(Post #6) Starting My Second Month Strong!

(Monday, January 31st) Hellooo from the last day of January! Every day in Sevilla is special, but this one was extra special as it was Alicia’s mom’s (or Mamá as I call her) birthday! I spent the morning working on applications and things for back home (always gotta stay on top of it!), but then around 5 I took the metro to Montequinto, the suburb where Alicia and Nolie’s families live. I picked up some chocolate for mama (because everyone needs some extra chocolate on their birthday) and then as I was riding on the metro- I seriously got goosebumps thinking about how my Spanish sisters are only a 20-minute ride away. I have dreamed of living this close to them instead of 4,000 miles away, and the fact that we can just make plans and ride over on the day of is amazing.

When I arrived, we had some desserts for merienda (snack between lunch and dinner) that Alicia and I had picked up from the supermarket. I have been in many stores already, but seeing the one that Alicia frequents was so surreal as I had always tried to picture it but did not know what to totally expect. After merienda, Alicia and I went on a walk and we unintentionally wandered into Noelia’s neighborhood. Nolie was not home as she is training a lot to try and make it into the medical field for the army, but we had a nice chat with her mom and brother when we knocked on the door to say hi! Ali and I then returned to find out that many of the nearby restaurants were closed on Mondays, and since their family car was currently broken- we would be enjoying Burger King as the festive meal. I have not ate BK in many, many years, and being honest- I did not think I would be chowing down on a whopper in Europe, but it was so yummy and the company made it even better. We had tiramisu for dessert and then I made it back on the last metro train of the night.

(Tuesday, February 1st) Happy February! I had classes as normal today but there was some happy and bittersweet parts afterwards. I facetimed my mom and my brother Justin (plus I got to see the family pups!) and then later in the night we had a little goodbye celebration for my two Italian roommates Giorgia and Noemi who would be returning home the next day. In my house of 10 people (2 parents, their 4 kids, my roommate Jillian & I, the 2 Italians, and 2 dogs), things can get crazy, but they are also so fun. I did not even know about Giorgia and Noemi until they showed up at dinner one night after being gone a few days to quarantine (I did not even know the room they live in existed), but it was such a great surprise and they are leaving too soon! I love the opportunity I am having of meeting so many people.

(Wednesday, February 2nd) On this nice sunny day, when I was not laying outside in the sun on the patio, I was out to eat with the family or at the park. My host family and I went out to grab sandwiches and mine was delicious! I love getting to have more in-depth conversations and see just how great of people they are (for example: they bought a homeless man a burger and made sure to ask what fixings he would like on it). After, I met a few friends in the beautiful María Luisa Park by Plaza de España and I invited one of my friends from the Netherlands, Katja! We had never met yet, so it was so fun to get to chat with her about her country and just how life is in general. It was a beautiful day to eat some snacks and enjoy the company of my new pals.

(Thursday, February 3rd) Today I had orientation at EUSA where I would be beginning my two English tourism classes next week. It was crazy to meet so many students of different nationalitie, and I am looking forward to hopefully having classes with some of them later on! In my food and wine class later in the day, we had our first tasting session where we enjoyed many different types of Iberian Ham (that Spain is known for). I am loving that I not only get to eat delicious food but also get to really learn about the cultural background and effects.

(Friday, February 4h) Happy travel day! Asia and I caught an 8am flight to Valencia where we would be enjoying the weekend. We arrived at our hostel just in time to join the street art walking tour showing off some of the many graffiti and street art that fill the walls of this old,

yet culturally rich city. We then visited many museums and saw some very old Roman ruins. After climbing La Torre de Serranos and heading back to our hostel, we met our third roommate for the weekend- Heather. Heather is from England and I absolutely loved chatting with her about our different English dialects and being annoying enough to ask her stance on One Direction and the Royal Family. We got along super fast and she even let me practice my horrible accent. Asia, Heather, and I then enjoyed some paella as this

city is known for its rice dishes. Ours had chicken and rabbit (a new food for me) and we enjoyed the different dish. We then went out with some other people from our hostel and surrounding hostels and I am proud to say that on this night, we ran into an event held by the Erasmus program (which allows European students to study in other European countries) and I met students from all of the following countries: Finland, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic, Slovakia, England, Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, Hungary, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and Poland. I am one lucky gal as all of these students speak English and take courses in English as well.

(Saturday, February 5th) The highlight of this day for me was taking another walking tour about the history of Valencia. I did not know about all the takeovers this city has had and how the culture has been changed. We also charged Valencia’s version of the Horchata drink

(Mexico makes it differently) and I dipped in a warm pastry and mmmm. Asia and I went to a few more museums and gardens and then stopped by the ocean. We didn’t stay long as it was cloudy and 60 degrees but when we returned, we spent the night with Heather and bounced around to a few different restaurants trying tapas (their equivalent of appetizers). It was definitely another successful day.

(Sunday, February 6th) This morning started off sad by having to say goodbye to Heather, but Asia and I consoled ourselves by walking around and trying a few different pastries

(apple pastry, lemon meringue, and chocolate wafers) and then I also had a yummy sandwich with goat cheese. I knew that I liked goat cheese before coming to Europe, but it has definitely grown into an addiction. We took our hour flight home and then I spent the afternoon hanging out with my host family and getting some things done. I got ready to prepare for my EUSA classes to begin tomorrow!

As always, please check my gallery page for more pictures!