Blog Creation

¡Buenos días! 32 days until departure and I've decided to create this blog in my spare time. Received my 180-day visa in the mail last week, bought some new luggage (thanks Mom), and the program and flight are paid for in full. I've got only one month left working my 2 jobs (saving as much as I can) here in Fayetteville, then it's off to see the world...well Spain and some of Europe at least.


I've had a few requests to blog my adventures so I'll give it a shot. I hope my foreign life is entertaining enough for my readers. I'm sure after a while this will be full of Spanish words/sayings/conversations and I will try my best to translate everything I write.


Some trip info...

• Departure: Springfield, MO at 1PM on Sunday, January 30th. Arrival: Madrid, Spain at 10AM on Monday, January 31st
• Studying with International Studies Abroad (ISA) in their Spanish Language, Culture, and Business in English program from dates 1/30/11 - 4/30/11
• Mailing address:

International Studies Abroad (ISA) Sevilla
Attn: Charlotte Bowsher
C/ San Isidoro, 30
41004 Sevilla, Spain

• Skype me: charkee08...but be conscious I am 7 hours ahead of you Central Time Zoners
• 1/31/11 - 2/6/11: Madrid/Toledo exursions and orientation (when I will get my class schedule)
• 2/18/11: Ronda excursion
• 3/11/11 - 3/12/11: Cordoba/Granada excursion
• 3/25/11 - 3/27/11: Lisbon, Portugal excursion
• 4/15/11 - 4/20/11: Morocco excursion

Socially unacceptable behavior guidelines found in my Sevilla handbook:

• bare feet on furniture, floors (I am not a shoe-wearing person in my own residence)
• sleeping on nice sofas (where am I supposed to take a nap?)
• yawning & stretching (yeah right)
• eating with a wet bathing suit on (this will be a difficult one)
• having lunch food for dinner (how am I supposed to know the difference?!)
• making many specific, special requests when ordering food (I'm going to have to ease up on my pickiness)
• handling store items (how will I know what I want to buy?)
• talking loudly in English (okay I'll just talk loudly in broken Spanish)
• smiling at or greeting strangers (Spain: The Friendship Country)
• having friends over to someone's home (we're supposed to meet in public places)
• binge drinking (oh darn)
• taking food or coffee "to-go" (hey, it's the American way)
• sitting at a cafe by yourself (I can see myself doing this a lot in a foreign country and see no problem with it)
• giving hugs to strangers (a kiss on the cheek is preferable)

Fun facts about tipping in Spain:

• no tip necessary for taxi rides (thank GOD)
• 1€ tip for every 2 pieces of luggage carried by a porter
• 5-7% tip at a restaurant
• no tip necessary for bartenders (again, thank GOD)

Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP)

Semester and summer students participating in the Spanish Language, Culture, and Business programs will be taking classes at the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP). All classes are with ISA and other international students. Classes are held Monday - Friday. The Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in Sevilla is a satellite campus of the UIMP in Santander, Spain. It is located in the Plaza del Triunfo in the historic section of Sevilla. The UIMP is a language learning center, open to international students. Again, in Sevilla, the population of “international students” consists mainly of Americans. Most likely, your classes will predominantly consist of other ISA students. Spaniards do not take classes at the UIMP.

I will be spending Easter in Sevilla and they actually are actually known for having one of the biggest Easter celebrations in the world: Semana Santa.
"This celebratory week has developed into a mixture of art and religious devotion. Jesus and Virgin Mary images are carried on candle-lit floats by costumed men (costaleros) in processions through the streets followed by crowds of penitents (nazarenos) and watched by the crowds of people who line the streets. Some of the processions even last up to 14 hours and continue late into the nights. During this week, it is almost impossible to get to your destination without being at least an hour late!"

Two weeks after Easter they hold another grand festival: Feria de Abril.
"The Feria begins at midnight with the famous lighting (alumbrado). Every night for the next week, the people of Sevilla eat, drink, sing and dance with their friends until dawn. Most of the action takes place in the temporary tent city that arises along the Rio Guadalquivir in the many tents (casetas), though flamenco-clad women and horse-drawn carriages can be seen throughout the rest of the city. La Feria also attracts some of the top bull-fighters (matadors) from the rest of Spain, as bullfights are a staple of the week’s festivities."

Interesting side note: In high school my Spanish class took 2 trips to Kansas City because it was the sister city of Sevilla, Spain. The plaza in KC is modeled after Sevilla's old town and has replicas of works of art and architecture found in Sevilla. On my senior trip to KC we were assigned to take photos of those Spanish works of art on a scavenger hunt. I still have those photos and plan on comparing them to the real thing very soon.

¡Viva España!

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