So many firsts

During the time I have already had in Sevilla, I have tried and experienced so many new things and my list of "firsts" is growing extensively. To start, today marks my first time being in a country other than the United States for a duration of two weeks. Last night was my first time trying salmorejo, a thick, cold tomato soup that is an Andalusian delicacy. Monday was my first time to Plaza de España, an absolutely gorgeous plaza not too far from where I live, which is my favorite spot in Sevilla so far. Sunday was my first time to go to a Spanish Catholic mass. There are countless examples of firsts I am blessed to have had each and every day here. Now I'm going to share some updates and highlights from this last week, which doubtlessly will be full of plenty of firsts themselves.

Plaza de España

Plaza de España

Plaza de España

My classes are going very well (even though it is my first time having all my classes completely in Spanish!). I am thoroughly enjoying all of them and am learning so much. The class sizes are so small, particularly my grammar class of 4 people, that we are able to go over whatever material we need to and can ask questions for further help whenever we need it. The learning environment is very cool because everything we are learning is being applied daily, whether it be using the correct form of verb that we talked about in Grammar when conversing with a Spaniard or walking across the bridge we discussed in Art History to go home for lunch. In Spanish Literature we are discussing Don Juan Tenorio and tomorrow during class we are going to go to the street where the beginning of the story takes place. Likewise, in art class we are learning about the Muslim architecture here in Andalusia and tomorrow are going to have class in the Torre del Oro, a tower constructed in the 13th century. I am so thankful for the education I am receiving here and the opportunity to spend this time in this awesome place.

Last Thursday was our first noche de chicas (girls' night). All of the girls in the program (which is the grand majority of us) went out for churros and chocolate and then went to the top of "Las Setas" (translates to "mushrooms") which is a giant wooden structure (the biggest in Europe, and possibly the world... I don't remember which one) to watch the sunset! We had an absolute blast all spending time together and the view of the whole city from the top was breathtaking. 

Underneath Las Setas before we went up

Becca and I climbing up the ramps to the top of Las Setas

View as the sun is setting

The day after noche de chicas, last Friday, we had our first excursion of the semester to Córdoba. It was definitely one of those interactive learning experiences I talked about earlier, because we had spent the whole week before talking about the Córdoba mezquita (mosque) in art class. Seeing it in person with our professor and having her explain many of the elements of the decoration and architecture we had learned about was great. It is a very interesting building, because it first was a cathedral, then a mosque, and now again is a Catholic cathedral. The different Catholic and Muslim elements combined throughout each part of it is fascinating. We then went to an old synagogue and house for Sephardic Jews and our guide sang us traditional Jewish songs. The rest of the day we spent exploring the neat city, which was very fun. All in all, a successful first excursion. 

The ancient Roman bridge leading into Córdoba

The door to the Mezquita/Catedral 

El Mihrab

Josiah and I in the mezquita 

Emma and I finishing our day in Córdoba right with ice cream from a vending machine

After another great weekend in Sevilla, classes of course resumed Monday. This week is an incredibly busy one, with something different going on each evening. Monday evening marked the hour of our first flamenco class! Almost all of the girls in the program are taking the class together and it was so much fun to learn basic steps of the iconic Spanish dance. We will have flamenco every Monday and will perform at a fiesta in April. Yesterday afternoon I visited the site I will be volunteering at for my Acción Solidaria class for the first time. It is called Misión Urbana and provides services and programs for kids from underprivileged homes. The two other girls assigned to that site and myself will take a 45 minute bus ride to East Sevilla every Thursday starting next week and organize activities for 17 kids ages 5-10. I am very excited about this opportunity to serve in the city, and of course to spend time with kids. After we got back from meeting with the coordinator at the site, we went out for a noche de tapas provided by the school. After splitting into groups of 8, Spanish guides took each group to different places to get tapas. Our group went to two different bars for tapas, then an heladería for ice cream and finally a tetería (Arabic tea shop). Our Spanish friend ordered everything for us and it was so much fun to try all the different things. We didn't get home until 1 am (still early by Spanish standards) but we had an absolute blast.

Jana and I pouring tea at the terería

That was a whirlwind of a recap for my whirlwind of a life here in Sevilla. I do miss Wheaton and Kansas, but I know I need to cherish every moment here because I feel like I am going to blink and it will be over! Time is already flying, and I am planning many trips to other places with friends, which I'm sure will make the time go by even faster. God has been so good in answering my prayers and calming my anxieties about this trip and I see His faithfulness through the smallest of things and the huge life-changing ones as I am here. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." 
-Lamentations 3:22-23