April 20, 2010

I slept until about 12:15 today. Then I got up and ran, showered, and ate lunch. We had lentils. At about 4 we went to Feria and walked around. Arielle and I went on a ride. She wore her flamenco dress. The environment is just so fun! Then on the way back we stopped at a small bakery and Arielle and I split a chocolate croissant. Later on we went home to get our laptops, and then walked to Mama Terra (small cafe). We stayed there until about dinner time. For dinner we had pizza. Then we went back out to Feria. I met up with Jess and a few other students. We first went to a public caseta. A caseta is a personal tent that you need an invitation to get into. The public ones are open for everyone though. We were able to dance some of the Flamenco steps since we learned them in our class. Of course the Spaniards were looking at us really weirdly. They pretty much thought we were losers, but we were having fun! One older guy came over to us and asked where we were from because we looked "different", but he liked that we were trying to fit in by dressing up and dancing. He got his friend because she wanted to meet Americans, so we talked for a while. Then they invited us into their caseta!!! We got so lucky! We danced with them for a while, and they were offering us drinks, but I didn't trust anything from them. They were really nice though, probably drunk. There is a drink that they have specifically for Feria, and they make a ton of it, and just keep on refilling their glasses. Then they invited us to a barbeque for the next day. It was nice of them, but I bet they won't remember that they told us that. I normally don't hang out with people that drink a lot, but being at Feria, it's kind of hard to avoid that, and there are tons of people everywhere, so we were just fine. They kept saying to us "haz que quereis porque nadie va a recordar" which means "do what you want because no one is going to remember". We stayed for a little while, then we decided that we wanted to do a ferris wheel so that we could take pictures from the top of the whole Feria. There are two ferris wheels there, and we didn't know which one would be slower, so we just picked one, and we found out that it was not a slow one. It was super fast! While we were waiting, the guy that was running the ferris wheel was hitting on Jess and Arielle. He asked Jess if she had a boyfriend, and if her boyfriend was cuter than him. Then he asked if any of us girls had boyfriends. He also said to Arielle "do you have heart problems?" -"no"- and he responded "well, I have since you walked up"! He was so ridiculous! Anyways, we went on, and definitely couldn't take pictures. It was way too fast, but I loved it! It lasted about 5 minutes too! It did cost 4 euros, but I'd say it was worth it! After that, some of the other girls left, and Jess, Arielle, and I got palomitas (popcorn) and sat outside for a while just enjoying Feria. I got back around 3 a.m. I seriously love Feria!

April 19, 2010

Feria starts tonight officially! We slept in today, and just relaxed again. For lunch we had this breaded patty with an egg on top, and it was smothered in really rich cheese. I didn't eat all the cheese because it was just too much, and Maria Luisa thought that I didn't like it. I did, just not to that abundance. We went out for the afternoon, and walked around the Feria location for a while. Then we went running, and got ready for the day. At 10 pm we went to a restaurant in La Campana for tapas. There was a guy there just leaving, and he saw us looking at the menu outside. He was from Canada so he was talking to us in English, and recommending the foods that he tried. He seemed really nice, and he was an older guy by himself just visiting for Feria for a few days. His hotel was close to that restaurant. We went in and had Pollo A La Sevillana, which was delicious! After our dinner we decided to head out, so we stopped to take a picture, and that older man was outside there. I didn't think too much of that, just that it was a coincidence since his hotel was nearby. He asked if we were heading over to Feria because he didn't know exactly where it was at, so we said we were walking there if he wanted to just walk with us since it was difficult to explain. We expected him to go off on his own once we got there anyways. On the way there a younger guy, probably about 25 or so, stopped Arielle and started talking to her. he couldn't find his friends and couldn't call them. Both of these guys ended up staying with us all night, even the old guy!!! We started getting creeped out by him. There is no good reason why some old guy would want to be around 3 college girls all night, so we needed to ditch him fast! I faked a phone call that we were going to meet up with friends, except the problem was that the young guy thought that sounded fun, and he wanted to come join us. uggh. So we told him that we were going to our friend's house, and that we had to go. So we got rid of the young guy. The old guy wanted us to lead him back to the main bridge since he didn't know his way. We brought him there, but we were afraid that he would see where we walked to go home, so we went down the main long road for about 15 minutes, stopped at a convenience store and bought some ice cream sandwiches and water, and we had our own "botellon"/snack time on the side of the road until about 2:45 a.m. We just wanted to waste time before we went anywhere near the bridge. We were scared of meeting up with that guy, so we took Arielle home, and then we rushed back. We got back around 3 a.m. What a crazy night!

April 18, 2010

Got up today around 10 for church. Miguel liked his birthday gift! We went to church at Prosperidad. It was raining again. After the service it was downpouring, and the rain was blowing really hard, so we decided to stop at a cafe for a little treat, and to see if the rain would die down a bit. We finally got home, and they were gone again, so we just heated up our lunch. We had lasagna. Then we met the girls to figure out our trip. There was the volcano a few days ago, and it is causing some serious issues! We were supposed to leave right after midnight tonight to go to Madrid. We tried calling the airport, but their lines are closed on weekends, so we got a different number, but Arielle's phone card was expired, so we went to OpenCor and they don't sell phone cards, only Estancos, which are closed on Sunday! It was such a hassle. We got Jess's phone card, but the minutes cut off so we couldn't get the flight information. We just needed to know if it was cancelled or not. All flights until monday at 1 pm were, and ours was at 4:30 pm, so we were stressed out! Finally after a long time we found out that our flight was cancelled. We went right away to the bus station and switched our madrid bus time. We're going to go there thursday to saturday instead. Then we took a bus to the seville airport. We were able to get our money back from that flight, but not the others unless they get cancelled, otherwise we won't. If they don't get cancelled I'll be out of over $200!! We'll see. When we got back we made sandwiches for dinner, then I skyped with Rita, and then with my mom. I think we're getting a new dog! I'm so excited! Of course none will ever be like Shaunna, but I just love dogs, and I really want another one to be a part of our family! After that I just got ready for bed.

April 17, 2010

I slept in until about 11;30 then had some breakfast. We just relaxed. They were gone, and just left the lunch out for us, so we ate that, which was rice with potato soup. After that we met Jess and Arielle and walked over to Los Remedios to see the setup of Feria. There are tons of Casetas (tents/houses), and they are so cool! We got hollered at so many times, and a few guys asked us if we wanted to hang out with them in theirs. We said no...sketchy! The atmosphere was really fun though! There is a huge carnival set up there too. We just walked around for a few hours. I bought some souvenirs. We bought some chocolates to give to Miguel tomorrow since it's his birthday. Then we walked to a cafe and I got a little chocolate dessert. By that time it was getting later, so we headed home for dinner. We had white fish and au gratin potatoes. Then we met up with the girls again, and got chocolate bars from OpenCor and walked to the cement blocks by the river. We laid blankets on the ground and played Phase 10 there. It was really fun, and there weren't very many people around, so it was good! We headed back around 1.

April 16, 2010

Last day of classes before Feria! Spring break # 2 has officially started! Classes went okay, and during our grammar class, we just talked the whole time. After that Carrie and I both got McDonald's for lunch because we wanted the meat. After that we met Arielle and went to the library to continue our trip planning. We did that for over 4 hours! We got a lot of little details figured out though. It was pouring all afternoon, and there actually was some thunder and lightning too, which I love! After that we dropped off our stuff at home and went to the bus station to buy our tickets for back and forth to Madrid near the airport. When we walked to the movie theater to see what was showing, but there were none that I really wanted to see, so we went home for dinner. She cooked us a huge piece of meat! That's definitely the first one we've ever had, so I for sure told her that I loved it! After dinner Carrie and I watched 2 episodes of the Office. We get to sleep in tomorrow. Paris on monday! Hopefully...there was a volcano that erupted and the ash from it is causing a lot of problems. Airports all throughout Europe are closed down and cancelling flights, so we're hoping that ours doesn't get cancelled for monday! A few girls planning to go to Ireland tomorrow had their flight cancelled, so we'll see!

Verse: 2 Corinithians 5:6-7 "so we are always full of courage. We know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord's home. For our life is a matter of faith, not of sight."

April 15, 2010

Today was a pretty great day! I mean, I really didn't want to go to class, but I make it okay. I really didn't feel good- like light headed. I don't know what's wrong, since I feel like that a lot. Anyways, during my break I went and got a burger, hoping that the meat would help with my lack of meat. After class I took money out from the bank and put money on my phone. For lunch we had the rice bowls with sauce, which I love. At 3:30 I had prayer group. It was only myself and 2 other girls. Also, Kat in my group brought fresh baked cookies, which I haven't had in forever! At 5:45 Carrie and I took the bus to La Alameda, which is a local city, because the past sunday a lady at a new church we visited invited us to her house for a snack time. We got there just in time, but the lady never called us, so when we got there I tried to call her and she didn't answer. She wasn't home. We decided to just walk around. The city is gorgeous! We stopped at a local bar to get a tinto del verano. There was a very drunk man there, and he was by his friends. His head fell on the table, and he could barely keep himself up, and it was only 7 pm! It was so ridiculous! Around 7:30 we went to the bus stop. It randomly started raining, and then hailing! It was crazy! Then we went back to school and printed our boarding passes for the planes next week. Jess was at school too, and she told us that her laptop hard drive crashed! I felt so bad for her. For dinner we had spanish tortillas. We had great conversation again, and I enjoyed that. God is so good! I need to enjoy this last month, and not take it for granted, because Spain truly is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

April 14, 2010

We went to Italica today. First we met at school at 9 to watch an informational video about it, then we walked to the bus station in Plaza de Armas to catch the bus. It only took about 20 minutes to get there. It has the 3rd largest colosseum still standing. We only stayed there about an hour and a half. We got back around 1. Then we went to a store and I bought a bunch of souvenirs, and then we went to a different store, Lefties, and I bought a jean skirt for just 3 euros! For lunch we had mashed potatoes and chicken with weird fish things. That made me feel kind of sick, I think because of the loads of oil. For the afternoon we just relaxed and went running around 5:30. I think my body is slowing down quite a bit since I don't get enough calcium, red meat, and vegetables. Lately my runs have been really hard, and I get sore right away. My legs get really tight, and I can barely go 2 miles. I really hope that changes, because I need to keep training for my race. Anyways, at 7 we had Encuentro. It was about evangelizing, and how we need to be witnesses...it got me thinking a lot. For dinner we had croquettes, which is a breaded thing with different types of meat inside, and some type of rubbery fish thing. We had good conversation at dinner, and we watched Dancing with the stars in spanish. It was really cool! After that I just did some homework, devotions, and got ready for bed.

Hebrews 12:1-3 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cros scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition fom sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

April 13, 2010

I got up at 6:20 to study. I had art and short stories exams today. I think they went pretty well. I just relaxed during my break. We are going to Italica tomorrow during classes, so I could just chill out since my homework isn't due tomorrow. For lunch we had a delicious pasta. Then I took a wonderful 2 hour nap. I had to get up at 5 because I had Accion Solidaria. It went pretty well again. We only have one more time to go. God has been so faithful in helping we adjust in my work there! For dinner we had pizza! We also got wheat french bread again, which I love, and we barely ever get it. After that we looked up some more information for Paris. I got to bed around 1.

April 12, 2010

Today was a very long day, but it was pretty good I guess. It started out that we had exams. I had history and grammar, both which were hard, and I don't think they went very well. At least they're over. After classes we ate bocadillos with our flamenco class. Then we started to get all ready for our flamenco show. I had my hair gelled back really tightly with the clips and flower with my big earrings, and lots of makeup! Then we put on our dresses and headed over to La Caridad, which is the local hospital/nursing home because they have a big stage. I actually did my part mostly right, and it was really fun! Once our part was over we could invite audience members to dance if we wanted to. Then one of the hospital residents asked to dance with our instructor, Sylvia, and that was really cool to watch. Then after that Cody and Jess from my group danced on stage to Backstreet Boys with the Flamenco dance steps! They had some food and stuff out for us, and then we went back to school to get our things. There were tons of people taking pictures of us in our dresses. Once we got home I loaded up my pictures on my computer, and then started up studying again. I have exams on art and short stories tomorrow. I'm thinking they will be better than my last ones, but we'll see. For dinner we had some really ba fish with spinach. Definitely not one of my favorite meals. Time for bed.

April 11, 2010

We went to Prosperidad this morning, then I studied all afternoon. We met up with some girls at Mama Terra to study. Then I just continued studying all afternoon and night. Nothing too exciting happened today.

April 10, 2010

I got up around 10:30 and checked e-mails and stuff. We finally went to visit the Torre del Oro. It was really windy. It was kind of interesting, but not as cool as I was expecting. For lunch we had paella with beef in it. Then we went back to the concrete benches on the river to study. There was a large concert getting set up with acrobatic acts going on. After a while we went back to study again, and I skyped with my friends Rita and Manda to find out details because they signed on our new house for senior year! Right before 9 we ran into a local store to buy a flower and earrings for the flamenco show on monday night. I bought huge purple earrings for 2 euros. For dinner we had tomato pockets and mozzarella sticks and apple custard for dessert. We had some good conversation with Maria tonight. Then we got ready for bed around 1:30.

April 9, 2010

Finally friday! Class until 1:30. I had my history presentation today, and it went well. After class we had potato soup. Then we went and sat on the roof again for a tan. We got burnt SOO bad! Then we went for a run. At 7 we had noche de chicas (girls night). We watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and "The Proposal". We got Domino's Pizza and snacks for dinner! In between movies we had a big dance party in the library at school. It was so fun! We also painted our nails. We got back around 1 a.m. and got ready for bed.

April 8, 2010

Classes again. After that we went home and made bocadillos so we could go sit in the sun! We went to the concrete blocks along the river. We attempted to do homework, but it didn't go too well. We went and got cono kit kats again! I left from there early and there were tons of news crews at the restaurant nearby because the former president was here. I finished up some homework, and then I had prayer group at parque de los principes, and my friend Megan shared her testimony. After prayer group I went running along the river. Maria and Miguel were both very crabby today, not sure why, so we tried to steer clear! For dinner we had tortillas with good wheat bread and strawberries. Then we got ready for bed.

April 7, 2010

Today wasn't so bad. Classes went fine. In grammar we are learning some crazy new things, and I know they will take so much practice! This weekend will be awful with so much studying. After class we went home, and we waited a while for lunch, and then we had lentils. Alyssa was still over. I like her, I just hate that Maria Luisa and Miguel favor her over us. It gets annoying. Anyways, after lunch we got to go sit up on the roof to lay out. I got a really good sunburn! At 4:30 I had to be at school because my art class went to the art museum "El Museo de Las Bellas Artes". For our projects we need to talk about a painting, so some people did theirs there. After that I went to McDonald's for cono kit kat with some girls. From 7:30-9 we had our final flamenco practice. Then we went back home to eat. We waited until 10:30 to eat since Alyssa wasn't back yet. We had good pizza and rice pudding again! I just kind of relaxed and did some homework until bed.

Verse: Romans 8:23 "We are waiting for God to finish making us his own children, which means our bodies will be made free."

April 6, 2010

I had such a hard time getting out of bed this morning. I really think that getting all that extra sleep over semana santa only made me more tired! Classes went fine though. I know I definitely need more speaking practice. I have to work on that. For lunch we had angel hair pasta that was so good! For the afternoon I worked on homework. At 5:30 I left to do Accion Solidaria. Because of all of the holidays they are eating at 8 instead of 7, which I didn't know until I got there. I ended up just sitting or walking with some of the people until about 8, then I just helped them get dinner started, and then left around 8:15. Then I went to the grocery store, supersol, for a few things. For dinner we had chicken burgers and the delicious rice pudding! After dinner, Alyssa came over again. Maria Luisa basically acts like she likes Maria Luisa more than us all the time, so we just try to ignore it. There are some days where I am just really excited to get back home. Also, I was just looking into the information for the Chicago Half Marathon! We'll see. I'm not sure if that's something that I can do, but I'd love to try it sometime in my life. Well, tomorrow's a busy day. Time for bed.

Verse: Psalm 23:6 "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

April 5, 2010

First day back at school after break. It was kind of difficult to wake up this morning, that's for sure. I hit my snooze button a few too many times. Classes went fine though. For lunch we had really good pasta! All afternoon I tried to do homework, but that didn't really happen. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to get my schedule to work for my fall classes because I have a time conflict. At 7 we had our last Flamenco class. I'm kind of glad that's over. Dancing like that really isn't my thing. I'm not very good. It's fun, but I'll never become a pro at it! Our class ended up being much longer tonight so that we could keep practicing. She actually stuck in an extra practice on wednesday night now too. We got back from Flamenco around 9:15, and then we ate. We had this breaded fish with the spine still in it, and Carrie actually swallowed some of it. Maria Luisa wasn't there while we ate, and I thought I was going to have to bring Carrie to the emergency room because she was choking on it! She was okay after a few minutes. Also, we had these rubbery fish things again. I don't really know what they are. After that I worked on my presentation that's due on friday, and I also looked up some new music. This week and next week are crazy busy!

Verse: Psalm 99: The Lord is King, and the people tremble. He sits on the throne above the winged creatures, and the earth shakes.

April 4, 2010

Happy Easter! It doesn't feel like Easter at all here. They don't do anything for it, and I wish I was with my family to celebrate it. We went to church this morning at Prosperidad, but they didn't do anything special for Easter. After the service I went back and started working on some things. For lunch we had fish and broccoli. Then Carrie and I took our homework and sat along the bridge in the sun! We stayed there until about 6:30, then we went back and I decided to go for a run. It was just too nice out to not go for one! When I got back I skyped with my dad, brother, and cousin Trevor since they are together right now. Then I worked on some things before dinner. We had a vegetable stir fry with fish. Also, Maria Luisa found her daughter, Sarah's, flamenco dress from a long time ago, and she said that I could borrow it for my flamenco show next week. It fits much better than the other one that I had from school. After that I didn't do too much. Just trying to take time to remember Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. What an awesome God we have!

April 3, 2010

We slept until about 12 today, and I didn't really do too much after that. I don't really have that much homework to accomplish right now, so I'm taking advantage and relaxing as much as possible! We ate lunch at about 3:15, and the whole family was over. We ate chicken and fries. After 4 we walked around and ended up getting ice cream again! It's so hard to pass the McDonald's and not get it, especially when it's hot out! Then we walked to El Corte Ingles, which is the big department store, and a few other stores to try to find red shirts because we went to the Sevilla FC soccer game at night. I found a nice green shoulder bag that says Seville on it for only 5 euros! Then when I got back I skyped with Rita and got ready for the game. My friend Phillip had told me that the tickets would be about 15 euros, so we were excited. We took the Metro there to Nervion Plaza which is where the stadium is. The tickets ended up being over 35 euros! They luckily had a special going on where you could get 2 for 55 euros, so we bought 4 for the 3 of us, and we sold the 4th one to someone else outside the stadium. It was scary to do that since we were nervous first of all to try to sell it, plus we had to do that in Spanish. Luckily there were two nice guys there that knew what we were tying to do, and they spoke pretty good English so they told us where to stand and what price to ask. We ended up selling the other one for 15 euros, which is less than we wanted, but we just wanted to get rid of it and go in to the game. Nobody even came and sat in that seat, so that was nice. The game was really fun, and they won 3-0! I guess I'm used to them speaking only spanish at games like that since the Chicago Fire games are all in Spanish too. After the game I skyped my Dad for about 35 minutes. I've been feeling kind of homesick lately, and even though I'm having fun here, and living an awesome adventure, I am kind of at the point where I just want to get back home. I'm missing my family and friends so much, and I'm looking forward to seeing them! I have about 40 days left here, and I want to make the best of them. I don't necessarily want them to speed up and be over, I just wish I could drag the people and things about the U.S. that I miss over here with me! :)

April 2, 2010

We slept in pretty late today. I was awake around 11:30ish, but I just stayed laying in my bed, and Maria Luisa came and asked me to go watch the procession with her. It was happening on our street, Pelay Correa! They opened up their balcony door that opens to the street, and we stood out there and watched it. Their neighbor was out there too, so I was talking with her a little bit from across the street, which is only about 10 feet apart. I feel like everyone here is more obsessed with seeing the Virgin Mary in the processions than about Jesus, but anyways, it was a gorgeous day, so it was nice to see it from the balcony! Practically everyone was drinking a beer, and there was even a lady selling Dora and Spongebob balloons to the children. Not sure how Jesus and spongebob go together, but it was still interesting to see. I really enjoyed seeing Semana Santa celebrated there since it is so different than in the U.S. Maria Luisa made us an early lunch since she was going out. We had Bacalao in sauce, which is a long type of fish. After that we were walking around, so we got some ice cream from McDonald's, and sat in the sunshine! Later on I decided to go for a run, and I'm trying to increase my mileage since my race is next month, so I went 6 1/2 miles. That is the farthest I've ever gone, so it felt good, but my legs definitely need to adjust to the longer run! When I got back our internet wasn't working, so I tried to learn some more vocabulary of words that I am always wanting to use in conversation, but I never knew what they were. Then I just spent some time relaxing. For dinner we had chicken noodle soup with chick peas. After that we went to Arielle's house and watched some more of the Office episodes. At 2 we headed home and went to bed.

April 1, 2010

We got up a little after 9 today, and started packing up our things. We had our last delicious breakfast up on the roof. The seagulls are so funny. Our apartment has a fake owl up there to scare them away, but it didn’t work at all. They actually sit right next to the owl and watch us. After that we packed up our bocadillos, and then checked out f the apartment. Our bus didn’t leave until 1:45, so with our spare time we sat on the benches next to the canal and continued our game of Phase 10. Around 1:15 we started walking to the bus station. We ate our lunches on the way hoe. We realized very quickly on this trip that people in Portugal are a lot more friendly and helpful than people in Seville. When we were lost on the way there people were asking us if we needed help. There was even a car of a few guys that stopped and helped us out. Also, most people speak English there too. Portuguese is kind of similar to Spanish, but it is still too different for us to fully understand it. We got back around 8:30 p.m. and I began unpacking before dinner. For dinner we had spanish tortillas. After that I skyped with my family. They're in Florida right now. I wish I could be there with them, but I guess maybe next year. At 11:15 we met up with the other girls to go to the processions after midnight. The streets were crazy! The processions actually didn't start until about 1:30 a.m. We were confused about the times of them, so I asked a lady sitting by me. It's nice to have the ability to ask people questions in Spanish if I need to! While we were sitting there the people by us were smoking so much that I think I actually got ashes in my hair! Practically everyone smokes here, no matter what the age. I've seen 12 year olds smoking, and they are allowed to smoke everywhere. At first it was really bad for me, but sadly I think I'm growing used to it. Anyways, it finally started. We were pretty far away from it so we could barely see anything. After 2 a.m. we decided we would just go back home. There were processions going all night long, and the people stay out the whole time. My senor and senora didn't come back until 8 in the morning! It was very difficult for us to get back because all the streets were blocked off, so it took us almost an hour and a half to get home from a street that normally would take about 15 minutes! On our way back there were two guys that came up to us and were asking us to go to a party with them. I was so creeped out so we ignored them and tried to keep walking. They passed us again a few minutes later and kept asking. This happens a lot that they try to talk to us, so I'm pretty used to it, but it still freaks me out a bit, and it gets really annoying. Luckily, Stephen from our class happened to be right behind us, so he told the guys we didn't want to go, and they left us alone after that! Thank you Stephen! He walked us back to our apartment. We finally got back around 3:30 a.m. That was a long day!

March 31, 2010

We slept in today until about 10, and made another delicious breakfast! I am loving having fresh grapes and strawberries everyday. After that we sat in the Jacuzzi again for a while. It was pretty cloudy out; not really a beach day, but we still had lots of fun! After that we went on the roof and started playing Phase 10, and we had bought wine and fanta the day before to make tinto del verano, so we did that and I brought out my laptop to play some music. This is the life! After a while we started getting hungry to we made our lunches and ate outside Then we decided to walk to the pedestrian bridge and cross over to the other beaches. There was barely anyone, and the sand was so soft. We walked along the shore for a few hours and collected shells. The waves were pretty big, so my pants got soaked, but it felt so good to be out there. God’s creativity just blows my mind! On our walk back we stopped at some tourist shops and bought a couple of things. When we got back we went in the Jacuzzi again. Later on we made our dinners, and watched some more of the Office until bedtime. I’m so sad that we have to leave tomorrow!

March 30, 2010

Today we slept in until about 9:30ish, and just lounged around for a while. It was nice to wake up and have nothing that had to be done. We made outselves delicious breakfasts with the fruit, yogurt, and cereal we had bought. After that we went to the Jacuzzi for a long time. From the place where the pool and Jacuzzi is, you can look over the porch and overlook the ocean and beach. It was definitely like a private resort, and there was barely anyone else staying at our place, so it was so nice! The sun was shining nice and strong, so we each got a little sunburnt. Then we went down to the stores. We needed to get cheap flip flops for climbing so we didn’t ruin out other shoes. I got a really ugly pair called “funky fish” for 3.98 euro. I also bought a new journal and some postcards. Then we went back and had our lunches on the roof again! After finishing that up we decided to go climbing. It was a gorgeous view from the top of the cliffs! They are right above the ocean, and overlook everything! We did that for quite a while, and it brought us to a different part of the beach. We found tons of really cool rocks in the water there, and enjoyed looking at the cliffs and feeling our toes in the sand! It was so relaxing and beautiful. Our God is an awesome creator! When we were done we walked back and got in the Jacuzzi again. It was so nice out, and there were lots of stars, so we stayed for a while. Then we went back and showered and made dinner. I had spaghetti with chicken, vegetables, and fresh fruit, and it was so delicious! Then we watched some episodes of The Office and got ready for bed. It was an amazing day!

March 29, 2010

Well, after going to bed around 2:30 a.m., and crying myself to sleep, I managed to catch almost 3 ½ hours of sleep. I got up at 5:45 and was shaken up. I can’t stop crying. I will miss Shaunna so much! I sat for a few minutes, and then I had to get ready because we’re going to Portugal today! I don’t want this to ruin my trip, but it’s hard to not think about it. We went to Plaza de Armas bus station. Our bus left at 7:30 a.m.. It was raining while we were driving there. When we got to the border patrol Jess tried to take a picture of the building. The man outside shook his finger, and then he came on the bus and watched her delete the picture to make sure it was gone. I guess you’re not allowed to take those pictures. Then we continued to drive. It took about 5 ½ hours, and then when we got there we tried to find out place The directions that the website gave us were wrong, so we walked around for a very long time. We went up and down very steep hilly roads dragging our luggage for over 2 hours. We took a break to eat our sandwiches, and a dog followerd us. We named him Henry, and he stayed by us for along time. It was very hard for me since I am missing Shaunna. After we ate we continued searching. We asked multiple people for help, and some people ven stopped to ask us if we neede help. They are much nicer here! We were starting to get kind of frustrated, and Jess and Carrie left to lookd down he street, and they found a group of girls from out program that were staying at the same place, so we finally got there! It’s pretty nice! After we got setlled in we went to the grocery store and got food for the next 3 days. It was hard to carry it all back because we are staying at the top of a very steep hill. After we finally dropped off our stuff we went to look at the pool and Jacuzzi. We didn’t go in, but I’m sure we will soon. We walked back down the hill and went over to the beaches. They were goreous, and we explored for a long time. We climbed on and through the rocks, and it was so awesome! I wish my fmily was here to see it! Then we headed back to make dinner. I cut up strawberries, grapes, and a Clementine and made some spaghetti. It was really good! After that we all showered and got ready for bed. It had been a very long day. I’m excited for another day in Portugal tomorrow!

March 28, 2010

It’s Palm Sunday today! Semana Santa (Holy Week) starts today too! This day was practically my favorite day in Sevilla so far except for one thing. We slept in because our church service isn’t until 6 pm. I got up around 11:30, and then we went to the Torre Del Oro to go inside, but it was closing when we got there, so we just walked around. There were little stands set up everywhere, and TONS of people! Also, a lot of people were wearing all white with pointed cone hats that looked like the KKK, which was for the processions of Semana Santa. All week long there are different processions on all the streets, which all have different meanings. As we were walking around we passed a starbucks, which isn’t hard to do since they are practically on every corner. The starbucks was giving out samples of some of their drinks, so I tried two which I loved. I was disappointed to find out that they were 4.50 euro which is over $6! I refuse to pay that much for a drink! Then we went back to the Plaza de Espana to check out the festival again. There was a big jumpy thing for kids, but no one was on it, and there was no person watching it. It had 3 blow up bulls on the inside, so I climbed on because I wanted to take a picture on it. As soon as I got on the man came over and told me to get off. He wasn’t even standing there before. Ridiculous. Over in that area was the first procession of the week. It was really cool to see. They have lots of statues and pictures, and they spend the whole year planning the processions. I think it’s a bit contradictory thought that it is Holy Week, and a lot of people use it as a week to go out and get drunk the whole time. Anyways, We stayed out until 3, and then went back and had lunch, which was Chick Peas and Bahkalau. It’s pretty good, and then they gave us a type of wine to try. After that we went back out. The city is so full of people and excitement! I felt like I was at a theme park. We bought lemonade icees at one of the stands, and then went to watch the procession that our senor is in “La Estrella”. It was pretty cool, and in the town all the girls had dresses and the guys had suits on. We stayed for a bit, and then walked to church. I got a good sunburn today being outside for so long. Church was good tonight. I like it more than Proseperidad. After the service we met the drummer, Fernan Martos, who was very nice, and made us feel welcome. After that we walked back and had pizza for dinner, then we started to pack since we’re going to Portugal tomorrow! Today had been awesome, and I was finally ready for bed after 1 a.m., and Carrie told me that my mom had written me on facebook, so I checked it, and she told me to skype her right away since it seemed urgent. Little did I know…my whole family was sitting there, and they started crying as soon as I came on. They explained to me that Shaunna had fallen down the stairs the other day, and had been limping since then. They had tried to give her medicine, but she wasn’t responding that well to it. They told me that she had been going down hill since she is getting older, and that they thought it would be best to put her down. I had to say goodbye to Shaunna through skype, which was the hardest thing ever! I was crying so hard, and it was difficult that I couldn’t just be there with them. I was so afraid that that was going to happen while I was in Spain. It was bound to happen, and she had lived a long life, but I was just really sad that I couldn’t even be there with her on her last night. I love her so much, and miss her more than anything! She was the best dog ever, and returning back home without her there is going to be awful! They are bringing her in the morning. Oh man. It was really hard to fall asleep after that.

March 27, 2010

I slept in until about 11 today. Spring break is so wonderful! I once again decided to just lay in bed for a while. Our senora asked us if we wanted to eat early, so we ate around 12. I love eating early because then we have the whole afternoon to do what we want. We had mashed potatoes and chicken. After that we went to a store that has lots of jewelry and accessories, and everything is 2 euros! I got 4 things. The weather outside was gorgeous, so we went back to the park and laid out all afternoon. After that we went running, and got ready for dinner. We had white fish with au gratin potatoes. Then we met the other girls and walked over to Plaza de Espana because there had been a festival type thing there during the day. When we got there it was practically closed, so we just walked around. There was a group of adults that were lost, and asked us for directions, so we told them, and I think that the one man was drunk because as soon as we told him, he started walking the other direction and seemed very confused. We run into a lot of drunk people out here. After that we got ice cream, and I got chocolate brownie. We were standing on the corner of the road, near the McDonald’s, and two younger boys ran up behind Carrie and smacked her butt. The boys here are very immature, and they think they can get away with whatever they want. They don’t have much respect for girls. Then we decided to walk along the river at about 11:30 p.m. There were so many drunk high school students that were having botellones, which is where you buy your own alcohol and make mixed drinks. The drinking age is much lower here, and you constantly see people walking around with drinks, or cigarettes at very young ages. We decided we better get out of there, it didn’t seem very safe. We decided to go sit on the bench on the main bridge, then randomly a group of people came and stood right by us, and started their own botellon. They were already pretty drunk by that point too. They were asking us for directions, so that they could get to their next party. They offered us a cruzcampo, which is the main beer here, for helping them, but we didn’t take it. We stayed out until about 1:15, but it was the time change for us that night, so it was really 2:15. We decided to go back and get to bed.

March 26, 2010

It’s finally Friday! Almost Spring Break #1! Classes were long and boring, of course, because I was anticipating being on break! It’s so hard when a lot of the students have already left. For my grammar class, my professor took us to a café and we just talked for the time. Also, my cell phone that the school gave me for the semester stopped working this morning, so I got a new one. My old phone was big, old, and ugly, and was named “the ghetto tele” from the beginning, but it is now dead. After class we went to the bus station to exchange our Granada tickets for May 1 and 2 because tickets to the main attraction, The Alhambra, were sold out and we also couldn’t find any more rooms in hostels or hotels because it is a holiday week here. We got them switched just fine. Then we went home for lunch and had one of my favorite meals, rice with tomato sauce and a cordon bleu. Then we just relaxed all afternoon. Around 7:30 we went for a long run and work out outside at the park. When we came back we got ready for dinner, which was fish sticks and potato chips. Then we watched some more episodes of the Office, and got ready for bed. It was nice to have a lazy night. Spring Break #1 starts now!

March 25, 2010

Class until 1:30. Then we went to the other bus station and bought our tickets for Portugal for next Monday through Thursday. We found an apartment that only costs 84 euros for all 3 nights! It was so cheap, but we know that it’s nice because other students from our group have already stayed there, so they told us about it. We got our tickets, and then went into the market really fast. We got back for lunch a little bit late, and Alyssa, a past student that lived with our senora, was there. We ate and talked for about an hour and a half. For lunch we had potatoes with sea food and little clams. Then I worked on some homework, went for a run in the rain, and skyped my mom. Then we had dinner, which was pizza along with some really good cheesecake! Then I finished up my homework and went to bed.

March 24, 2010

Class until 1:30. When we got home we searched for more flights during our Feria week. We bought the flight that we needed from Paris to London. For lunch we had garbonzo bean soup. Then we went to the bus station and bought our tickets for Granada this weekend. At 5:30 I had prayer group, and it was my turn to do my life story. It went pretty well. I’m starting to become really good friends with them, and I love that! After that at 7 we had Encuentro, and it was a mixture of worship for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Then, for dinner we had chicken noodle soup. After that I just continued homework and went to bed.

March 23, 2010

After class we took a group picture in our Semester In Spain t-shirts in front of the Torre Del Oro, which is an old tower that was used in battle. It is on the same street as our school. It was a beautiful, warm day so we took bocadillos and went to Parque de Maria Luisa to eat our lunches and relax in the sun. I stayed there until 4:30 and then I had to leave because I had my service project. It is going so much better now that I know what to do. There are some volunteers there though that are so rude. Spaniards are known to be very blunt and say what they are thinking no matter what. They said right to us that Jess was better at grammar than me, but I was a better speaker than Jess. Good grief! That’s kind of why we’re in Spain studying! Oh well…it was kind of rude I thought. When I got back we had Spanish tortillas for dinner, then I just did homework until bed time.

March 22, 2010

Well, it’s Monday. I didn’t want to go to school today because everyone was going to be asking about what happened this weekend. Also, I was going to have to file a police report. I got to school, and Emily, who owned the wristlet, called my name, and she had gotten it back!!! Praise the Lord! She called the place yesterday to ask if they had found it, and they had! She went and picked it up. The money was all taken out, but they left everything else! I was so glad because replacing all that stuff was going to cost me over 35 euros. Anyways, then I went to classes, and got my exams back. I did pretty well on my art one, so I was excited about that too. For lunch we had the delicious pasta. Then we went and sat along the river to do homework. It was so nice outside! At 5:30 I went running and did some other workouts too. At 7 we had flamenco class. It’s so hard, I’m not sure if I’m getting any better. For dinner we had fish with potato chips. Then I just did some homework and got ready for bed.

March 21, 2010

We slept in this morning because we are trying a different church that only has a night service, so I got up around 11:30. We got ready right away, and we had lunch, which was Bakalau with baby clams in it, little fried things that I don’t know what they are, and a dessert. For the afternoon we didn’t have a set of keys since the key stores are closed, so we just stayed inside and did homework. At 5ish we went and got cono kit kat on our way to church. This church is called “Encounter”, and it was awesome! It was a very small church, but they were great! I liked the service a lot more than our other church we had been going to. It takes about 30 minutes to walk there, but it was worth it! I can’t wait to go back! After church, for dinner we had chicken burgers and some type of salad that had fish in it. After that I skyped my dad for about an hour, which was so good. I haven’t just sat and talked with him in a while. After that, I just got ready for bed.

March 20, 2010

I slept in until 11 today, then went for a run and got ready for the day. For lunch we had the orange rice with fish pieces. For the afternoon I was just doing different things on my computer. After 5 we went to a few stores. I bought gray leather boots and a dress. I had wanted boots since I got here, but never really found a pair, so I was glad to get those. When I got back we got ready for the night. At 11:30 we met at the bridge by our house with some other girls, and we walked to Buddha, which is the local dance club. I had never been to a club before, so that was quite the experience. It opened at midnight, but nobody really came until after 12:30ish, so we just sat around and relaxed for a bit. Once people started coming then we got to dance! They were playing a lot of older American pop music, so that was fun! The atmosphere definitely starts to change after about an hour and a half. At first it’s a lot of college students just dancing, but then older people come, and then it gets uncomfortable because everyone is drinking. There are 4 floors at this place, and the first floor is the nicest, so at 2 we decided that we would go to the first floor. We didn’t bring much with us because we didn’t have a place to put it. We just had our jackets, and then keys, phone, and id. We put our stuff in one very small purse and buried it really well. We shoved it in a corner, and every few minutes I would check on it, and it seemed to be fine. Nobody was really over there for most of the time. A group of guys did come, and apparently they found our wristlet. When we went to switch floors we grabbed our stuff, and we couldn’t find the wristlet anywhere! We searched everywhere for probably about a half an hour. We decided there was nothing else we could do except leave. The problem was that we didn’t have our house keys, so we would have to ring the doorbell and wake up our parents. We walked Arielle home first, and luckily her senora heard, and let her in. We got home around 3:15 a.m., and we had to ring the doorbell about 5 times before Miguel heard us. I was nervous that he wouldn’t hear, and we would get stuck outside! He was understanding of what happened. It was just frustrating to think about replacing all our things.

March 19, 2010

We met at school at 8:20 this morning to go to Ronda for the day. We were supposed to see some ancient ruins, but a recent storm had washed out the road, so our bus couldn’t pass through. We turned around and continued on to Ronda. It was absolutely gorgeous! There were mountains everywhere! First we went to Plaza de Toros. We got to walk in the Bull Stadium on the ground, and see where the bulls are held before the fight. Then we went to a horse riding school that’s in the same place. We saw some students training. After that we walked through the Plaza’s museum. Then we had some free time until 3, so we found a beautiful place at the edge of a cliff/hangover to eat our bocadillos (sack lunch). Carrie and I bought our own delicious rolls last night and put peanut butter and jelly on them! This place was an amazing spot to sit and enjoy God’s creation! During our free time we walked through some shops and then we went to McDonald’s for a cono kit kat. At 3 we took a tour and went through the mines. We also went very deep down into the cave type thing, which were about 360 wet, muddy, uneven steps! My legs were burning from working so hard to get down them. It was very closed in and clostrophobic, but at the bottom was an amazing creek with extremely blue water! It was so beautiful, and I could have sat there all day! After about 15 minutes down there, we had to start heading up. 3 guys from our group stayed back and jumped in the water! It was so hott that day, but we definitely weren’t allowed to get in that water. Our teacher got really mad, so I don’t know if they’ll get in trouble or not. Anyways, on the way back up to the top there is a place called “The secret room” which has holes on the walls, and you can talk into them and the person that is by the other hole can hear you and talk back. It was pretty neat! Finally we got back up, and we continued more touring. We went to the old church, and through the gardens. Our last stop was one more at a different spot at the top/edge of the overhang. Ronda is absolutely gorgeous, and I would love to go back sometime! We left there around 5:20 p.m. At 8:30 I met Katie and Uncle Larry at the bridge. He took us out for dinner to a delicious restaurant. We had croquettes (breaded with different meats inside) and wine. I think that I need to acquire the taste for wine a bit more. For my meal I had a porkloin dish which was absolutely amazing! It was by far the best meat I’ve had this semester, maybe even the best meat ever! After our meal, our server brought us out shots. I’ve never done them before, so I didn’t even really know how. I thought it was completely nasty! I don’t know if I’ll ever do them again! After that we went to a place for ice cream. I got chocolate con trozos. Then we went back to Uncle Larry’s hotel, and stayed to chat for a while more. He had brought a bag for me that my mom mailed to him. It was so nice to get that! There were clothes in there that I wanted, but more importantly, Reese’s!!! I have missed those so much! After that I left around 1 a.m. and headed back home.