Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change

This weekend was API's trip to Barcelona... I had mixed emotions on the way there, but the weekend turned out to be wonderful!

The format of the trip was a little different. First off, because Barcelona is located in the far north east of Spain, we flew. Usually we bus it up, but that would have taken literally an entire day to get there. Secondly, API usually has everything planned out for us. There is usually a mountain of activities and sites to see on the itinerary, and everything is spelled out for us... but this time they kind of just got us there and cut the tether. Up side : we had lots of time to do whatever we wanted. Downside: I didn't have much time to research the city and plan my weekend, and I didn't realize how HUGE Barcelona was before I got there. Naturally, I didn't get to do all that I wanted. Also... the only meal that was included was breakfast at the hotel, so we had to spend a lot of money on eats. 

When we got to Barcelona on Friday afternoon, we took a sightseeing tour of the city on a bus... which was nice, because everyone was quite tired and didn't feel like navigating through the city. Our guide was kind of a douche... he scolded us for being rude and then took forever telling us a bunch of information that we couldn't even hear because his mic wasn't loud enough. We hit up a panoramic view point near the pier, which was beautiful. The entire city is filled with mosaics, even the sidewalks... the lookout point walkways were made of inverted beer bottles and caps, arranged in swirls and spirals. Realllllllly cool. 

Afterwards, we went downtown to see the Gaudi Cathedral. Antonio Gaudi, for those of you who don't know, is a perhaps the most famous Spanish architect ever. His work is considered modernism, but it feels like it's from another time or place. His lines are so round and expressive... his style is truly one of a kind and it makes you feel like you're walking through a fantasy land or a game of Candy Land. The Cathedral is a really interesting work, because only half of it was completed by Gaudi... he began one side of the facade and then died before he got to the second. Another artist took up the project and the finished products couldn't be on more opposite sides of the spectrum. The weather was super strange, so I couldn't get any good pictures, but don't be afraid to look it up online. 

Next, we went to Park Guell, another Gaudi work. I really had no idea what that place was, or what purpose it served, but it was beautiful. It was like an estate of alllllll Gaudi allllll the time. All the building facades were dropping with Gaudi style - every surface was done in tile mosaic and the colors were absolutely brilliant. So saturated... so inviting and rich. BONUS! I stumbled upon this archway/tunnel thing that looked mighty familiar - and after I stared at it for a while, I realized it was the runway that America's Next Top Model used for the final Ghost Bride runway show when they went to Barcelona. I was sooooo excited! My friend Mackenna and I ditched the group for a few to stay behind and fight for a picture; we couldn't possibly get everyone to clear out, but we took some fun shots!

When the tour was over, we were exhausted. My friends and I went back to the hotel and took a fabulous nap... the hotel was four star and the rooms were huge. The beds had down comforters and adjustable mattresses. The bathroom was huge - the shower was oversized, with a full curtain and amazingly hot water. Loved it. Later that nightwe took the metro downtown to meet some of Haley's friends who are studying this semester in Barcelona. We went to this restaurant called La Rosa Negra - it was a hopping little mexican joint. We are all so in love with Mexican food at home, and none of us have had any since we got to Spain, so we were allllllll over that place. I had delicious guacamole (not quite as good as Scott's :) ) and chips, a carne asada burrito and like 3 coca-lights. We sat around the table and just talked for like 2 hours afterwards. Then we just went home. I was really pleased with the day and the food... and it felt really good to sleep. 

The next morning we went down to what was probably the best breakfast I have had in my entire life. Or maybe it just seemed like it because all I've had for the past two  months is toast and tea. Omelets made to order. Perfectly ripe honeydew and pineapple. Fresh glazed donuts. CEREAL!!!!!!!!!!! All sorts of juices... cold cuts and smoked salmon... preserves... rolls... LOVE. I ate until I literally couldn't, and then I stole food to eat later. 

We took the metro to the Palace of Music... again, I had no idea what the place was, but I'm so glad I got to see it. It's an opera house/concert hall that's been around for 100 years. It's covered in ornate carvings, columns and mosaics. The most famous feature is the stained glass dome in the main concert hall... it was breathtaking. We had the opportunity to sit in the balcony and watch a rehearsal for a few minutes, and the noise coming from the stage sounded so pure. the acoustics were just wonderful and only enhanced the beauty of the hall. It's considered to be private property, so we weren't allowed to take pictures... but I did sneak one. 

I wondered around the city for a while afterwards. We went to the chocolate museum for a while. I didn't really pay much attention to the history of it all, because I knew a lot of it from LA studies, but I did love the displays! They had wonderful models of all subject matters made out of chocolate: Bambi, a bull and a matador in the ring, Gaudi's Lizard, etc. Our ticket was a free chocolate bar which we got to eat while walking through the exhibits, so I couldn't complain :)

After strolling around the gothic barrio for a while, we met a friend for lunch... at Pizza Hut. Hahaha. Go ahead and laugh - but I had no problem getting some simple food that I knew would please. I ordered a chicken caesar salad which was probably made by God himself, and then split a little pizza with some friends. Our waiter was really friendly and flirty and ended up giving us all free ice cream and then tried to get us to go out for drinks with him later that night. It was nice to have a pleasant conversation with a stranger for once. Made me smile for hours. 

Later that night three friends and I took the metro to the Plaza de Espana to see the light show they hold every weekend. The fountain is in front of this amazing building and the water was just shooting everywhere in the craziest, most fun and intriguing patterns everywhere. I don't know how they got the colors to be so bright or so brilliant, but in combination with the music the whole show really made my heart race. I took so many beautiful pictures, and if you look at the pictures I posted on the photobucket site, there should also be a small video clip of the show.... 

We ate dinner at a little dive that played fabulous 80's music throughout the entire meal. We were having so much fun getting geeked up for the show. We had tickets to see Beauty and the Beast (the broadway musical) at 10:00. When we sat down in the theatre, I must admit I was feeling leery about the show being in Spanish, but by the time the first song was over I was so giddy I couldn't even sit still. The set design and costumes were AMAZING - so efficient and expressive of the story-line and character development.

The woman who played Belle sounded exactly like the original Belle, only she spoke in Spanish. Lumier was just as hilarious as he was in the movie, and spoke with the best French accent I've ever heard in Spanish. Hahaha. In the movie, he flirts with the duster- house made, but she had a much more prevalent part in the stage version. I loved her character. She was so sassy and funny. Her costume was a skin-tight mermaid style dress with feathers lining the bottom - faded from black to light grey to look like a feather duster. He butt was padded to make he extra voluptuous, and whenever she spoke she shook he hips and booty allllllll over. It made me laugh - out loud - and by intermission my cheeks were throbbing from the perma-grin. Some of the words to the songs were different, obviously you can't translate those perfectly, but my favorite part was in the very first song "Little Town." Usually the townsmen say "Bonjour, Good Day, How is your family?" but in Spanish they sang "Bonjour, Que tal?...." Maybe you have to be a spanish speaker to find that funny, but my friend Leslie and I couldn't stop laughing. By the end of the show I felt like I was on top of the world, and I must confess that I've been listening to the soundtrack on my ipod for the past two days straight. 

That night I took a super long shower and went into another coma in my super comfy bed. The next morning we had another amazing breakfast and then set out to see some sites last minute before we left. Nothing too exciting... by the time the bus left for the airport at 5, we were ready to go home. I had a wonderful time... a really unexpected and wonderful time. 

Wednesday morning I leave for Armageddon (the spring break to end all spring breaks). I've spent all evening making packing and to do lists... I hope I can get it together tomorrow and feel ready by Wednesday. Regardless, I'm so excited to be going on this trip. And... to be getting away from Sevilla for a few days. The girl I'm traveling with is my closest friend on the trip, so I really think this break will be aaaaaaaaamaaaaaaaazingly fun and memorable. 

One last thing: I'm sporting lots of Spartan Pride for my boys in the final four! I wish them all the luck in the world and will be routing for them across the pond! GO GREEN! 

I can't be sure that this state of mind is not of my own design

This isn't really one of those "WOW! Look what I did this weekend" blogs, it's more like what I have come to recognize as the good, the bad and the ugly/are they out of their minds moments in Spain... thus far. 

Let's start this out on a good note, with the pleasantries of Spanish life:

1. Coca-light. I've tried time and time again to break myself of my pop-consuming habit, and I was getting pretty good in the states, but there's just no hope when Coca-light comes into the picture. It's the european version of Diet Coke, but there's just something different, something oh so sexy about it. And when you're a person who doesn't drink coffee or beer, it's the best of all alternatives when meeting friends at a cafe. 
   
2. Parks. So this one might come as a shocker, because anyone who knows me at all knows that I will do anything to avoid going outdoors, but Sevilla has cracked my hard exterior. There are so many beautiful parks, with benches and fountains and gardens, oh my! The trees know just how to bend to allow the right amount of sunlight in, yet they congregate at just the right time along the walking path to give you a little taste of cool shade. And the leaves... they just dance. 
   
3. Eggs. I love them! I love them anyway you want to give them to me - and Spaniards love them too!!! My house mom always sneaks hard boiled or fried eggs into our soup, sometimes she'll serve it as a side with meat, sometimes it's a whole vat of eggs in the form of tortilla... it's just egg heaven. I'm getting a lot of ideas for cooking when I get home. 
   
4. Smells. Well, sometimes it's not so good, like any spot can be... but when it's good, it's sooo sooooo good. Here are some of the favorites: fresh bread and croissants from the panderias or cafes; garlic anything - but especially rice; the orange blossoms blooming along every street; the sun? Ok, that one sounds kind of weird... but you all know when you've been outside all day or along for a walk and you get inside and your clothes just smell... warm. Sunkissed. That's it. 
   
5. Chuchis. Candy stands are referred to as Chucherias here, so I'm sure I don't have the right name for them... but what I call chuchis are little pieces of hybrid heaven - a cross between licorice and starbursts. My favorites are the generic brand you can get in packages at the grocery, but I would never turn down the GIANT chuchis of different flavors - watermelon, bubble gum, raspberry, cherry... PURE LOVE - ALL OF THEM. 
   
6. I love not having to cook meals. I'm lazy. 
   
7. (Some) Spanish men. So sometimes, when I'm walking down the street or sitting at a cafe, I inevitably see good looking guys. I know there's this great, romanticized image of a sexy Spaniard - tall, dark, handsome, suave - well, it's true... there are some of those. But then there are some others who just put even the most perfect image to shame. I mean, today I was stopped at a crosswalk and this man got out of his car. He was wearing a plain v-neck teeshirt and fitted jeans - so nothing special... but I'm pretty sure he saw my mouth drop open and my head cock to the side. I mean I was amazed by his beauty. He just reeked of charisma... and manliness. I want one. 
   
8. Twilight. The temperature is always perfect. The air always has the slightest breeze and it picks up every pleasant smell that the day created. If you can find the right spot, no one will be out to bother you, and you can just walk for hours. You can think. You can relax.  The nighttime just facilitates reflection. 
   
9. Croquetas. The godfather of all tapas, in my opinion. Croquetas are small fried rolls made with this type of thick cream substance that basically simulates creamy mashed potatoes. I've had them with spinach and ham, but you can put any kind of meat in them... and they are just amazing. I always want to shove them in my mouth, like sushi, but then I realize that rushing the perfection that is the would be an insult to all things yummy. 
   
10. Dogs. There are so many cute puppies all around! They're so well behaved that they are rarely ever on a leash and I just want to cuddle with them all
    
11. Little boys. That didn't sound creepy? What I meant by that is that all the little boys are dressed in short-short overalls and knee highs until the age of 5. It's not uncommon - it's adorable - and so pleasantly old fashioned that it almost makes me want to have a baby of my own to dress. Ha - let's not get ahead of ourselves. 
    

Things that make my eyes twitch, my temperature rise and my patience wear thin:

1. My house mom. She is a really nice woman - she's never done anything out of line or said anything that was offensive or invasive, but there's just something about her that frustrates me so much. So has to question evvvvvverything I do. Like the other day she asked why I hadn't been eating as much. Because I'm gaining weight. Why do you have your bag packed? Because I'm going to the gym before class. The gym? Why? Because I don't want to gain weight. I'm going to Morocco this weekend. Morocco, why would you go there? EVERYTHING HAS TO BE FOLLOWED WITH WHY. WHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY.
   
2. Our cleaning lady. She comes every Friday morning. I came to realize that it's necessary to pre-clean the room before she cleans it. So every Friday I shove all my stuff in the closet so she doesn't touch/drop/move anything important... she doesn't even clean the room? There's still dust everywhere, the floor never gets swept, the mirror is dirty... and the other day she was cleaning the bathroom and she took the no-slip mat out of the tub and DRAPED IT OVER OUR CLEAN HAND TOWELS. Disgusting. I would rather clean my own space because I think she's crazy and senseless. 
3. Spanish manners. Or should I say the lack-thereof. They stare. The run into you on the sidewalk. They refuse to move. They never say excuse me. They never say thank you or bless you. They are just flat out rude. I decided that if I were going to make eye contact with anyone on the street anymore, it would only be to give the stink eye. So far it's worked. And I also decided to use the best defense weapon God gave me - my elbows. I can play that game too - I have checked 4 women with my elbow and/or bag this week alone. Each hit feels like a bullseye too! I will say that today I was walking home from school and this spanish woman smiled at me. That meant everything to me. I play and joke and make light of the situation, but it's exhausting being around such unhappy people all the time. Sometimes you need that smile. 
4. Smokers. Lord, they're everywhere. I can't go into a bar or restaurant for 3 minutes without smelling like an ashtray. And they start out so early in the morning - makes me nauseous when I'm walking to school
   
5. Bars/Clubs. I hate them. I hate going out. I hate people who try to make me go out or try to make me feel guilty for going out. I am low key and can't help it. But apparently "I'm in Spain!" and that's what you're supposed to do. No... I do what I do, thanks. 
   
6. Toilet still stalls. Shower door still lets cold air in. 
   
7. The Spanish grading system. I just don't get it. Like I got my grammar exam back the other day and there were four numbers at the top - then below I had the number 9 circled. My professor told me this was two grades, both out of ten. Everyone else had weird numbers like 9.22 and 7.16... why did I only have one and WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!
   
8. Waiters. Getting anyone's attention in a restaurant is like pulling teeth. Wait to be sat. Wait for someone to notice you. Wait to order a drink. Drink your drink. Wait to order food. Wait forever for your food. Wait to get someone's attention for the bill. Wait as you try to figure out how to split the bill because no one is clever enough to realize that people don't always want to pay together. Wait for change. Get so frustrated about the time, forget the tip and leave! There is no such thing as quick and casual. 
   
9. The outlets. There are two different sizes and my appliances don't fit in the smaller one - which seems to be around more frequently. And, there's only one outlet in my room which is no where near the mirror. Mornings are quite hectic when getting ready. 
   
10. The language. People speak so fast... and everyday I'm getting better at actually understanding or piecing together what is being spoken to me. But obviously, I don't understand everything... and when I ask someone to repeat something, they take that as me not being able to speak spanish. So they address me in english. I keep trying to speak in spanish, but they're not having it. So pretty soon I just get frustrated and walk away. This always happens to me in bars/clubs/loud environments where people are retarded enough to think that you should be able to have a conversation over the noise anyways. Geez. 
    
11. Salads... still. We've moved on from the olive oil problem, but now it's bigger and better things. They like to pile tomatoes, onions and dry tuna on the salads - three things which make me queezy when eaten at the wrong time or with the wrong dose. I've tried to scrape it all off and just eat the lettuce, but alas, the whole idea is nearly ruined for me now. 
    

Things that just make me ask myself, "really?"

1. Spaniards like to park any and everywhere. They also like to leave their cars in neutral so that if someone else needs a parking spot, they can get out of their car and push the other car out of the way. I've seen this done a number of times. 
   
2. It's approaching 80 degrees and people are still dressed in layers - jackets, sweaters, scarfs and boots. I know you sweat - don't try to tell me otherwise. 
   
3. Medicine? So last week the plague hit my house and my house mom, house sister, roommate and myself were all throwing up and pooping ourselves sideways. Instead of going to the doctor and getting medicine - my house mom decided to rely on what seemed to me to be real backwards, counterproductive home remedies. Example: taking pills for a headache for every symptom; drinking lemon water until you can't stand it; eating nothing until you are near death,  at which point you are to eat yogurt and toast- no butter anywhere near! When you're well enough to eat real meals, eat fish... because we all know how fish settles an upset stomach. I mean come on woman! Go to the pharmacy and get some pepto bismol and vernors! I don't have a license to practice medicine, but I can tell you in a heart beat that none of that stuff works or makes you temporarily feel better!
   
4. Mold. We keep putting the jam in the fridge after breakfast, our house mom keeps taking it back out. She likes to refill the jars when they get low, without rotating the jam or washing the containers. There is a fresh layer of mold or at least a few spots everyday. I don't get down like that. 
   
5. Mothers. Women have babies here at the same ages as in the States, but they must have a super quick rebound period... because they're walking around with their strollers and baby slings and newborns - in the latest fashions, the highest of high heels and with the best hair you've ever seen. Is that what it takes?
   
6. Incense. There are pockets allllll over the city where people sell and burn it - but it's always the same kind and always so strong. Isn't variety supposed to be the spice of life?
   
7. Why are grapes sooooo freaking expensive?!!!!!
   
8. There are no pre-mixed desserts in the stores. No Duncan, no Betty, no Doughboy. There goes cheap entertainment. 
   

That's about it for now... thanks for sticking to it and reading my rant all the way through. This weekend I'm going to Barcelona, and then it's almost time for Spring Break. 

I'm trying to renew my attitude for the rest of my time here, and really take everything in. I'm having a wonderful experience, and I love this opportunity... but it goes without being said that I miss you all terribly. I'm such a house cat :(

Our dreams, they are made out of real things

>

This past weekend a bunch of friends and I ventured to a new land filled with mint tea, mosques and markets. That's right friends - MOROCCO!

For those of you who missed the brief geography lesson, that's a country in northern Africa. The coast covers both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean sea, and we spent most of our time on one of two mountain ranges in Morocco - the Rif Mountains. Enough of the facts - let's skip to the stories!

We left Sevilla on Friday afternoon and drove down to the Straight of Gibraltar where were hopped on the Fast Ferry to Africa. Apparently the water was really rough that day, so the boat ride was miserable for quite a few people. In fact, one little Spanish girl was on the outer deck with her dad and couldn't help but to throw up ALL OVER the panoramic window. I think she had strawberries for lunch. 

We had to go through customs and border patrol to get into Morocco; they stamped out passports thank goodness! I'm so sick of traveling and not getting any stamps... this time I got two, so I felt slightly vindicated. One soldier came on the bus to verify that all of our passports had the right stamp, and he totally had blood smeared all over his white jacket. Thank God he wasn't toting an AK47 or anything. Oh Africa...

First night we stayed in a hotel -- pretty nice. I was actually really impressed with our room, the food and the atmosphere in general... none of us really knew what to expect though. The next morning we left for the city of Tetuan. When Morocco used to be controled by both the Spanish and the French, Tetuan was the most important city of the Spanish territory. It had three main parts: the residential areas, the old city dating centuries back, and the modern zone which was built in he early 1900s. The roads were all either cobblestone or dirt, and they go every which way, so it was basically like a labyrinth. We walked through the old town and into the market place first. For some odd reason, I LOVE MARKETS! So many colors and sounds and smells... 

This was like a farmers market, so there were people selling produce, spices, dried goods like pasta a rice, eggs laid by live chickens, fish - everything you can imagine. The fruit all looked so plump and vibrant, and the smell of cilantro was following me everywhere - it was lovely.

We had couscous and beef for lunch with these banana and sesame seed cookies, a little mint tea to wash it all down... it was just pure love in my mouth. A couple sat by us at lunch - the guy was from Sevilla, but the girl was from Finland. When she said that, my eyes lit up and I had to bite my tongue for a few minutes so as to not seem like a total creeper. After a while I asked her what part of Finland she was from, and I told her that I was Finnish too from Grandma... she asked what her name was and I told her, and she thought I could actually speak Finnish by the way I pronounced it. We both laughed when I told her I couldn't, but then I was like - it doesn't matter, I'm still a Finn at heart! Her name was Kisah and I kind of have a girl crush on her now. 

We drove up the coast a little bit to see the point where the Atlantic merges with the Mediterranean, and then we had time to take a camel ride if we wanted. I wanted to - so badly - but I really felt that they were cruel to the camels, and I'm not into the exploitation of fury friends, so I settled for a picture with one of the babies :)

We stayed the night in Tanger - one of the largest cities in North Africa. It was kind of strange - modern, but surrounded by a super Islamic culture. Most of the time in Morocco women are not allowed in restaurants or cafes; a really nice English fellow I met who was born in Morocco told me that women who go into cafes are viewed as prositutes or whores. I was like WHAAAAAAAAAAAA? Ever'body gotta get they coca-cola, yo. That's universal. 

On Sunday we went to Chauen, a city in the Rif mountains. Our guide was about 95, he sounded and looked just like Yoda. The Jedi Master told us that they painted their homes and buildings indigo blue because it made the mosquitos nauseous. While I don't really believe that, I did love the colors. Set against the green of the mountains and the yellow bricks used for the walkways, it was beautiful.

We visited a cooperative where they make woven goods like rugs and blankets; the handcrafts were so vibrant and well made, they all seemed so unique. I bought a blanket for Colton to welcome him into the world come June, and I'm so excited to give it to him!

Low point of the trip home: the bus driver almost killed a small child. He ran out in front of us to cross the road - in the middle of the mountains - and the bus driver had to SLAM on the breaks... purses flew down the aisle, bags fell from over head and everybody was slightly panicked/annoyed. Luckily the little boy didn't get hurt. 

By the time we got home at 1030, I was Mo-rocked out.We got to the apartment around 11 at which point in time I was supposed to study for my midterms today but it didn't really happen. Oh well, one is over and it was easy... I'm leaving in about 10 minutes for the next (Flamenco - I HATE THAT CLASS). What makes it worse is that apparently I ate something terrible, because I woke up in a terrible sweat and had to run to the bathroom this morning. From 8-11 I threw up about every half hour. I just want to go into the fetal position right now and nap. 

It will be 80 here by the end of the week - summer's a coming! Hope mother earth spreads the love your way...

Other pics are up for those of you who care to seeeeee!

Strange, how clouds that look like mountains in the sky are next to mountains anyway

What a great weekend!

Friday morning I got to sleep in and relax, did a little bit of shopping and then I went to the gym for about an hour and a half. Considering the fact that I haven't done any sort of physical activity since my surgery in October, I was so sore that I could have collapsed... but it just hurt so good and I will be doing it all over again tomorrow morning before class! 

Saturday morning I woke up early to walk to the Discover Sevilla bus for our trip to Gibraltar. On my way to meet Haley and Jessica, I heard something in the bushes by the river. When I looked I saw a man with his back turned to me... I kept walking, and looking, and when he finally turned around I saw that he was masturbating -- full out, let's not be shy, i'm gonna get down and dirty in public masturbating. Needless to say I threw up in my mouth and ran past him as fast as my little crippled leg would carry me. Oh the things people do. 

Anyways - Gibraltar! Soooooo beautiful! Apparently we lucked out because there is usually a cloud covering the whole entire area - so fitting for a British territory :) The weather was wonderful, probably around 65, sunny and with a nice breeze from the water. We walked across the border and hopped onto mini-busses to go up the rock. Our driver's name was Tony and he was this old, dirty-minded and terribly witty Brit who was in love with Lord Nelson. He drove us all around the city and explained the history of all the wars, the fortified walls, the cannons, how many times it's been passed between the Moors, the Spanish and the English, blah blah blah. We took a few breaks to take photos from the scenic spots overlooking the water. It was so interesting to be able to see the southernmost point of Spain to my right, and Africa 20 miles away to the front. 

We went into St. Michael's Cave where there were beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. Tony told us to remember that "tights always come down sooner or later" if we were having trouble remembering which formations went which way. Hahahaha - Oh, Tony. We went deep into the rock and it was very eerie yet exciting. During WWII, the cave served as an emergency hospital, and nowadays The Royal Marines of Britain often hold charity concerts in the cave because the acoustics are so good... it was just craziness. 

When we came back outside of the cave, the monkeys started showing up. It is believed that the Moors brought monkeys with them from Africa when they came over in the eighth century for either food or pets... but when they were driven out, the monkeys stayed. There are some 300 wild monkeys in Gibraltar that the British government cares for. They are really friendly and used to humans - so they climb on your shoulders and the cars, they give you high fives and sit on your head for pictures too. However, they're really greedy when it comes to food - they looooove peanuts. When we were driving further up the rock to the Apes' Den, Tony told us to close the windows on the bus so that the monkeys wouldn't enter, but he forgot to shut his. He had an entire bag of peanuts sitting on the dashboard, and while we were driving, a monkey swung in the passenger side window, grabbed the peanuts and jumped across Tony's lap and out the other window as fast as lightning. He screamed and then we all laughed... after a few seconds Tony started giggling and said "That monkey just pinched me nuts!" I LOVE IT. 

We got dropped off in the center of town and we given two hours or so to dink around. We ate a picnic style lunch in the central plaza and then wandered in and out of the shops. We found this British import sort of shop that had all sorts of preserves, candy, and special foods from the UK. They also had Dr. Pepper, which was a huuuuuuge hit with everyone on the trip because you can't find it anywhere in Spain. I myself bought 3 bottles of blue powerade and a package of shortbread cookies... the combination was like unrefined street crack and I loved every minute of it. 

The trip was really relaxing and pleasant - I thoroughly enjoyed my time and loved seeing such an amazing place. I'm really gaining some great memories and experiences from all of the beautiful things I'm seeing this time around, but I'm trying to really see it all for what it is and not worry about having a photo to remember it by. Photos never really do the most amazing things justice...

I leave on Friday to go to Morocco for the weekend - THAT'S IN AFRICA, YO! As my wifey would say, I'm going back to the motherland... let's hope the sun doesn't kill me and that there will be a camel waiting for me with my name on it. 

Hope the weather is looking up for you all - it's supposed to be sunny and in the low 70s all week here. It's ok... you can be jealous, I won't judge you. 

That new thing, I've got no clue what it's for

Just FYI - I've uploaded a new photo sharing program for the blog. 

You can access it by clicking the photo of me to the right; it will take you to a sort of slideshow on photobucket but you can change the way you view the photos. Some of you haven't seen pictures yet so aproveche (take advantage of it)!

Dear God: I'm sorry for watering my plants with 7-UP

That's right folks, this past weekend was the infamous Lagos '09 trip.

We left Sevilla Friday morning at 7:30... bright and early. We arrived in Lagos at around noon... but the bus driver didn't even really drop us off at the station, he just plunked us down in a parking lot and was like See-ya! Thank goodness I remembered to right the address of the hostel down! We just started walking in a random direction and luckily found a free map. After about a half hour we finally made it to our hostel, checked in a had lunch on the patio. 

We went exploring in the city and found some interesting fountains and touristy sorts of shops. We decided to go back to the hostel and just hang out for a bit before dinner at a Pizza place down the road. We were like the only people in the restaurant for about an hour, so it was slightly awkward, but our food was really good and our waiter was very nice. We went back to the hostel and started getting ready to go out - and I pumped some jams on my ipod. They were the most ridiculous and obnoxious songs from the 90s, but they prepped us well for what was later to come in the night. We finally left the hostel at around 11 and stopped at a bar near by called Three Monkeys... this is what the flyer we were given read: 

All our friendly and beautiful staff have been reconstructed using monkey DNA and chicken noodle soup. From 7 - 11pm, Pro drinking lessons, freestyle sex classes, free knitting patterns, hardcore puppet sex, nightly memory erasing for your own protection. 

We had no idea what any of that meant, but if free knitting patterns were on the line then I was definitely in! When we showed up there was pretty much no one there, but after a while it started filling up. Liz met some British guys, one of whom was very cute while the other was old and pretentious and too concerned with impressing everyone to even have a pleasant conversation. Then the other girls met these random kids from another hostel and we all decided to follow them to another bar... which just so happened to be a KARAOKE BAR WITH MY NAME ON IT! We signed up almost immediately to sing the Spice Girls "Say You'll Be There," a tune to which we rocked out to back at the hostel. When we took the mic - oh man - it was amazing. Ha! Everyone in the bar was looking at us - laughing, whooping, whistling... there was even a little girl at the table in the front who probably thought we were the Spice Girls. We got an obnoxiously awesome applause afterwards and chose Britney Spears "Oops I did it Again" as our encore performance. Needless to say, by the end of the night we had quite the fan base.

The next morning we went on a boat ride around the coast... it was beautiful. The weather started out kind of shady, but pulled through for us in the end. The water was a beautiful blue-green, clear as day, the rock formations had so much character and the caves were soooo fun to go into. Here are a few photos:

After the boat ride we went to the beach and just hung out for a while. A stray dog, which we believed to be either real pregnant or awkwardly fat befriended us and wouldn't leave us alone. We fed her potato chips and let her drink water from our hands. We decided to name her Whoopi Goldberg because she reminded Haley of the hyenas from the Lion King. We spent the afternoon in the sand, got to do some reading, then went back to the hostel for dinner at a Chinese place. We went out again that night but kind of came back early because it wasn't going as well as the night before had. 

Sunday morning we woke up and dilly-dallied around as if we had all the time in the world to kill until our bus left at 3:15. When I round the corner to check out the scene my friend Lauren is screaming 'MIGHT AS WELL GO BACK TO THE HOSTEL BECAUSE WE MISSED THE BUS!" Under any normal circumstances I would have had an anxiety attack of sorts, but I just couldn't believe it. Could. Not. Believe. It.

We had no other choice but to stay another night in the hostel and take the next bus back to Sevilla at 6:30 Monday morning. Had a glass partition not had stopped me, I would have cut the Portuguese woman checking out ticket stubs before we left... she refused to acknowledge the fact that it was valid for two passengers... so I grabbed the ticket, screamed "IT'S FOR TWO!" in english, let her yell at me for a second and then ran to the bus and ate my egg sandwich. This event only confirms why I can't stand old people or Europeans in general.

We made it back, safe and sound and in one piece. Bring on the next adventure!