Thursday, February 6 // Jueves, 6 de febrero
ENGLISH
Yesterday and today blended together a bit because I haven't been feeling well and have not had a lot of energy.
A highlight, though, was the first intercambio of the trip, which was yesterday night. Intercambio is a meet-up for international students, local students, and anyone who wants to meet new people and practice languages. It was at White Bar across the street from La Universidad de Sevilla, which was pretty small, but a group of friends and I stood outside and met some local people. It was nice to talk in Spanish to new people because they were very open and willing to help us with our speaking abilities. Some friends from SAIIE and I listened to stories from the guy who arranges the intercambio because he had been in the United States for a while and had lots of experiences to share.
There is another intercambio tonight near my apartment in the Alameda de Hércules, so hopefully we will meet more people today.
Tomorrow is the first trip outside of Sevilla. SAIIE is taking us to Ronda, Málaga! I am so excited to see it and take photos to share with you all - the city's old town and new town are separated by a massive gorge and the city is home to incredible Moorish and Roman architecture. I will have more details on the history tomorrow, as we have a tour guide for the afternoon. While I love this city, I'm excited to see a new part of AndalucÃa and learn more about how the area was shaped.
I am already learning a lot about the area - each class that I am taking is surrounding a specific aspect here. I am delving deep into grammar, literature, history, and architecture. Of course, I had to visit a library today to concentrate on some homework; it was a two-story, cozy building with rooms upstairs with tables for studying. The rooms were almost filled with people doing work, which impressed me. I would go back to the library because it was nice and peaceful. The river is also a nice place to study. There are lots of people practicing rowing and the sun is great for the soul!
