell are going to be regular places for us. Also, “botellóns” are popular for people our age. It’s where people bring their own mixers and alcohol to public outdoor places all over the city to drink and essentially make their own party outside. It’s much cheaper than paying for drinks in the bar, since alcohol is cheaper than bottled water here. Last night, we were invited to a gathering at the Torre del Oro and there were literally about 100 people just standing in a group. We met some people that told us that they all move as a pack and are a different spot every night. Needless to say, we found them on Facebook so we can stay up on their location of the night! Going to a botellón is more popular for Sevillanos than going to a bar or club, and their motto is “La gente vive en la calle!” (The people live in the street) Just by walking around the city at night, it is obvious that this is a very accurate statement. Streets are packed with large groups of people congregated in various places. If there is one thing that I have noticed about Spain, it is the La gente vive en la calle. No matter what they are doing, people prefer to be outside in the streets among the lively atmosphere.
Now that classes have started, I am becoming more and more comfortable here. Finding people in the same situation as me was just what I needed to ensure me that I wasn’t crazy for picking up and moving to another country for 6 months. The other students are great too. We mostly all speak English, which is a nice break from the constant need to speak Spanish since hardly anyone in Sevilla speaks English any better than we speak Spanish. I am hoping to become friends with Spanish students. That will be easier once the real classes start for the semester on the 24th, since right now is just a 2 week Spanish language brush up course.
I promise I’ll try and be better about updating so that my posts don’t have to be this long again.
Love from Spain!
PS I took my mailing address off to keep it private, but if you would like it, just send me an email!
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