España is my new home!

My new address for the semester:

Jennifer Wainscott
Recaredo 44
41003 Sevilla, Spain

Don't worry, I'm not expecting any of you to send me a huge package that cost $37.28 to ship over here, but if you ever get the whim to write to someone in Spain, you can always write to me. I think it costs $.79 or something to send.

It has been just over a full week since I've been in Spain. Isn't that wild? I feel like I've been here longer than that, maybe because we've been "forced" (can you really force a person like me to explore Europe?)to get to know the city already. So far the city has been very good to me. I still get lost on occasion, but I recognize more and am able to find my way home from almost anywhere. So many of the streets look alike, but if one takes the time to look closely, one can see that each one varies bit by bit. For example, nearly every single block here has at least one farmacia (pharmacy). This means that in half a mile, at least 12 farmacias can be found. It also means that the people of Sevilla need never worry about the common cold.

On Friday, our group is going to Ronda and maybe someplace else. I've been told that Ronda is one of the most beautiful towns in the entire country, and from the few pictures I've seen I believe it. We'll be going to a bull fight on Sunday, which will be... interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about bullfighting just yet, but I guess I'll find out soon.

Some things I miss so far:
Air Conditioning (only a few places have it)
My pillow
Cold beverages (everything here is room temp. or lightly cooled)
Liquid hand soap (I know, random)
Family and friends!

I'm one of the few students living without a roommate this semester, a situation which definitely has some ups and downs. The "ups" include having my own room, not worrying about coordinating shower/bathroom time and not having to worry about stepping on one more person's toes. The "downs" include being alone (a lot - wandering the town alone, riding buses alone, etc), having no one to help fill in the awkward silences made by the language barrier, and having no one to share cab fee with. I know, I know, I'm a big baby. Still, it's tricky trying to get to know people in another language, and doing it alone doesn't simplify things.

Yesterday my host parents had their family over for a huge lunch of gazpacho, something like potato salad, dried ham, cheese, bread, fruit and Cruzcampo (the local beer). Maria, their 5-year-old granddaughter, really liked me because I'm "la Americana" and wanted to play with me the whole time. That was okay by me since our language skills are pretty even.