Cafe & Ole

I am very protective about my coffee shops in Lubbock and I can be seen in one of three local spots, Daybreak, Sugarbrowns, or J&B. With that being said, one of the things I set my mind on before leaving for Spain was to find "my coffee shop" and really become a regular. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I found it, and it's name is Cafe & Ole. I love it, I am getting to know the locals, I now know most of the workers, it is really small and quaint, and it is also a minute and a half walking distance from my house. I go in there all the time, to study, to talk, to hangout, to learn Spanish from locals, and its beautiful.

No trips this weekend, so some friends and I went and explored Sevilla and went dancing Saturday night. We had a blast, met some Sevillanos, and this Thursday another Tech student and I got invited to a Spanish surprise party for this girl we met. Our director in Lubbock told us it took a month or so to settle in and I didn't believe her, but after being here for 3 or so weeks, I have found it to be very true. It has been hard adjusting to a lot of things, but I am really starting to feel like I am settling in and meeting new people.

Before I go, I have to tell you that one thing that I really wanted to happen to me was to meet and become friends with Spanish people. But I didn't just want to meet them, I wanted to know them and their story and really become close to them. I guess what I wanted to do was to become so close that if we were walking down a street, and I was on the other side of the street, they would be willing to yell out my name and say "hi" and exchange pleasantries. Well, it happened, I mean it wasn't across the street because we were on the same side, but it happened and I was so happy to think "wow, I really know someone, and I have barely been here". That seems to be the theme here in Sevilla, there are a lot of people in a small place, so whenever you meet someone, you are probably going to see them again. By the way, there are about 700,000 people who live here and the size of the city is roughly 1/4 of Lubbock, yeah it's small. Also, I met a Spanish girl our first day here (no I can't date her, she is already taken) and I saw her last night at a bus stop and she yelled out "HEY!" because she forgot my name. We talked for a little bit, but I guess it seems to me like I am really immersing myself, and I am not just a tourist, but I really LIVE here in Spain.

Well, I have some reading I need to do, and lunch I need to eat, but I miss everyone and I miss home and I hope everyone is doing well. Pictures are on the way, it is going to take more time to put up pictures because I am using a Tech computer right now and not mine. We don't have internet at our house, most students don't, so I need to study for a few things, but pictures will be up very soon on a different site.

Are You Ready For Some Futbol?

Hola a todos,

We are about to finish our third week of school, went on an excursion to Córdoba, and went to the ruins of a palace in Sevilla. Also, it is interesting to see how people are deciding to live their lives here in Spain for the next four months and at the same time there are so many diverse groups here. There are students here to study for their major/minor, some learning the language for the first time, and some who just wanted to be in Spain and travel. I have tried to limit my time to being with American students, and have also met and hang out with this guy named Dario. It’s actually kind of interesting how we started hanging out because he has a store right next to the school called “Dario’s” and I went in there to get a notebook. We talked for like 5 minutes and I asked where a cool Café was and he said right next door because that’s where he goes. Well, I went into his store again because were doing interviews for a class and after words I told him I would go to the Café after he gets off work. We ended up hanging out for a few hours and he listened to me talk in Spanish and was really interested in me wanting to learn his language. We now try to meet every night at 9 after he gets off work and I talk to him and the girl that works there.

We went to Córdoba this past weekend and it was a very cool place to go to and I wish we could have stayed overnight, but it was only a day trip. The main reason for our excursion was to see the Mosque in Córdoba and it was pretty amazing. The Mosque is really interesting because it is a Muslim Mosque, but it is also has a Christian Cathedral inside. Most Cathedrals face North to South and Mosques face East to West in order to face Mecca, but the Mosque in Córdoba was destroyed and taken over and was made in to a Cathedral. The Cathedral is in the middle of Mosque so the Mosque still looks Arabic, until you get into the middle where the Cathedral is, and the interesting part is that the Cathedral is still facing East to West. It might seem important, but it is kind of a big deal that the cathedral inside doesn’t face North to South. After the Mosque some friends and I found this really cool Café and had Tapas. Tapas are so great and they are all over here in Spain and basically they are like appetizers but a little bit bigger. It also depends on what restaurant you go to because some will serve them in different racions.

ROOOOO NAAAAAALLLL DHIIIIIII NOOOOOOOO. If you watch football, real football (I will not refer to it at as soccer while I am in Spain), then you know that what I just wrote out is the name of one of the greatest football players in the world, Ronaldhino. He plays for Barcelona who Sevilla Betis played last night (please note that only in Barcelona do the people yell out Ronaldhino like it is written above). I went to the game with some friends and we had a blast and I actually sat by some people from Canada (we spoke in Spanish mind you). The game went really well, but Sevilla Betis didn’t win because they both scored once and took the tie. Games don’t go into overtime and/or penalty kicks unless it’s a tournament or what they would call a Copa. Also, there are two football teams here, FC Sevilla (Fútbol Club Sevilla) and Sevilla Betis. I actually root for FC Sevilla mostly because I live in a FC Sevilla disctrict. FC Sevilla is also the number one team in the Spanish League right now, which is pretty incredible because there are some really good teams in this league.

Lastly, I wanted to talk to about Sevilla. A friend and I from Tech were walking around and we noticed something that we both love about this city, is that everyone here thinks that this city is pretty much the best place to live. In other words, pride. Sevillanos love their city, they love how close it is to the mountains or to the beach or they love the community that they have with each other. I can’t stress how important community is here and it’s funny because when I am walking around I see the community happening. For example, whenever a Sevillano needs to get something, it is usually a block or two away, so you walk. The difference is you don’t walk alone, if you go out, even for a cup of coffee by yourself, a Sevillano might say “¿Me acompañas?” meaning, can I accompany you. It is important for them to be with someone, even if it is for a walk or just to go get a coke downstairs, the idea of being with company at all times is very central to the way they live their lives.

I know that was a lot of information, but hopefully I can get some pictures up tomorrow. I am trying to figure out if maybe I need to make another site just for pictures, I don’t know. Also, classes are going great, I have a test coming up in Childrens Lit and in Music, but I also have some great teachers and it should be good. I miss everyone, but I am learning a lot and I will keep you informed on where you can see pictures soon. Hasta luego.

Ps. The palace that we went to probably had the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen in my life. The royal family actually still comes to spend time at the gardens today. Que interesante.

¿Vale?

hola a todos,

Every spanish speaking country, including spanish speakers in the United States, have their own slang. There are so many differences because all over any given country there will be diferent dialects and sayings and what not. One thing that is very Spanish, though, is the word "Vale". The actual definition of "vale" from spanish to english is "it is worth." Spaniards use this word all the time, all day, every single day (note that not many to no one in the US will use this word). It may not sound that weird to you, but it would be like you trying to learn english in England when you know that American english is a lot different. Americans don't speak the exact same english, and so it is the same here with spanish and "Vale" is a big difference in their spanish. How do you they use it? I would say they use it in times of saying the phrase "ok" or "alright". So if my house mom asks me if im hungry and i say yes, it kinda goes like this: "¿Grant, tiene hambre?" oh si "vale". I'm not gonna lie, i love it, i think its great.

What else is going on? Well, this weekend we go to Cordoba and see one of Spain's largest Mosques. It is supposed to be pretty incredible, and this past weekend we went to Italica, a place full of history and battles and gladiators and things like that. It was pretty cool, just to see some of these old ruins and rooms that were thousands of years old and to hear the history was pretty amazing. I feel like my spanish is getting better, classes have started and I have a Childrens Literature class and it is really helping with my vocabulary and I am also recongnizing verbs and things like that. Also, I have to get a job for this one class, and I am going to work at a bookstore across the street from the school. I am really excited and the owner seems like a really cool guy. He usually has students from Tech working there and he knows how to work with them and teach them. I won't be getting paid, it is merely for the class. It is really hard to get in job in Spain anyways if you aren't from Spain.

One last thing, our house mom Carmen is very cool and hilarious. Every lunch she stuffs us with food for about an hour or an hour and a half and we all watch The Simpsons in spanish, she loves it. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, so that time with her is pretty important and I feel like my biggest times for learning is at home with her. Also, Soel, my roommate, and I got very lost last weekend, but we ended up remembering where were and hung out with some friends. Here pretty soon we get "tutors" which are college students from the University of Sevilla. They talk to us in spanish and usually they try to get students to hangout with them and their spanish friends. It has been pretty hard so far, and I didn't expect for it to not be, and I know I am learning a lot and I just have to continue to study and talk to people and it will start clicking. I hope all is well and hopefully next blog I will post some pictures up. Adios muchachos.

grant weldon

1st days of Spain

hola a todos,

Sorry it has taken me so long to write, but you can now bookmark this page as my blog for the remainder of the semester. I have to keep it brief because in a few minutes I am going to take a bus with some friends and just get lost in the city.

Let me go ahead and tell you about what has happened so far. I met my roommate, Soel, and he is a really cool dude and a spanish speaker. Most of his family was born in Mexico so he knows spanish pretty well, which is really cool because he is helping and will be a huge help in the coming weeks and months. Our mom´s name is Carmen and she is this little 50 year old lady. She has been great and we have only been in the house for one full day. Our first lunch was incredible and we actually ate so much that it kinda made me sick, but I will adjust. She speaks no english and tons and tons of spanish. Last night her and me watched sea creatures on the tele where every 5 minutes she would say ¨que bonita¨or what beauty. She is a going to be such a huge asset.

The first few days have been interesting in that they have been more like an orientation and a tour. The next few weeks will be the real spain where we are immersed and decide how we will adjust to the new culture. One thing that was cool on our tour of Sevilla was this cathedral called La Giralda. It is the second largest gothic cathedral in the world! It was amazing to see and we will actually go on a tour inside it in a month or so. What is interesting about La Giralda is that the city ordinance is that no other building can be higher than the cathedral. What happens is that all the buildings and apartments are 4 or 5 stories close to the cathedral and get taller as you get away. By doing this, when you are in the city you can still see the cathedral because the buildings aren´t that tall. Also, our apartment is on the 5th floor and we have an amazing view of the city.

Bueno, I need to go explore, but I will probably be writing more within a week or two. I want to limit my blogging and emailing time to one hour every week. It seems impossible, but I am going to make the most out this oppurtunity. I hope all is well and you guys should know that I am learning a lot and excited about classes. Hasta pronto!