Yesterday I got to complete the trifecta of ways to travel by myself! The morning was uneventful, and I showered at Susana's just getting ready to head to Sevilla. She helped me drag my bags to the Iglesia metro station and repeated to me (multiple times thankfully) which station to get off on. Getting off the metro was fine, it was getting to the platform for my train. It involved me asking one shop keeper and a Renfe worker (who answered me in English) but I found it alright.
The weather was not bright and sunny, but still better than the weather at home I'm sure, so I didn't complain and enjoyed seeing the countryside by train. It did seem to slowly get more sunny the closer I got to Sevilla, so that was heartening. Getting off the train, and feeling the pain in my body already from lugging my bags around Madrid, I realized I was going to need some euros for a taxi, instead of walk to the hotel. This involved me butchering spanish some more (but still using it!) to find someone to break a $100, which could have gone worse. I then called a taxi and told him to go to the Hotel Hesperia Sevilla, and thankfully there wasn't any confusion! So there you go, my travel trifecta complete, and only three days in!
Sadly but surely, when I arrived to the hotel and CIEE leaders began speaking spanish to me, I was taken aback. They worked with me and repeated the sentences a couple times "have you checked in?" "go here, do this, see you later, you'll get it back, etc." I figured I wasn't the only one needed things repeated, so I just went with it.
I immediately went up to me room and soon after my roommate, Maria, walked in and without too much of an introduction, asked me if I wanted to go out and see Sevilla with some of her friends, which I thought was really nice. We left and just walked up the street we were on, in the Nervión neighborhood. Even though I have been to Sevilla before with my family, we only really saw the historic center more than anything else, so I thought that the rest of the city was like that and it isn't. In Nervión, most everything is very modern, and it is considered the chic neighborhood.
Our first meeting was later that night, and we were welcomed to the city and to the program, and we were given basic information. Basically, we were given information about all of the information we will be receiving later on. We also received our housing assignments. I found out that I will be living with a familia, and I have a madre, padre, 2 hermanos that are 19 and 22, and a hermana that is 29. I don't know if all of them actually live in the house, but I will find out on Friday!
After the meeting we were placed into groups to try and split students from the same universities up, and each group had their own Spanish business student as a guide. We will be in our groups until we are placed in our homestays, and our guide will show us around Sevilla, and be our go-to person for questions and information. My group ate dinner together, and we got to know our leader, Marta, who tried desperately to have spanish conversations with a group that was falling asleep in their food. She understood though, so the conversation was pretty basic.
Everyone seemed pretty excited to go to bed, although I know there was a group of guys who proceeded to go out to the bars until 4am. They were feeling it today. I figured I have the whole semester ahead of me to go out and have fun, but for now, I'm still adjusting to the time, and finally getting over this cold! My night adventures will be more fun in the next few days, let alone the next few months!
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