Finally settled in

Hello everyone!!
I apologize for taking so much time to update my blog. I have been without any form of communication for the last few days and busy with orientation as everyone has arrived now. I met my roommate Caryn and we are getting along great! We both play soccer for our colleges and have similar interests...muy bueno. After our orientation two nights ago, we had some free time so my roommate and I with two other girls went exploring and found a great little place called Glassy on El Rio Guadalquivir which runs through the middle of the city. We had a few glasses of wine and got to know eachother better for the first time.
The next morning we all had breakfast in the hotel, then went on walking tour of the city for the first time. We saw La Plaza de Toros where the bullfights are, we learned about how the city is layed out, and finally ended up at our school. It is on a tiny little street that only one car can barely fit down. Most likely only motos go down it. It is three floors and very nicely decorated. We got a tour of the school, met our professors, and had to take a test to place us in our required language course that we are taking for the first 3 weeks we are here, starting Monday! After the exam we had to find our way back to the hotel (I am thinking they did that on purpose so we could learn our way around better) to get our luggage and hail a cab to our homestay. On the way back I bought a calling card and was able to add money to my cell phone. Finally I felt connected to the world!
We arrived at our homestay and were a little nervous but we are really happy with it! Our padres are Marilo and Pepe. They are a retired couple (68 and 66 years old) who have had American students stay in their home the last 9 years! It felt great to know they have done this all before and understand what we are going through. They are great at speaking slow for us and helping us when we pronounce things wrong. Pepe knows a few words in English and likes adding them into the conversation when it applies. They have 3 kids, two boys and one girl. The boys are married and the girl is not but doesn't live with her parents (unlike most Spanish people who live with their parents well into their 20s, even 30s, until they are married). However we met their daughter, Rocio, because she has lunch with them every day. Our first meal, lunch, was great! Marilo made an amazing soup named Pochero that has carrot, potatoes, and garbanzo beans. It was muy deliciosa! We also had tinto de verano, a dash of red wine topped with Casero, a white pop similar to Sprite. Its fizzy and really good, thank goodness because they drink it with every meal. It was strange last night for dinner because it is not a large meal in Spain. Dinner in the US, where families come together to eat and visit for longer periods of time, is for lunch here because there is a siesta built into the day where everything closes down. When we asked what time we needed to be back for dinner, she said that she would be at the house tonight so it wasn't an issue. BUT sometimes she isn't here at nighttime and we are on our own to find a dinner. Its quite a different philosophy and something we are going to need to get used to. Also, Marilo (senora) smokes, which is hard to get used to and has caused stinging eyes and sore throats for me and my roommate Caryn. Hopefully I don't return home with a black lung from all this second-hand smoke for 4 months!
Last night we explored our neighborhood (barrio) which is called Los Remedios and found a street where a lot of students go (Spanish and American) at night. We felt nervous to go into a solely Spanish bar so early in our semester so we found one that had a good mix of Spanish and American. It was great that we didn't meet up with any other girls from our program because we ended up talking with a lot of Spanish students so we were able to practice our Spanish with them as they practiced their English with us.
Spanish is already becoming so much easier to understand and speak! Its amazing how being so immersed in it helps you improve! I love it and cannot wait to just get better and better. When classes start on Monday it is going to be easier to speak Spanish to my American classmates instead of feeling nervous or embarrassed to do it. I am glad that my roommate wants to practice it as much as possible and not hang with Americans that much. Otherwise it would be very hard to do that on my own.
We have internet in our homestay (luckily) and Skype has been useful in making free calls to the U.S. We have nothing else planned out for us with our program except for watching "Motorcycle Diaries" as a group together tonight. My roommate and I went on a run today also. It felt amazing since all we have been doing the last 3 - 4 days was eat, sit, and sleep. The neighbor girl is going to come over soon and help us try to get internet in our bedrooms since right now we only get it in the living room area and Marilo and Pepe don't know much about computers. :)
Thanks so much for your emails back to me! It makes me feel so loved for people to be interested in what I am doing over here. Thanks so much! I hope to be able to blog and email people back much more now that we are settled in our home.

Keep checking the blog! I hope to write again after classes start on Monday and let you know how that is going.

Love,
Betsy

Estoy aqui!

Hello from España! I arrived in Sevilla today and am settled for the night in a hostel right in el centro. Tomorrow I should be connecting with the rest of my program and having orientation in a hotel right by the river. I had quite a journey getting here including 3 hours to find the train station in Madrid via the metro, borderline sexually harrassed by a gay Basque man on the train who thought I was a ¨Americana guapa¨. He raved about how much better gentlemen the Basques are than the Sevillanos. I was tempted to say that I would look for and avoid the men that acted like he did, but my confidence to say that in Spanish got the best of me. The weather is georgous and the streets are crowded with buzzing motorbikes and people talking and eating tapas and wine outside cafes. I am still adjusting and getting over the fact that I left all the people I love back home but soon, when I get connected with my family and program, I won´t feel so homesick. I wish I could write more but will soon!
Saludos!

Muy Pronto!

So I am getting ready for the big adventure to begin soon! I feel like I have so much to accomplish still before I leave. My flight takes off on Tuesday, January 27th and I am arriving in Madrid at 11:30am on Jan. 28th. Its about 12 days away. Yikes! I still need to get the train ticket to head south to Sevilla where I will stay for the semester. I have so many mixed emotions about leaving! I am incredibly excited and giddy about everything that I will be able to see and experience while I am there. I have been staying up into the early hours of the morning looking at pictures, reading travel guides, and planning weekend trips. However, despite the obvious excitement, I feel really nervous and scared too. I have never been away from home or Andy this long before (though both my parents and Andy are coming to visit at some point...separately) and I have never traveled abroad before in my life. I know these are all normal concerns and I also know it is going to an incredible experience....its just new!

I am excited to step out of my comfort zone, meet new people, make mistakes with my Spanish speaking skills (only to get better of course), try new food, and see new places. Everything will be different and incredible at the same time. I can't wait! Wish me all luck as I finalize my plans and things for my departure. Once I arrive in Spain I will update this blog with what I have been doing as often as possible. Feel free to send me email at elhupp@stthomas.edu or else talk to me on Skype! I will miss you all and see you when I return.

Saludos!