Vale!

I decided to make this blog title "Vale!" because its a word that Emily warned me about but I didn't understand the magnitude of this word! They use it in every sentence and it actually comes in handy and makes you sound like a native speaker. It essentially means "OK" but you can pose it as a question or to brush someone off, or to agree, literally for anything. If I don't understand something that is speaking a million words a minute typically they end with "Vale?" So naturally I respond with "Vale!" I've gotten better about asking people to repeat themselves again or I say "mas lento por favor" (slower please). It is definitely getting much easier to communicate and to understand everyone around me!

The past three days have been absolutely insane and so overwhelming. But I'm having an amazing time exploring the city and speaking spanish non-stop. Our guides (the CIEE orientation staff) have been drilling us making sure that we're only speaking in spanish. They are from Spain, and don't speak English very well so its easy for them to say "ah ah ah....hablas en espanol!" Yesterday, when another American student asked me a question in English, I caught myself translating the answer in Spanish in my head. I've gotten used to having to do that!

Anyway, 2 nights ago instead of going to sleep like I said I was going to I went out with some other CIEE students around the city and got some Sangria and sat outside.  Its really amazing how the city is beautiful in the day, but its even more beautiful at night. Everything comes to life...really really late. The hours here are so much different than the United States and it's just going to take some time for me to get used to it! They barely have breakfast...which is fine w me because I would rather sleep. But lunch starts around 2:00 and then they don't eat dinner until about 9:00 or later. Everything is more spread out that in the United States. People here, unlike me, don't tend to snack and they like to stay out until 6:00 AM! Thank god for the Siesta...the 2-3 hour break around 3:00 where everything essentially shuts down and everyone goes and takes a nap! I could get used to this!

The University of Seville

The following day we went with our guides to the University of Seville and had a couple of information sessions about phones, money, public transportation, etc. The physical university is enormous and a beautiful building...I don't know how I'm going to find my way around. After that we went with our guides to have lunch and "cervezas para todos!" Our lunch was a bunch of different lunch tapas, mini bocadillos (sandwiches) with different types of sauce. It actually was really great. Lunch is a huge meal here so no wonder they take a siesta after lunch...everyone needs a nap! I need one now!

Hasta que volvamos a ver!