Sevilla: and the road of learning as much as possible and not sleeping continues...

Hola familia y amigos!

5 weeks in Spain and let me tell you, I am exhausted! I have been trying to pack as much into my time here as possible because I don't want to have any regrets after I leave. Basically, this has required me to sleep minimal hours, and since I'm heading to Madrid in the morning I'm slightly nervous how exhausted I will feel once this weekend if over. But, you only live once right?

This week has been a lot more exploring Sevilla and as I've been here longer, I have been starting to notice more differences between here and the U.S. This sounds silly, but being here longer has made me really appreciate growing up in the U.S. I didn't really expect that feeling. Don't get me wrong, I love Sevilla. However, I don't know if I could ever live here. Mostly what I have really started to notice is the difference in the mentality of life. As you probably know, Spain is in a deep economic crisis - highest unemployment rate in Europe, increased cost of living - and there aren't really any signs of things looking up right now. And as I've been here longer, it makes more sense why their economy is struggling so much. People here live first then work. Not saying thats a bad thing at all. Honestly, I think many Americans are too work oriented, but you have to make a living somehow, right? Secondly, it's not uncommon for Spaniards to live with their parents until they are in their mid to late 20s or until they get married. I cannot imagine still living with my parents for that long, and I don't think they would want me too! My intercambio, Dani, told me this is because Spaniards very family oriented. Although that may be true, it's not uncommon for Spaniards to not have their first job until their mid twenties, so no wonder they can't afford to live on their own. (These are large generalizations - My intercambio is a 27 year old financial analyst at Heineken. He's practicing his English with me so that he can study in the U.S. to get his Master's in Business Administration. And he does not live his parents. Impressive, right?) Finally, siesta time, which shuts down the majority of small businesses is completely inefficient for the economy.

Essentially, what I'm getting at here is I am so thankful for the work ethic that I have from growing up in the U.S. I've also learned to appreciate my education in the U.S. as well. Although at times I want to burn my textbooks because I am so stressed out from spending disgusting amounts of time in the library, I really know its all worth it. School here is not challenging, but what this experience is teaching me in general is invaluable. To go from having hours of homework every night to maybe 2-3 hours a week, not so bad :) But I am still learning a lot! My Spanish skills have improved exponentially. I have began to be able to express more complex ideas and thoughts in Spanish. I've actually had a number of discussions about politics and cultural differences with Spaniards. By no means is my grammar perfect, but they always can understand me and tell me I have very good Spanish :) Also, the other night my friend and I went out to eat with our Chilean friend. Well, dinner was three hours long, and we spoke Spanish the entire time! Its really the little things that get me here and make me so happy that I made the decision to study here. Sometimes I just can't stop smiling because I'm so happy I'm here - learning and practicing a language that I love all while learning about the culture.