A Weekend in Barcelona

After several things not going as planned/as I'd like leading up to Barcelona, it was a great trip and I am very glad that I still was able to take the opportunity to go. Although we only spent Friday and Saturday there, we made the most of our time and packed in as much as we could while also relaxing.Arriving to Barcelona was actually not as tricky as I had expected it to be, and I think that this experience was actually very helpful in making me more independent. I traveled alone to the airport in Sevilla and although my friends Dong and Mary had agreed to meet me at the airport, it became too confusing so we had to take separate buses into the city center anyways. (I also had separate plane rides there and back, therefore figuring out where to go for my flights and where to wait was a good experience, though annoying and tiring, for the future). The only stupid thing that I would like to comment on that I did while alone in either of the airports was that I told Mary and Dong that I was trying to find them and that I was at M4, which after a little while I realized I still didn't exit the gate area... so they wouldn't have been able to find me, even if they were at the same terminal as me (which they weren't... the two terminals in Barcelona are like 10 minutes away from eachother by shuttle)... haha oops.

View of Sevilla from the airplane.

Barcelona from the plane! Notice the mountains and gorgeous beach :)

When we all met up at the city center, we headed toward our hostel/hotel/apartment... whatever you'd like to call it. I think it is called a hostel, but it is more like a fully furnished shared apartment with separate locked bedrooms. It was SO nice. I will post all the pictures in another album (just because it is easier and you can see all of them!) On top of our place being so nice, it was also perfectly located right off La Rambla, a few minutes away from the port (also very beautiful) and right in the center of lots of shopping and dining (and bakeries.. yum!) and the old market (with lots of fruit and smoothies... and also REALLY expensive chocolate... like 30 euro/kilo chocolate!) and easily accessible to the bus to the airport and the two metro lines.

Although I had already eaten my bocadillo for lunch that Carmen Maria had packed for me, Brian and Scott hadn't eaten yet. There was a cute little cafe beneath our apartment that we went to (and Scott's cousin is friends with the man that runs it). Scott ended up trying a pre-fixed meal that included shark for the main course, so I tried a little bit... it was really good! The rest of us ordered smaller things just to hold us over; Dong had some tea, Maddy had a muffin, Mary had a huge strawberry smoothie that looked delicious and I had some coffee with liquor (which tasted like Bailey's but I'm not quite positive... but it WAS delicious of course). Afterward, we went to visit La Sagrada Familia, the huge cathedral in Barcelona that Gaudi designed (and it was closed, so we couldn't go in, although I kind of didn't feel like touring another cathedral anyways!). It was very beautiful though. After taking some pictures around, we headed back on the metro and browsed and shopped around the center of the city until dinner. For dinner, we decided to go to this decent (not cheap looking but not ultra expensive) restaurant that was offering a pre-fixed dinner for 10.95 euros, including soup, an appetizer, main course and dessert! The food was delicious, except for the fish eye that I was told I should eat since the fish skin, head and tail were still on the "monkfish" that we had for our main course. IT WAS GROSS. But, now I can tell Michael (my cousin's Jamaican dad for those that don't know him) that I have eaten a fish eye and maybe he will be proud since he always tried to get us to eat them when we were little! The one thing that was annoying about dinner, although it was reasonable considering the amount of food we got anyways, was that they did not have tap water (or just didn't give it to us when we asked) and also charged us a euro extra for bread (which we didn't even ask for)... it's apparently common that they charge you for the bread they serve but that is the first time I've experienced it. After dinner we just headed back to the apartment; we were all pretty tired and decided if we relaxed then maybe we could get a lot done the next day if we had a good night's sleep since we did not plan on sleeping the next night before our early morning flight. We played a few rounds of rummy (not the way that we've always played, Dad, but it was really fun) and then went to sleep.

Me in front of La Sagrada Familia

The back of La Sagrada Familia

The menu of our dinner

the soup.. it had an egg in it... still tasted good though!

my salad (with tuna too)... looks like a face!

monkfish and potatoes... still tasted good, but I had to try SO HARD not to scrape any of the skin off by mistake!

eww.. about to eat the fish eye

my dessert.. kinda like creme brulee!

The next day we had planned on all waking up at 10am to leave by 11am since we stayed up till about 2:30 playing cards, but I unfortunately woke up at 8:40, for some reason thinking I needed to be awake in 20 minutes anyways, and decided to have a quick shower before everyone else woke up.... after my shower when I was getting ready I realized that I would be waiting a long time and packed and read my book until they all woke up. We grabbed some pasteries at the bakery that was on our street and walked around La Rambla, taking pictures with soms street performers (and I also stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts for some iced coffee, of course.... who knew they had DD's in Spain too?! It was also much better than the U.S; much stronger and delicious!). We also walked to the port to check it out, which had an amazing view and it's funny because we passed this food stand twice while we were there, and Maddy and I passed it again a couple times when we walked there later on that night, and each time we all commented on how amazing the "gofres" (waffles) smelled that they were selling. We then headed back to the apartment for a few minutes and separated into two groups: Scott and Brian went to see the soccer stadium and Mary, Maddy, Dong and I went to El Parque Guell and the Chocolate Museum instead. The park had a very scenic view of the city, but let me tell you, it was a workout in itself to get up the hill to go! It also had some cool looking building and statues that Gaudi designed. The Chocolate Museum was so cool too! I thought that I simply would just want to eat the chocolate and leave, to be honest, but it was really interesting to read the history of cocoa and chocolate in ancient times. It was also amazing to see the pieces of art that were made out of the chocolate; there were several different types of scenes made out of chocolate, like the Sagrada Familia, Don Quijote and even SpongeBob and Patrick!! (I posed by them for you, Dad and Kim!!) After the museum, we went to Dia, one of the cheapest supermarkets I have been to in Spain, to buy food to make for dinner. We bought SO MUCH for the 6 of us... it ended up all being eaten, but I was in doubt that it would be finished. Our meal consisted of 3 big loaves (similar to baguettes but fatter) of bakery bread (that Maddy and I went and got after Dia when everyone else wanted to nap), 3 bags of tortellini, 2 frozen spinach packages, 2 big bags of frozen mixed veggies and chicken, garlic and olive oil... plus over a kilo of fresh strawberries and a huge bunch of bananas that we used to make smoothies (and I made some delicious drinks with some fresh fruit for Mary, Dong and I with some vodka and juice that we bought too) In total, it all came out to be only 3.33 euro per person! That was insane! The food was delicious and it was nice because everyone tried to help and we had a nice family style dinner.

One of the street performers.. haha

at the top of the ginormous hill we climbed to go to El Parque Guell

He was one of my favorites

Down by the port

We wish we could eat that! :) It's real though I believeeeee

Don Quijote Chocolate

Kim, Dad and Minnie haha

Our meal we cooked :)

After dinner, everyone made sure they were packed and ready to go the next morning (really only a few hours later that we were leaving, though) since our flights were at either 6 or 7am. We met some other people from API at this bar called Dow Jones and stayed there for most of the night. The bar was kind of interesting because they had their drink menu on computer screens, and every so often the "stock market" would crash, and the drink prices would drop lower than their normal prices. In reality, though the drinks and shots weren't even cheap when the market crashed... everything was CRAZY expensive in Barcelona. It was still a cool concept though. The entire night (and weekend) I had been bugging everyone to go to another bar called Chupitos, that so many people had told me that I needed to visit when I went to Barcelona because it was amazing. They have hundreds and hundreds of different shots, and each one is themed; you have to do something, wear something, etc to drink your shot... it's very entertaining to both do it and watch others at the bar order theirs. One of the shots tat had been recommended to us several times was called the Boy Scout Shot; first the bartender lit part of the bar on fire for us to roast marshmallows that she had given us, then we dipped the marshmallow in the shot she poured us (I have no idea what the shot was), ate the marshmallow and then took the shot. It was really fun, but it sucked that everyone was so annoying about going that we had no time to spend there since they wanted to be back by 4am to go get taxis to the airport (there really was no time at all considering that the clocks changed an hour ahead also).

 

Singing on our way to Dow Jones Bar... hahaha

Looking Back On My Adventures in Africa

A Little About the Flight:

A couple of weekends ago, I had the opportunity to visit Marrakesh, Morocco in Northern Africa. Africa is so close to Spain that the plane ride ended up being just over an hour long. The "adventure" began when we stepped on board RyanAir's plane, which, if you have not heard of them, is a very cheap Irish airline that most study abroad students end up using when they come to Europe. Here are some of the reasons the flights are probably always ridiculously cheap: they cram as many seats into the plane as possible (you have barely any leg room when you sit), you are not assigned a seat (it's first come first serve, and apparently they overbook and if you are there late you can sometimes be out of luck and not have a flight!) and lastly, but certainly not least, you will be sure to have a very bumpy ride! While we were taking off, I became so lightheaded that I felt like I could faint (and maybe would have if I weren't sitting down.. haha)--they take off and land SO FAST! My friend Ryan recently told me that the reason that the pilots do this is to save RyanAir money... the faster they take off and land = less time the plane spends flying in the lower altitude = less gas the plane uses. I asked couple of my friends my theory, "Do you think all of these pilots are inexperienced?" We all debated the question, because it seemed evident that they do not know how to keep their passengers comfortable, nor feel safe while aboard. Apparently, Ryan also said that my theory was correct! Almost ALL of RyanAir's employees JUST graduated flying school (even the stewardesses!). The one thing that you can count on, if necessary, is that RyanAir's flights are on time almost 100% of the time, beating almost all airlines (and all major U.S. airlines also)... but they also make you board the plane about 45 minutes early and stop accepting passengers earlier than other flights. Although there are a lot of ups and downs with RyanAir flights, they are still overall a decent airline, are cheap, and hey, I survived just fine (I've been on 3 of their flights so far and will be taking a few more over Semana Santa).

MOROCCO: 

Day 1: After the flight was over, we headed to the hotel and had the rest of the day to ourselves until dinner later that night. We spent the day visiting the market and relaxing around the hotel (we were not about to try and go out, as we heard that Morocco can be more dangerous at night, atleast for females). The hotel was very nice; it was very nicely decorated and their staff was very attentive. In the hotel lobby, they served mint tea and cookies until night time, and if you sat down near the table, a man would bring you some tea.While at the market, I realized that I have awful skills at bartering immediately; although I have had experience trying to bargain on Canal Street in NYC, it was very difficult for me to persuade the shop seller to allow me to purchase a large leather purse and two scarves for the price I wanted. He originally was asking 350 Durhams for just the two scarves (about 35 euros, or $50), and over 400 Durhams for the purse. All of the items were very nice quality, but I felt like he was ripping me off a LOT. I tried getting him to give me all three items for 350 Durhams, but the lowest he would go is 400.

Just a sidenote on the man that sold me my purse and scarves: he was a creeper. I didn't feel extremely uncomfortable, I feel like he was trying to be friendly but in the wrong way.. and I was also with a bunch of people. But, he kept kissing me on the cheek (which might be common around this part of the world to say hello or thank you, but he just wouldn't stop) and then asked how long I was going to be there and if I was going to a discoteca that night... I simply avoided the conversation and started talking about buying the items though.

Later on, I realized that I didn't like the purse too much unfortunately, and decided I would try my luck at returning it to see if I could get another one instead. I luckily convinced one of the shoptenders to let me exchange it for a nicer purse, but had to pay 50 more Durhams since it was homemade... which kind of sucked, but atleast I like it a lot more than the original one I picked. One of the things I learned from Morocco (or relearned?) is that I need to stop impulsively buying things when I think I will like them--it would be better to only buy things when I'm absolutely positive I want and like it!

Day 2: On the second day, we woke up early to eat breakfast in the hotel and then meet up as a group to tour the city. We walked through a different market, saw a couple of palaces (which were really boring, to be honest... they're getting kind of old since we see them all the time), visited a pharmacy, had free time to get lunch at the markets and then went back to the hotel and left to ride camels! At the pharmacy, they sold plenty of spices and herbs; for medicinal, cooking and cosmetic purposes. Here is a great excerpt about pharmacies in Morocco to summarize what we saw, for the most part: "Even if you're feeling perfectly healthy, don't miss the chance to visit a Moroccan pharmacy. Like a witch doctor's den, these mysterious shops tucked in the souk's alleys, offer local residents cures for everything from toothaches to arthritis to broken hearts. Powders and potions, concocted of local herbs, not to mention dried lizards seen hanging on the walls, provide a cure for whatever ails you. Travelers will be especially interested in the spices and perfumes. Saffron can be purchased for about US$2 per gram (minimum of five grams). Moroccan curry, a different blend than Indian curry, and a heady mix of Moroccan spices called "Head of the Store" are popular choices. In the natural pharmacies, you'll also find stencils for henna designs (US$1), kohl eyeliner (US$3), musk (US$3 per gram) and numerous oils."

For lunch, I decided to just grab a mixture of almonds, figs and dates (since Colin said he was jealous I could try fresher dates and suggested I try them). It was all very good and reasonably priced. I didn't originally want to go, but it was worth trying it since we went for atleast an hour and a half ride and also got to see different areas of Marrakesh, like the urban homes, etc. I personally don't think it's something I will ever need to do again... plus, it really hurts your butt sitting on the camel's back after awhile.. and I also kept trying to readjust because I was scared I was hurting the camel.. I also felt really bad that the camels were tied so tightly to eachother in the caravan-- they could barely move their heads, and if one didn't want to go, another one would get tugged on, etc. I felt bad for them because it seemed like they were getting choked. Later that night, after dinner in the hotel, a group of us went to the market again, which is when I convinced the guy to take back my purse.

Day 3: On the third day, we once again ate an early breakfast and then were off on a bus to the mountains. On the way, we stopped and toured a Berber house and drank tea and ate a Berber style breakfast. After that, we were off to hike the Atlas Mountains in a "mountain village" and after ate a traditional Moroccan lunch: bread, couscous with veggies and some chicken, followed by orange slices sprinkled with cinnamon.  That night, API did not cover our dinner as the two nights before, so we were on our own. Randi, Amy and I decided to go to the market later on to eat from some stands and then shop around the market a little bit more. We ate some typical Moroccan dishes: bread (what's with this side of the world and bread?! haha), olives and spicy sauces. I also had the "spinach salad", which was really more like a strange concoction of pesto. Randi and Amy had veal; one with prunes and almonds in a sauce and the other on kebabs. In the tent/stand that we were eating, there were two Moroccan boys sitting next to us. The first thing they said to us was "Would you like to try some brain?" Amy reacted very excitedly, obviously mishearing their question (she thought they were offering her brie cheese), so both Randi and Amy dipped their bread into the plate they offered. Until I said, "Wait, you guys know they said sheep brain, right?", they were about to put it into their mouths without hesitation. They both were uncertain after that, and the two kept saying stupid things to try and convince us to eat it: "Oh come on, it's really delicious... It will give you more brains too!" Although we were all scared of the thought, especially me, after dissecting one last year in Anatomy... we decided, "Eh, when in Morocco, right?!" Bad choice. GROSS. It was so slimy and mushy and I can't even describe the texture! But whatever...another strange thing I can say I've tried! It's all about the adventure :) But, thank god I did not try the other sheep part that they tried to get us to eat, one that they did not know how to say in English (and even said that we didn't want to know what it was, we just "had to try it")... that they finally described by saying that it was something (singular) that boys have and girls don't. Amy and I looked at eachother, whispering aloud to one another what it must have been, but Randi blurted out, "BALLS?!" It was hilarious. We couldn't stop laughing. But they actually nodded and laughed when she said that... so there must have been some confusion, because after that they said guys had two. Sorry if this story is strange, but it was funny and I had to share it :) After our authentic Moroccan style dinner in the market, we decided to try and shop a little bit more. Within not even 10 minutes of walking around, we decided that it was a horrible idea to be in the market at night as a female. We were practically the only ones inside, and the rest were males...it was just creepy... sketchy.. I can't even describe it very well. It made us feel very uneasy; while we are often stared at in Sevilla for being different or any other reason, it is not to the degree of being uncomfortable like this situation. There are almost NO women out at night there. After a few minutes, we hailed a taxi and headed back to the hotel (and even in the taxi we became a bit nervous when the driver picked up one of his friends who started talking to us and then asked us our ages and if we liked music and kept asking weird questions).

Just some general information:

Morocco was a very interesting country and had API not planned to take us there, it is probably not a place that I would planned to go to on my own. While there, we were able to see into the eyes of a completely different culture. Although it was sad how many beggars there were on the streets, it became annoying to the point where you just had to ignore them; they could start bothering you anywhere, asking you to buy tissues (though we also have a couple black men that do that here in Sevilla..), umbrellas, leather camels, jewelry...or you could get harassed and drawn henna on like Kim, who was also forced to pay the woman (and gave her 100 Durham... 10 euros!) and then was told that it "wasn't enough"... when she didn't even want it done in the first place!

Pictures: As you know, I broke my camera a few weeks ago, therefore haven't been able to take pictures of my own. But, I copied a bunch of pictures from my friends' cameras and made and album on facebook with comments describing everything. If you want to check them out, here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2083875&id=1086870495&l=0b6e2c72db

So I Guess I Wanted to Spend a Month in Barcelona???

Yeah, the title of this blog reflects a stupid oversight when I booked my trip to Barcelona for this coming weekend. A few friends and I had planned the trip a few weeks ago; to leave Sevilla early Friday afternoon and then return early Sunday morning, March 27th. But, today when I received a confirmation email telling me to complete my online check-in so that I can print my boarding pass, I realized that it says my return flight to Sevilla was APRIL 27th. I have been looking for flights since I realized the stupid mistake I somehow made, but all flights for that Sunday end up costing just about the same as a flight there and back! I'm wondering if it's even worth it! I don't know what to do! I can either buy an expensive return flight or just forget the whole thing and lose the money I already paid for the two flights. It is very hard to decide which option is better. I don't know of anyone else going to Barcelona later on... but I wonder if I could find someone/if I should take that chance. There are lots of other API students going next weekend. I also didn't book my hostel yet, so it's not like I would be losing any money for that, though. Additionally, if I were to forget the whole thing, Tara was talking about a trip to Gibraltar this weekend, which I might be able to still do. WHAT SHOULD I DO!?!

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Update: March 20, 2011
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Last night, I finally purchased another ticket back to Sevilla. After talking to several people yesterday, everyone told me that Barcelona was definitely a city that I could not afford to not go to. Although my ticket ended up costing just about the same amount as both the flights for my original purchase, I'm sure (and hoping) it will be worth the extra cost. (For future reference also, it was cheaper for me to go through an entirely new website/airline to purchase a return flight, rather than to change the flight date on RyanAir. With all the fees that they tack on for the change and the fact that you have to purchase the new flight as well, the cost ends up being astronomical! I will write more about the horrors of RyanAir in my blog about Morocco soon... probably later on today in between my studying for midterms!) All in all, I am still pretty annoyed at myself for making such a retarded mistake, but at the same time, I think this is something I will probably always remember and laugh at the careless mistake... and hopefully never make the same one again! (Atleast it wasn't a flight back in the U.S... while buying another flight in Europe cost me about $60, I can't even imagine how much of a nightmare it would have been to make the same error back home!)

The Real Cadiz... aka the Day Life of Cadiz?

I know I am behind with writing a blog about my Morocco weekend, but I feel like that will take way too long to write about right now. Yesterday we went to Jerez and Cadiz for the day, and since the trip is fresh in my mind, I want to write what I can about that! :) To put very short and to the point, the day felt almost perfect. I was feeling so much more relieved after finally deciding to go home in May, that everything seemed to feel better. It was very relaxing.

Although we had to wake up by 7:30 in order to get ready and meet at our meeting point by 8:15 (about 25 minutes away walking), we were smart and went to bed by about 12 the night before--yes, on St. Patrick's Day. Not to get sidetracked, but St. Patrick's Day was a blast also. Even though most Spaniards do not recognize the day as a holiday, there are several Irish bars in town that had drink specials (where all the Americans and study abroad students flocked, of course... and a few Spaniards, probably just to meet Americans, like they do on Calle Betis). Maeve and I went to Flaherty's Irish Pub at about 5pm to meet up with Tara, whose birthday was also that day. (We had gone out to Caramelo, a discoteca, the night before to celebrate since she was turning 21, but unfortunately I was practically falling asleep on the dance floor, so I wasn't really much fun)

We planned ahead of time that we did not want to go out late that night since we knew we would have to be up early for our day trip, so we had a few hours before dinner to hang out and whatnot. I, for one, was not planning nor trying to get drunk for dinner, but we tried a couple of "firsts" that day, and decided we wanted one of the t-shirts they were selling, to commemorate Tara's Birthday and also our time in Spain.

One of the drinks we had were REAL Irish Car Bombs... when you drop a shot of whiskey into half a pint of Guinness and have to chug it. I thought that I was going to want to puke or something just from that since I hate beer, but it actually wasn't that bad, and I also finished first. What a champ, right? :-P Next, we tried their special shot, called an "Irish flag shot"... I haven't the slightest idea what was in it, but there were 3 different colored alcohols/liquors that were poured in to match the Irish flag (I think It was green, white and red? unless it was orange...?). The only one I could make out the taste of was mint (possibly Schnapps?), but it was very good. 

Next, I wanted to have a drink with Bailey's in it (which I was also just drinking to enjoy... it's not usually something to get you drunk!), so I asked the bartender what he could make me with Bailey's. He replied that he would make me something "special"... which ended up being a big glass with amaretto, Bailey's and coffee liquor. It was SO GOOD; and definitely not ingredients that are meant to get you trashed! But, what must have done me over was when we decided we wanted the shirts, which for 10 euro came with a pint of beer...but I, of course, convinced the bartender that I hate beer and "would it be at all possible to get something else?" So, he said he would make me another drink with Bailey's!!! (I enjoyed it, and my friends also ended up ordering some) I'm pretty sure Carmen could tell that I was drunk when we got home for dinner (at about 9:30), but she seemed to be fine with how I was acting... just a little more happy and airy (if that's the right word..?)

The next day, our first stop was in a town less than an hour from Sevilla, and about 20 to 30 minutes from Cadiz, called Jerez, where many world-renowned wineries (aka "bodegas") are located. While in Jerez, we visited the John Harvey Winery and tasted a "fino" wine, which is served chilled, and the "bristol cream", their most well known product of sherry wine, which tasted sweeter. Mostly everyone didn't like at least one of the wines we tasted, but I was shocked to find that I liked both of them, when I normally don't like wine. (they both had a bit more alcohol content than usual also, the fino wine with 15% and the sherry with 20%) Since we were split up into two different groups to tour the winery, when the second group was touring, we went on a tour of the city. While the city was beautiful, at this point of the day I (and many others) had no attention span and was just waiting to get back on the bus and eat our lunch and go to Cadiz.

When we finally arrived in Cadiz, it was about 2pm. We were told that we had to meet back at the same spot we were being dropped off at 5:30 and that we could either go relax on the beach or explore the city. Almost everyone decided to go to the beach and try to work up a tan (my reasoning was that I will be back in Cadiz with my History and Mythology course in a couple of weeks anyways... so I will be able to tour the city at some point with them). The beach was gorgeous and not crowded at all, it had fine sand and almost no rocks at all. The day was perfect; not scorching hot, but the sun was warm enough to lie in comfortably and there was a light breeze. The water wasn't too cold for March, either, but I was not up for swimming in it. We loved the beach so much that a few of us decided that we are going to plan an overnight trip there later on this semester; to spend the days at the beach and exploring the city at some point. It was a beautiful city; reminding me of a more modern and clean Myrtle Beach or Rhode Island.

When we had about an hour until meeting up, a few of us decided to go hunt down some ice cream (in all seriousness, I think that was only my 3rd ice cream since being in Spain; the first two being a soft serve cone and the other a McFlurry--both from McDonald's). We ended up getting some Carte D'Or ice cream (which they apparently sell all over Sevilla too!)... I got some chocolate and chocolate cookie dough. The serving sizes were a lot smaller than the U.S. of course, the cookie dough didn't taste like real cookie dough, and the chocolate ice cream was so much better than regular chocolate ice cream (apparently it's made with chocolate from Ecuador, and also has little pieces of chocolate inside it).

All in all, yesterday was a relaxing day. I even got myself to go on a decent jog last night, do some stairs and crunches/ab workouts before dinner time (now I just need to start getting into a regular routine!) After dinner, I decided to stay in because I was tired... and didn't want to fall asleep on the dance floor again! (and will probably go out tonight) I think I may have started an almost insignificant tan (and I started off have a strange splotch of sunburn on each of my arms, which are now gone--it was weird, because I put a good amount of sun lotion on, too).

Relief

Today I finally had a conversation with my mom about all the doubts I have been having about staying longer than the program to travel or not. I came to the decision that what I really want is to go home when the program ends. Although I would really love to travel around Europe some more, Maeve and Molly also made good points, that "Europe is always going to be here". Rather than worrying about not spending too much money while I'm studying here in Sevilla, it sounds like a much better plan to try and have the time of my life while I am here now, and when I get home I can start setting aside money each week to start a fund for traveling abroad after I graduate or something. Then I will be able to be much more relaxed, not have to worry about my suitcase or medications or apartment stuff... and hopefully by then will find some friends that would like to do it with me. It is amazing how relieved I really feel right now. It's seriously like a huge weight was lifted after feeling like I finalized this decision. I am now more excited to go home in May, but also feel like this might help me enjoy my time here more. YAY! Also, some friends told me about a program on google that you can call people's phones from your computer for free... I want to try that out! So...if you get a random number calling you anytime soon, please pick it up because it might be me! ;-)

Lost in the Clouds...

Soooo... I was trying my best to make myself go on a nice jog today since the weather is finally sunny again... but began procrastinating and realized all the things I need to do before class at 5 (therefore, there would be no time to get them done in addition to going on a run and showering beforehand!). I have class at 5pm, which is about 20 minutes from my apartment, then dance class from 8-9, which is 45 minutes from my apartment/20 minutes from my class. Also, a bunch of people are meeting up for Tara's birthday at 10:30... so now I had to decide to go to class completely prepared for the rest of the night since there will be no time or point in walking back home in between any of that. Good plan? Haha. So, anyways, now I have a little time I can spare to write another post since I have been so behind lately.

To get back to the "funny" thing that I said I wanted to write about in the previous post, it has to do with my awful sense of directions. The first story happened a couple weeks ago. A few friends and I had been walking around the el centro (literally, "the center" of the city, where there's a lot of shopping and more touristy things to do) and after going to Corte Ingles (basically a huge department store that also has a supermarket) for a few things, we realized it was getting late and we needed to start heading home. It was about 8:30, and everyone lived in the opposite direction from me. I knew that there was a "back way" back to my house from el centro, and I thought I understood where I was going, so I began to walk. I then got confused, so I called my roommates to check for directions, and it sounded like I was going the right way... or at least I thought I was. I kept walking for awhile, but then started to get worried that I was not heading the right way. I tried finding a big street or something and tried to inconspicuously look at my map (to try to avoid any trouble). I couldn't even find the street for where I was (when I finally found a street sign...since they're so hard to come by around here!). I kept trying to get up the nerve to ask someone for directions, but was so nervous that I stupidly figured that if I followed someone, I might end up getting to a bigger street (kind of like you, Dad, when you said you would follow people home after work to find back ways!)... I was wrong. Completely, utterly WRONG. When I finally gained the courage to ask a nice looking middle aged lady (while we were stopped at a crosswalk) for directions, she looked at me in disbelief when I told her where I was trying to go. She told me that I was about 40 minutes or so by foot from my street... I started off maybe 20 minutes or so away! She did her best at directing me back to a bigger street, and told me that after I reached a cathedral that I would have to ask someone else for directions again (since all the streets were so small and windy... the city doesn't seem to have been built very logically at all). Once again, it took me awhile to get the nerve to ask for help, so at first I tried to figure out where I was on the map by myself. After I failed, I finally found a nice looking older couple. They began discussing which route they thought would be the best/easiest for me to understand amongst themselves. When they couldn't completely agree (and I think also after noticing that I was really confused...), the man told me that they would just walk me back to my street. I was in shock, but so thankful to be hearing those words! As we were walking, he tried to explain which plazas we were passing by and which streets we were on (too bad he didn't know that I wouldn't remember any of that...) and after a few minutes passed, Carmen called me, asking me where I was (they were already eating dinner, and Molly had told her that I had gotten lost)... when I told her I was in La Macarena (a neighborhood far away from our house), she also couldn't believe that I had walked that far. But, eventually, thank God for the couple that helped me, they led me back to my street and I walked the rest of the way home! (Only, say, 40 minutes or so late for dinner! Haha)

Now, you probably all read that story thinking how retarded I was, but you should be proud of me for this next one... at least a little bit, haha. Yesterday afternoon, when Maeve and I were leaving for La Bachillera, where we teach Spanish kids English, neither of us were in the mood to go. But, we reasoned that none of the other kids that volunteer were very reliable, and if we didn't go, then we weren't sure if anyone would show up. We left a couple minutes later than we should have, so we were in a bit of a rush. To get to the school, we have to take two different buses. We got the first one in a reasonable amount of time, but when we got off the stop to get on to the next one, we panicked when we saw the time. Normally, we cross the street and take the "6" the rest of the way, but when Maeve noticed that the next bus stopping at the stop that we had just gotten off of, she thought that we should get onto it. I wasn't sure about that, since there are both line and circular bus routes. She reasoned that we could either wait at the other stop until the other 6 came, or take this one now. I didn't agree with the decision, but I'm known as the one with a bad sense of direction (for good reasons, I guess)... so she said that we should hop on. After riding the bus for about a half hour, she realized that I was right, this probably wasn't a circular route. Instead of ever reaching La Bachillera, we had to ride the whole bus route almost back to our starting point so that we could take another bus home... the 2 hours that we normally would've taken to travel and get to the school, we spent on the bus. At least we now know to never take the bus in that direction again!

Sorry for the Negativity... My Homesickness is Getting the Best of Me!

I started writing this post  Monday night, but my computer has been acting really weird and I kept getting nowhere on it.. so it's finally working today, and I am adding some that I wrote by hand (after I finally gave up trying to restart and shut down the stupid thing!)...


Monday

So, today we got back from Morocco... and while it was a wonderful experience and I am glad that I had the opportunity to visit Marrakech, I am glad to be back in Sevilla. To be honest, though, I have not been having the best day today and almost wish that when I stepped off of the plane this afternoon I were back in CT instead :-/ Among my inability to sleep in on the day that I can, the confusion and delay of our flight, I also had to basically force myself to go to my Sevillana dance class only a couple hours after I got back to the apartment... when all I wanted to do was relax and wind down after the busy weekend. We paid for the 8 classes last Wednesday, so while I still would have had the opportunity to make up a missed class at some point, I was still nervous that I would somehow not be able to. So, when I finally got myself moving, I had to do so in a power walk/almost jog to the dance class, which is about a 45 minute walk from our apartment. When I finally got into the general area of the class, I called a friend to ask the directions. I walked slowly, carefully trying to look for the correct street signs without looking like a retarded tourist that doesn't know where they are going; a very hard thing to do since all the street signs in Spain are hidden behind trees and written on the actual buildings (it takes long enough to find where the actual street sign is!). I kept trying to find my way, and after finally finding the street that the class was on, I couldn't find the actual class. It had gotten so late, even with my leaving in enough time, that I decided to just walk the 45 minutes back to the apartment and make up the class (rather than only be there for half the time and have it count..)

Tuesday (last night when my computer wouldn't stop acting up)

I'm starting to get really fed up with my computer right now...so I'm writing by hand. I don't know why I'm feeling so homesick lately....I've been here over a month, but still--this is supoosed to be the BEST time of my life. Why am I feeling so anxious to get out of here? I love this city...and Europe is really cool! I'm just missing my friends and family and life back home like CRAZY.

I have been debating whether I can/will travel after the program is over May 14th and am still torn between the two decisions. One day I convince myself that this is the opportunity of a lifetime and I should spring on it now that I have the chance to travel practically wherever I want, virtually stress-free...But then I remember the countless things holding me back: I need to get home to get my foot in the door at work, I need to look for and lease an apartment for next year, I'm worried I don't have enough money to support myself for the whole month of traveling Germany, Switzerland and Italy with Randi, I'm stressed out about how I will be able to pack light enough for such a long trip and where I can keep my big suitcase during that time...I feel like I'm missing out on things back home :-/ I'M. So. Confused! When I list these reasons now, it sounds so stupid that these are the things that I'm worried about. There are probably relatively easy solutions to all of these "problems"...but wheneve I think of a new excuse for my quicker return home, I immediately turn to it as the answer that I'm looking for; today, for example, I realized I won't have enough of my medication to stay past the 15th of May or so.

I think that while I'm loving this new culture and new people and evertying around me, I still do not feel as comfortable as I would at home. I love that everything is so much more relaxed/easygoing here. I love that we automatically get some exercise from walking everywhere...even though it takes a little more time, it's almost a de-stresser in itself; to walk to/from places, you can clear your head. I will definitely miss that aspect of living in a city when I'm back in the U.S. I love that there's so many different things to do within the city (I just need to get myself to do more of them!).

On the other hand, I'm not always (more than not, though) fond of my roommates--especially Molly. She just acts like she thinks she's perfect or something... and is SO rude when something doesn't go her way or if you non-purposefully annoy her. I don't care if she's from Texas and thinks that she can do no wrong; that's very inaccurate. I thought that i was irritated easily lately....she definitely wins the prize. Sometimes I have the urge to be a bitch right back to her...but I usually try not to give in. She's not worth it! i don't know why I still try to hang out and make things better when nothing seems to change... at least not for long-term.

I am also getting fed up that no matter how much I love the food or how easy it goes down, my stomach/intestines don't agree. And I feel like I barely get any sleep...especially whenever I need it most. And my ears hurt so much from wearing my earplugs, but I can't afford to not wear them... because then I'll get even LESS sleep. And my aches feel like they're even worse...maybe I'm making that up, but I wish they would just go away.

Anyways, I wrote a few postcards today and and will send them out tomorrow morning (today, Wednesday)...maybe you will get one if you're lucky! :)  

I will have to get back to this later on and will add a few more stories that will probably make you all laugh and remember the stupid things that I do sometimes. Also, I will have to finally get to writing about Morocco! Let me know if any of you want to skype soon! It's nice to see everyone's faces :-)

El Carnaval en Cadiz!

El Carnaval en Cadiz is said to be the world's "third largest Carnival celebration (after Rio de Janeiro and Trinidad)". Many of my friends and I went with a student travel group for the night to partake in el carnaval last Saturday; it is essentially a crazy halloween party in the streets. Everyone wears ridiculous (in good or sometimes bad ways) costumes, walks around, drinks and most likely approaches and meets new people. Let's just say that I told two people that night (as well as the night before at a bar) that I wanted them to be my new intercambio(s) since I didn't like mine! 

Some of the ridiculous costumes included armies of soldiers (literally enough to be an army.. almost. haha), flocks of chicken, waddles (?) of penguins (which I got pictures with!), the midget guy from saw, and probably anything you could think of. I dressed up as a snow leopard, wearing a leopard print dress and black ears, leopard print tights that Carmen was nice enough to give to me, and finally, I asked Molly to help me paint a mask on my face that looked leopard print. Maeve dressed up as a hillbilly, missing tooth and all! (She used eyeliner to black one out) Most of my other friends just threw things together by getting a mask, wig and some crazy outfit to wear. The only "requirement" is to not go in normal/"street" clothes...

There are several vendors as you walk around, including fried food (not too typical in Spain... usually) and even vendors for beer and shots. While most people talk about the performances that occur during Carnaval if you go to a website/description of it, we unfortunately didn't come across any of those (unless I just don't remember them! which I don't think I was THAT drunk)... We think that we weren't in the right area of the city. We did walk through many alleys and smaller streets that smelled of pee though (all the little streets basically become everyone's bathrooms when Carnaval is going on... I guess it's basically like using a real bathroom here, though, since there's barely ever any toilet paper or soap!)

While you can now assume that I was drinking, at some point I must have also managed to fall and give myself a nasty bruise/cut on my ankle and also very unfortunately broke my camera. Due to my clumsiness, these pictures that I post will probably have to be the last ones for awhile. We leave for Morocco tomorrow morning, and I resorted to buying a disposable camera in one of the "chino" shops, as we call them, to use this weekend (and I will hopefully ask someone to take pictures for me on their camera as well). 

my mask!

My friend Ellie and I on the bus ride there (she is the girl I just met that is in a different program but also lives in our building)

some of the vendors

Tara and I

A bunch of random people we met

The group

I managed to find a drag queen

 

 

 

Some penguins!

The one thing that sucked about this trip is that when Maeve and I got to the meeting point for the bus to Cadiz, I had realized that I forgot my wristband to get onto the bus. I was freaking out. I thought that I wasn't going to be allowed to go on the trip. But, when I got to the front of the line, I was told that I had to wait until the last bus. (I was so confused, because they had a list of all our names, and I had proof of I.D. with me!) Maeve and a few other people I was with decided to get on the bus even though I said that I was told I had to wait... I was pretty angry, and still think it was rude (especially considering the fact that they took our alcohol that we bought to share with them). The only person that was nice enough to stay back with me was my "new" friend, Ellie. It all ended up working out fine, we got on a bus and got to Cadiz and had plenty of time to see the craziness that is Carnaval (I just wish the guy hadn't lied to me and told me it would only be 15 mins until the last bus... we waited for over an hour! which would have been enough time to go back and get my wristband!) Oh well... what can I say, typical Kara, to forget something important, right?

A Little About the Family...

Carmen

My host mom is wonderful. Although she is a very busy woman, you can tell that she genuinely cares and respects her study abroad students. She has been hosting students for over 10 years while also working (she used to work with naturopathy and now babysits her two nephews each weekday). Additionally, she now also helps (and mostly) takes care of her two-year-old grandson, Delek. Carmen seems to understand that I truly want to improve my Spanish, and tries to speak with me whenever she can. She has said several times how important it is for us to speak only Spanish in the house because our time here is so short, and if we try not to use English, our speaking skills will develop more. She has said that she has no desire to learn English, which I'm not sure is completely true; from time to time, she has asked what a word in Spanish means in English--either way, I think it is great that she requires us to speak Spanish, as I can use all the practice at home that I can get.

The other day at lunch, she also asked me if I were happy with my placement in her house, and of course I said I loved it. She replied that she was very happy with me (and my roommates) also. Carmen is also very understanding and patient; she also tries to do whatever she can to make us happy (or atleast I have noticed that.. haha). For example, I have said several times that I do not like mayonnaise (but still have tried it a couple times when she cooks certain dishes with it), so the other day when she made a vegetable dish that she puts mayonnaise in, she set aside a small bowl without it for me! Also, the other day at lunch, I somehow started talking about how much I loved the combination of tomatoes, spinach and garlic together... later that night she had made a side dish of just those ingredients with dinner :)

We have also had several discussions about certain health issues that I have, for example, my trouble sleeping, my stomach/intestines and also my heightened acid reflux recently. Carmen has mentioned how easy it is for me to go to the natural foods store nearby, where I can buy things that will help with my stomach, etc, but to be honest, I feel like it is a waste of money and I cannot afford it! When she heard me mention that I couldn't eat certain things (after my acid reflux was acting up again), she seemed concerned and suggested eating apples because they are good for your stomach. She also said that this food that looks like jelly that we sometimes eat with cheese here is very good for my stomach and helps with the acidity in my stomach. Today, when I got home from class, Carmen and I were talking and then she showed me that she bought a package of the jam/fruit spread and told me it was "solamente para ti por la manana"... She specifically bought me some of the fruit spread (I can't think of what type of fruit it is...) for me to have in the morning right when I wake up. It is supposed to be very good for your stomach. I thought that was so cute and so thoughtful (there was also only one apple left and she left it at my spot for after lunch since we always have a piece of fruit after).

Some funny things that Carmen says: "Madre mia!" as well as the others I mention under Delek's section. 

Carmen Maria

Carmen is also a great host. She and her mother take turns cooking dinner for us, which usually is split up according "younger Carmen's", as Maeve, Molly and I refer to her usually, work schedule. My host sister is very welcoming and is also very good at English. Though she tries to keep us talking Spanish all the time, it's nice to be able to ask her how to say something in Spanish once in awhile. A couple of weeks ago, when we had a long weekend (and my roommates went away to the Canary Islands...), Carmen invited me to go out with her and her friend Maria one night (that I had already met once or twice). We went to a cute little bar outside of Sevilla to listen to a band play 80's Spanish Rock. It was actually very good and entertaining. It was nice to be able to just hang out and talk about things with them, as well as practice my Spanish. Carmen and Maria are both social workers and are only given 2 weekends a month off! They are very busy. Throughout our conversations, they kept impressing the idea into my head that I need to get a Spanish boyfriend, which I thought was very funny, since it is often the topic of conversation at the dinner table. Maria was more interested in getting an American boy and I told her that we should all go out sometime.. but when I told her I was 20, she replied that she might be too old for my friends in the program. But, I told her not to worry because who knows...(and Carmen also reasoned that American girls still go for the Spanish boys.. it's basically the same haaha).

Maria and Carmen!

Delek

What can I say about Delek? He is adorable! And has a crazy personality. One second he could be ecstatically happy and the next he will be crying about his "buba", aka his "boo-boo". He loves Mickey Mouse and always asks where Mickey is. Some of the cutest things that comes out of his mouth, though simple, are "Soy Delek!" or "Es de Delek!" or one of my absolute favorites, when Carmen tells him to go back to bed or to come to the table, "Yo voy!". Though they are the simplest of phrases, they sound so cute coming out of his mouth. When Delek does something bad and upsets Carmen, the funniest things she says are, "DELEK! POR FAVOR" (It just sounds funny for it to be enunciated like that haha) and last night she even said "Dios, Delek...". When Maeve, Molly and I first met Delek, similar to both Carmens, he could not pronounce their names, but constantly said my name. I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but I honestly think he likes me the best out of us three. He always tries to come into my room (a lot of the times when Carmen doesn't know where he is, she knocks on my door to see if he came in here haha). The other day, Carmen was finishing up making our dinner, but Delek was finishing up his (he sometimes eats completely different meals from us) and needed to eat his yogurt.. and really wanted it. Carmen had the yogurt in the kitchen and I told her I would feed him. He was so adorable. I never realized how much he loved yogurt until then... he was completely silent while I fed it to him (and the second he was done, he was full of just as much energy as ever!), but he did tell me "gracias, Kara!" several times :). One last reason I say that he likes me more than them is because the other day he hit Maeve for no reason (I'm not saying it's a good thing, but it's just an observation).

General Update!

As of yesterday, I have been in Sevilla for a month! Crazy huh? It feels like the time has flown by, but at the same time I can't believe that I will be here for atleast 2.5 more months... or maybe even over 3 depending on what I decide about traveling after the program (and depending on how much money I have... :-/ haha).


Now that I have been here for a month, there are many observations that I have made about Spanish life, but I will try to narrow it down to the important ones:

1)  TIME-- Perhaps one of the most important things to know about the culture is that everything is much more laid back here. There's this thing that we like to call "the real time" and "Spanish time"... (if any of you know my mother well, you can kind of compare it to that.. haha). When someone says that they will meet you at 4:00, it does not necessarily mean that they will be there right on time. For example, on Tuesday I was running around so much, freaking out that I was not going to be able to meet up with my cooking professor and classmates to go to visit two museums for class. I had had class until 1pm and went looking for a costume after class with some friends (for El Carnaval in Cadiz this Saturday). I didn't get back to my apartment until a little after 3pm (after walking so fast I was practically running home), put my stuff down, ate a bit of lunch for about 10 minutes and was on the go. It takes 20-30 minutes to get to the university from my apartment, so I didn't want to be freaking out about being on time after eating (therefore, I left in time so that I could walk a bit more leisurely and arrive on time).

Knowing me, I always walk pretty fast... so I still ended being a few minutes early, there were only two other girls there before me, and our professor didn't arrive until 5-10 minutes after 4pm! We didn't end up leaving until 4:18--so, one of the most important things I have noticed while abroad is that we, as Americans, live in a society that is way too rushed. When I had come back to eat lunch that day and even said "Necesito comer muy rapido", my host mom did not like that I was so rushed. When I told her the time that I needed to meet my class, she said "Ooo, necesitas correr?! No hay mucho tiempo.." When I said that I am always running, she laughed because I am sure she has noticed that this is true. One of the things I hope to accomplish by the end of this program is to learn how to RELAX. Being in a constant rush is not only unhealthy, but can cause much unneeded stress!

So, generally speaking, the Spaniards have a relaxed culture; time is more of a guideline to them. For example, if you were to go to a bar or restaurant to have a coffee or eat a meal, the natural reaction of an American would be to eat/drink what you went in for and be on your way. Spaniards, on the other hand, may sit there for a half hour or maybe even more to chat, even after there is nothing left to eat/drink (you will not be stared at or forced to leave immediately after finishing, like many waiters/waitresses would like you to do in the U.S.). Classes don't really begin until at least 5 minutes after the stated time either (sometimes even 15 minutes!).

2) PARTYING/FOOD/SLEEP-- Though I was already warned about the crazy schedule for Spaniards before I arrived, it definitely has taken some time to adjust. As most of you probably know, part of this "crazy schedule" that they have has to do with their late night partying. Now, some of you may think that it's not a big deal, because I'm sure we've all had late nights before...but seriously, when the Spanish like to party, they party. If you recall the blog I wrote after being in Madrid, we were made fun of for leaving a club at 3am. In the U.S, clubs are usually closed by then. But here, the 'norm' of a night on the town would be coming back to your house by 7 or 8 in the morning. Whenever my roommates and I have gone out, Carmen has asked us when we came in the night before. Most of the time we are back by 5am, but to this response she tells us that it's very early. One of the things that many Spaniards do is stay out so late that they can go out for churros con chocolate before heading home... I still haven't had that late of a night, but it is one of my goals! haha.

To make up for these late nights, most Spaniards partake in the "siesta", where virtually the entire city shuts down after lunch time. Most shops close between 1 or 2pm until 5:30pm, I haven't been able to make myself sleep during the siesta yet, but hopefully my body will allow me to sleep soon :( To make a side note on the sleeping comment; although one of the major things I worried about before arriving in Sevilla was sleeping with all the loud noises of the city, it is the least of my concerns. It is pretty quiet at night, plus I have earplugs to wear. But, for some strange reason it is very rare that I get a good night's sleep! There are absolutely no rational reasons... if you have any ideas of something I should experiment with, let me know. I even stopped drinking coffee past 2pm (unless I know I'm going to be out late) to weed out the caffeine intake as the problem source!

To go along with the Spaniards' late nights and napping, their eating patterns may also appear "odd" to us. For example, in Spain, the typical breakfast is very small; a piece of toast or two with olive oil and coffee is the typical breakfast, but you can also have toast with marmalade, or galletas or muffins. The trick is to eat a very small meal, because lunch will be big. Many workers have a "breakfast break" at their job, at about 10 or 11am also--another sign of how relaxed this culture is!

Lunch is normally around 2:30pm but can also be eaten around 4 in some cases. The "killer" to most of us is the huge gap between lunch and dinner because most people do not do any snacking here. Although lunch is served later than the typical lunchtime in the U.S, dinner is typically served between 9 and 10pm! That was the weirdest schedule difference to adjust to probably. I can't lie though, there have been several occasions that I just could not last and had to eat a snack in between!


Random Sidenote:

• last Thursday we also went to ROSS, the orchestra here in Sevilla

Granada (February 18-19)

I know that I haven't written in here for awhile now... and realize that it's time for an update! :) Last weekend, we went to Granada; a city almost parallel to Sevilla, but more east. We left early Friday morning (8:45) and stopped at an interesting National Park, "el Torcal de Antequer", which had strange formations of rocks that looked like pancakes stacked on top of eachother. 

 

 

We walked around for about an hour and then headed back  on our way to Granada.

Granada Day 1

We arrived in Granada by about 3pm and had a free afternoon until a group dinner in the hotel at 8pm. A group of about 15 girls decided that we would use this free time to visit a Roman Bath in the city, as recommended by our resident directors. It was 30 euros to get a 15 minute massage and be able to use the baths and steam room for an hour and a half. Visiting the baths was very unique and relaxing; I wish I had the money to go all the time! The massage was great, but too short! The girl asked me what intensity I wanted and if there was a particular area I needed (I said mostly my shoulders, since there are always knots in them). There were 3 different types of baths: the cold one (it was FREEZING. I literally stood in it for a minute and couldn't gain the strength to make myself get in any deeper), the warm one (this one was a big pool of water that was basically a warm, not hot, bath water... it was deep enough to stand in and be completely covered with water) and finally there was the hot one (a very shallow "pool" that you could sit or lie in. this one was very relaxing). I also enjoyed the steam room a lot; while I have been in steam rooms in the U.S, this one was much cleaner and you could see where you were going, etc. On top of all these areas of the baths, they also offered free tea, which was delicious :) I think it might have been peppermint.

After the Roman Baths, a couple of girls and I decided to go for some tea at a Teteria... I ended up getting coffee, you know, the usual choice for me (haha) but it was still really good. They have lots of "teterias" in Granada, where they serve varied types of 'exotic' teas... I'm pretty sure they're natural too. Anyways, while the other girls tried the tea (and I tried some of theirs.. they were really good), I got a coffee that was made with ginger, cinnamon and cloves. It was delicious! (I haven't really had flavored coffee while in Europe, so it was a bit of a change. The teteria also offered hookah, which is what most of the people in there were actually doing... none of us wanted to do that though haha.

Later that night, we met for a delicious dinner buffet at the hotel and then all went to see a flamenco show. The show was interesting, and we were also given a free drink, so that was a plus haha. I'm not sure if I can really explain the show efficiently, but I will try my best... your best bet is to go see one some day if you have the chance! (You can often see a show for free at a bar in the city or something also.) Anyways, there were two different groups of dancers/singers/people that kept the beat or "taps". Out of the two groups, the second one was definitely better, and you could tell that they were enjoying what they were doing. 

She was a decent dancer, but all the other women were much better.

This is the one guy from the first group... he was such a cocky dancer and thought he was SOOOO hot.

Another girl from the first group, she was better than the other one.

Maybe he was trying to be seductive, but he kept holding up his vest throughout the songs... why is that supposed to be attractive? He still has another shirt on anyways! Haha.

While the first group of dancers didn't have any particular "purpose" for dancing, the second group was done like a "story" through dancing...

These two were in love (and he was an AMAZING dancer)

...but their mothers/families won't allow them to be together...

These two played the mothers (I think.. haha)

She had the coolest looking dress!

That was really cool when he spun the cape around... He also had a cane that he used as a prop throughout some of the dances.

Or maybe she was her mother?

After awhile, they were finally allowed to be together and got married.

after the "wedding", they started bringing up people to dance... but because I had a camera and kept taking pictures, they stayed away :)

This was unfortunately the best picture I got of Amit... he looked ridiculous up there, it was hilarious!

Kate was actually one of the first ones pulled up!

 After the flamenco show, we ended up going to and "old people bar" (there was absolutely no one young in that bar... but I reasoned that it was already pretty late and there was no point in trying to meet people we'd never see again, especially when we planned on waking up early the next day). A few girls got some wine/beer and we headed back to the hotel (a 10 minute walk uphill!).

Day 2-- February 19th

On this day, Kepa had organized a "walking tour" of the city, which only about 10 other girls (if that..) and I had the urge (?) to make ourselves get up early enough to get ready and have breakfast (the buffet offered at the hotel... probably the best breakfast I've had since I've been in Spain! SO delicious!) and meet Kepa by 9. It may sound like a decent time, but because most of us had little sleep the night before the trip and again the night before the tour, it was rough! We walked around, saw the cathedral (they're all just starting to blend in to me, to be honest, though... after awhile they all look the same, have the same stuff inside... they're still beautiful, but it gets old), some original roman baths and we stopped by a few other places on the way so that Kepa could explain their purpose/origination, etc. During the tour, a girl in our group, Amy, had to go to the bathroom really badly. At every stop she would ask "Kepa, seriously, will there be any bathrooms soon?!" but he kept saying she could ask if she wanted... After awhile I ended up needing to go too. Kepa suggested that we try going into the modern art museum right next to the cathedral (since it was free entry) and meet them inside... well, this would have been simple if we could find the entrance! We literally walked around the whole building, looking for a door. It had so many large windows and we began trying to push them open! When we got to the original side of the building that we started looking, a street musician asked us "Are you trying to get inside?" and we told him "YES!" He helpfully pointed out to us that the entrance was 3 windows down. Then, when we got inside, it was also a job to find the bathrooms as well... they were on the 2nd floor, which to us would mean the 3rd floor since they call the ground floor "Floor 0". Thankfully, we remembered this and after turning many corners, we came across the women's bathroom. But, when we got inside, there was a metal door (with no handles)... we tried pushing it and when it wouldn't open we became very frustrated. Amy decided after a little bit of discussing what we would do, and a women told us it was occupied. After a couple minutes, she came out, didn't flush the toilet or wipe her hands. Amy also said that she found a piece of gum in the toilet. That was probably the strangest experience in a bathroom that I've had.

After the tour was over, Kepa treated us for churros con chocolate! We then headed back to the hotel to pack up and head off to La Alhambra... to have a 4 hour tour! It was pretty long, but until the very end, it didn't seem too bad. It was beautiful inside, like a city within a city. After waling throughout La Alhambra, we were able to grab a quick lunch and were back on the bus to Sevilla (where my friend Randi and I talked about our plans to visit Germany, Switzerland and Italy after the program is over... still not sure if this is all going to happen, but will keep you updated!).

The cathedral

Churros con chocolate!

Inside La Alhambra... this is unique because it is a square shaped building with this circular inside.

Looking out into the city from La Alhambra (it sits on top of a big hill)

Looking out again, with La Alhambra in the foreground (to see a different perspective)

one of the many courtyards in La Alhambra

one of the garden areas (there weren't too many flowers in bloom when we went, but normally all the gardens are filled, apparently)

another fountain area on top of the roof... this area has gardens also

more fountains/gardens on top of the roof of La Alhambra

Playing around with the camera :)

The view looking down from the top of La Alhambra