¡Hola!
Unfortunately it’s been a while since my last post, due to a sketchy internet connection and a two-week “Intensive Session” Spanish Language for Business class, which was, well, intensive. I just finished my final exam for the class (which counts as a 300-level Spanish class taken for an entire semester at IU) and I can definitely say that I learned a lot. So now, I’ll try to catch you up on my time here in Sevilla…
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve begin to establish somewhat of a routine. Every morning I wake up, eat my breakfast of toast with olive oil and sugar (better than it sounds – I promise!), and walk over to the Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, which is the Universidad de Sevilla’s business school. My class is three hours long, but half way through our professor gives us a break for a “cafelito.” All of the students (and sometimes our professor) walk down to the cafeteria, where we stand at a bar and drink coffee out of little glasses. It’s actually a really nice way to break up the class, and three hours goes by in a flash. Plus, the coffee here is very strong, so it does a nice job of keeping me awake.
After class, I walk home so I can eat lunch with Juan (my host dad) and Patricia (my 10-year sister) around 2:30. While my Spanish class was great, my homestay has definitely been the best way for me to improve my language skills. Usually during lunch, Patricia quizzes me about whether I have ever heard of Justin Bieber, Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, etc. or about some movie she’s seen. I can’t believe how much pop culture from America is here – she knows about everything from Toy Story to Katy Perry to High School Musical. Sometimes she brings her Littlest Pet Shops animals to the table, and I ask her how to say the names of all the animals in Spanish and then I teach her how to say them in English. On the other end of the spectrum, my conversations with Juan are a lot more academic. He’s an Economics professor, so we often talk about the Spanish economy and world events like the protests in Egypt. We usually listen to the radio during lunch and the radio news is ALWAYS about the economy, so I’ve been learning a lot.
Following lunch, I get to participate in one of my favorite Spanish traditions – the siesta. I have found that I am so much more productive when I get my nap in right after lunch. Plus, there’s not much to do during that time anyway as almost all the stores and restaurants shut down. Following the siesta, I work on homework or hang out with friends until 9 pm, when we eat dinner with the whole family. After that, I finish up all my homework and go to sleep!
Just as soon as I get comfortable in my routine, though, it’s going to change. Next Monday I start my regular session classes that will last me for the rest of the semester. I’m very excited for my real business classes, which will be Corporate Financial Decision Making, International Trade and Finance, European Corporate Organizations, and a Business Internship class – all of which are taught in Spanish. Sadly, though, I will not have enough of a lunch break to return home to eat lunch, so I’ll have to get used to eating at school.
This weekend, I’m going to Granada, a town about 3-hours away by bus, with some of my friends from the business program. When I return from Granada, I’ll try to set something up so you call see my pictures!
