This past weekend was a lot of fun! On Friday, Adi and I went out to dinner with the other Jewish girls we met in the liberal arts program, and then walked over to Calle Betis (a street filled with bars), which is along a river in Sevilla. We chilled on the river for a while and then went to a bar for maybe thirty minutes. The girls were leaving for Grenada in the morning, so we split up at 00:30, and Adi and I walked back, and decided to walk to a park near his house and hung out there and talked until about 02:00. The next day, it felt SO GOOD to sleep in. There is no motivation here to wake up…it’s cold in my room, cold in the apartment, cold in the bathroom, cold water in the shower (well, only hot for about thirty, forty-five seconds), dark outside, and breakfast stinks (bread, and only bread, doesn’t do it for me….just have to get used to it). HOWEVER – I am in effing Spain. I’m so happy to be here that these downsides don’t make a difference!
I was awake around 11:30, but stayed in bed on my computer for another hour, and then started my homework. I wrote the majority of my two papers Saturday so I didn’t have to do it during the week. To write them though, I needed to interview Spaniards on the economic crisis here, and about universities in Spain, for the other paper. I interviewed the family, and José’s girlfriend, Sandra, so I got a lot of good information to use, but I needed more. So I walked the streets to interview people. The first man I interviewed, Paco, was walking his dog and wasn’t really interested in talking to me, but answered two questions still. The next girl I asked was a student, and she just flat out said no. I was walking by the university to find students, and there was a huge crowd of adults waiting outside the door. I asked someone what was going on, and they said that their kids/friends were taking a huge exam (something similar to the GMAT/MCAT or something, and everyone was waiting outside for them to finish. That’s so nice! What a great tradition, I think.
That night, I wasn’t planning to stay out too late because I had to be up at 08:00 Sunday morning to go hiking, but that didn’t happen…I had a quick dinner with the family and some of José’s amigos at home (frozen pizza…so disappointing), and then met up with a bunch of friends and walked to el Centro, and we went from there to Calle Betis again, but actually stayed there until around 03:30, when we took a taxi to a disco, but they were charging a lot for cover, and we were all exhausted, so some of us got food from a burger stand across the street, and then went home. Got to bed by 04:30…so a solid (nap) three and a half hours of sleep…wonderful! As much fun as bar hopping was, and as much as I enjoyed my two tinto de veranos, and a glass of agua de sevilla, I was ready for bed.
Senderismo (hiking) was a full day activity. Left home at 08:30 for a thirty minute walk to the bus, which was about an hour bus ride – we all slept. It was wonderful! We got off the bus to ice and snow, not a lot, but enough to definitely be noticed. It wasn’t really hiking as much as it was walking around the country side, but nonetheless it was still fun. It was really nice to get out of the city for a while and hang out with some friends from my group. Saw a lot of farm animals, trees, beautiful views, and a pig getting slaughtered....beautiful, right? Nope! There was only one major hill, but that was really it. We got back early, which was nice, so I had to time shower and relax at home until I went to bed. For about two hours after dinner, me and a few friends were Skyping and looking for the best prices on tickets to Amsterdam. Finally, we got it! Only bad part was my internet kept freezing, so I had to start the purchase over again a few times…and it turns out I bought two tickets to Amsterdam by accident due to the lag in the internet. I called today (Monday) and had to speak to a representative in Spanish for about six minutes, which was tough because she spoke super superfast, like all people in Andalucía. All done though! I should have the money for one of the tickets refunded in the next few days…next trip I’m planning is going up north to Barcelona to see a friend, and, possibly, to Milan, Italy for another friend’s birthday. I found some well-priced flights and trains, so once I get a confirmation from both of them that specific dates work, I’m booking it! Travel logistics are a lot more difficult than one would think, mainly because I’m trying to find the best price possible.
Last night, Lola and Marta were saying they weren’t feeling too well, and this morning no one was awake when I was, so I assumed they were sick and weren’t going to school/work. I came home from class to find them in pajama’s still. Lola just got back from the doctor, who said she has the flu, and both José and Marta aren’t feeling well, either…oh boy! I’m going to stop at a farmacia this afternoon to get something similar to Airborne…or so I hope I can find something. I don’t want to be getting sick! I already have a tiny cold (runny nose) from the cold weather in the homes here. Heading out to check out Plaza de España with Adi, Naomi, and Miriam in a little bit…talk to you all soon!
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