Right now I'm sitting outside at my friend Elena's house. I met Elena my first week here. She works for CIEE (my program) and was my guía (guide) when I first arrived in Sevilla. In that first week, our guides took us (a group of about 10 people) around to various sites in the city so that we could get our bearings. I don't know if you could tell by my first blog entry, but I was in heaven that first week. Everything was so new and exciting to me. I had the intention of speaking in Spanish all the time, and that first week with Elena, I did. A lot of other kids in my group spoke in English. I think maybe that's why she and I became friends.
Over the course of the semester we hung out several times and she even invited me to the beach and out to dinner with her friends for her birthday. Today she invited me over for lunch and then after, to lay out by her pool and study (for finals). Her house is beautiful! She lives about 15 minutes outside the city in a house similar to what I'm used to in the U.S. Her mom is a nurse and her dad is a math professor and statistician.
On another note... I think I managed to speak Spanish constantly for about the first half of the semester. Don't get me wrong... I still talk in Spanish a lot (when I hang out with my spanish friends, during all of my classes, in day-to-day transactions like buying food, and with my homestay mom), but I think some of my American friends and all of my traveling to non-Spanish speaking countries broke my spirits a little. That's why I'm so thankful for friends like Elena. I'm also glad that I'll be here for 3 weeks past when my program ends (I have to stay for my class at the university). It will give me a chance to hang out with my Spanish friends and really soak in the last of Sevilla.
I'm also happy that I'm done traveling. I know that sounds bad... (I'm not saying that I didn't absolutely love my trips to Portugal, Africa, Italy, France, and other parts of Spain)... but it was sooo tiring.
One of my best weekends was this past weekend here in Sevilla. I was kind of bummed because a lot of my American friends were going to Lagos, but it was definitely worth staying back. Thursday night I went out with Sam and Jenna to a place called Barre Nostrum. While we were there we ran into our Spanish friend who was there with a group of his friends. After Barre Nostrum we went with them to another bar and then a club called Boss. They play great music there (a mix of Spanish and American).
On Friday I went out with my friends Lola (another one of my really good Spanish friends). First, we went to Plaza Salvador (a big plaza where everyone goes before going out to drink a few beers outside). She was there with a few of her other friends (Antonio, Antonio's sister, David, Reyes, and Jose Carlos). After Salvador, Lola was tired, so Jenna and I went with Jose Carlos to the rio. I'm pretty sure we were the only Americans there...
On Saturday... Liz came!! I went to Parque Maria Luisa, Plaza de España, and the rio with her and her parents. I then took them out to tapas at Las Coloniales. Liz wanted to be well rested for showing her parents around the city the next day, so she didn't want to go out. She did, however, invite me to come stay with her in her hotel, Hotel Alfonso XVIII (The nicest hotel in Sevilla). Great weekend.
I'm looking forward to this weekend because on Saturday we are taking a cruise on the river (with an open bar), Saturday we are going to try and go to the Sevilla/Barca game, and we are also going to celebrate Lola's birthday. As a present for Lola... we met with her friends Jose Carlos and Reyes to make a video for her. Jose Carlos is a fotographer/vidiographer. We also might see his exposition of photos this weekend.
I love Sevilla.
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