Traveling to Spain? Some things I've learned during the past five weeks . . .

First of all, don't come to Seville in July or August - the heat is just too much! Now that September is here, I've really realized just how much was closed during the past month. The city is definitely coming back to life day by day. It's still hot, but we're starting to get a few cool days.

Be prepared to keep very different hours than you do in the US! You will quickly adapt to staying up until 5am on a weekend night, then taking advantage of a siesta - it's wonderful! Sleeping during the day is something I've never been too great at, but it's so much easier because most places close during the afternoon. I think the Spanish want you to do nothing during this time! :)

Spanish in Spain is definitely different than the Spanish I've learned in Latin America. In Andalucia, they don't use the "th" sound for c and s like they do in other parts of Spain. However, many people speak super-fast and often drop endings from words (i.e. gracia for gracias). I'm looking forward to the day when I can understand all of a Spanish conversation!

"Vale" is used all the time here to mean "okay," which was definitely new for me. I still haven't added it my vocabulary yet! "Guapa/o" is used all the time to mean pretty, handsome, hot, etc. for men and women. You hear this on the street, between friends, everywhere!

There is definitely a lot more I could add to this list, but these are just some of the things I've been thinking about lately!