School has OFFICIALLY begun

I have realized this week that my I need to re-prioritize my time here. I have spent the last 2 weeks just taking in the country and the culture and enjoying every bit of it that I could. I thought that I could continue this even when school started. Wrong!! There is a lot more work involved than I expected. So instead of going to the movies or walking along the river, many of nights have been filled with doing homework and translating stories. But then again, I am paying to get an education. But there is so much to do and see here!!

One great ascpect of going to school here is that we get the opportunity to have a tutor. Last night we were paired up with a Spaniard that is also a student. I guess the better word for them is conversation tutors. We are not really supposed to use them for help with homework, but just to practice speaking Spanish with "one of the natives". And also to network here and make friends. I was really nervous at first and was hesitant to have a tutor to myself. But it worked out that there weren't enough of them for each of us to have our own, so i shared 2 of them with 2 other Tech girls. This worked out so well because we all helped eachother and gave each other moral support. Speaking with them was definitely not as difficult as I thought. However, I am sure that they purposefully spoke slowly and annunciated every word for our benefit...but all the same I enjoyed myself very much. We will meet with them once a week for 6 more weeks.

My internship is still going pretty well. I never know what to expect thought because it just depends on where they need you at that certain time of the day. For instance, I have pushed people in wheelchairs around the garden and the halls, helped in the gym, spoon fed yogurt, served beer and wine (did you know they get a choice of having beer/wine for lunch and dinner?), and sat with a woman named Carmen and held her hand for 2 hours while she told me about her life; I didn't understand much...but I think she just needed someone to listen to her. I already have 14 hours done out of the 70 I need, so I am making good progress!

This weekend we have another one of our excursions. On Friday we will be going to Cordoba. I don't know much about it, but I do know that we are going to see a mosque that is there. And then on Saturday we will be back in Sevilla to tour the Cathedral. And then work begins again on Sunday!

I have been in the process of planning a trip to Rome with 3 of my friends...but everything keeps going wrong! I originally found the plane tickets for 35 euros each round trip, but when I went back to book it, they were already gone, and now the price is 3 times as much. So I am checking everyday for another deal and hope I can find one. I have also been trying to plan trips to Barcelona, Cadiz, London, Paris, and hopefully Morocco.

I will definitely post some pics of Cordoba and the Cathedral. I hear both sights are just breathtaking