Mi Casa

A little something that you will get to know about the place that I live...

Megan and my apartment/condo is in the center of the shopping district. Yes, I said it... the SHOPPING DISTRICT! I can honestly say that we probably have the best location of any other students that I know, in our group. However, our apartment location is extremely safe with, what seems to be, a very tight knit community. There are two local tapas bars kitty corner to us, and they serve PHENOMINAL food. We are about a block in from the main road (which is about 8 door ways away).

Use a key to enter, otherwise you must buzz someone in. When you walk in, it is an extremely narrow, marble staircase (that Meg and I had to carry 2 - 50lb bags up!). Walk up about three stories to the top floor (3 apartments in this building) and we are the last one. We have a very quaint little eating area, as I told you before. But don't think that this is a cake walk, up the other staircase, is mine and Megan's room with the walk out balcony. As you will see in the pictures, the shower is so small that you sometimes hit your elbows on the sides which then opens the doors, creating a HUGE, wet mess all across the tile floor in the bathroom. About the size of dorm living, but luxurious as ever! Aurora does 2 loads of laundry a week for us, if needed. Will dry our clothes outside on a clothes line on our patio. We have definitely been warned.. if it's a windy day... Some things may or may not return inside the house so we ALWAYS ask to not dry our favorite clothes! Also, she will iron if you'd like, you just simply ask!

We eat every meal with Aurora, 3 meals a day, and with school starting, we can tell her if we'd like a bagged lunch instead of running home which usually consists of a juice box, a piece of fruit, and 2 little sandwiches with paper towel for a napkin. Otherwise Friday night, Saturday all day, and Sunday morning-afternoon we do not have meals with her. However, like this Sunday, she made me coffee and toast so I could "hang out with her." The food is actually really good so far! We have had some sort of almost "instant soup" for the past 7 days or so, with another main dish for our dinner. We have had proscuitto pizza (phenominal), hamburgers (last night), and other Spanish dishes like Paella and chiquetas. Paella is a type of rice dish that usually contains mariscos (seafood) like clam, oysters, shrimp, you name it, they throw it in there! As for chiquetas, they look like little corn dogs but are usually filled with some mixture of cheeses, meats, or vegetables, they are delicious! Although a lot of their food looks friend, they use a special frying machine so they use only olive oil. Everything here is so much healthier than in the U.S! Even her hamburgers she grilled in olive oil! It's pretty cool. Not to mention, there is NOT one single overweight person here! It's insane. You see the occasional heavier set person, BUT THAT'S ABOUT IT! Which is shocking because their home cooked meals are the largest portions I've ever seen! They put Grandma Jo to shame! Aurora mounds the food up on your plate as if we haven't eaten in weeks! We will eat a full bowl of soup and an entire hamburger with half a loaf of bread per person (she used to give Megan and I our own loaf until we told her it was too much) then a piece of fruit for dessert. They don't serve true "desserts" like we do, only fruit unless you are out and order something different. However, you don't realize how hungry you'd be without it unti you truly get out there and start walking. There are tons of cars here, but it is amazing how many people walk everywhere. It's so nice!

Down the road we have a farmeceria (pharmacy), panderia (bakery, carniceria y mariscos (meat and seafood store), y fruteria (fruits and vegetables) not to mention the large shopping area we're in with h&ms, zaras, cartier, casa (spanish pottery barn), etc. You name it and we've got it, like I said, KEY LOCATION!

It's about an 8 minute walk to school every morning (through 3 gorgeous plazas and the shopping area), 12 minute to the cathedral (same direction as school), and about a 5-10 minute walk to the river (the opposite direction). That's all I can really think of!

This week it's been pretty cold... About 50 degrees out and usually raining in the morning (which is completely unusual for Sevilla!). But nothing that a light jacket and pair of boots can't cure! All in all, WAY BETTER than the weather is at home I'm sure! But days that it's not raining Aurora usually makes fun of Megan and I because (being used to cold Minnesota weather) we are already busting out our sweaters with short sleeve t-shirts or tanks underneath, (and Megan her sandals).

I have a planned trip to Granada this weekend, so I'm assuming that's the next thing that you'll be able to hear about! Hope that clears up some confusion with my living situation! Hope all is well with everyone!

Laur

Quote of the week: "¡Usted chicas están locas! ¡No es el verano! ¡Vuelva arriba y asga una chaqueta!"
You girls are crazy! It's not summer! Go back upstairs and grab a jacket!" --- Aurora

God... She is just like my very own SPANISH version of my MOTHER! :)

P.S. today i was eating the half loaf of bread for lunch and i pulled on a dark spot on the bread to find out it was a long, BLACK hair baked in the bread. May i remind you... My senora buys bread from the local bakery.... Good old Spanish cuisine...