Boy, oh boy... what a semester it's been. As usual, I can't exactly express the joy that I have experienced this semester. From the very first day, I fell in love with Sevilla and continued to encounter more things that added to these feelings. Since I last wrote, we had Feria, Portugal trip to the beaches in Lagos, family week, and random shananogans around Sevilla in order to soak up everything as much as possible before the all-dreaded plane ride on May 17th. To try to make things as quick as possible, I will attempt the bullet system again:Feria:
- Feria is a week long celebration where women often dress up in elaborate flamenco dresses, men often ride horses, fair-like rides are ridden, and there are "casetas" (tents, more or less) where the whole purpose is to eat, drink, dance, and just have fun!
- There was a catch this year, however. We pretty much had a torrential downpour the first half of the week. I mean, when it rains in Sevilla... it POURS! If only I had pictures from the 45 minute walk home at 4am with all of us drenched, attempting to dodge the bullets of stinging rain after a not-so-great Tex-Mex food adventure shortly before... If only we hadn't gone to stupid Tex-Mex...
- During this first part of the week, several of us attempted to go to a bull fight (yes, I know.. I actually bought a ticket to go). HOWEVER, just like all things that week, it got rained-out. I have proof that I actually stepped foot inside of the bull ring though. And actually more than stepped foot inside, sat for almost more than an hour with some angry clouds as they tried to decide whether to have it or now. Turns out they don't really let you know when it's cancelled. People just start becoming irritated, throw their seat cushions into the center of the ring, and head out. Typical Spanish.
- The remainder of the week, as the rain finally stopped, was tons of fun! One of the nights a large group of us went to Feria to enjoy the festivities within a public caseta. It was a lot of fun- but nothing compared to living and doing as the real Spaniards do... Te explico: Elena and I were very fortunate and were able to borrow real flamenco dresses that used to be our host sisters. Although they didn't exactly fit perfectly ( I actually felt kind of foolish rather than sexy- the way you are supposed to feel wearing such a femenine outfit), I was super excited to be able to wear one in general! Elena and I were told which number Caseta and at one point in time the name of the streets within Feria grounds. However, of course all of the streets look and sound the same annnnd there were definitely about 10 number 34 casetas... Elena and I spent about 2 hours roaming the streets looking for this private tent of our family's and fortunately found it! There, we ate things such as cheese, sliced ham (but not the normal American ham I'm sure you're thinking of.. real, fresh cerdo), pimientos, and drank the drink of Feria: Rebujito (Manzanilla and 7up). Oh, I almost forgot. Elena and I ended up dancing with 5 and 8 year olds where THEY tried to teach US how to dance. Wow, maybe I'm a little farther off from being a true Sevillana than I thought...
- There honestly isn't too much I can say about Lagos, except that the rain hates us and probably more specifically me. I feel that every trip that I go on, or at least the ones where it is vital to have good weather, gets rained on. This weekend was supposed to be filled with the beautiful beaches, laying out, great food, dancing, and things that shall not be mentioned via the internet... only kidding! That would be for many other people's blogs. My adventures are pretty much always PG, so no worries on that one:). Anyway, we made the most of what we had and ended up having an amazing time anyway. We laid out and played some games on the beach in semi-warm weather on the first day on the property of our hotel. Later that night, we ate at one of the most amazing places I've ever been to: the food was INCREDIBLE! For once in MONTHS I was able to eat a real American-style hamburger and then returned again to get coconut shrimp pasta. Deeeeliciosa! We danced the nights away and the party boat that we were supposed to take during the day through the caves of Portugal was cancelled twice due to rain and even hail. By that point, all I wanted to do was head back home to Sevilla- where mom and Robby would soon be awaiting my arrival!!
- What a crazy week. I have to say it was one of the most surreal moments of my life, walking into Plaza Nueva, only to see my brother waiting outside calling my name. For the past 3 months before, this had been my turf. My country. My city...Surrounded by practically nothing from the Southern states (afterall, my nick name here is "Y'all"). I came here without anyone from home, so to have that for the first time this far into the semester was almost too good to be true. As happy as I was to seem them, I was even more excited to be able to show them first-hand just how amazing this city is and to be able to share a piece of my new friends with them, as well. We were able to see flamenco shows, drink Spanish wine, eat 2 gigantic meals with my host family, and visit important landmarks like the top of the Cathedral, una finca (bull ranch), and El Museo de Bellas Artes with the Sorolla exhibit, etc.
- Oh-- and yes, Robby was apart of BYOB night: Bring Your Own Brother night. I took my slightly-older-of-a-brother down to the rio (river) where we sometimes socialize and take part in what is called a "botellon", which is basically just a mini-fiesta down by the river. Robby liked to point out this is was pretty much a "5 up, 5 down night", where he was about 5 yrs older than the average study abroader and there were 2 other brothers about 5 yrs younger than ourselves. How could I almost forget, my friend Andrew Streaman brought his parents along as well. Quite the fun family night, I suppose!
- Mom, Robby, and myself got to experience a day in Jerez where they are known for their wonderful sherry. So naturally, we went sherry tasting and later got to see a magnificant horse-dancing show. You pretty much had to be there to understand... (P.S. Thanks mom for getting me out of class to do all of that! Straight ballin.)
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