Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

So, as the final weeks of my program are approaching, I find myself needing to be constantly moving because when I sit for too long I start thinking about the end...and then I want to cry. I have a mixed emotion of being excited to be home because I miss certain things so much: my family, friends, dogs, routine, American food (please, please, no more jamon). Yet, I have grown so attached and used to my "study abroad" life: Maria, my friends, the beautiful city I am in.

This coming week, is the "Puente" which is a 10 day break for us CIEE-ers. Now, this ten day break provides the opportune time for final travel plans. This is my last big trip with friends and it is so weird that it is here, because it is the first travel plans I made when I arrived. Thank goodness for discounted airtravel and planning ahead, my last trip will consist of Paris and Ireland. *Intereuropean travel is fairly low-priced if you book ahead of time. For example, my flight to Paris was about 20 dollars. The only catch is, I can only take a small bag - therefore, I will be living out of my backpack for a week - travel adventure here I come!!*

A lot of people have already left for their trips, although my friends and I are leaving in a couple of days. During our days here, I have been trying to get my final papers and projects done. When we get back from our trip, we have finals that week and the program ends. However, with the anticipation of everything that is upcoming, you can guess that the last thing I want to do is study. Therefore, I have forced myself out of bed and to turn off PanAm (Great new show) and to walk to the nearest Starbucks to do work (don't judge - they have unlimited Wifi and play American Christmas music).

With Christmas around the corner, Sevilla has started their holiday preparations. For example, the "Puente" is happening because of the Immaculate Conception and a couple of other religious holidays. There is also a market selling solely Nativity sets outside of the Cathedral, the city FINALLY turned on the Christmas lights that have been hanging for weeks draped around the city (such a tease to hang lights and not turn them on), and there are chestnuts being roasted by vendors all over the streets.

Oh, so, for Thanksgiving, CIEE provided us with an "American style dinner". This included Turkey (A MEAT I RECOGNIZE!), mash potatoes (...with cherries?), steamed veggies, wine (course, its Spain), and a apple-tart-flan thing. Although it was in no way home, I cannot tell you how much I appreciated what they did. It was so thoughtful to think of a holiday that would be hard if we weren't with our families.

The weather here has been a mixture of really cold or perfect. The homestays dont have central heating, so at night, I am usually bundled up like an eskimo since the flooring is all tile. During the day outside it is brisk. Last weekend, the weather was amazing and my friends and I took advantage of it and went on a paddleboat along the Guadalquivir:

Another big update: Someone asked me for directions and recommendations around Sevilla when they were in Starbucks, I replied (in Spanish) and then saw that their map was in English, so I asked if they spoke English. In short, they thought I was from Sevilla and were very surprised to learn that I was just studying here for a semester. Oh, how I could have given her a hug for making my day and giving me confidence that my Spanish has improved. Earlier this week, I also met two people from Holland that when they found out I was American said "Well, you dont speak loud for being an American"...uhm, thank you?

Although I love travelling all around, and this has only made me want to see more of the world: Germany, Brazil, CENTRAL AMERICA!, really....I could go on and on...I have come to appreciate all the things I have in my life so much more and have grown so proud and grateful for all God has given me.

I hope that everyone is having a safe holiday season.

All my love.

مغربي and Barcelona

Okay, so within the past 2.5 weeks I have been travelling a lot and made it to both Morocco and Barcelona. Little fact, I rarely get excited about things before they actually happen...because until they do, they just aren't that real to me. Therefore the Thursday night before I left for Morocco, it still had not hit me that I was traveling to another continent. Okay, so, I know that a lot of people (my parents) were concerned about me going to Morocco when I originally said I wanted to go. However, it worked out perfectly when I got here because I was able to go on a trip with my program and have basically everything taken care of....for free. "What?" you may ask, "how is that even possible?" Well, my program offers these things called Interest Groups. Throughout the semester there are about 7-8 mandatory activities and at the end is a trip. Some of the other places were Lisbon, Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona.... My group focused on the four cultures that shaped Spain - Gypsy, Islam, Catholicism, and Judaism. Which was awesome. Not only did I get to see some really cool things about the city but I also talked to a gypsy, and attended a Mediterranean concert.

So, Morocco. I think that the trip, although it was only three days was quite possibly the most intense cultural experience I have ever had. I am very lucky in that the way in which I physically look, I can pretty much blend in wherever I go. This was the first time in my life that I have ever felt like I completely stick out. Partially because yes, I am a tourist but partially because I am a woman and not dressed as the others in the culture.

We visited 4 cities in three days: Tetuan, Tangier, Chefchawn, and Assilah. Our first day, we were greeted by our tour guide who called himself Michael Douglas. The resemblance is impeccable:

We were so lucky to have Michael, because he knew so much and was on a mission to show us everything he could. Oh, did I mention we also had two body guards during this time....still not sure if that was so we would all stay together or if it was actually dangerous. In all honesty, it didn't feel that dangerous...our first day was the most "authentic" day though - in that we visited a very busy town and because we dont speak Arabic, they wanted to make sure we were all together. (A lot of people there speak multiple languages because they are taught them growing up - English, French, Spanish, German..the biggies).

We first went to a school where they teach young people the most popular trades of Morocco - woodwork, steel, leather goods, tile making and ceramics. Although, we didnt get to see any students in action because it was a holiday, but we say all of the intricate work that they do.

After this tour, we went to eat lunch. All of the places we ater were very much geared towards Americans - which I was totally fine with. An average meal consisted of about 5 courses: Soup, another dish - sometimes a salad, the main course, fruit, then Moroccan tea and postres. All the food was delicious! At our first meal we also got entertainment:

After lunch, we explored a Medina (a neighborhood) and saw a lot of peoples little shops on the sides of streets (think Aladdin here). We visited the only Jewish synagogue in the city which caters to the 7 Jewish people in the city. As we walked around, Michael ran into lots of people he knew because as he put it "Michael Douglas is famous!". haha. Luckily, Michael knew one of the men running a prayer session at a Mosque and we were able to peer in and watch some little boys learning their prayers (if you are not Muslim, you cannot go into a Mosque, except for certain ones that are designated for educational purposes - so we watched from outside). We also got a surprise visit to a tannery, which made me want to cry. It is basically where they strip the animals of their skin. Mind you, we had no forewarning that we were walking into this, so when I saw it, I freaked, and closed my eyes, stood by the exit and ran out 5 minutes later as soon as he was done speaking. The night ended with us trying our hand at bargaining with local shop keepers.

The next day we visited a city COVERED with murals. Lets say I was in heaven. All the houses were blue and white - blue represents the love of God and white is peace with God. I could have just ran up and down the streets all day taking pictures. The city was very similar to what I think Greece would look like.

Later that day we say the Grotto of Hercules where it is believed that Hercules separated Europe from Africa. In the grotto, the opening of the cave into the sea is Africa backwards...then we rode CAMELS! Afterwards, we bargain shopped, ate dinner and called it a night!

The last day we visited a city that was completely washed with a type of blue-white wash and there were cats everywhere. They believe that dogs are dirty since they cant clean themselves as well as cats can. But there are literally cats everywhere...including restaurants...

The trip was great, but there are some parts that made me very...uneasy. For example, as I mentioned earlier, the women to men difference in social power really just makes me upset but grateful for what I have. It was very rare to see a women out on the streets. Even more so, at the cafes and restaurants, it all men. They very much hold strong to the ideals that there is a difference between the two and that the men seem to hold a higher position. Some places are even restricted depending on your sex. As much as it can be called a cultural difference, I don't understand, nor do I think i will ever understand the purpose. Maybe its because I grew up and know a different type of living but even some of the things our tour guide - Michael Douglas - said struck me as being very closed off thinking in regards to equality. There was also a lot of poverty. It seemed though that for the most part everyone was at the same level. Yes, I am aware that it is a developing country, but to see things and hear about them are two completely different entities. I have also realized that everyone is very set in their own ways and used to their way of living because that is what works best for them and when viewing another group, its easy to think that they are wrong in how they are doing things, but its what they have found as what works best for them and its what they know.

now...Barcelona.

I'm gonna keep this one really short just because this post is so long. Ok. So Barcelona - very much a big city. I am not a fan of the people there at all. Every single time we would go somewhere, my friends and I would have to be extra vigilant because people kept trying to rip us off. When we got lost, they were not helpful, and the people as a whole are very very cold. Therefore, I was very happy to get back to beautiful Sevilla. However, I absolutely LOVED La Sagrada Familia. I went inside and splurged on the audio tour - which was totally worth it. I don't have my pictures uploaded yet, so there aren't pictures with this post buttt....it was probably the coolest most intricate church I have ever been in. There is symbolism out the wazoo and all the specificities are incredible. Its slated to be finished in 2030. We also visited Park Güell (Guadi's Park), so cool and the big market and Musee Picasso. The coolest thing about the Picasso Museum was seeing the section where he tried to copy Las Meninas. He was OBSESSED with it and has about 60 or so renditions of Velasquez's masterpiece. He also died in the 1970's? What? Another highlight: banana frozen yogurt. =)

A few other important things:

*The general election just happened here and Spain has a new President: Rajoy. This means that the political parties in power switched. Oddly enough, I feel like there was not a ton of hype around the elections - not nearly as much as at home.

*For Thanksgiving this week, my program is having a dinner for us =) It's gonna be the first time I am not with family and I am kinda sad about it but so happy that so many of my friends aren't traveling this weekend. AND it is less than a month til I am reunited with my parents.

*Which means logically that, my program is ending in less than a month.

*Lastly, the Starbucks Christmas cups came out and they are even here.....I may treat myself to one....

*I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving!

*

I accidentally went to France

This past week, I took off for my first big, independently planned trip - GENEVA! Why Geneva you ask? Well, a lot of the interEuropean flights are not too expensive, thus facilitating fairly affordable travel. Therefore, with the itch to travel somewhere I would probably never go again, and a few hours spent scouring the internet for cheap flights, I decided that I would go to Switzerland. However, there was one catch, I needed to take a 6 hour bus to Madrid, and fly out of Madrid to be able to get a flight that was about 150 Euro cheaper.

So, I left a very rainy Sevilla at 1:00 am in the morning with my friend Mike on a 6 hr bus headed for Madrid. We arrived in Madrid at 7:00am, hopped on the Metro, and caught a flight at 10:00am to Geneva, which arrived at 12:00am. Although we didnt get any "solid" sleep during the travel, we awoke on the plane to the free snacks. No no no...this is not the typical peanuts or pretzels but gourmet 4 cheese pizza followed by Swiss chocolate for dessert. Hard life.

Once we landed and stepped off the plane, we suddenly realized that we looked up not a single word of French and that no one speaks Spanish and the occasional person speaks English. Thus, the most commonly used phrase was "Anglais? Espanol?" Anyway, we find a bus, point to the address of our hotel and get told by three different bus drivers different things. Finally, one of them who speaks English - SALVATION! - tells us that he can take us halfway and tell us where to go. Now, when we booked the hotel, the address said it was in Switzerland, but when we googled mapped it, it turned up in France......Along the bus route, we found out that our hotel was indeed in....France. After getting off at the last stop and pointing once again to the address, we get given directions in French, but dont understand, so we wander in the general direction of where the man pointed. Oddly enough, I was not stressed at all. This is a new revelation for many but my stress levels have decreased tremendously. My thoughts were "This is the most gorgeous place ever and what will stress do to help?".

Because it was Fall, I got to see the leaves changing, which I havent seen in years since San Antonio kinda skips over the whole leaves changing part of Fall. My breath was taken away.

And then we wandered some more....and found Geese and the ALPS!

After wandering for a couple of hours: "This way looks like there could be a hotel"....we found the hotel! Friday night we just explored the little city we were in - Ferney Voltaire. Saturday we found the tourism office, a cute streetfair, and grabbed the bus into Geneva. *Sidenote: A bus ticket one was on the bus is about 5 dollars...McDonalds meals are about 20 dollars...Not kidding.*

Geneva is very much a business oriented town. Therefore, we were able to do all the sightseeing stuff in one day and not feel rushed. We ate our sandwiches (mostly all our meals came from a grocery store - sooo much cheaper) along Lake Geneva and looked at the Jet d'Eau (shoots 400 feet into the air), the Alps (which surround basically the entire city...even though it was cloudy, we could still see the outline and the Alps themselves when there was a break in the clouds), the ducks and swans along the Lake, and the people walking around - just all around sat and soaked up the scene while enjoying life.

That day, our adventures included playing in a park, seeing the Art Museum, walking around, seeing the Cathedral and....EATING CHOCOLATE. While there are chocolate cafes everywhere that specialize in some of the most creative and delectable creations I have ever seen, we went to a supermarket-type store and bought some chocolate bars there to eat on the Lake - cheaper annnnd we could spend more time gazing at nature. So after spending an hour looking at the vast selection, we got our bars and headed out to the Lake once more. I'm not being dramatic - it was the best chocolate I have ever had. It seemed to melt away in my mouth. My bar had a praline, wafer and truffle filling.

Sunday, we went back into Geneva and killed time before our flight home and hung out with some very friendly yet slightly terrifying swans.

On the plane home, we were able to fly over the Alps and once again, my breath was taken away. Although Geneva isn't an ideal tourist place, I loved being there. Nature does something to calm me down inside and I loved every second of walking around and being in a new environment. I am so glad I got to go for a few days. However, it was a great feeling to get back to Sevilla where I can communicate and fall back into my little routine.

That One Time I Went to Middle Earth

I'm constantly surprised by how each city (or even neighborhood) here has a distinctly different feel. On Saturday, I grabbed a bus with some friends for a daytrip to Ronda, which is about 2 hours from Sevilla. When we stepped off the bus, there was an instant gush of fresh mountain air and it felt so good. The New Mexican inside of me also leaped for joy at the sight of mountains. We really had no plans for the day except to explore and find "the big famous bridge". We got some coffee and water and began walking and found an outlook at a park. From the lookout, we saw the farming aspect of Spain.

After that, we set out for the "big bridge" that the boys kept saying Fascists were thrown off...I'm not so sure if thats true though. Once we got to the bridge, we couldnt stop taking pictures. I'm pretty sure I have seven images that are all the same, but it was so captivating that we couldn't put down our cameras.

The rest of the day we spent hiking over, under and beside the bridge. We ate our lunch on the pictured rock and watched the waterfall at the bottom of the bridge (not pictured). *Sidenote: my friend Olivia had Halloween candy that was sent to her in a carepackage and tossed me a Snickers which proceeded to fly over the edge of the mountain/rock as a huge gasp came from our friend who though I was gonna fall to my death in an attempt to catch a taste of home* One of the coolest things was that on one side of the bridge was the farms and the other was completely different. There were mountains and houses built all along the edges. The day ended with a group of us talking about how we love the history here while sipping on wine overlooking the mountains (since lunch looked at the bridge/farms). Oh, as for the title of this post...during the trip we commented how the bridge, waterfalls, vegetation, mountains - overall, everything gave us the feel of Lord of the Rings.

La Vida Loca

This is the bridge I walk across everyday to get to "El Centro" from Triana. Its Isabel II or more commonly referred to as the Triana Bridge. I love the view from it...especially at night.

Lets talk about how schoolwork is so much harder to just sit down and do when it isnt constantly there. At Trinity, anyone will tell you that I am always in the library or stressed about school. I have found myself literally having to force myself and finding it almost painful to do what little homework I have. Although I say that if I had more constant assignments it would be easier to do work, I'll be honest here and say that no matter how much work I get here, I'll probably complain. I would much rather be out wandering the streets and talking to Spaniards.

Because all my classes are on Monday and Wednesday, from 9-9 it makes for a really long day. I am absolutely in love though with my first two classes - Spanish Cinema an Women Writers. Spanish Cinema is giving me a lot of historical background while Women Writers is providing me with a lot of social background information about society. Let me start this off by saying that I feel so completely incompetent in regards history. I knew absolutely nothing about Franco. Reality check #1 = Franco's official rule ended in 1975, but the consequences are lasting. I had no idea the extent of the oppression during that time, much less how recently it was. Therefore, I have been crash coursing myself on Franco via the internet and talking to my Señora and professors and friends. Because Franco was so recent, many of the effects and attitudes are very fresh here. For example: the idea of machismo (men being superior to women) is due in fact to Franco. As is the extreme differing opinions in regards to the Catholic Church. I am realizing very fast that I have a lot to learn about history in general. I also went on a tour of Museo de Bellas Artes - the second most comprehensive art museum in Spain last week - and of course, loved every second of it. The tour guide was Alejandro (he has an art history degree) and he is employed as a tour guide by CIEE for the different city excursions that they provide and pay for. We spent 2 hours touring the museum but I could have spent all day there. Its so much more fulfilling to know the significance behind what exactly what I am experiencing. I am at the stage of study abroad where I am like a sponge. I want to know about everything and everyone and why things are the way that they are. Its almost frustrating to realize that there are not enough hours in a day.

I sat down to plan out the rest of my time here which is about two months and got so incredibly sad. 1) I cannot believe that I have been here almost 2 months and that means I have only two left. I almost kinda wish I had looked into a whole year, but I know that to graduate on time, thats impossible. 2) I still have so much I want to do and have decided to literally not only map out what to do in the rest of my weekends by my days in Sevilla as well before it gets to be the end and I have a bunch of stuff I havent done. 3) I feel an attachment with the people around me

Speaking of, Maria and I have had amazing talks recently. During lunch we watch the news and a show called La Buena Ley which is best described as a combination of Judge Judy and Jerry Springer. There is a problem that has to do with some sort of social issue - the most recent ones were a stepdad falling in love with his daughter and another was about a mom who was leaving her 16 yr old to watch the little brother (but really function as mom) while she went to work. So, the judge comes out, hears the problem, and then leaves while the audience interacts and discuses it with the people having the problem (Jerry Springer part) then the judge comes out to make a ruling. Although I thought it was cheesy at first, I have grown to really like it and it sparks great conversation.

So, a very common thing to see on the streets here that I am shocked by is not only Gypsies but people with severe disfigurements. Like completely seemingly warped arms or legs. One of my friends told me that it was because while in the States we intervene very early on and can detect things like that, it is not common. However, here, although they have health care for all, they dont have all of the same benefits. It really is interesting to me to learn how drastically different the systems of society function - political and social.

Finally, I have come to think that I am definitely going to be looking for opportunities to continue my Spanish. What seems most promising right now to me is perhaps during the school year volunteering at this place I have been told about that works with immigrant teenage boys and then maybe some sort of volunteer abroad in Central America program.

As for now, I am going to really enjoy this time here.

A Myriad of Occurrences

I went to Lagos, Portugal a couple of weekends ago with a company that is aimed towards college students called Discover Sevilla and it was absolutely amazing. The bus ride between Sevilla and Lagos was about three hours, I think. During our time there, we took several hikes to the tops of the cliffs that were right next to the hotel - literally, a ten minute walk. From the ledges, we had a postcard picture perfect view. It is the kind of scenery that you often associate with calendar or postcard images. It was one of those places where you sit and are just content with life. When I see places like that, I am reminded that all the worries I can have in life are very minimal in the grand scheme of things. I also went to two beaches while I was there. At the first beach, I got attacked by the ocean. I won't go into details, but let's just say when you drop a girl from the Southwest on a beach, she is going to make a spectacle of herself when she gets constantly knocked over by waves. At the second beach, the wind was really bad the first hour we were there and it felt like we were getting whipped by sand. After about an hour though, it calmed down and I got all tanned up! That night, I caught the cold that CIEE has generously been passing around - therefor I slept. But, I felt okay about it since the previous night had been a ton of fun: we went with the program to a club and danced all night - the music was all American, but there was a guy who played the electric saxophone along with the songs, and that kinda worked to make new and more techno-esque versions of the song. Later that night, we explored an old, abandoned hotel. It was like one of those movies where you know the people shouldn't go into the "haunted room" but they do anyway. Overall, the trip was just a ton of fun. Annnnddd the breakfast buffet croissants were pure bliss.

I'm also now living in a new house. Some weird stuff happened at the other house, so I moved last week and am in love with the new place I am living. My señora is named Maria and we have a dog named Pipo. Maria is such a kind soul. She loves talking to me, which is great because I am really getting to practice my Spanish with her. We also watch tv together and talk about family a lot. Her house is connected via the patio to her sister who lives next door with her husband. Maria however, lives alone because her daughter is grown, married, and has a son. Her husband and other daughter died in a car crash about 30 years ago when she was pregnant. I am so happy in this house that I almost just dont want to ever leave but instead stay here and just talk to her. She told me that she plans her schedule so that when I'm not here, thats when she goes out with her friends but when I am here, she wants to be here so I dont eat alone. Like I said - sweetheart.

Last week, I went to Granada with CIEE. We went on a 3.5 hour tour of El Alhambra. Holy freaking cow. HUGE place. It reminded me of Alcazar on steroids. There were also like 4 brides walking around taking their pictures. So, of course, I creeped and got some great shots! While in Granada, I also saw the tombs of Isabel and Ferdinand. In Granada, there is a really heavy Arabic influence. My friends and I stopped in an Arabic cafe ordered the best tea I have ever had - it tasted like a sweeter version of Chai and had pastries to compliment it.

Also: google La Duquesa de Alba .....she has been plastered all over the news because she just got married. I thought it was a joke. Nope. They loooooveee her.

Corrida, Partido, y Cádiz....oh yeah, and classes.

The Intensive Grammar Session ended last Friday, and thus my weekend of endless activities commenced before classes began on Monday.

Warning: this first paragraph is a little graphic. Friday, I went to a Bullfight - Una Corrida. Bullfighting here is still controversial amongst the residents as some view it as tradition and art and others as a thing of the past that should be left there. Torredores themselves are treated as a type of celebrity and the fights are shown on tv as well as highlights on the news. Furthermore, in the newspaper, the art section covers the event rather than the sports section. The fighting arena is about 1/4 the size of an NBA arena, and thus, fairly small. There were two separate sections - Sol y Sombra. From the horrified looks on people's faces, versus the cheers that were going on, I think that usually Sol which is cheaper and higher up (where we sat) is taken by tourists and Sombra - which is closer to the rink is for the more avid fans. Each fight has 3 Torredores and each Torredor gets two bulls. Thus, there are 6....yes, 6 bulls per fight. As the fight commences, all the people that play a part in the production of the whole thing parade out in their beautiful and elaborate brocade outfits. There is a ceremonial part before the bull comes out where the fighters symbolically ask for permission from "the monarch" (but now its just a judge) for permission to fight. Afterwards, the interaction with the bull begins. The bull comes running out and there are 3 or so Picadores who have pink capes and get the bull riled up. Then a man on horse comes out and takes the first stab with a spear at the bull. This was one of the most upsetting parts of the whole thing because the horse the man is riding on gets jabbed numerous times by the horn of the bull since its rider is stabbing the bull. The horse wears protective armor and is blindfolded but it still is one of the most skin-crawling parts about the whole experience. Then the Picadores come back out and each has two sticks that they hold high and when the bull charges, they stick it in the fat part of their back to make them slowly bleed. Luckily for me, several factors contributed to me not bawling and running out of the arena within the first few minutes 1) Our seats were so high up that we could see, but it was easier to separate ourselves from what was actually going on. 2) A very kind British Vegeterian (ironic, right?) man sat next to me and explained a lot of the history behind it and distracted me. 3) I turned away when it got too bad to watch. Anyway, after all three Picadores have gone, the Torredor comes out and does his thing. The way in which they arch their bodies and move the cape is actually very beautiful. The higher the skill of the fighter, the more daring he is with how close he can bring the bull to him. But watching, its almost like the Torredor is dancing. After the bull gets stabbed though, I had to completely stop watching because it was too upsetting and I dont want to further explain what happens because I'm sure you get the picture. I am glad I went, because, well, I'm in Spain and at what other time in my life would I ever go? However, I left feeling like I dont need to go back. However, I did learn a lot of things. 1) The arena is the last building that has extreme influence of the Romans that is still actively used. 2) You can tell how the Rodeo evolved from Bullfighting 3) Part of the strategy of the fight is that the bull has to figure out that it is not the cape coming after him, but the man. 3) It is really revered as an art by those who still advocate for it. 4) The sport is all men.

Saturday, I went to a FÚTBOL game!!!! FC Sevilla vs. Valencia. In Sevilla, there are two teams for the city - Betis and FC Sevilla. The two teams have a rivalry where if you support one side, you are a fan only of that side and maintain a full blown hatred for the other. Anyway, we got tickets to the FC Sevilla game and it was insane. My friends that bought the tickets asked for us to be in the section of the stands where all the fans that really get into it sit. However, once other people started getting the game, and started sitting in their position, I quickly started to see that our seat assignments were not going to matter. All the seats had newspapers on them which had info about all the club teams current standings, but people just rip them up and throw them in the air. The fans also cluster into groups of friends and each one has a club scarf that they swing in the air....that is really how they "wear" their pride and spirit because most of the fans don't dress in the team colors. As the game was getting close, everyone stood on their seats and music/chants started playing over the loud speakers to which the fans, which are predominantly male belted out all the words with all the passion they had. The male that spoke over the speaker system wasn't keeping a run of commentary, but rather was riling up the crowd. I really have never seen such a large quantity of fans be so passionate about something. It was almost like whenever something bad happened or good, the fans took it as if something was personally affecting them. The word fanatic can't even begin to describe it. Which brings me to my next point, once FC Sevilla scored, the crowd went nuts. The group of guys in front of me hugged each other with such passion that consequently, Avery and I were pushed over like a pair of bowling pins into the row behind us - and we went down laughing the whole time.

That type of excitement continued for the whole game. FC Sevilla won, which puts them in 2nd place rankings right behind Betis who is #1.

Sunday, I went to Cádiz with CIEE. It was like one of those cities you see in a travel calendar - little buildings, perfect weather and obviously full of history.

CIEE took us on a tour of the town, which was nice to get to walk around but I would have loved to be there for more than a day so I could explore on my own more. During the tour, we were taken to the square that has the cathedral and got to climb up one of the towers. At the top, was breathtaking views of the city from numerous vantage points. There were little coves within the tower that had windows to look outside or little shrines. My favorite was one with a statue that had light coming in and illuminating it from behind and there were monetary offerings all around it, including several 1000 currencies.

After the Cathedral, we walked around a little more and stumbled upon a fish vendor. My friends bought two cones of fish for us to try - one was dried strips of Tuna (but it was really moist, if that makes any senes) and it was so so so good and the other was little shrimps that you just eat like peanuts.

Then we walked to the beach and spent a few hours just relaxing on the sand and drinking some Tinto de Verano.

Monday, I had my first day of classes. During registration, I put 3 classes on M,W and one on T, TR.....we dont have classes on Fridays. However when I got my schedule, everything was on M and W. So, I have a four day weekend but crazy M and W. At 9am - 11am, I have class at Universidad de Sevilla - Spanish Cinema. Yesterday, we watched clips from 7 films that have been influenced by Carmen and the over-romanticized version of Spain. Oh, and its slightly ironic since the story of Carmen takes place in the tabacco factory in Triana which is the building that the Universidad de Sevilla currently occupies. Then I go to the CIEE center for class at 1 - 3 for Women Writers in Spain. I am already obsessed with this teacher. I think its going to be more of a women's issues class which normally I would be wary of but so far I have loved every minute of class. It is more of a discussion format than reading. Then from 5-7 I have Academic Writing and Critical Thinking....yeah, I have to take it because my placement test scores were low. My teacher reminds me of a nun. Then 7-9 is Psych of Learning a Second Language. Maribel is in my class and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what its going to be like.

Lastly, my interest group at CIEE (Four Cultures of Spain) had out first activity and we met a gypsy. Yeah, the gypsy culture is very prevalent in Spain which I was unaware of. It took so much to not ask about My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding. Anyway, it was nice to get to talk to a gypsy - this one was a little less traditional but I see them all around town, mostly by the Cathedral. I appreciated the chance to actually hear a little bit more in depth.

Whew. Ok. Sorry, I will try to write more often so I dont have such doozies of posts.

Besos,

Larissa