I really need to write more often... I am having difficulty remembering everything I have done since the last entry!
Well let's see, Monday my class started! I was super nervous about this class because this class is only two weeks long, but we take it for three hours a day. And yet we still have two tests and a paper in the span of two weeks. I guess that is why they call it the "intensive session". But so far, so good! My class is called The Cultural History of Spain, so we spend on half of the class in the actual classroom learning about the history and then the next half we walk around Seville and go to different historical landmarks. For instance, Monday we went to these columns that had been there since the Romans had been in Spain. They were from a temple of Hercules, who is supposedly the founder of Seville, along with Julius Caesar. So that was really cool to see because the columns were directly next to this apartment building. Then Monday night, we went to another park and a few of us all had coffee at a cafe and chatted and caught up on our days. Most of the day we spend speaking in Spanish, but usually by the time night rolls around, we are all exhausted from speaking in Spanish, so we start with English again... oops. My senora really likes American TV shows about witches and vampires, and so Monday night we watched a show called "The Secret Circle", which I thought was comical for the bad writing, but it was nice to sit and watch with her. I really like her and she is really great for having me in her house.
Tuesday, my class went back to the Mirador and the Plaza de Encarnación that we went to before. What was cool though was that we went underneath the mirador and saw all of these Roman ruins from houses that had been there before. What had happened was that back in the 70's, there was a market in the plaza, but it was really old, so the government tore it down and was going to build a new one. But during the excavation, they found the ruins and had to halt construction for almost thirty years. Once they found the ruins, they wanted to build something to protect the ruins but at the same time be able to house a market. Thus the Mirador was thought of. That is one thing that I love about Seville, you are constantly seeing the old mixed with the new. Just like the columns next to a new apartment building and the ruins underneath the huge modern mushroom-looking thing. All of this is representative of the Sevillano spirit to remember the past and keep moving on and progressing in to the future. I love it.
Also last night, I had churros con chocolate. I'm sure this seems like it is turning in to a food diary, but oh my goodness it was so delicious. It was hot chocolate that was so rich and then you dip the churros in and it was perfect. Then after that I did homework and watched the first few episodes of Vampire Diaries that my senora gave to me. I am watching more American TV here than I did in America...
Then today we went back to Alcázar, which was ok because our professor told us a lot more than we learned on the tour. And plus some of my Islamic Religious Traditions knowledge was coming in handy... holla! Then a few of us went to see the massive wall that used to surround the city, but now there are only a few parts left. At the end of the wall, there is this basilica, the Basilica de la Macarena, and inside it is honestly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Everything is so ornate and elaborate, I couldn't help but start to pray in it. There were people all around the chapel sitting and praying and taking it in, it was so cool I cannot even begin to put it into words. It was wonderful.
Tonight we are going to this party put on by our program in order to meet our intercambios, or Spanish students who want to learn English and who want to help us learn Spanish. Mine is a 27 year old male, and that is all I know about him... this could be interesting.
Also, sorry there are no pictures in this one, for a couple different reasons. One, I don't really have that many from the past couple of days, and two, the ones I do have I am too lazy to upload right now. Perhaps later!