P is for….

This week, ‘P’ is for Paris, Puente, and Peluquería:

PARIS

On the 2nd platform of the Eiffel Tower

Last weekend, I traveled with Kristin & Joe to Paris! Upon landing we quickly learned that we know very little French, perhaps aside from Parlez-vous anglais? and my limited French number knowledge of “une, deux, trois.” I’ll be forever grateful to my friend Sam for letting us stay in her apartment near the Eiffel Tower and for showing us a great time!

So where did we go? Better question: where did we NOT go? We visited the Louvre, climbed to the second platform of the Eiffel Tower, watched the sunset from the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur in Montmartre, passed through the Jewish quarter for some excellent falafel, and more! The Parisian food was definitely a highlight of the weekend, including multiple crepes, a fancy lunch at Le Petit Vatel, numerous types of cheeses (camembert, brie, emmental, …), french onion soup, and escargot. Check out more highlights/photos from the trip HERE.

¡Últimas noticias!

Lots of updates from the past week:

Our group getting ready for the factory tour

TRIPS & PHOTOS

Estepa– Before heading off to Barcelona last weekend, I took a morning trip with MCP to visit La Aurora, a factory in the town of Estepa that makes mantecados (a sweet enjoyed in Sevilla during the Christmas season). But as we learned, mantecados are strictly eaten only during the fall and Christmas season; other months of the year (January-August), the factory makes barritas (energy/sports bars). Check out photos from the trip HERE.

Things I’ve Learned in Sevilla

I’ve been in Sevilla for over a month now, so I think a bit of reflection is appropriate. These aren’t necessarily in any particular order, and by no means are they necessarily the most important things I’ve learned in Sevilla, but they’re useful lessons I’ve learned to help deal with day-to-day life:

1) No one can pronounce my name. I am known here as CHannon.

La lluvia en Sevilla es una maravilla

Cloudy skies over la Fábrica de Tobacos, one of the main university buildings

In the Spanish version of the film My Fair Lady, the phrase “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the the plain,” used to demonstrate different pronunciations of the ‘ai’ sound in English dialects, is translated into “la lluvia en Sevilla es una maravilla.” Translate this phrase back into English to get “the rain in Seville is a wonder.” And for us in Sevilla this week, that it was! I made it through the end of my first week of classes at la Universidad de Sevilla but not without a little rain to make the treks to and from university campuses just that much more interesting. I still haven’t finalized my schedule yet; we’ve got three days next week before we submit our final selections. However, at least this upcoming week should hopefully feel a little less hectic now that I’ve got a general idea of courses.

Updates! Updates!

Check out the ‘Fotos’ page. I just added photos from my first days in Seville. More to come, soon!

FOTOS

Our group ventured to Cádiz today to explore the city and go to the beach, so it’s been very busy over here! Check back for another more detailed post tomorrow. But to end this post with something fun, here’s a song that’s been popular in las discotecas that we’ve visited: