It's the little things.

There aren't many foods I've missed from the States; me encanta la comida de Espana. However, there are some comforts (or maybe just one) which the cuisine here just can't seem to match.
As I mentioned before, they say the quickest way to a Spaniard's heart is through American cookies--allegedly ours are sweeter and less dry. So, I did only logical thing: I scoured Sevilla for vanilla extract and chocolate chips (two ingredients not common in pasteles Espanoles) and made some cookie dough.
I lost count of how many my host sister ate, and had enough to give our rockstar staff at ISA a mini-"Feliz de San Valentin" bag of goodies.
Cheers to Nestle and the power of semi-sweet chocolate morsels.

Stay tuned for the next post. If all goes to plan, my new dog "Teo" will be making a video appearance. It's time y'all met.

xoxo.

Flamenco y Friends.

As it turns out, it's good that I wasn't planning on going out to Cadiz (the infamous Carnical location where many American students went tonight, though I may follow the Sevillanos advice and go during the day next weekend) considering I ended up in the ER this morning with an allergic reaction to who knows what. I'm A-Ok now, but I don't think Becky got too much sleep last night. (xoxo, Mom.) 

However, a friend and I were able to make it a small Sevillan night out on the town by hitting up Sevilla's oldest tapas bar (c. 1670), Rinconcillo, for some espinacha con garbanzo (spinach and garbanzo beans) and pavia de vacalao (fried codfish). Then, we finished the evening with our first flamenco experience. We went to a small location recommended to me as the place where only Sevillanos and flamenco-lovers go. 

Goodness. Flamenco. I hardly expected to viscerally feel the dancing as I was watching it. The pure passion, articulate communication through pose, and the beautiful relationship of the improvising performers... Please put watching flamenco in Sevilla right after going to Boston in the Fall on your bucket list. I apologize for the video's quality, but I attached a snippet of film from the evening, and a few more on FB. The evening was only further approved by the presence of Mr. Will Pugh. NEVER underestimate the comfort of a friend and familiar face. 

In other news, allegedly the trash strike is over and the city will being cleaning next week. I hardly believed the news until on my walk home I saw the trash truck and, for once, didn't smell last week's paella's leftovers. If you don't believe me, photo proof attached.

See? Trash truck on the left. *fingers crossed.*

As Promised...

Day 10. The saga continues...

No8Do.

Recent highlights:
-Classes started Monday. With the reality of homework, life is slightly back to (more) normal.
-Doing said homework isn't so bad when you can do it in the sun in a plaza next to a Gothic cathedral to the tune of a Spanish guitar, birds, and a fountain.
-Last Monday (our first day in Spain), the cleaning unions went on strike. That means that today marks 9 days that no trash has been picked up. I'll post pictures tomorrow if I remember, but there are quite literally just mounds of trash everywhere. All the Sevillanos are highly embarrassed and keep apologizing profusely since they take great pride in their cleanliness. Allegedly, last time this happened, it lasted for 24 days. Here's to hoping Spanish politics still have some efficiency left in them. I'll keep you updated.
-For all my Wheaton friends, my art teacher looks like Leah Samuelson. 
-For all my book friends, the showers here have hardly any hot water. Bring it.
-The end of January and beginning of February is know as the "tiempo de las rebajas", or time of the sales. Basically, most everything in the entire country is 50-70% off. ...Ok, not literally. But, almost. Let the expansion of the wardrobe commence. And, let me know if anyone has any requests of clothing from Spain. Seriously. 
-Every Tuesday night there's a Spanish series that's basically Downton Abbey, but set in a hotel, and in Spanish. My family here loves it, so we now have girls night on the couch every Tuesday. It's not too terrible of a substitute, and not a bad way to practice Spanish.
-My friends and I have made our list of destinations and dates, and the hopeful plan is such: 
     Barcelona and Valencia, Prague/Berlin/Vienna, Paris/Versailles, TUNISIA, Copenhagen, and Greece.
     These places are on my map. and calendar. and will soon become reality.
     Chaospanicfreakoutsaywhat?
-I'm hoping I found something like a Campus Crusade ministry recommended to me by the precious missionary family I met through some Wheaton connections. *crossed fingers* 
-Mama Esperanza tried Snickerdoodles the other day and fell in love. Our desserts are a bit sweeter and less dry than theirs, so they say the quickest way to a Spaniard's heart is giving them cookies. So, I think I'll see how they like chocolate chip cookies next. 
-If you have just two quick minutes, Google "No8Do", and look up the quick history of the motto of Sevilla. The symbol I attached is everywhere: on buildings, street signs, pipes, etc. The literal meaning is "It (Sevilla) has not abandoned me", but they now use it to say "Sevilla will never leave me." And honestly, for me, this is becoming more and more true with each passing day.
-That's all for now. xoxo.

Also, for those who have asked, for all packages and letters:

International Studies Abroad (ISA) Sevilla 

Elizabeth Brown
C/ San Isidoro, 30
41004 Sevilla, Spain 

Public Announcement

I'm going to put most of my pictures up on Facebook from now on. Most.