Bienvenidos!

I still can't really believe I'm actually here..

I left Dallas at 11:20 Central Time on the 13th and got to Boston around 3:20 Eastern Time. My awesome boyfriend met me and walked me to my terminal before we had to say good bye (AGAIN, ugh) and I boarded the plane for Spain! It was kind of a stark transition going from an American Airlines flight where everyone spoke English and they charged for everything to an Iberian Airlines flight completely in Spanish where they passed out wine like candy (I did not partake. Flying messes with my stomach). They also gave us dinner and breakfast on these nifty little tray things with little compartments for everything. After we arrived in Madrid REALLY early in the morning, I pretty much ran through the Madrid Barajas airport (including through passport control) to make it to my gate on time to take a rickety little plane to Sevilla.

My flight to Sevilla was filled with other American students going on the same program as I was, so it was very reassuring. Once we arrived, we were greeted by people from the CIEE program who put us in taxis to go to our host family's house. My host mom, Imaculada, is really sweet. She has two grown kids who live in Barcelona. This is her 11th year having students! (4 students a year!) She's also a GREAT cook. Everything she's made us so far has been delicious.

Most of the stuff we've been doing is mostly just orientation stuff. Lots of walking around the city, and getting acquainted with our neighborhood. Sevilla is roughly divided into a few barrios (or neighborhoods) including mine, Triana, which is more industrial and less tourist-y. The Guadalquivir River separates Triana and Los Remedios (another neighborhood) from the rest of Sevilla.

Every night so far, we've gone out for tapas. These are kind of like the Spanish version of appetizers, small plates that everyone shares. My orientation group (made up of 8 other American students from Cornell, Indiana University, Pennsylvania State, University of Colorado at Boulder, and Providence College) usually shares several of these tapas washed down with glasses of Cruzcampo (the local beer) or tinto de verano (sparkling wine with lemonade). Don't worry, the drinking age here is 18 :P

Tonight we're going out to see a live Flamenco performance for the first time! Hasta luego...

This was during my EPIC packing adventure. No, I didn't bring a guitar. That's my sister's.

Orange trees are EVERYWHERE in Sevilla! They line most of the streets. Apparently, the oranges are very sour and more for decoration that anything else.

This is the Education building at the Universidad de Sevilla. The main building is very old, but GORGEOUS.

This is Calle San Jacinto, a major street running through my neighborhood.

This is a Plaza in my neighborhood. We've gotten tapas along here for the past two nights.

This is the Puente de Isabel II (bridge of Isabel the second) that crosses the Guadalquivir River. On the other side, is the heart of Sevilla.

This is a view of the river from the bridge. Calle Betis, the street that lines the river, is known for its many bars and seafood restaurants.

This is a view down Calle Sierpes in El Centro. It is one of the main shopping streets in Sevilla. The facade with all the clocks is for El Cronómetro, a watch repair shop.

This is the Banco de España. It overlooks the Plaza Nueva, one of the main squares in Sevilla.

This is the Plaza Nueva. The statue is of Fernando el tercero (Ferdinand the 3rd) who annexed Sevilla for Spain.

This is my orientation group! Lena, Andrea, Jessie, Laurel, Mandy, Carly, Mattie, Me, and Natalia (our guide). The red bags say "rebajas" which means sale in Spanish!