Here, there, and everywhere

Here. in. Sevilla.

The title? A Beatles reference for sure, they have been a frequent companion thus far on my adventure abroad, especially throughout my four flights. But also it reflects the fact these past few days have been quite the whirlwind; between catching up on much needed sleep, moving in with our host families, attending several information sessions, trying to navigate the city (mostly on foot, but other options to come soon!), learning the ways of "una vida sevillana", buying a cell phone, AND SO MUCH MORE.

Here's a little recap...

From the beginning the journey here almost took a turn for the worse. Our 1:30 pm RDU flight to Philly was delayed first half an hour for extra travel time, but then even longer when they could not open the cargo hatch. Thanks US Airways, I knew your track record would not improve with this trip. By 3:15, we had not boarded a plane, so the attendant decided to put us on the next available plane to Philly, at 3:35 pm (clearly already boarding). A throng of us international students were rushed over the the adjacent gate where we finally got going on our journey. Phew. I met a nice former State student who was flying back to Madrid to go complete her second year of teaching English. I've heard a lot about this program, and definitely want to keep it in my options later on! Our delayed arrival in Philly made our layover a piece of cake, cut from 3 hours to about 40 minutes. Soon we were on our decked out airbus, bound for a transatlantic flight!

For my first transatlantic flight, it was not too shabby! I watched Date Night on my personal seat back TV and then started the film Taken and then realized it was a terrible choice to watch considering the circumstances. Around 7 hours later, we arrived in Madrid! I had slept maybe an 1 or 2 hours, so at this point I was still pretty out of the loop, but glad to be abroad. However, here was the point my little individual travel adventure began...

It began with power walking through the Madrid airport with all of my luggage on a crappy, poor steering luggage cart. Then trying to find my correct terminal and trying to check in for my flight to Barca, and buying my extra checked luggage. Basically, I was sweating buckets because I was crunched for time AND had no clue what I was doing! I passed out on the flight to Barcelona and then spent 4 hours chillin out in the land of Catalan. For lunch I tried out McDonalds, and began the first of many times of ordering in Spanish. Then as I waited for my Seville flight (in Spain they don't post gate numbers until about 30 min before the flight boards, kind of nerve wracking), trying to stay awake and not feel like a zombie. Ultimately on both flights, I distinguished myself as the only American and successfully passed out asleep. Finally I arrived and my next fear concerned the successful delivery of my luggage. Because I had to pay for an extra checked bag, and since everything was rushed, I was concerned it would get stuck somewhere. My heart raced the whole time, and finally my bags appeared, some of the last per usual. Actually several group members did not receive their luggage after the flight, and some didn't get it until today! But everything came together and I was on my final leg....get to Hotel Alcazar.

To continue the adventure/since I wanted to save money, I decided to take the bus to the hotel instead of pay for a taxi by myself (most everyone else came in groups and split cab fares). It was a fantastically economic decision! For 2,40 euro, I put all of my stuff on the bus and rode through the city I now call home. Easy enough, my stop was the last one. I tend to second guess myself with directions, even though I have a pretty keen sense, and had to ask for a few directions, but finally made it to the hotel, before most of the group and before the 6 pm deadline. 4 flights, 3 cities, 2 suitcases, 1 bus ride, pero EXITO.

~~~~

Since then things have not slowed down. Friday was spent doing a lot of orientation work and also some great sightseeing, but most importantly, moving to our families! Meagan and I live with Carlos and Encarnita Cobos, a lovely couple who live in Los Remedios in Sevilla. They have two children who are both married, and three grandchildren. Maria, who is 18, her oldest granddaughter has a room at the house. Our calle (street), Asunción, is great with lots of cute shops and cafes. We live on the third floor in a piso and have spent the past few days getting to know Enca and other way around the barrio. We've been speaking lots of Spanish (por supuesto) and la señora loves to tell stories. It has been a bit of a challenge to understand sometimes, but a great learning experience! I can't wait to get to know even more about our host family! More to come for sure.

Other things: lots of orientations at EUSA, where we start our culture/language class Monday night. We've also gone out a few nights to bars, to grab some cerveza, but nothing wild yet. I'm still pretty jetlagged, so I'm trying to get my schedule all sorted. Tomorrow will be low key and hopefully I can explore Sevilla more. It really is a beautiful city and I want to document all I can. For now here are some snapshots of my new home...

In front of Plaza de España