FERIA DE ABRIL!

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So this week is Feria de Abril which means no school! YAY! I have been to like 3 days of school in the past 3 or 4 weeks! SO CRAZY! haha But so what Feria is is half a normal fair with rides and attractions and stuff and the other half is thousands of tents where there is food and drink and Flamenco all night every night! Its so much fun!

You have to know someone though b/c the tents are private. Luckily and friend of mine has an in at a few tents so we go where she goes!

Also, since I have been taking a Flamenco class I can actually dance with the Spaniards! Its so much fun! And there is a special drink for Feria called Rebujito. Its a weird wine with sprite... its REALLY good!

Its also really cool to see all the girls all dressed up in Flamenco dresses! They are all SO gorgeous!!! Its Spain at its BEST!!! And its really cool when people grab guitars and start playing and singing real flamenco instead of playing a tape! Thats my favorite!!!

This is the dress I wore last night. It is one of Dolores's daughters old ones. Its definitely NOT the hottest most modern dress but it was a dress and it was free and I liked it! It was fun to pretend to be Spanish!!! I was in the dress and dancing flamenco and speaking spanish!!! YAY!!!! I have been to Feria every night this week!! I love even just sitting and listening and watching!!! I know I will tire of it by the end of it but right now I LOVE IT!!! Its SOO cool! I think we should do it in America! haha

Catch up time

ok so for any of yall who still read this:

SEMANA SANTA: This was very cool and very strange. It rained when I got back from London until Thurs. BUT that was the BIG night anyway so ya... Cindy and her friend and I went to see the Triana procession, and even though some spaniards got a bit uppity about being crowded it was pretty cool. The people that wear the pointed hats and looked like the KKK scared me a bit at first but were just interesting by the end. During the processions, people carry "Pasos." These are HUGE antique floats covered in big wooden figures, candles, flowers, canopies and whatever else that are carried but a minimum of about 40 men. Its pretty crazy to see them carry it!
The next day I went with Dolores to see the Triana procession again during the day. Then I went to see MY FAM!!!!
I took a cab to their hotel, and as we drove up i got a call from my mom telling me they were stuck in Madrid! OY! So I went home for a nap. Then I went to see them! I WAS SO UNBELIEVABLY HAPPY TO SEE THEM!!! I just wanted to hug them all day! But instead we went to Miguel's house, Dolores's ex husband, to see a procession. We missed it but they got to meet everyone. Then I took them around town a bit and to the centro to get some tapas at a bar. When we got to the centro there was a procession going on and it was really cool! It was the first my family had seen and they were impressed. After fighting our way through the crowd we managed to get into a bar to eat. It was yummy! Then we had to fight out way back through to get to place for them to catch a cab. On the way we ran into some friends, so carly and I went with them to watch some flamenco.

Then next day I showed them around the centro during the day. We saw the cathedral and tried to see alcazar but the line was too long. Then we just walked around a bit, saw Blake, Elissa, and Jen for about 30 sec and went back for lunch. Dolores made us a HUGE lunch and it was DELICIOUS!!! Then we were off to Barcelona!

BARCELONA & ITALY!: In Barcelona we saw the Gaudi architecture which was pretty freakin cool! It looked like a dripping candle or something! So strange! We also saw the Picasso museum, Dahli museum and "jewish qt." It was all very cool, except the jewish qtr that was just a dark alley with nothing jewish we could see.

the next day was ROMA! And even though it was raining and freezing it was cool! We saw the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and the rest of the old city of Rome. That night we went to wonderful restaurant where the waiters were really funny and were goofing off with us b/c we were being very loud and silly! The next day we saw Vatican City, had a WONDERFUL lunch, and went to a castle, piaza nuvou, the Pantheon, Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps. Trevi was probably my favorite part of Rome. We stayed there for a while and took TONS of pics! We loved it!
The next day we went to Pompeii. If you ever have a chance to go there DO IT! Its so cool. Its not ruins, its a totally preserved ancient city! There were even whole preserved bodies! It was crazy. There was also fast food places, shops, houses, and brothels with paintings or the services you could request! SO FUNNY! Then we ended up a really crappy place for lunch where the owner made us eat all of the lentil soup we ordered b/c they were the "most famous lentils" available. OY!

Then we were off to FLORENCE! I loved this city. We went to see the David which is HUGE! I had no idea it was 15 ft tall! It was really cool to see! We also saw the Duomo and the Cathedral which was incredible from the outside! It was so colorful and intricate. We also saw the Birth of Venus and others at the Ufizzi. After we were done touring we went back to the hotel and go our room which wasnt ready before. So Carly Ari and I were given a room fit for a princess! There were 2 sets of big wooden double doors to get in, a chandelier, a gorgeous wooden mirror and a big bathroom! Plus it was right next to the breakfast area! So convenient! That night we just went to dinner b/c it was rainy and gross.
The next day was PISA and LUCCA! We got to climb the leaning tower of Pisa! It was so funny because you would just be climbing and all of the sudden you would just fall to one side! Then you would even out and fall to the other! In Lucca we rode bikes around the city to see the sites. I had more fun on the bike than I probably should have! I could have just ridden around all day! It was SO beautiful there and so much fun! And it was here in Lucca that my dad and I got A 7 SCOOP CONE OF GELATO... EACH!!! and we both devoured them! YUM!! That night we went to La Giostra, which had an amazing atmosphere and food! The best part though was that Ari had a piece of veal that was bigger than her head! IT WAS GIANT! and hilarious!

The next day was VENICE!!!!! We were all SO excited for Venice, esp Carly. When we get off the train and walk outside, where there would normally be a street to catch a cab, there was the canal! SO COOL! But the nas we are about to take a water taxi to our hotel, we find out our hotel is on the outskirts of the city. Its not even in Venice, not to mention... it was a bit crappy! Esp after the other one in Florence! So after we make our way back out there, drop our stuff, and take the 30-45 min bus ride back into Venice, we finally get to tour. We grab some lunch and tour St Marks Cathedral in St marks Sq, and the Dodge Palace and jsut walk around a bit. I didnt feel very good and we headed back after dinner.
The next day was amazing though. It was totally free for whatever we wanted to do. We got up and headed to the first jewish ghetto and saw same GORGEOUS temples, then we just walked around and shopped all day! When we got tired we took a Gondola ride which was AMAZING!!!!!! Dinner that night was also amazing and the whole day was just a great end to the trip!

Saying goodbye was hard. I didnt want to leave my family. I wanted them to stay and for Daniel to come. We missed him throughout the whole trip. But I had a lot to do since I missed a week of class. But when I got back I had no make up work! It was crazy! Oh well!

Then this past weekend I met Blake, Jen and Elissa in Amsterdam! And that was a blast! Thurs night we met Lindsey and went to the Red Light District which was INSANE! It was weird to see these women working their windows but also eating dinner or texting on their phones! So funny! Then next day we saw the Anne Frank house, had pancakes from the pancake bakery, went to a Spanish Portuguese Temple, The Jewish History museum, The Dutch resistance museum (which I loved! It was all about the strikes and stuff the Dutch did on behalf of the Jews), and then we went to the Sex Museum which was just strange! That night Blakes uncle and cousin took us to dinner. It was Indonesian and yummy!

The next day we went to the Van Gogh museum and when we got back we had a British roommate named Ned! (Or Nedward, or Dennis haha). Then her uncle took us out to the countryside to see tulips, and even though they weren't in bloom the flowers that were there were GORGEOUS!!! Then we went to some island which was weird where we sat and had coffee and apple pie and stuff. That night we went to dinner with Elissa, her friend, their 5 hostel roommates and Ned. Then we went to a comedy show called Boom Chicago where they picked on Ned a bit. It was funny, not hilarious, but funny!

Now I am back in Seville and its Feria de Abril! And I'm so excited because it ANOTHER week off, a fair, and a whole lot of culture experiences jsut waiting to unfold! YAY! Cant wait!

OY!

sorry guys! i have been bad! I will soon update about:

Semana Santa
Italy
Amsterdam

LOVES!

LONDON BABY!

So lets recap the last week or so.

So moroccan food left me a little treat and i almost didnt go to london. On thursday i skipped classes, dropped a class and sucked it up enough to head to LONDON! I met up with Laura who I met in Morocco and stayed with her at her brothers flat for a few days. We went and saw the tower of london, crowned jewels, Buckingham palace, st pauls cathedral, tate modern, and all that good jazz.

one night i met up with my love sarah pierce and we had dinner and went and saw Spamalot (SO GOOD!) But the coolest part was that Alan Dale (AKA Bradford Meade on UGLY BETTY) played King Arthur. It was precious! He couldnt dance to save his life but he pulled off the singing quite well. Plus the show was just great in general. And to see that in London with the real accents was great!

When laura and her friends left I went to stay with my cousin at his flat in west hamstead. it was nice! he took me to dinner and i got to go do the things laura and her friends had not wanted to do. I saw the changing of the guards, westminster abbey, churchill's bunker and a couple of other thing. (st james park, parliament sq, etc...) That night alan (my cousin) took me out ot a few pubs for a pint for st pattys day! it was so much fun!

now i am here in seville and its semana santa and im really excited to see the big parades tomorrow night! and then my family comes on fri for a week in italy! YAY!!!!!! SO EXCITED!

I'M 21!!! AND I WENT TO AFRICA!!!

YAY! So my 21st was all I could have hoped for without the big American blowout! First of all, Dolores made me a GIANT apple tart for me and all the girls on my program and it was DELICIOUS! she also made us a ton of fresh hot chocolate and set the dining room table all nice and pretty for me! She is so sweet! After we ate the tart and hot chocolate she opened a bottle of wine for me!

That night me and 2 of my friends went to Antique, a high end club here in Seville. First of all, we did not know but the night we went there was a guest list and we weren't supposed to be allowed in, but since it was my birthday they let us in! I'm such a high roller! haha Anyway, it was a TON of fun and we made friends with a Swiss Soccer team! They were SO much fun!

The next day, cindy and I went to MOROCCO!!!! It was SO COOL! We stayed in Tetuan and saw the Medina there and went to Tanger and Chefchaouen. Chefchaouen was a PRECIOUS little town that was painted all blue and white (white for peace and blue for the gods). Also, the second night I was there I couldnt sleep, so at 530 am I heard a weird ghostly noise outside my window, so I went out on the balcony and I realized it was the first call to prayer of the day! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL! I heard somewhere between 4 and 6 callers in different minarets and it was like a song that echoed all over. And it was still dark out and there were still stars out and it was just an INCREDIBLE experience!

PLUS we met people from ALL OVER! We met a ton of people from Holland and Germany, one from Poland, one from Hungary, TWO from ICELAND! Who the F lives in Iceland? haha And did you know Icelandic was a language?? I didnt! But ya it was an AMAZING birthday weekend!

Also, its time to reveal, I have been having a hard time here. I think it was a combo of culture shock and homesickness and a bit of lonliness that I didnt know how to handle... especially all at once. But ever since the day I went skydiving :-) every day has been INCREDIBLE! I cant believe it is already march and I only have until the end of MAY! :-(

But I am SO excited because my family will be here in 10 days! YAY!!!!!!

Dolores and me on my birthday!
21! YAY!
Dressed like a Moroccan woman!
CAMELS!
Chefchaouen! blue and white town! SO CUTE!

Mis Clases

Ok so I guess I should write about my classes since I mean I DO go to school 4 days a week even though some people think I dont! haha Ok so lets see. I am taking 5 classes but only wanted 4. I went through 2 weeks of not knowing which sections of each classes I wanted to take and then got down to 5 and couldnt figure out which one I wanted to drop so I am in 5. Its not too bad, none of them are too hard.

Foneticas Corectivas y Conversacion:
So I originally had a prof who was crazy! If someone pronounced something wrong he would make them repeat it 10000000 times! And even when they said it right he would say it was wrong. He did it to me once and when I got home I asked Dolores about it and she said I was right! SO THERE! haha But I switched professors and I like my new one better except we have only done 2 or 3 things related to phonetics. We keep doing 3rd grade busy work! Oh well! I do have my first real assignment in this class do Monday! Man I need to get on that and not be on here! haha

Grammatica II:
I like the prof a lot. She is very nice but we have a bunch of busywork homework. Not such a huge fan but I dont actually think any of it gets graded, just corrected? I dont know. Its not too bad and we learn some colloquial stuff which is good.

Flamenco:
So I am taking a class about the cultural influence of the Flamenco on Andalusia. So far its kind of a bust. The guy talks for an hour and then we watch or listen to examples for an hour. All I can say is that he shows us the beat patterns written out and expects us to be able to identify them among a slew of other noises and distractions in a video or audio clip. No one can. He will ask the class a question which is normally followed by a good 5 min of silence before someone answers incorrectly! haha OH and he writes like a 2 year old. Unless I am writing exactly what he says down AS he is saying it, I can NOT decipher what he meant with the chicken scratch he puts on the board! OY! This 2 hours can be tough!

Tres Culturas:
If the 2 hours of Flamenco is bad this is pure torture! This is supposed to be a class about the influences of Cristians, Jews, and Muslims on Spain. But he rambles on for 2 hours straight in a monotone voice about things that dont fit within this category! And then he jumps all over the place. Yesterday we were talking about stuff from the year 580ish. We get to something about jews and all of the sudden we are talking about the Holocaust. Needless to say the ENTIRE class was lost! 2 hours of this class feels like 10! Its awful! I just dont get it. And the worst part is that I was SO excited about this topic. Oh well!

Cine Espanol Contemporaneo:
I LOVE THIS CLASS! Comtemporary Spanish Cinema. Basically we watch spanish movies and talk about them. And the last one we watched he gave us English subtitles! ps- it was great! La Lengua de Mariposas (The tongue of the Butterfly) is WONDERFUL! The professor is really nice and I do like this class alot! It the only thing that gets me through my 3 cultures class every tues/thurs!

I am also taking a dance class, Sevillanas, which is kind of like Flamenco. It is through the university but its a graded class or anything its just for fun and I like it alot! YAY!

And now I am getting SUPER excited b/c my birthday is on Friday and I am about to start a 3 week whirlwind of vacations! YAY!

PARACAIDISMO!

I WENT SKYDIVING TODAY!!!!! it was so incredibly amazing! there are NO words!