Another post (very creative title, I know)

So, though this week was fairly busy, it went rather fast. I had another test Monday, which went fine, and then a paper for Wednesday and my final exam on Friday. It’s great to be completely done with one class already; I feel rather accomplished. To celebrate, Meara, Rachel, Chelsea, and I went out for crepes at this cool juice bar called Bliss. It’s right around the corner from the Center, and I think I might have to start going there regularly. I had an apple and strawberry crepe and freshly squeezed apple, ginger, and lemon juice. It was a really good way to wrap up the intensive period. Meara and Chelsea both got nutella crepes, which I also enjoyed, I might see if I can get a nutella and peanut butter crepe next time. Yum!

I’ll catch up a bit about last weekend as well, since my last post didn’t include it. Friday night was interesting, Rachel and I met with my intercambio (a pairing of a native Spanish speaker and American student) and we went out to the museums. Apparently there is one night that all of the museums in Sevilla are open late and free for everyone, which I think is pretty neat. Anyway, after some confusion as to where we were meeting (Justo, my intercambio, had to leave his dinner to help us find our way - I felt really bad), we waited a bit and then went to the Archiological Museum and the Museum of Customs. Some of Justo’s friends came as well, and it was good to speak Spanish with them, though I was having trouble hearing them, much less understanding them, because of all of the activity going on around us. It definitely wasn’t easy, but I think it’s a great way to learn more Spanish and get more comfortable using it.

Saturday was our trip to Córdoba, which was very interesting, though I felt a bit tired as this was the third Saturday we left Sevilla to visit somewhere else. We went to the Alcázar there (which was very different from the one in Sevilla), a synagogue, and the Mezquita, which was beautiful. It was very large, and lovely and cool after the 95º weather outside. Unfortunately, my camera’s battery ran out right after we entered, though it forced me to look at more because I couldn’t constantly snap pictures. After we got back to Sevilla, Rachel and I wanded around the shopping area near our house (buying some peanut butter, which isn’t at all common here, and therefore costs roughly $6).

Sunday was great because we finally got to sleep in. We then went running, which I am not a big fan of, and not that good at, but it felt good after we got done of course. After lunch we promptly returned to our room for a siesta. Overall, it wasn’t too eventful, but it was great because we got to do nothing for the first time in a while.

Wednesday of this week was also really cool. A few of us signed up to go to a Flamenco event and it was amazing. It really is unbelievable how fast the dancers could move their feet and how graceful and talented they were. Hopefully I cango again sometime, but I am really glad that I got to go already. I took a few pictures, but my camera ended up dying part of the way through. I did manage to get some video so hopefully that works here. I charged it that night in preparation for the trip to the Cathedral on Thursday (which was also really interesting to see - included picture), but then it died again. I’m hoping that it’s just the battery, and I can get a new one here for not too exorbitant a price, but I’m not sure. It sucks because I really want to be able to keep taking pictures of everything I do.

This last Friday, a bunch of people from the Center went to a bullfight, but I decided against going. I know it’s a large part of the culture here, and a traditional part of Sevilla’s history, but I didn’t think I would be able to handle it. I had some down time since I didn’t go, so I hung out on our rooftop terrace (that’s right, you should be jealous), and read and relaxed. Then, after a short nap, Rachel and I headed out to see if we could come across a discoteca closer to our house. We definitely found one, but it turned out to be the opening night and therefore had a huge, huge line. We hung around a bit, but ultimately decided to come back some other time when there weren’t masses of people.

Saturday we had planned to go shopping and find some of the city’s markets, but it ended up raining pretty much all day. We had a good time though, because Loli told us she had a surprise for us for Sunday´s lunch, which turned out to be calamari. We spent close to an hour pulling the squids apart and de-gunking them. It was really fun and I think Rachel and I were both really excited about getting to eat them the next day. I also got my hair cut that day, which was pretty nerve-wracking as I didn’t really know how to get across what I wanted. It turned out alright though, but it is a bit shorter in back than I wanted. After another nap (which helps tremendously if you plan on going out at night), Rachel and I set out to try and actually have an eventful night out. We met some people near the center of town and hung out at a couple of bars, but we didn’t make it to any discotecas yet again. I guess it’s really hard to get in anywhere on Saturday night because the older crowd (thirty-somethings) all go out then. I think eventually we´ll find a discoteca, but I´m alright with not going out every night as well.

Sunday was basically another sleep in day and we got to eat the results of our hard labor the day before. The calamari was delicious, Loli cooked the pieces in garlic, onion, and wine and it was really, really good. I’m definitely in love with her cooking and it’s great because I don’t feel like I have to go out (and spend a lot of money) to get really good Spanish cooking.

Today (Monday) marks the start of the continuation period so I´m starting three new classes: Present Day Spanish Usage, Advanced Composition, and Art History. I already spoke to my teacher about changing literature to composition, so I am all set for this week. My new schedule looks like this:

I already had Present Day Usage and Composition, and I think I am going to like them both a lot. I have Art History later, and I have heard there is a lot of vocabulary, but we make a trip to Madrid one weekend to see a whold bunch of museums, which should be really cool. I am also happy because I don´t have to pay any more for books, which is a great departure from previous semesters. Rachel just took Present Day Usage so I can use her book and Loli has the book I need for Art History. Plus, for Comp. we don´t need a book (and we don´t have any exams - pretty awesome).

I have a presentation in my Cultural Realities course tomorrow, so I should probably be working on that instead of my blog, but there was a lot to catch up on (again). Keep me updated on what´s going on in the States!