¿Quieres Más?: Las primeras semanas en resumen

Hello hello! I'm still very much alive and enjoying myself here. The atmosphere of the apartment is a lot of fun since so many people are staying here. There is never a dull moment, especially with the dog who is treated like a person, thinks he's a blanket, and gets snot on everything. Everyone is at different levels of Spanish, but we all know English, so they prefer to speak it when our host mom isn't around. The same goes for the people in my program-- the majority of them are taking all their classes in English and are more concerned with observing the culture rather than living it and learning/practicing the language. That was an adjustment for me after having done the insanely immersive IU honors program, but at the same time I understand, and I've gotten used to it for the most part. I just have to get creative in finding ways to practice my Spanish. Sometimes I'll go into stores and ask for directions even if I know where I'm going, or ask questions about merchandise even if I don't really care about it, just so I can keep practicing with native speakers.

The weather is still awesome. It’s been rainy today and yesterday, but up until then it was all sunshine. I've been going running along the Guadalquivir River with a friend. Everyone in Spain is always out and about, and the river is a pretty popular spot to walk, run, ride bikes, or just hang out. Even at 10:00 at night or on a Sunday when everything is closed, the streets and paths of the city are always filled with people of all ages. But like I said in my last post, the atmosphere is laid back and comfortably busy, not at all rushed or stressful. (Traffic is the exception.)

Last weekend was our group's trip to Córdoba, which is a comfortable 45 minute train ride away. We met up with our tour guide in a plaza and she took us to the more ancient part of town. Córdoba is one of the hottest cities in Spain in the summer, so all the streets and pathways that weave between the whitewash buildings are very narrow to provide shade. (The opposite of useful in February, however.) We saw las paredes de flores (flower walls. doesn't sound as great in English) and patio areas with fountains and tiles with intricate geometric designs. We visited a leatherwork shop that smelled amazing.

Then we visited the synagogue, which was built in the 14^th century. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, and the synagogue of Córdoba is the only ancient one left in Andalucia (the region of Spain I’m in), and one of the three left in all of Spain.

After the synagogue, we visited La Mezquita, the ginormous mosque-turned-cathedral. The site was originally home to a Roman place of worship, then turned into a Visigothic cathedral, then the mosque was constructed in the 8^th century. It’s huge, cold, dark, and beautiful. 24,000 square meters with rows and rows of red striped horseshoe arches, supported by over 800 pillars of granite and rose marble, most of which were taken from the Roman temple that previously occupied the site.

The mosque was captured in the 13^th century and turned Christian. They left most of the architecture as it was, but constructed chapels and shrines within certain areas of it. The architecture is incredible—I never thought I could be that amazed by a building. The altar, intricate wood carvings, and incredibly high arched ceilings literally make you gasp.

Aside from Córdoba, I started classes last week and our group spent the weekend in Madrid and Toledo. This post is long enough, so those stories will have to wait for another time.

Hope you're all enjoying the plethora of melting snow and ice back home.

Hasta pronto

Picture time! It's hard to post them side by side so you're just going to have to do a lot of scrolling.