Too many sistahs, not enough MISTAHS.

It's been a minute yea?

Since I last posted, the group took a mini excursion to Cadiz. We started out by visiting a Bodega (wine cellar) that's very famous for its vino fino. We had a short tour around the cellar and then found ourselves cozied up in a room with chips, peanuts, crackers and FREE WINE! Hahaha. We sampled 5 varieties; the first was rather dry and they increased in sweetness with each sample. The last glass tasted like rotten caramel and the only good thing I had to say about the wine in general was that it was free.99, and that ain't bad. 

Afterwards, we drove to the beach. I was very unprepared for this... and for those of you who know me you can imagine how mortified I was to find out that we were going to spend THREE HOURS ON THE BEACH. *Gasp* We found a spot on the sand and ate our bocadillos (sandwiches) that our moms packed for us. None of us brought towels to lay on, so I decided to split open the plastic grocery bag the my lunch was packed in and lay it down as a make-shift barrier. Needless to say it was a ridiculous effort and I still got sand in all sorts of places which only confirms the reason why I've never been a fan of the beach. The girls had a good time soaking up the sun, but I spent most of my time huddled under my fleece. The cheapest hideaway ever :) 

We bought some tasty ice cream and then walked around town for a stretch. Cadiz is famous for it's annual carnival, which was going to go down the next day. It's like crazy halloween costumes plus mardi gras debauchery plus masquerade ball... ish? I had the opportunity to go back for the party the next night, but I opted out. Good thing too, because apparently some crazy stuff went down! One of the nicest guys on the trip was assaulted by a spanish man in a chicken suit with a glass bottle... his arm was badly cut and he lost a lot of blood before he got to the hospital, at which point the doctor told him that the cut was so bad he was lucky not to have lost movement in his fingers. He's a trooper though, and we're all glad that it wasn't worse. 

 

I finally told my house mom and sister about the "no oil anywhere near any of my food" rule. It was stressing me out for the weeks, and it just got so bad yesterday that I broke down and confessed. HUGE sigh of relief.  Now we just have to do something about the whole tomatoes they try to make me eat. 

I'm really not sure how I'm feeling about this Spanish life in general right now. Mom, I'm sure you've heard enough of it already... but it's just not going the way I thought it would. First of all... I'm finally figuring out that I'm not a people person. At all. Getting to know people is exhausting when under obligation, and having to take in so many different personalities without putting enough of my own out is just exhausting. I inevitably feel compelled to please people and compromise, but I just don't want to any more. Is that a bad thing? Maybe. This is the test I signed up to take... so we'll see how I fare as the time passes. 

This weekend a group of 6 girls and I are going to Portugal! We leave Friday morning around 730 am and we're coming back Sunday night. I'm not really sure what the weather will be like, but I'm really excited to go away for the weekend. Stay tuned for further details. 

Show me some of that Spanish dancing

Oh, Granada. 

Yes, it's true, the city is beautiful... but it nearly killed me. 

On the way to Granada, we stopped off at this little sight called Tercal. It was basically like the City of Rocks outside of Deming, so I wasn't all too amazed or excited. Kepa, one of our program directors led us on a hike which was miserable for me because 1) the climbing and slippery mud rocked my knee and 2) I DON'T DO THE OUTDOORS. Although I complained the entire time, I suppose it was funny and we were all glad to get back on the bus. 

At the hotel, I got to room with Kate and Haley again, so that was a nice surprise. We had some free time so we went into el centro and tried to spend some money, except all the stores were the same kind of Moroccan-style market. We ate delicious ice cream and started to walk back to the hotel, at which time we all thought about writing a suicide note because it was like a 20 walk straight up a mountain. I was so winded and sore and sweaty -- it was quite the show! Haley and I were laughing so hard at our pitiful situation that I had to stop several times from hysteria and silliness. Memories. Love it. 

We had dinner in the hotel, which was real nice because it was $free.99. After dinner, we went for a night tour of the city to see the panoramic views, and then we went to a Flamenco show. Before that night I had never seen Flamenco dancers... but it was amazing. The guitar, the clapping, the dancers' dresses and the way they move. I was watching their feet the entire time and it was mind-boggling how fast they could. Think tap-dancing, in high heels. Then add some pure sex and that's Flamenco! At the end of the show there was a male dancer who came out, and although he was as chachy as can be, he was gorgeous and he smelled so... manly? Clean? It just doesn't matter... all the girls were lusting and he ate it up with a spoon. 

After the show, a few friends and I went out to an Irish bar. Good drinks, great music and a generally enjoyable time. 

The next morning we went to the Alhambra, the old Moorish castle in Granada before the Catholic kings conquered the city. I actually like the Real Alcazar in Sevilla better, but the "red fortress" was no less impressive. It spreads over acres and acres of land - like it's its own miniature city. There were tons of gardens, fountains, pools, tiled walls and carved ceilings. It was really interesting to see the difference between Arabic architecture and Christian design -- how they still remained distinct but have blended so much over time that the history just kind of slips your mind. We took about a 3 hour tour of the grounds, and everyone was exhausted afterwards. 

We had doner kebaps for lunch which were amazing and then we took a taxi back up to the hotel in efforts to evade imminent death by hill-climbing. 

Second week of classes start tomorrow, still waiting to really gauge the situation, so I'll keep you posted. 

It's already starting to heat up here, this week is supposed to be sunny and in the mid 60s. I hope you all are staying warm at home... by and by spring will come!

UN BESO 

What's your persona, about this Americana?

Hey hey hey. 

Week three here in Spain... and it just keeps getting better and better. The rain finally broke, and we've been having the loveliest of weather since; in fact, yesterday the forecast called for "abundant sun," a prediction which I found to be hilarious because I had never heard it before. Indeed, the sun is abundant here and the air is getting sweeter and sweeter with the smells of spring every day. 

Classes started this week. I was going to jump around a bit and try an a la carte type of schedule, but I decided to just pick the classes at the best times, and those that didn't seem to suck the life out of the Spanish experience. So, here's what I'm left with: M/W "Arab influence in Spanish Literature," and "The Art of Flamenco," T/Th Grammar II and Semantics. I think the latter two will really boost my understanding of Spanish, so although they might be lame it'll pay off in the end. 

The biggest and most exciting news of this week happens to revolve around the England vs. Spain soccer game that took place in Sevilla last night. The city has been absolutely PACKED with Brits all week, getting drunk/crunk and quite riled up for the match. My friends and I were making travel plans at a bar on Tuesday and just so happened to meet a group of English guys... they were oh so friendly, terribly witty and ridiculously hilarious. Apparently all they do is drink like fish and sing patriotic songs as loud as they can until they're forced to stumble back to their hotels. 

We hung out with a small group of fellas for several hours and then met back up with them last night. They were quite entertained by us, as we were by them... I kept asking them to teach me phrases and then tell me if I could pull off the accent... all in all I think it was a success, as they all agreed to make me an honorary Englishman. HA. They also thought I was the "spettin' emage" of Lily Allen, a British pop singer; they all called me Lily or Lils and I couldn't decide if it was a pet name or they just were too drunk to remember my real name. Either way, it was hysterical. 

And, after this weekend my admiration for Englishmen was completely confirmed... they are quite the gentlemen and I loved every second of it :) HA!

Haley and I bought our Semana Santa tickets... we're going on a 10 day trip to Paris, Brussels and Prague. JODER!

My house mom has such a strange diet... she never eats bread, and rarely ever sits down for a meal. But the other night she had a glass of wine, half a beer, a bowl of potato chips, two ice cream sandwiches and a slice of fruitcake. She's sitting right next to me tearing up sunflower seeds like she was born to de-shell them. It's like a lightning process and it's amazing how fast she can get through a bag. I'm trying not to laugh out loud. 

Tomorrow we go to Granada for the weekend... hope it's super fly, but I'll keep you all posted just in case. 

PS - I've decided to entitle my blogs with song lyrics... souvenirs for those who can guess which songs they are!

Para Mom y Rachael

I stumbled upon four sexy men at a cafe called Brown Sugar (well, three sexy men and one guy named Ringo).

Always where I need to be

So... it's been a few days, and I've been testing the water. 

Or maybe the water has been testing me? It's been verrrrrry rainy this past while. Thank God Santa brought me a new umbrella for Christmas :) Although I hate going out in the rain, I have to say that I don't much mind walking around Sevilla. It really might be the most beautiful place I've ever been in. The light, the smells, the sounds... everything is so... the way it's supposed to be. I see people running all the time; this city is a runner's dream. Parks, wide shady sidewalks, bridges all at your disposal. I wish my knee wasn't in that sad shape it is, although I'm not a runner per-say, I would get down. 

This week we've had a few mini excursions around the city. Yesterday we checked out the Cathedral. It's the third largest in the world, THE largest by area alone. Christopher Columbus has two tombs on the grounds... another three are spread across Europe because apparently he was a big deal. The Cathedral used to be a mosque when the Arabs ruled Sevilla, but when the Christians took over they converted everything to a Cathedral. La Giralda - the bell tower - used to be a minaret. We climbed all the way up the 8,369 ramps (guesstimate) to get to the top for a panoramic view. BEAUTIFUL.

I evaded my first Gypsy in the courtyard- she tried to give me rosemary but I was like NO WAY LADY, then you'll take my first born too. 

I finally figured out how to not lock myself in the bathroom. Apparently. 

Today we went to the Real Alcazar -- the royal palace in Sevilla. It used to be a Moorish fort, but again, the Christian kings converted it. There were beautiful tiles allllll over, amazing ceilings, columns dating back to the roman era. We walked through the gardens and the labyrinth. It was soooo Goblet of fire-esque and I loved every minute of it. Plus, our guide was awesome so all in all it was super fly. 

Julio got back from Granada today :)

A few things that are bothering me:

1. WHY IS THERE NEVER A TRASH BIN IN THE BATHROOM? 

2. My entire family here never eats... sure, they might have soup or bread now and again... but I have yet to sit down and eat a complete meal with them. Am I eating too much or are they just immune to the necessity of sustenance?

3. There is a door on the shower about a foot wide. The rest is open to the cold air. My room maintains an average of 65 degrees... aka freezing and all I want is a long hot shower.

4. Everybody apparently feels it necessary to trounce about town in groups of 5 or more at all times. This makes it more than obvious that we are American and retarded. 

5. The toilet in my bathroom runs sometime, so it doesn't exactly flush all the time. ???

Check out the pics!

Un regalito para Laura :)

MIRA MIRA lo que yo encontre en Madrid!