Day 23-Estoy cansada pero es Corpus Christi

 I tried to wake up early again today, but did not have much success, and I can tell by the way my eyes always get, I am tired!!  We didn't technically have class though today because it was Corpus Christi-a big religious holiday.  We still had required activities though, which was to go to the  Flamenco museum in Seville.  It was a really cool museum because we got a little introduction about how the three cultures: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all fused together by dancing and singing their emotions and feelings of loneliness and persecution.  Then we walked throughout the museum and saw different videos of the dancing styles and saw some dresses.  I enjoyed it a lot!  Then we talked for a few minutes and were then sent out to do some street interviews.  We were supposed to ask people what they considered Flamenco to be: andaluz, español, universal or gitano.  We could also ask what their

favorite style of Flamenco was, and Amy and I had a good time doing it.  We talked to two police officers, and one little boy ran away after I asked him...we also saw how crazy busy the streets were because of the celebration.  Then we all reconvened to talk about our responses.  Amy and I then decided to walk around a little near the Cathedral to see some of the different displays and crowds.  We even saw a couple seconds of a parade.  Then I went home for lunch: potato, chicken, chic pea soup, and some hot dogs, and chips.  For anyone who knows me, I am not a hot dog fan, but once again, I felt like I should eat it.  It was quite rubbery, but

 its taste was not too bad, but
I'd be fine if we don't have that again...Then I spent some time catching up with my writing, and got to skype with the lovely Mags!  Then I went out to Starbucks (weird, right?) to meet some other girls to study for our test tomorrow, but go so lost, but figured it out again.  Our study sessioin turned into talking and some studying, but it's better than nothing!  Then I returned home and did some studying, had an amazing bbq pizza, and then was back to my notes.  I got some time in the Word, read some more Catching Fire, and then tried to get to bed at a decent time.  Hoping my test goes well again tomorrow!!!!!  (Definitely not a good time to be trying to read Catching Fire; it's just toooo good!)







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Day 22-Loco sino buen día

Once again, today was full of many things!  One surprise was when I woke up and saw a girl walk from my señora's room to the bathroom.  (Apparently there is a girl from Italy staying with us for the week).  However, I am not quite sure why my señora gave the girl her room, and I find it interesting that two days have gone by and I still have not met her...I wonder if I will.  Anyway, I got up early so I could do a little more work on my paper...and then read a few chapters from my book...then I had breakfast and class.  We finally went over some powerpoint slides for this section, and then the singer and guitarrist, who had come in before, came to perform again.  They were good, but it is just a long time for me to sit and not let my mind wander!  After class we tried to book flights for our next free weekend to Barcelona.  I am going with three other girls who seem to want to go for more of the reasons I do: sightseeing and exploring Barcelona, not simply hanging out at the beach and partying.  So I am hoping it will be a good time!  We had picked flights but when we started to try to book them, we realized there were so many hidden fees, like even just using a credit card!  So we decided to just    have one person buy all four and finally found two flights that looked good.  I had to

be back at the center though at 2:30 and still had to go home and eat, so around 1:40 I told the girls I had to leave and just gave them my information.  I quickly went home and ate as fast as I could-some potato soup, bread, meats, and cheese-and then went back to the center.  When I got there my tutor said we were supposed to meet at 1:30, not 2:30, so I really thought I had the right time but I guess not.  She was nice enough to meet with me at 3 though, so I just waited until she was ready.  However, while I was waiting, I got a message from the girls that said they somehow made a mistake and booked our flight at 8 in the morning instead of 8 or 9 at night!  That meant we were going to either have to pay like 40 euros to change it or skip class on Thursday.  Neither option sat well with me at all.  I finally accepted the fact that I may have to pay extra but the other girls just want to skip class, so I am just hoping that will not be a big
deal. Well then I got to meet with my tutor for a little and she helped correct my paper so far.  Then I went home and tried to work on it some more and then took a quick 20 minute power siesta.  Then I
met up with some other girls to go to a Flamenco lesson!  It was a lot of fun, but it was actually pretty

difficult.  It is hard to figure out how to coordinate your hands, arms, and feet, but I think with some time I could get it down.  After the class we went to meet up with the rest of our Flamenco class by the river for a picnic.  Our guides did such a good job of getting so many different foods and drinks.  We had tortilla, sandwiches, so many different types of chips (like ham chips!), cheese, nuts, yellow nuts that you peel, croquetas, chicken, and flaky-cinnamony pastry!  It was delicious and a lot of fun!  After we finished up eating, they told us that we were going to get to go out on the river on go paddle boating!  My friend Kristy and I had literally just

been talking right before the picnic about how much we wanted to go, and now we got to go for free! :)  We were out for about an hour, and it was incredibly beautiful because the lights reflected off the water and the wind made it feel wonderful.  We also got paired up with some Spanish students, so we were able to practice some Spanish again, which is always fun.  I think they had a good time of teaching me words to call our guide, Édu, as well.  After we were all done, we walked back around 11 and I got to talk to my whole family, which was so wonderful!  Then I finally finished my paper and got some sleep!  Always experiencing something new!

Day 21-Helado, Confusión, y Flamenco

Today was my second day of volunteering, so I grabbed my breakfast and then headed out, and I surprisingly remembered my way to get there, although it did make it difficult that I tried to read Catching Fire, every spare moment I had.  Today we served the kids cereal with warm milk and I got to talk for a few moments with some students, and of course the other volunteer.  Then I went off to class, where we finished the movie we were watching.  Although it was hard to just sit still and watch for that long, the movie was excellent, very engaging and well done!  We then made some comparisons between the different periods.  Then I sat downstairs as I waited for the mail to hopefully come for me, and as I was waiting, Jorge, one of the directors came over to me.  He asked if I was enjoying the Flamenco class, if it was hard, and how Curro (my professor was).  I told him that I enjoyed the class a lot, and even though I would like to learn to dance, I find it interesting to learn about the people and history of it.  I then explained that it was difficult for me though because my skills are not that good and it is really hard for me to understand.  It was such a blessing though because he told me that Curro is very happy with me, and that I am dedicated and work hard day by day.  That meant a lot to me because even though I know I am not at the same skill level as a lot of the other students I am trying!!!  I finally did get my letter then as well, so I headed home for lunch: rice, meatballs, mushrooms, and peas!   Then I took some time to read more of my book (I cannot put it down!) and finished writing my letter.  Today I decided to try to find another post office because I was going to a different location after, but wow it was confusing.  I was meeting my Spanish friend, Fran, Alice (from my program) and her host brother's friend to go get helado!  Well I ended up not finding the post office before, but I eventually found Fran!  Somehow, Alice thought I was talking about meeting at a different place, so we could not find her.  So Fran and I talked for a while and he gave me some more Spanish pointers and then we finally just luckily ran into Alice and Manuel!  We got Mascarpone helado: nata de oreo and cheesecake, turtle I think!  It was SOOO good-probably one of my favorites!  We had a lot of fun too and learned and practiced a lot of Spanish!  I finally learned the difference between chiste y broma also!  Chiste-more like a planned joke, like a knock knock, but broma-is more of like a prank of spur of the moment!

 After our helado, we went to meet with some others from our big group for a cultural activity.  This week the activity was a tour of el Barrio de Santa Cruz.  I liked seeing it, but our lady was somewhat difficult to understand, and I had already seen some of it before.  Even still, I am glad I went!  Then Fran helped me to find the post office just before it closed, so I got lucky!

 Then my friend, Lauren, and I went to go watch a Flamenco show because we had to see one so we could write a paper about it for our class.  We knew the address so we tried to figure out how to get their on our own, and we did it!  However, we were expecting like a big theater or something, but it ended up being a little bar.  My teacher had said this was the best show to go too and it was only 5 euros, so we decided it would be good, just were not quite sure what we were getting into.  Well, we talked to the bartender because the place was empty when we showed up, and he said to come back in 15 minutes.  The show was supposed to start at 9:30, and we were early so we just walked around for a few and went back at 9:30.  Then he came out and told us that the
dancer had not shown up and they did not know where she was, so we just went in and sat down.  It was a cool place, but we were worried, she was not going to show up at all.  Then two other students from our class randomly showed up.  The bartender played a Flamenco video while we sat and waited, and slowly but surely more people started coming.  Then finally the dancer and singer showed up, and the show started about an hour after it was supposed to.  All in all though, the show was fantastic.  It is crazy how they can convey such intense, yet different emotions.  As the man sang, I could feel his pain.  He had a beautiful voice, and the dancer was so talented.  She could move her feet so fast, but my favorite was the end because another girl danced with her and they were in sync for the whole time.  It was so impressive!!!  The thing that I did not like though, was that I had to walk home alone because I do not live near Lauren.  I figured the show would end early enough that it would not be a problem, but at this point it was about midnight.  Luckily, the streets were pretty lit, but it is not something I would like to make a habit of just because I do not think it's the smartest idea.  Well then I got home and was able to skype my parents for a few minutes, tried to do some work, but I ended up being so tired I just decided to get some rest!

Day 20-Relajo

Like usual, got up this morning for quick breakfast and off to class.  We got back our exams today, and when my teacher gave me mine, he said, "Bien, Megan, bien."  I am thinking that may have something to do with the fact that I asked him a question like everyday and when he asks me something I often just give him a big blank look, but nevertheless, I at least didn't do awful!  I was really happy when I got it back, and it feels good having that first one under my belt!  We reviewed it for a while and got our next big assignment for a paper.  Then for the rest of class we watched a fantastic video.  It was really long but it was just a bunch of different flamenco dances or songs and unique styles.  The performers are crazy talented and it's just so different from what we have in the States.  Then I met with my tutor and we reviewed some prepositions, but if just was not clicking today.  Unfortunately, today was quite the off day too because I felt pretty bad all day, with just an extremely bad headache and sore, from who knows what.  But I made it through, went home and had some lunch, gazpacho and pasta and took a much needed siesta.  Then I tried to get caught up on some things again, and then I went to meet my friend Elise to get the second Hunger Games book from her and to hang out with a Spanish friend she met.  We went and sat in a little plaza and just talked for a little while.  He is training to be a police offer and has to take so many tests, and it was just really interesting hearing more about his Spanish education and some history of Spain (like Franco).  I also got to practice some more 

Spanish!  Then I went home and had dinner with my señora again, some noodle soup, and the fried croquetas and cheese and ham!  We watched the news, which was kind of sad tonight, and then I went and just got caught up again with my writing and talking to a few friends.  I am going to try to read and then go to bed and hopefully shake this headache and so I am able to get up to volunteer in the morning!  ¡Buenos noches!

Day 19-Playa Bonita

So today we got up around 8:40 to go to an AMAZING breakfast!  We really felt like we got to experience a little luxury this weekend.  We cannot remember eating that much for breakfast in a longgg time either!  They had yogurt parfaits, fruit, eggs, delicious bacon, muffins, little pizzas, coffee, juice, these little brownie things, donuts, and the list goes onnnn.....just coming from having two pieces of toast every morning, this was quite the treat!  Then we got on the bus and I got to spend a while talking with Alice, which was wonderful because she is a sweetheart.  Then we headed to Bologna, which has one of the most beautiful beaches and such cool Roman Ruins, like we got to see the actual city and where their houses would have been, their fishing industry, their city hall, their theater--needless to say, it was a really cool experience!   After that tour, we got to go right to the beach for the rest of the afternoon!!!  We had little packed picnic lunches that were so cute!  I just laid out for a while, read Mere Christianity and then swam for a little.  There was also a huge sand dune, so a few of us decided to climb it, which I am so glad we did because it was such a BEAUTIFUL view (and a good workout!).  Plus, I got to hang out with some new girls again!  Shortly after, we had to get ready to head back.  It was a much longer ride, about 2 1/2 hours, and I just am not having much luck sleeping on buses, but I did for a little and then I got to read some more!  

When we got back, we rushed home and got ready for to grab something quick to eat, which ended up being a fail for Olivia for Olivia and me.  We reallyyyy wanted churros so we went to a couple different places,

and they either didn't have them ever or just not then.  It was weird, even a churreria didn't have them, and we got laughed at multiple times.  I mean no, our spanish is not perfect, but it is not that bad.  We were so confused why they were responding to us like that; one waiter even came out into the street to give us directions and just kept laughing...so we ended up with a smoothie, eh not too bad...churros will just have to wait! Then we grabbed a taxi for........our first FÚTBOL game!!!

  It was so much fun!  We kept saying how we felt like we were going to a PSU football game, except we are in Spain!  We had great seats and could see the whole field.  The fans were so enthusiastic and I just love soccer!  Kristy and I especially had a good time because we had both played, so we were able to actually talk about what was going on during the game.  A little boy was nice enough to give me one of his flags too! :)  CONFESSION: Unfortunately, Spain thinks it's a good idea to wear blue jerseys, even though their colors are red and white.  Well China decides to be red, so for about 80 minutes of the game, we though Spain was red...FAIL!  We kept saying, what are they doing?  China is definitely dominating...well sure enough we WERE dominating!  HAHA!  It's a good thing we can laugh at ourselves.  We still got to enjoy the game!!!  Another once in a lifetime experience!  Then we walked home and got to go to bed, once again exhausted from a great day!

Day 18-A Cádiz

 Today we got up early because we had an overnight trip to Cádiz, which is one of the old cities and really well known for its beaches.  So I threw my stuff together, showered, ate, and headed to the bus.  It was about an hour and a half away and unfortunately couldn't sleep, but it was okay.  When we got there, we went for about a 3 hour tour, which of course everyone in my group hated and complained the whole time, but I liked it a lot!  I also finally went with a Spanish speaking guide and actually did still understand a lot!  We got to see different churches, government buildings, and another cathedral (which we got to climb up again).  It was so chilly though, which we were not expecting, but still saw some beautiful views!  We also saw where Halle Berry filmed her part in Die Another Day!  After the long tour, we went to our hotel and ate our bocadillos.  The hotel was gorgeous!  We felt like we were in a plush room, living the life.  I got to stay with two of my good friends as well.  Then we headed to the beach!  We laid out for a while and I got to read some of Mere Christianity.  The water was so cold, but we eventually got in and swam around for a little too.  Then a small group of us went to a museum of Ruins because our guides were offering to take us, and I am so glad I went!  We got to see so many things that they found when they were recovering the city, and they were really interesting.  We saw the things they used to use for refrigerators, which were crazy!  To keep the food cold they would stake it into the ground near water, and the dampness would keep it cool.  These tombs were
also cool because they would make them unique to the individual inside.  The next floor was a bunch of paintings, which I loved to see.  There were SO many that depicted Christ in some form, and I found those so interesting.  A lot of them were quite different too, so it was interesting to see how the artists chose to portray them.  They also had a picture of judgment day, which I thought was really neat.  The final floor was a bunch of marionettes.  After the tour, Shayna, Ashley, Alice, Lauren, Chloe, Amy and I walked around the city, went into some stores, and then finally got tapas!  They were great too!  I tried some smoked salmon stuffed with cheese, fried cheese in raspberry and honey, and patatas bravas-they were all so good!  And I had a great time because it was a slightly different group of girls, so I got to enjoy time with some new friends!  Then we went back to the hotel for a little to rest and clean up and then we met back up to go get some helado!!  We got back around 12:30, so I got ready for bed, wrote and read a little and then slept cause I was beat!!

Day 17-Finalmente mi intercambio

Today was the day for the BIG EXAM!  I cannot believe I have only been here for 2 weeks and I am already taking a midterm!  I actually, believe it or not, woke up early so that I could get in like an hour more of studying.  We all got these Flamenco books yesterday when we were at the Center and they are in English, so a lot of us went through and read some of it because it has the history but in English so a good refresher!  So I studied and ate and then headed to the study center.  For the first hour and 15 minutes of class, we went through all the powerpoints and reviewed, which was okay, but at that point, I just wanted to take the test.  I felt like I was pretty prepared, but the more I tried to study, the more confused and bombarded I thought I was going to feel.  We took a five minute break and then got the test!!  It was 10 short answer questions, and like we thought most of them were pretty broad.  There was one however, that was not at all, and I was not sure about that.  Overall, I think I did okay, but it is quite subjective so I guess I will have to wait and see.  At least, I did not feel awful about it, and I actually put in effort and tried, so that's what matters I suppose!  After the test I went home and had 

lunch with my señora: chicken and rice and gazpacho!  She was telling me again about how bad her allergies are, and how she cannot even clean because it makes her feel awful and barely able to breathe!  Then I got to catch up on somethings and finally took a siesta because I was EXHAUSTED!  Then I skyped with a friend, and then finally got to go meet my intercambio.  Our schedules had not worked before, but tonight finally did!  I kind of got lost on my way to our meeting spot because I do not go to this place often, but I found it shortly after.  She is WONDERFUL!  She is a 27 year old who was 

born and raised in Sevilla.  She is an English teacher for 3-4 year olds in what she called a kindergarten.  She wants to improve her English because she has to pass a big exam in the end of July to get her title.  So we basically walked around Sevilla for an hour and she showed some important buildings and things, and we got to talk in Spanish for most of the time.  She speaks pretty slowly for me, which is so nice, and it is cool to be able to have a normal, like young adult conversation with another girl.  Then we talked some in English as we walked back.  I am so glad I got to do that and I hope we will be able to meet some more!  Then I went home and had dinner, some noodle soup and the tortilla again!  Then I  

rested for a little and wrote to some friends.  After a little, I met up with my friends to go out for the night.  We met up with some friends down by the river for a while and hung out; it is absolutely beautiful at night because the light shines from the bridge onto the water.  We had a good time hanging out, but had some interesting conversations about the people eating each other in the states (and we were nervous about coming to Europe...)  We also had a weird lady come up to our group and try to get stuff from us, but she didn't stick around too long.  We were going to try to go to a special club, but it was a much longer walk than we expected and when we got there, there was a long line and wedid not really want to pay to get in.  We just went back to Big Ben and hung out there for a few hours and played some foosball.  I got to talk with one of my friend's intercambios, Jóse, which was great because I got to work on my spanish again and he told me so much about Spain.  Then we walked home and went to sleep about 4:30: Craziness!!