Everyone smiles in the same language.

Props for the above gem to Anne Hannan. It's been my motto so far. I realize that last post was vague on all counts. To give a bit more information about, i dunna, everything, I moved into my homestay yesterday. Sevilla is broken up into neighborhoods and I am in el centro, which I was initially excited for because the name implies that it is in the very center of the city, which would be close to absolutely everything that I could ever need. I actually couldn't be farther, but that's fine; I am getting to know more of the city this way. No 45 minute walk is gonna hold me down. Although I am going to need to step up the sass a bit I think. People are friendly when you approach them, but the typical look is more, i dunna, pissed off. Not entirely sure I am going to be able to adapt if I don't assume that Sevilla swagger. Anyway, I have a senora for my homestay. She looks very young, although everybody here does; she has a 19 year old son named Claudio who is at University of Madrid. I am in his old room. As I sit here typing under the soft light of the paper dragon that covers pretty much the entire span of the ceiling, I am realizing it is such a boy's room, it is hilarious. All his star wars and game boy crap is in all the drawers, and it makes me think of Patrick and how my mom keeps all his crap too. My senora, Yolanda, is very sweet, but I am pretty sure she thinks I'm a huge idiot. That's probably because anytime I try to talk, I get the nervous ha-ha's and giggle like a monkey. I am not entirely relaxed here yet. I feel like since language isn't always the clearest way of communication right now, I'm hyper-sensitive to everything else. Oh! Story. I was picked up for my homestay yesterday morning (Wednesday). I was sitting in the lobby with my bags all packed, knees shaking and chin quivering because of course I was nervous. Apparently, they gave Yolanda the wrong Elizabeth. I asked one of the CIEE coordinators wha'sup, and she looked at her paper, another coordinator looked at her paper, they looked at each other, their jaws dropped, and they booked it out of the hotel suddenly to get the wrong Elizabeth. Two seconds later, they were grabbing my bags and running away and I was running and I had to cross the street and I couldn't carry all my bags and it was awkward. Broke the ice. So I am here, and I have internet thankfully, and my own room. Oh! That's another thing, there is another girl from the program living here with me. Which is great, because it takes the pressure off each of us a little bit. It has been really good to have somebody to figure things out with.
It's been kind of hard figuring out how to go out with friends since we literally live all over the city, and I didn't have a phone until today. I was still able to a couple of times; the program took us to tapas, and last night we went to a discoteque even though I am pretty sure it actually wasn't. I am not sure what the difference is exactly, so I'm going to wait to back that one up until I have some better evidence other than me being pretty sure. But it is also hard to go out because we are so far from everything. I'm going to figure out how to meet up with other people from my neighborhood. The next time I see them. Whenever that is. Because I have no way of contacting them. currently, my spanish mom is getting ready to go out. Hopefully I do not disappoint her by consistently being uncool and will get on her level soon.
Being here, and being me, I have had my share of little misdemeanors; "general blunderings," as says Victoria Stork. For example, in my interview for class placement yesterday I believe that I said at Villanova, for break trips we like to "give services" of the Pretty Woman kind, not of the community service kind. Oops. My host mom thinks I'm a moron, covered that one. I gave a cab driver ten euro for a ride that cost three because I thought he said trece. It took me, three other people, and three maps two hours to get home last night from a location that my host mom has informed me is twenty minutes away. I cannot figure out my way in this city for the life of me. But I'll get it down. I am becoming so aware of how necessary it is to be proactive in everything here. I need to spend free time talking to Yolanda, as painful as it is to constantly scramble for words when I've never had many issues expressing myself before. The program has a lot of enrichment opportunities, and I want to take advantage of all of them. I need to meet Spaniards, which will be a tough one; I could easily stick to the people in my program, all of whom I speak English with. They're all cool, too! Dammit. I am happy about that, though; it seems that we have (mostly) all come here to really get immersed and (pretend to) be Spanish for a few months. It is my biggest fear that I waste the opportunity of being here.
I am doing okay with being away. I am homesick for friends and family; so homesick for Jackson 303 since that's both. But I do love hearing updates from everyone. It honestly does not make me sad or feel like I'm missing out; I am truly happy to hear when people are having a good time. I hope you all realize that even though I'm here, I'm still here for you. This is going to be a beautiful experience that I wish I could share. (guess that's what the point of a blog is, to try.)