Cosas de Sevilla #2

23 January 2020

Dear Friends and Family of The Texas Tech Center in Sevilla,

Welcome to the second edition of this semester's newsletter. Things have gotten off to a great start as students finish their second week of classes. With the first two weeks behind us, students are learning how to juggle study time with travel and leisure.

Saturday 11 everyone made the short trip to Itálica, a Roman city that dates from 205 B.C. The group met at the train station and traveled by bus to the nearby town of Santiponce which houses the ruins. The Romans originally established Itálica as a retirement home for wounded soldiers who had fought in the decisive battle of Ilipa to defeat the Carthaginians. First, we started with a video giving us a brief history and depicting what the ruins would have looked like in their day. Next we headed over to the amphitheater - the fourth largest in the Roman Empire. Then the group explored the streets of the city. Few standing structures survive in the city itself, so it took some imagination, but with the help of Dr. Jonathan Deen's presentation the previous day everyone could picture what the city was like during its heyday. The extremely well-preserved mosaic floors also contributed to imagine what the Roman houses looked like. After a brief coffee and bathroom stop, we headed over to the Roman Theater which theatrical companies continue to use today for performances. After the theater, it was back the bus to make it to Seville in time for everyone to enjoy lunch with their host families.

A fun activity that started this week is the Sevillanas dance class. A group of students is learning this local dance from Sevilla in our classroom specifically outfitted for dancing. Sylvia, the dance teacher, has gotten them off to a great start, and by the end of the semester will have them showing off in local hangouts and at the famous Feria de Abril, or April Fair.

With no planned excursions this weekend, many students will travel on their own while others will enjoy a rainy weekend in Sevilla. That's all for this week; more news next Thursday.

¡Hasta pronto!

Myriam

P.S. Enjoy the pictures from Itálica and the Sevillanas class!