Okay, this being Day 2, I thought I should get started on this blog experiment. I hope it turns out to be a good way to share my work here in Spain with my family.
First, my "house"--really isn't a house at all. I live in a very large, widespread apartment similar to a condo. I have two keys that were given to me, one to open the outside door of the building and then the other to open the actual "house" door. I live upstairs on the first floor with Manuela and Fernando, an older couple in their late sixties. I also have another student here with me--her name is Marta and she is Spanish but lives in America now--Illinois in fact--and teaches at Barrington HS with another teacher I have known for over ten years. What a small world! Both Marta and I have our own rooms. They are mid-sized with two twin beds in each. My room has a balcony that overlooks the street. We live across the "Big River" so I have to walk a little distance to and from the school meeting place everyday--crossing over the bridge. I have been doing LOTS of walking here. You just walk to get anywhere you need to. Cars are actually a pain here. Sevilla has about 800,000 people so it's about 8 times bigger than Lafayette's population. There is a very old part across the bridge and then a more modern part. For a big city, it doesn't feel like one. It just feels like a widespread town.
I wake up pretty early and do my on-line work. Then around 8:30 am the mom wakes up and has breakfast for us. Today, I had "tostada"--their version of toast--real bread, kind of like a French loaf but roasted in the oven with some olive oil. I put nutella on it and ate it--very crunchy. I just had one piece, a 1/4 small glass of milk that comes from very small rectangular cartons (one liter) and a small glass of pineapple juice. I am really watching what I eat and exercising--just like I was doing before I left because I want to lose weight and be healthy for my family.
I have to walk to the cultural activity in the morning. Yesterday, we walked all over Sevilla to get acquainted with the city. Today, we toured the very famous cathedral. It is the 3rd largest in the Christian world. I took lots of pictures. Pete--you would LOVE being here. There are just so many cool buildings to see. I know you would enjoy taking a ton of pictures. I wish you could be here with me. :) Anyways, the morning tours last until 1:30pm and then I walk back home. I get back around 2pm. By that time, all the stores and offices have closed for lunch. Manuela prepares lunch for us at 3pm and Fernando says the prayer for us four. Manuela is a fantastic cook--she really loves food and being hospitable. She always wants me to eat more but, like I said, I am very alert about what I am eating and how much I am exercising. Today's lunch was exceptionally yummy--fried fish fillets of some type, spaghetti noodles with marinara sauce and salad. I am drinking a lot of water here--at least 4.5 liters a day. The water bottle has come in very handy. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Supper isn't until 10 or 11pm and she wants me to eat at that hour and I am not hungry so I have had just a very small yogurt each night to appease her. Fernando and Manuela eat normally for their supper. Marta eats more than I do--I just can't eat so late....
Anyways...after lunch, Marta and I walk to the school center--it's a pretty good half hour walk from where we live. Since I arrived here, the weather has been very unusual. Normally it is extremely sunny and hot and dry. It has been sunny, but breezy and more on the cooler side. It even rained this morning. The people in Seville think it has been very cold this week. We stay at school 4pm-7:30pm then we walk back home or do errands--like go to the pharmacy for aspirin or to the electric store for batteries. Little things we need.
I'm kind of a boring person here because when I can, I work on the on-line class. I'm sure other people and most of the younger teachers are out and about doing something in the city. There are thirty of us here. I am the only one with a scholarship. :) We are about 1/3 older than I; 1/3 younger than 1 and the last third about my age.
Okay, let me get back to the cathedral we toured today. It was sooooo cool! The inside (part of it) is Gothic just like Notre Dame (Paris). It has the largest relief of any cathedral in the world. Christopher Columbus is buried in this cathedral. I took pictures. We then climbed what used to be the Muslim prayer tower (it was Christianized in its architecture after the Catholics ran the Muslims out of Spain). The tower is called Giralda Tower and it has 39 long ramps you have to climb and then two sets of stairs. I got some cool pictures of the different parts of it and also of the views. We went all the way up to the bell tower. Again, pictures.
Now I am back in my room working on stuff until about 9:15pm. We have a dinner reception to attend right here in our neighborhood at 9:30pm. It is given by the Center and it is dressy.
I love you all and hope you are working well with each other, helping each other out and listening to dad. I'll try to blog tomorrow as well. Don't forget (especially Hannah), I am six hours ahead of you. Right now, it is 9:05 pm and it is only 3:05 pm for you guys. I will try to upload pictures later tonight when I come back. I have to get dressed now for the reception.
Love,
Your Mamma Mia in Sevilla!
