what up friends and family!
well, i've finally arrived in seville. i flew into madrid and took the AVE (high-speed train) to seville. It took about 2.5 hours and it was a beautiful ride. the countryside was pure olive groves, as far as the eye could see. and all of the towns were white stucco houses. it was beautiful!
then i took a cab from the train station to the hostel i had reserved for the night. little did i know that i got the most horrible of cab drivers that exist. i gave him the address of the hostel, written down on paper, and he drove around forever claiming that he couldn't find it. he kept on saying to me "don't give me the address of a place that doesn't exist". Needless to say i got very frustrated. Finally he dropped me off in the middle of nowhere and basically said "well, if you don't have a destination, then i'm going to drop you off here [in the middle of nowhere]. Then he had the nerve to charge me 30 euros for a cab fare that i knew cost only 5 euros. when i began to protest, he refused to get my bags out of the truck unless i paid him. so i paid him, as i yelled at him in the street in the most rapid-fire spanish, and he sped away. jerk.
so there i was, in the middle of a town that i don't know, in the middle of the day when everything is closed for siesta, 100+ degrees, and i have 4 bags. well, i kinda freaked out....and decided to go to the nearest hotel i could find, which was out of my price range, but what could i do?????
today, however, has been a much better day. everyone i have encountered has been extremely friendly. everyone from the hotel clerk to an old lady on the street has engaged me in conversation, asking me where i'm from, what i'm doing here, am i going to find a nice sevillian man and stay here forever?, etc.
i moved into my apartment today. wow, it is so kickass. it is in the center of town. i have to go through a patio with lush gardens and a fountain to get to my apartment. we live on the 4th floor of the building, and there is a balcony that overlooks the patio. so gorgeous!
i have 3 roommates- Marco, a really good-looking brazilian dude who is studying law, Kaya, a german lad(also very good looking) who studies flamenco guitar, and Funny (yes, you read right), a French chick who is an Erasmus student. they seem super cool- i'm looking forward to living with them this year.
so first impressions of seville-
1. it is SOOOOOOOOOO hot. i'm not joking. it is seriously almost hard to function. i can't go outside and walk around without being completely covered in sweat. yet i see tons of sevillians out and about with sweaters on!!!!!
2. it is very, very easy to get lost here. the roads are unmarked, narrow and winding. luckily i have no qualms about asking for directions, and a few times people not only told me where to go, they walked with me!
3. the men are very.....vocal. i was sitting at a park bench at 8 a.m. this morning, looking at a map, when a car full of guys actually hung out of their windows to catcall me. 8 a.m.! isn't that a little early for seduction? and from my bedroom window there are a few construction workers who keep on peering across the way into my window to yell at me. it's pretty funny though.
4. everything is so....white. and old. and beautiful. and the palm trees, my god, the palm trees! this ain't iowa, that's for sure!!!
5. i have studied spanish for a long time, and feel quite confident in my speaking skills, but it is very hard for me to understand sevillians. they talk super fast and swallow the ends of their words. it has left me a little confused, but give me 2 weeks and i'll be okay.
6. mullets galore. i saw this 3 years ago when i was in san sebastian, but the trend is still thriving!
anyway, that's it for tonight. i'm gonna go chat with my roommates for awhile. anyway i really miss you all. drop me a note, tell me how you are doing!! and if you have any questions, please let me know, and i will address them next time.
i leave you now with a few pics- the first is my view from the rooftop of my apartment, where i hang my clothes to dry. the second, a picture of my street (sorry it's sideways). the third is my room. the 4th, a view of the patio from my balcony. the fifth, a picture of me staring at that shirtless construction worker out of my window. ha!
love lots,
aubree
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