First 5 weeks

So far I've been pretty bad about blogging. As in about 5 weeks without... But here it goes. I've been in Sevilla for about 4 weeks now (the first one was spent traveling around Madrid, El Escorial, and Toledo--my favorite). When I arrived in Sevilla, I spent 2 weeks doing intensive grammar and conversation courses. Then I started my classes at Universidad de Sevilla two weeks ago and now have a set schedule of four classes (all in Spanish): European Art History 20th century, Hispanoamerican Poetry, Contemporary Spanish Cinema, and Contemporary History of Spain. It's all pretty interesting so far. Just learning things in a different language is cool in itself because at times you can't recount information back--you understand words but haven't yet internalized them to use them yourself. I've been keeping a notebook full of words/phrases that I either want to know or that I read/heard, which is helping but it's still quite difficult to internalize a word after one encounter. Many times, it's only after several times that I remember it, which is fine but slow! It's really exciting though to realize that I can have a conversation with people at times or understand more. Some days, it's impossible though. Slow but steady...

Anyways, since being here, I've also visited Ronda, a beautiful, naturally fortified city about 1.5 hours from Sevilla. Ronda's known for having one of the oldest bullfighting arenas. Tamara, one of the women who works at ISA (my study abroad program) explained the process of the bullfight, Pedro Romero (the greatest bullfighter), and a bunch of other cultural issues regarding el corrido de toros. There's also a really beautiful, huge bridge that divides the older and newer parts of the city.

I'm going to Carnaval in Cádiz, which is really Mardi Gras aquí. So that will be fun!! I definitely want to return to Cádiz when the weather is warm since it's known for its beautiful beaches.

Other travel plans:
-March 13-15: Lisboa, Portugal (with ISA)

-March 27-29: Córdoba y Granada
we`re going with ISA but staying an extra night in Granada at a hostel so I can see Kate, my friend from home

-April 3-8: Marruecos (Morroco- w/ ISA)
i'm sooooo excited about this one!-riding camels, sleeping in the desert, etc...

-April 17-18: Barcelona
i'm looking forward to seeing some Gaudi

-April 24-28: BUDAPEST
this one came out of nowhere but i'm soooo excited. we'll return in time to enjoy most of the FERIA, which is just a weeklong party in sevilla of everything sevillana

¡ME ENCANTA ESPAÑA!