Sevilla the town of the night

 This marks my first full week in my new home in Seville! Let me say that I am falling in love. Not with a boy but with this city. I love it every more every day! There is so much life and fun things to do I will never get bored. Classes are going really well and I am happy to say that I am picking up Spanish pretty quickly. I have Spanish class every morning which is all taught in Spanish and I get to practice with my loving host family. They have told me that I have improved greatly since the first day which is a major praise. I am still getting used to walking every where but am happy to say that I am becoming more familiar with everything and am considering myself closer to a Spaniard than a week ago.I am slowly getting used to all the looks I get as I stick out being blonde and american. Every day is a new adventure and I want to experience all the wonderful things this amazing city has to offer.
 One of the things I have picked up is running in the Parque De Maria Luisa. Central park does not even compare. Every inch is covered by green tress, flowers and historic monuments. From beautiful gardens, to the baroque architecture to the young love that is in pristine corners, this park is always a joy to run in at the end of the day. Tonight some friends and I went to an authentic Flamenco show. Before we went I had to find this Casa de La Memoria and buy tickets. I had to navigate through the city by myself but I am happy to say I did and had time for gelato before catching the metro to class. Flamenco is the dance of Spanish culture which includes many emotions and is known for its intensity. I can say that it was the most intense dancing I have EVER seen. It was a beautiful strong dance with so much passion and emotion. The male and women dancer were so intense and simply captivating. Watching it made me want to learn more about Spanish culture and proud to be temporarily living here. Afterwards our friends met up  and all hit up my new favorite local restaurant/bar which is all outside in the center of Seville by the cathedral. it is the prime spot to get some good wine, people watch and have great conversation in the open air of Spain.
Loving every minute here! Looking forward to exploring Seville more this weekend. Besos <3

"Vale!" (Okay!)

Finally all settled in my new home for the next three months in Seville, Spain! These past couple days have been very crazy with traveling, lugging around 50 pounds of clothes, a 20 pound backpack and of course my pillow. None the less I am happy to say everything is now stored in a closet and have my pillow on a comfy bed in the apartment I am are staying in. Right after I got off the plane and promptly arrived in Madrid. We than got a walking tour of Madrid, went to the Plaza Mayor, Debod Temple, A giant cathedral and walked through the gardens. It was very beautiful but Emily and I were exhausted after being up for 31 hours of traveling. The next day we traveled to Toledo which is beautiful and rich in history. It was once totally Muslim but after the Spanish Inquisition and the switch of power it was overthrown by the Catholic monarchy. We got to see the fourth largest cathedral inthe world, the Rosary Cathedral, we saw a synagogue, the famous photo done by Grecco and also got a walking tour of the city. Finally we got to Seville and met our families. 

I am living with a mother and daughter named Ada and Anna. It is great because Anna is my age and is very sweet. Our room is super nice and we have a view of the whole city. We live in Nervion which is a central and nice part of the city where the metro is only 5 minutes away and our school is only a 15 minute walk! Today we had a tour of the city and met our mission mentors with Veritas. They are very sweet and welcoming, definitely helps me feel more at home with people who are open and willing to help whenever I need it. It has been a blast getting to know everyone in the program and becoming closer friends with the people in my Veritas group. there are around 90 students in the ISA program and 7 in the Veritas group. I am so looking forward to becoming better friends with everyone! 

Now for the High Low of the experience thus far. The high is that I absolutely LOVE it here (Don't worry mom and dad I am coming back home). I love everything from the food, which is mainly a Mediterranean diet with lots of coffee, to the laid back lifestyle as the normal time for a meal is an hour. I love walking through the city and seeing all the people on the street. I love my sweet little apartment. I love all the history and color Seville has to offer. It has been such a huge blessing for far and God has been so faithful to me. Now for the low. When we first got here I cried like a baby. I was so overwhelmed with the language barrier and with the culture shock. I really do wish that I was fluent in Spanish because that would make everything better! It has been difficult at times to adjust to the differences like eating a 10 at night and being a guest in someone's house. I do miss my family, I wish I could give my mom a hug every morning and than annoy my sister with questions about which boy likes her today, I wish I could go over to my best friends house and have her make me french press coffee than laugh our butts off, I wish I could eat peanut butter (as they don't have it here). But alas I cannot and it is OKAY. I know there many changes that I will need to make and time will help me adjust here better. Sending love to everyone back home! Besos <3

Bittersweet goodbyes

Today was then first round of goodbyes, and it sucked. I had to say goodbye to my sweet and beautiful roommate Anissa. I swear that girl is an angel. She is so strong and has a positive attitude despite her surroundings. It was crazy thinking that I won't get to see her till next year! I was happy I got to catch up with some friends and loved every minute of it.  Driving away from Vanguard, a bit of my heart was definitely torn. While I am so excited to study in Spain, I also will be missing the beautiful souls at VU. The community there, the comfort of my friends and the simple things such as an OC sunset. Its strange leaving the comfort of home to venture into uncharted waters. Than I said "see you later" to my childhood best friend Maggie. We are hoping to meet up in her study abroad country of Italy later this year. I am so thankful for her friendship and can't wait to hear about all of her adventures.
This last week home is already setting in. While I am anxious for Spain, I know I still have lots to do in preperation for next Monday! Adios 💝