Lagos, Birthdays, Jerez/Cadiz-- exhaustion

Aunque (even though) it seemed like we had just walked in from our spring break, we were on our way to Portugal by Friday! About 250 of the 500 of us met at one bus stop, making up EQUIPO VERDE (green team!), and the rest of equipo rojo (red team) met elsewhere. We arrived in Lagos in about 3 hours, dropped right in front of our beautiful 4 star hotel where we were wrist-banded and set up with our room assignments. Laura and I still hadn't met the other 2 girls with whom we'd be compartiendo (sharing) our room, but we decided to go up and explore anyway... it was actually pretty big: bathroom, little bedroom with 2 beds, big common room with a kitchen and 2 couch/beds, and a balcony overlooking la piscina (the pool). But we didn't spend too much time in the room because we were ready to get out and explore a little because we had "free time" until 8:30, so nos cambiamos la ropa (we changed clothes) and headed down by the pool area. It was kind of crazy that by 12:30, people had already paid a nice visit to the bar and were wasted, already making idiots out of themselves. We were relieved when a pair of NORMAL looking girls emerged from the crowd of crazies, buscando (looking for) us because they were our roommates! After they went up and changed, the 4 of us headed over to the beach and ate lunch in one of the restaurants recommended by the Discover Sevilla staff. After, we walked down the beach and met a few of their friends, but hacía mucho viento (it was really windy) so we didn't last toooo long. We left a little while after and decided to go to the supermarket for some essentials, and then went back to the room to hang out and get washed up for the night.

By a quarter to 9, Laura and I nos reunimos (met up with ) the Abby's in the lobby, where some members of the trip staff were waiting and recommending dinner places... We ended up going to this place called Nah Nah Bar, where they gave you dinner and a reallllly big drink for 10 euros. The ambience was great-- a LOT of fun, the food was great, and it was really close to our next destination...

The way the trip worked, the staff sent the green team to one bar and the red team to another on Friday night, with the expectation that we'd switch the next night. So, to abide by las reglas (the rules), we made our way over to our party at Joe's Garage and took advantage of all the promotions they were giving to the Discover Sevilla kids. DEFINITELY THE BESTTT NIGHT IN A WHILE!!!! We stayed there until about 2, and then followed some of the staff over to Grand Café, the red zone, where we hung around for another ~2 hours... and just for the sake of documenting, the memorable moments (IJ's for Laura and me...)

--chupitos de fuego

--"Sarita la peligrosa"

--"I really want to, but I can't"

--Discover Sevilla staff... enough said.

--SJ!

--Jose Luis y la gran manzana

--"Oh, you're 19"

--Armando HI... BYE

--who took the picture on the bridge? we don't know

--Z from Tennessee was NOT in fact at the birthday party... nor was he who we thought he was when we "saw" him on the beach

--awkward breakfast

We had to be up and well fairly early the next morning because we signed up for a sangria cruise scheduled to leave at 11! Retrospectively, qué tonto (how stupid), but we went through with it anyway. Laura and I ended up boarding the cruise with the trip photographer, who happened to the el hermano (the brother) of our GOOD friend, the program chief. We bonded with him for most of the trip-- his English was pretty good! The boat took us along the coast of Lagos, and we did a tour of the famous caves. At one point, there was time for us to jump of the boat and swim a little, but we were feeling too chilly so we hung back on the boat. The excursion lasted about 2 hours, and they dropped us back off near the beach at the end... it was a short hike to find our friends and we met up for lunch and un descanso necesario (a necessary nap). We had LOTS to laugh about when our newest friend from the cruise tried taking hideous pictures of us to post of the Discover Sevilla website, and we died when one of the staff members (FRANCISCO) got realllly too annoying for anyone's comfort... about that...

We spent pretty much the whole rest of the day on the beach, simply because we could, and then turned in to get ready for another crazzzy night! The staff advised us to meet down in the lobby at a certain time to depart--by bus-- for the Sunset Excursion to Cabo Sao Vicente... aka THE END OF THE WORLD!! It took us about an hour to get there, and we hopped off the bus only to be toppled by the strongest wind everrrr. It was really hard to even stand up, but we were there to make the most of it. The sunset was beautiful, except for the part when a HUGE cloud covered it, but that didn't last too long... so when the staff were ready to call it a day, we got back on the bus and they dropped us back off at the hotel to finish getting ready and meet us in the lobby again for dinner sugerencias (suggestions). We ultimately decided to eat at this place our roommates had tried the night before, famous for Portuguese chicken and their notorious POWER HOUR-- with your meal and drink, you get wrist-banded and they fill up your cup every time it hits empty for the next hour (or more). At the end of that, estábamos listas (we were ready) to head to our party... By this point, we realized we had definitely been assigned the better of the two "teams"-- more fun staff, better group of kids-- best mix overall. We pretty much maxed that night out. Our points to remember:

--Maximilian

--SJ... again

--Abby on the bar... roommates on the bar

--range: 19-29

--uyuyuy carmelo, your jefe is watching

--"he has a girlfriend"

--"Sarah, do I need your permission?"

--Avoiding Francisco and his love for the mounds of joy

--Dancing Dani-- the Spanish PROF D

--wegue... wegue wegue wegue

--The Magician

--"Sharing" drinks

MUYYY DIVERTIDOOO!!

The next morning after breakfast, we met the crew in the hotel lobby for checkout and left our maletas (suitcases) in a big room-- our trip was NOT over yet! We found the Abby's and hopped on the bus to Praia do Amado, a beach on the west coast. It was a little windy on the beach, but it was still a beautiful day-- Laura may have forgotten to apply sunscreen on EVERY little spot on her face, and hence the burned eyelids, but that was the only real concern. It was a really relaxing day for us, and some people decided to participate in the optional surfing activity-- wet suits and everything. Some people were still going strong, unbelievably, with their drinking, but I guess they were seizing the true spring break experience. It was plenty for us at this point, and it was nice to just fall asleep to our ipods for a few hours until we had to leave.

Overall, I would definitely give this trip a 10/10... there's a reason why Discover Sevilla gets a huge turnout every year they promote it, and it's no wonder its infamous among even the staff of ICS for being the weekend everyone comes back muerto (dead).

Waking up monday morning wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, probably because I went into it with the new knowledge that it was our último lunes (last Monday) of class!!! Plus, we had a long week of festivities to look forward to...

On Tuesday, Laura's parents llegaron (arrived) in Sevilla-- they were here to celebrate Laura's 21st (YAYYY) and help pack her up so they could take the bulk of her things home, considering she's staying in Europe another 3 weeks to go backpacking. So she ended up meeting them for lunch after class, and I stayed back at the house with Ana and Manolo. I know that Ana occasionally drops in her phrase "el tiempo está volando... qué barbaridad" (time is flying, how awful!), but this meal was loaded with nostalgia and reflection on the whole semester. We talked, over gazpacho and pescaito frito (fried fish), about how far we've all come and how fortunate we were to have connected on such a deep level. Manolo even jokes about buying a huge pañuelo (handkerchief) to wipe away the tears, because it's going to be really sad when we leave :( ...I'm still in "denial phase"

Tuesday night, Laura and I decided to get together with those two long island boys (both go to Bighamton) that I had known from high school days (one went to Plainview). I was a little stressed because I had un ensayo (a paper) due the next morning, but here, I've learned to embrace the "no pasa nada" attitude. So, they picked a Japanese restaurant in the Jewish Quarters and we met them for sushi. It was really refreshing to hang out with normal boys, considering we didn't have much luck on our own program. After dinner, we walked across the street to a little ice cream shop and stayed out for another hour or so... hey, our last weeks are all about being spontaneous. Oh, Laura? Remember Armando? Right...

Wednesday was like marathon day. I had a full day of classes, where I received some GREAT news: I was able to turn my Propaganda final exam into a take-home again. I like when people are benévolo (lenient)! When I got home, I walked into a FULL house: Ana and Manolo (of course), Laura and her parents, and Cristina and Paloma. It was kind of awkward because they all había comido (had eaten)-- I always get home after comida on Monday/Wednesdays-- so everyone sat around the table and watched me eat (as Manolo teased). But it was definitely una bendición (a blessing) Laura's parents were here because Vicky made a compilation of our absolute FAVORITES, and probably more food than any human should ever eat in one sitting! On the menu: gazpacho, espinacas con garbanzas (her incredible spinach and chickpeas dish), and pollo con la salsa de manzana y cebolla (chicken with her apple/onion/hint-of-beer sauce). And to top it off, she served a delicious fruit salad! Gracias a Dios (Thank G-d) I had skipped breakfast that morning!

Luckily, I had all afternoon to digest. I went to class, and then Laura and I tried one more time to reason with the people in the Apple service store... After a few hours of pulling our hair out, we decided no valía la pena (it wasn't worth it) to keep arguing with them about how to get a knew computer charger in a timely manner so we left and headed to el Centro to buy a new one and relax for the rest of the afternoon. Later that night, we had big plans to meet para cenar (to eat dinner with) ANDREA for her cumpleaños (birthday). She picked that restaurant, Los Coloniales, that we had been to the week before when JulieAnn was visiting-- still a great call because we all love it and the service is great! We ordered a bunch of dishes, like last time, to split and we all stuffed by the end.

After dinner, some of Andrea's friends went back home, but we were determined to finish off her celebration, and ring in Laura's, the right way! We went to this area called Alfalfa, which gets really hopping at night... The area is lined with little bars, and people traditionally order and then bebe en la calle (drink in the streets). We decided to follow some friends' recommendations, and ordered 2 BIG pitchers to split among the 5 of us. We got the famous "agua de fuego," which is just a mixture of a bunch of different alcohols, kind of rough going down but everyyyone does it. We also got a more fruity one with whipped cream to appease those with sweet teeth. When we finished up at the bar, we headed over to the discoteca called Catedral-- we hadn't really had such great experiences there the other 2 or 3 times we had been, but we were willing to give it a shot because Wednesdays are special Discover Sevilla promotions-- and now that we went on the Portugal trip, we were verrry friendly with most of the interns... and we COULDN'T be happier we went because it was one of our favorite nights!!! And staying out til 5:30 isn't so awful when you don't have to get up for class until 12! It's a great system we've mastered.

Thursday was equally--if not more--full of excitement! For Laura's special birthday treat, we followed los consejos (the advice) of our Art teacher, Judy, and bought tickets to see a Flamenco show at El Arenal club-- this place has been cited by the NY Times as the best place in the world to experience Flamenco art!!! AND WE WERE BLOWN AWAY!! The place was pretty big, and we had seats right in front and to the right of the stage (so not dead center, but we had a perfect profile view of the dancers, and they were constantly covering ground all over the stage). During the show, anywhere between 2-4 men play the guitar, while another 2-3 sing and set the ritmo (rhythm) for the dancers. The first dancer to come out was a man, and he moved with SUCH grace and concentration that I melted!!! His feet moved SO fast that they sometimes blurred together! It was just so refreshing to see a man dance like that, as opposed to the stereotypical women in their extravagant outfits... frankly, it's nice not to be distracted by all the fluff and just focus on the dancing! He was incredible! He was followed by a few more solos, all very beautiful and talented women, and finally another man-- equally as amazing as the first man! Watching the interactions between the dancers and the singers/guitar players is like watching a careful, private conversation being had with one's eyes and bodies. Everyone has to act like a team to keep it together, leading and following. My favorite number was the last, when all the men and women came out and did a big number together, having a dance off, switching partners, and having fun. No me di ceunta de que (I didn't realize that) 2 hours had flown by... I could've stayed and watched more! Here's a link to the website if you're interested: http://www.tablaoelarenal.com/i-home.html

After the show, we followed another one of Judy's suggestions (she was SOOO right about that Flamenco show) and stopped for dinner at a place called Restaurante Horacio... She knows the owner, so we got special treatment! We decided that we'd each order a main dish and then some salads and tapas to share... well we thought wrong-- welcome to the ONLY place in the world where waiters are not only upfront, but will NOT put in an order they don't believe is practical!!! Qué gracioso! (How funny!) And I'm glad he stopped us, because we were STUFFED even after cutting the meal down to less than half the size we had planned. We started with 2 kinds of salads: de aguacate y gambas (avocado and shrimp) and a house salad with a delicious dressing. Next, they brought out a salmon dish with veggies, and FINALLY: LA PAELLA, my personal favorite! And, if we couldn't move after that, we obviously had to leave room for el postre (dessert)! They brought out this stuffed pancake and some kind of apple strudel... and, claro (of course), champagne! I think that was a birthday well spent, and I was so happy Laura's family included me!

When we got home, it was only 11:30ish, so we still had some time before the second half of the night began! We got in touch with some of our friends and we agreed on an old favorite, the discoteca called Buddah del Mar... We like that place, but it depends on the night... also, the 3rd floor, which we like best for the music and young atmosphere, gets JAMMMM packed and it's hard to breathe... But we went anyway! We joke about it because the people you usually end up mixing with that night are the people you smack into by chance, and we unfortunately separated at one point, but we have technology to thank for uniting us in a 3 story club! Again, a 6am night but no pasa nada (it doesn't matter, no worries)...

...we only had to be up 2 and a half hours later for our FINAL field trip to Jerez and Cádiz. So we took a siesta (nap), and managed to get to the bus a tiempo (on time) by some miracle! What didn't sound so appealing was that Jerez was allegedly going to be a wine tour, but we were along for the ride-- NO complaints! So, here was our little introduction to Jerez:

Encircled by vines planted in the chalky albariza soil, Jerez de la Frontera is the home and heartland of sherry. In fact, it is one of the three Andalusian towns that make up the "sherry triangle." Within this triangle, a combination of soil, climate and grape variety come together to create the only authentic sherry in the world. It is believed that the Phoenicians brought the vine to this area in the first millennium BC. The Romans shipped wine from here to all parts of their empire as did the Moors and the Jews. However, it was after the Reconquista in the 14th century, that the industry we know today really began. At this time, British merchants established firms or bodegas in Jerez and neighboring towns and created the solera system used to produce a distinctive style of sherry wine. Today, this sherry is exported all over the world.

So, we got dropped off in Jerez by around 11 at the González Byass' Bodegas, one of the biggest and most representative of Jerez. From there, we had a little train tour (kind of like in Disney) on the Ruta del Brandy, the route through the vines and the old wine cellars... All over the place, we saw the iconic TIO PEPE statue (Pepe being the person for whom the winery was initially founded). After that breve (short) tour, we stopped off to watch a quick movie about the history of sherry... a little elementary but most of the important facts stuck. Next, they took us into the biggest bodega in the city and told us a little tale about the mice who LOVE sherry (back in the day, one of the original workers would leave out a glass of sherry and a small ladder, and the mice would climb up the ladder and drink). Then, we went upstairs and got to taste the wine ourselves! They sat us down, 4 per table, and served us a bottle of the DRYEST wine and small cups of a sweeter sherry... not my favorite, but I enjoyed the experience. We goofed off a little and took pictures with the life size Tio Pepe statues and wandered around the gift shop until it was time to leave.

At around 2, the group llegó en Cádiz (the group arrived in Cadiz). We hadn't been there since February, and the place definitely has a different feel by day! We took our picnic lunches (by now, everyone's host parents send us off with bocadillos and snacks) and headed to La Playa de Victoria, one of the more popular beaches in the city. It was kind of windy, but the sun was still nice and strong. After we ate, we strolled around a little bit, wandered into an ice cream shot, and set up camp again in the sand to relax for the rest of the day. Our little meeting spot started out with just me, Laura, the Abby's, and one of the Abby's roommates (Ashley-- she was with us in Granada), but soon we were surrounded by a bunch of people in our program... kind of a surprise, seeing as we never really mixed with other groups, but it was fun! Nos acostamos (we fell asleep) until it was time to get back on the bus and head back to Sevilla.

Because we left around 6, we were back home at a decent hour... Laura's parents swung by to pack up the rest of Laura's things-- qué triste (how sad!) that our room looks really bare on one side :( ... I gave them some space to take over the room and actually sat down for a nice dinner with Vicky por la primera vez (for the first time)! Ana and Manolo were eating upstairs because they were both exhausted, so Vicky and I experimented a little in the kitchen. She heated up my favorite soup-- garbanzos and made herself some rice and a fried egg... she shared the rice with me and seasoned it with una salsa picante (spicy sauce)! It was delicious! What was only supposed to be a typical 25-30 minute dinner turned into a 2.5 hour bonding session! It was reaaaaallly nice to talk to her, and she always talks about how much our being here has changed her. It's been 2 years since she's seen her son, and she really doesn't have family or a home otherwise, so she's really grown attached. In the middle of the conversation, she just bursted out, "te quiero abrazar" (I want to give you a hug). I don't really remember what we specifically talked about-- her past, the future, relationships, work-- but it's just the idea that time has made us closer. I'm really going to miss Vicky.

Saturday wasn't as eventful for me, but Sunday (today) sure was! We saw our VERY FIRST PARTIDO DE BETIS (Betis game!!!) This was the one thing I'd never forgive myself for, if I had lived across the street from the stadium all this time and never got my butt to a game. So Laura and I woke up early to scope out the ticket situation... some sketchy guy tried to sell us these passes, but we felt they were overpriced and didn't know if buying from scalpers was the way to go here. We knew that the taquilla (ticket window) would be opening shortly, so we decided to check out the souvenir stands and come back later. After I bought a hat and Laura bought a scarf, we headed back home to change into our green attire, down a bottle of champagne (these things are always a little more fun that way-- and it was in honor of Slope Day), and went back across the street for the action! We had NOOO idea where our seats were, so we just kind of followed the crowd into what seemed like could have been our entrance... we walked up a MILLION flights of stairs and finally just gave up an pedimos (we asked for) help... but, as you can probably guess by now, no one really seems to have any regard for structure here-- the guy literally looked at our ticket and said "sientense en cualquier lugar, no pasa nada... no pasa nada." (sit wherever you want, no big deal it's fine)... so... we did! We went down a few flights of stairs and double checked with another group of boys, who also literally said, "no pasa nada," and set up camp in somewhat decent seats! And at 12 sharp, the game began! I would definitely say the stadium was FAR from full, but it was full of Betis aficionados (fans). They were playing Murcia, and nothing really seemed to look organized, but that might just be my lack of knowledge of the game... yet according to Ana, and the general consensus, LOPERA (the president/manager) is TONTO (stupid) because he won't pay money for the really good players, so they kind of suck... really bad. We've found that walking into bars and talking to guys about Lopera being tonto is a great way to make friends! Anyway... we enjoyed watching the section directly opposite of us dancing up and down in a wave, leading all the chants and songs. We also took our cues from all the people around us (and when I say people, i mean men because there are no women at these games, really). At MANY points during the game, they would all get up at the same time and throw up their arms, scream lots of bad words (hijo de puta -- son of a b*tch-- was a big one)... it was kind of amusing watching the fans face each other and scream about the tonteria (stupidity) that is Betis. At half time, we had to descend allllll the stairs we came up because there were NO women's bathrooms to be found!! Sexist much? Maybe that's why there's no women crowd at these games... Anyway, we had scored 1 point in the first half, and although there was some gritando (screaming) and booing, we thought the game finished at the same status! I mean, the fans leave that stadium looking angry whether they win or lose, so what did we know? Well, we got home and were SO excited to tell everyone about our experience-- Juanito had also been at the game, apparently-- and we thought it would make good conversation. But all we gained were a bunch of weird looks when we announced, "El Betis ganó!" (Betis won!) No, apparently not, according to everyone... it was a tie, 1-1... we just weren't aware when Murcia had scored. Well, da igual (no difference). Glad we went!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing (Brent got a chance to talk to Vicky over Skype-- his Spanish is definitely mejorando (getting better)) and gearing up for this week. We have a list of things to do, and we plan to accomplish them as we round the home stretch. I have my take home exam due tomorrow, 3 exams Wednesday (which would normally concern me, but not here), and 1 on Thursday... So in between all the studying and nonsense, nos vamos a disfrutar (we will enjoy ourselves) and make the most of this week....

All right, es hora de estudiar (it's time to study)! Hasta luego!!

"No te preocupes, sea feliz-- es feria!" - direct quote

Buenas tardes (good afternoon)! I am tan, relajada (relaxed), and back in Sevilla after our amazing Tenerife getaway! For the first time after one of our trips, I felt like I could've used just ONE more day-- usually I'm so exhausted from site seeing and running around, but this was definitely the complete opposite.

NOTE: I began this post right when I got back from vacation, but I've been busy and computer-less por un rato (for a little while)... I'm sad that I probably won't be able to recall everything that I would've liked, had the experience been fresh in my mind, but I can definitely detallar lo más importante (recount the most important things).

So, where to begin? La ceremonia del alumbrado (the lights ceremony) kicked off Feria on Monday night, but we were even more anxious to get back to Los Remedios for the Tuesday celebrations. After speaking with our family, and conferring with Carlos, we figured it would be best to eat la comida at home and rest up before heading directly over. Laura and I weren't quite sure about how it would work with eating before squeezing into our tight trajes (outfits)... after all, the key (according to Ana's daughter-in-law) is, "no comáis, no respirés... y ya está!" (don't eat or breath and you should be OK!) In any event, we ate a little bit, and then the fashion show began! I would say that the getting-ready process was the most divertida (funny) thing to participate in and watch. The problem was that once you slipped on the dress, you were required to zip it closed somehow, and then you couldn't bend down to do anything else! Since quitándolo (taking it off) wasn't an option after expending the energy to get it on, the sight of us navigating the room was comparable to that of 10-year-olds competing in a potato-sac race. Laura helped me braid my hair and we threw on our tacky jewelry, ending it off with the application of dramatic maquillaje (makeup). After we had done all we could on our own, we went downstairs to seek the help of Sofia, Alfonso's wife/Alfoncete's mom. After a somewhat heated debate about where to place the HUGE flor (flower), we succumbed to tradition and let Sofia fasten it to the top of our heads with bobby pins and hairspray. We felt RIDICULOUS but deep down, we knew that this was how all the women wore it! Después (after), she helped me fasten my shawl in such a way that it wouldn't fall off, even though I kind of wanted it to-- in light of the scorching heat! Y por último (lastly), Sofia helped sew in a makeshift bosillo, a little pocket built into the under-ruffles of the dress, meant to hold money, camera, keys, etc. Most dresses come with a bosillo installed because no one wants to carry a bag around the Feria grounds. Once we were all set, we slipped on our zapatos incómodos (uncomfortable shoes) and presented ourselves to Ana and Manolo. I thought Ana might have a heart attack, considering I've never heard her "OY OY OY OYYYYY" like that before! So we definitely took it as a good sign, and went outside to the garden with Alfonso for a photo shoot!

Shortly after, we followed Ana's suggestion as took a stroll down to el Parque de Maria Luisa to take some pretty pictures and keep our eyes peeled for some outrageous dresses. This was probably the best idea, considering the walk there had already begun to brew blisters on our toes and we still had a way to go before llegando al destino (before getting there). We began to see the magnificent looking coches de caballo (horse carriages), all decorated with gold, carrying Sevilla's socialites. I took some pictures of mini versions of Lauren, who were also dressed in trajes that could easily cost 50 euros! When we were ready, we picked up and followed the crowd over to Los Remedios... I kid you not when I say it looked like the Great Migration that Cornell has for freshmen during orientation week, when you can neither spot the beginning nor the end of the line of hundreds of people heading in the same direction. This at least gave me the chance to snap some pictures of women's dresses from behind without looking like a crazy stalker/tourist. So we hopped on the line at one point and were there within quince minutos (fifteen minutes).

It's amazing how different the fair grounds looked during the day! While the physical setting wasn't as beautiful, considering the luces (lights) were just hanging there with the same feel that Christmas lights give off during the day (bland...), your eyes were completely distracted by the wealth of colors of people's outfits! Every color of the rainbow was present, though the style of the dress was pretty consistent from person to person. All over the place, families and friends were either flooding the streets or uniéndose (getting together) in their casetas for food and drinks. The vibe was definitely more relaxed, considering the bands weren't blasting music and people weren't dancing Sevillana, so it was cool to see the contrast between the festival at night and in daylight. Seeing the groups of kids around my age, give our take a few years, me recordó de (reminded me of) prom! After all, the weather felt like mid June and everyone was getting together to pose in their beautiful attire. Again, I tried not to creep people out with the picture-taking, so I made sure to be really discreet... We stuck around for a little over an hour, until Carlos got in touch with us to let us in on the plan for later... So, Laura and decided it was time to waddle (yes, at this point the dresses were feeling really tight and our feet were practically bleeding) home for a break. The first thing we did when we got home was get OUT of those dresses and change into something in which we could, in fact, respirar (breathe). Since we had a few hours before we planned to salir otra vez (go out again), we joined Vicky in the kitchen and had a snack... leftovers, our favorite!!!

We were ready to get dressed again when the time inevitably came, but i HAD to change out of those shoes into more comfortable ones as long as we would be on our feet the entire night. Carlos showed up at our door at around 10 with a bottle of classy wine and somehow managed to persuadir (convince) his friend to give us a lift... I later learned that this friend is actually one of the Abby's intercambios! "El mundo es un pañuelo!" ("It's a small world") I was RELIEVED, til I saw that his friend was driving the tiniest two-door, stick shift porsche. Just try to imagine the scene of us cramming into the car, trying to stuff in our dresses and taking care not to lose the flower on top of our heads. When it came time to get out of the car, we looked como si fuéramos (as if we were) straight out of a circus act...

Once our little group began to increase in size, Carlos led us over to his friends' caseta (I forgot what business/association sponsored it). He didn't have enough passes to get us all in, but the real party was actually going on right outside the tent! Most people were between the ages of 23-28, passing around pitchers of rebujitos and filling up your cup, even if they didn't know you. We made a lot of friends that night, notably Javi who was bouncing around like a maniac and making sure no one had an empty cup... "ALLLLL!!!!" as he said in his thick accent, policing everyone to ensure they were drinking the contents of their little cups. And a few cups later, Laura DEFINITELY had the hang of the Sevillanas dance better than any non-Spaniard present! While Carlos and some of the boys were still having difficulty entering the caseta, Laura and I kind of looked at each other, shrugged, and marched up to the guard patrolling our tent. All we did was smile, and he let us pass right in-- no questions asked! Go figure, right? So we took a seat for a little while at a table with Javi, giggling while our other friends were glaring at us. I think we have the flower to thank, honestly, because it really made us look authentic!

Memorable quotes from the time in and around the caseta:

"ALLLLLLLL!!"

"Si no apoya, no folla"

"Arriba! Abajo! Al centro! Pa' dentro!"

Sure enough, late night comenzó a convertirse en (began to turn into) early morning, and people were yawning and getting ready to go. Now, you can't forget that Feria, unlike Semana Santa, does not translate to a week-long vacation for everyone (really only university students and faculty, though people do generally adjust their work schedules). Laura and I were really the only students among everyone, so most of our friends needed to get home if they had any prayer of getting to work on time. After bidding everyone an "hasta luego!" (see you later!), the few of us that remained headed over to into another area where people were gathering in the streets. Sure enough, we ran into our good buddy (sarcastic voice) Scott. He's actually a year younger than us and is on a different program, but looked SHOCKED to see Laura and me dressed up. He made some sort of comment that he gives us a lot of credit because the girls on his program would NEVER get so into it-- well, jappy girls never cease to surprise me! But the truth was, Laura and I were actually starting to feel drained and we knew we had to be responsible to make our early flight to the Canary Islands the next morning... But in the time between saying bye to our friends and arriving home, we couldn't resist but to stop at a Chocolatería for some authentic churros con chocolate :) VERY delicious, and la manera mejor (the best way) to end an incredible experience at La Feria de Abril de Sevilla!

A few hours later, literally, Laura and I woke up to our alarm and pulled ourselves together for the day of traveling. This time around, we were determined to take the public bus to the airport, considering how expensive the cab fares are during la Feria-- i mean, they already start OUT muy caros (very expensive), so this would've just compounded everything. After taking the bus near our house to the main bus platform, and taking that bus to the airport, we arrived with plenty of time to spare and spent around 3 euros! We killed some time before the flight at a little coffee shop, deliriously laughing and rehashing the details of the anoche (last night). And before we knew it, it was time to board the plane... the flight was a little over 2 hours, but it kind of felt longer considering the child behind us who screamed bloody murder for the last half hour. Everyone was feeling uncomfortable and was wishing 4-year-old Pedro, as we undoubtedly learned his name, to hell. Pues, nada... (So anyway...)

Getting from the airport to the hotel was the next obstáculo (challenge). The problem is that all these flights land in the North airport, which would be fine if our hotel wasn't in the most southern part of the island! Taking a cab would've cost more than 100 euros, so that wasn't even and option. Instead of panicking, we asked around (I couldn't be more proud of our speaking abilities) and learned that it would take 2 buses to get to the main terminal, and we could easily navigate to our hotel desde allí (from there). The whole thing went pretty smoothly, we transitioned where we needed to and saved a TON of money. It ended up taking around an hour and a half or so, but valía la pena (it was worth it)! At the main terminal, we met a boy who was also studying in Sevilla who seemed kind of harmless but soon turned out to be big weirdo (socially inept, really clueless, dead weight). We were nice and we all stuck together until we got to our hotel, but no teníamos ganas (we didn't really want to) kindle a friendship any further.

Once we were all checked in, we took our key and went up to our room. Now, before we cracked the door we knew it was a 4-star hotel, but we were surprised they threw in a pair of nice Adidas sandals gratis (free)... and a few pairs of jeans... and shirts... and a suitcase. OK, they clearly gave us la llave (the key) to another man's room, and we had FULL access to his private life! Gritamos (we screamed) and ran out, trying to reconcile our hunger and exhaustion with this confusion and embarrassment. In the end, they fixed everything-- we didn't get anything free out of it, unfortunately, but we didn't feel like arguing because we were in PARADISE!!

It really hit us that our semester was coming to and end... we had planned this trip so long ago, thinking about how long we had to look forward to it and how much would be happening in the months leading up to it. And there we were! We didn't want any drama and just wanted to relax, so we quickly changed into trajes de baño (bathing suits) and headed out to the pool for lunch. The creepy boy from earlier was lurking and we kinda felt bad, so we joined him... he happened to be an excruciatingly slow eater and we couldn't sit much longer than we had so we said our good-bye's and headed over to the lounge chairs for the rest of the afternoon. It ended up being a gorgeous day-- the pool was quiet because it was mostly viejos (old people) vacationing-- LOTS of german and british accents to be heard. Also, we saw much more than we wanted to of some of these old wrinkly women who went topless, sin verguenza (shamelessly)... OY OY OY! Other than that, the actual pool area was GORGEOUS! When you walk out of the hotel, past the bar and tables, you see endless lounge chairs surrounding a huge pool... the pool was really pretty and had a waterfall! There was also another little area with a shallower pool, with chairs surrounding it, but this area seemed more private.

We stayed out until it started getting a little chilly and cloudy at around 7 so we packed it up and got showered. Since our package included la cena (dinner), we shuffled down to the dining room, only to be in HEAVEN-- the one in Mallorca was great, but this topped that by a million! There were so many options, so you could theoretically eat whatever you could have imagined. We took a liking to the make-your-own pasta station... you picked out the kind of pasta, vegetables, and sauce you wanted and a chef cooked it for you right there. We also walked over to the grille, where someone was making chicken, steak, and fish... and dessert was also amazing! After eating our way into a coma, we decided that we could either give into our exhaustion and go to sleep OR at least attempt the bar in the hotel. So we chose the latter… we heard there was some sort of discoteca sponsored by the hotel, so we followed the signs… only to realize that it consisted of a live singer performing in front of a room full of cushiony chairs, upon which a handful of old people were perched. En vez de (instead of) taking that any further, we sat down at the bar and made friends with the bartender (of COURSE). We weren’t as lucky as we were in Mallorca, though-- no free drinks. But it was at least some good speaking practice if anything. We also made friends with one of the hotel entertainers (organizes activities, etc.) He came in handy for looking up the title to a song we’ve been DYING to know since we heard it at Boss a few times. And then it was time to go to bed…

Which was una buena idea (a good idea), considering we were able to despertarnos temprano (wake up early) to set out our towels on lounge chairs before the crowd took over. It was pretty cloudy when we got out there so we went in for a leisurely breakfast… which, like dinner, was very impressive! While they offered a huge variety, we stuck to the make-your-own omelet station. Buenisimo!

It was still sort of overcast when we got out again, but we didn't let that ruin our morning. We decided to take a walk outside the hotel... Salimos (we left) through the back gate of the pool, which plopped us right on the boardwalk. Along the boardwalk was a reallllly long strip of other hotels and resorts, restaurants, and other tiendas (shops). We walked past a beach-pool, which was pretty cool, and eventually made it to the actual beach. Had the weather been nicer, I'm sure we would've set up camp there but it was kind of chilly without the sunshine. After a while, we headed back to the hotel... JUST in time for our entertainer friend's sangria demonstration!!! He called out to everyone on the pool deck and began a humorous presentation on how to make his famous sangria, which consisted of more alcohol than it probably should have. He was a crowd favorite, appealing to all the oldies, and he even gave us 2 cups (more than plenty). And by the time this was all over, the sol (sun) had reappeared!! We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon/early evening out by the pool simply because it was beautiful enough to! Just before dinner, the Cornell girls we had met up with in GIbraltar arrived, so our duo was expanded! It was nice to catch up with everyone and we went to dinner, and then called it an early night... we were drained from the sun... The rest of the trip was sort of a repeat of this sequence of events-- SO pleasant and relaxing to be able to sit back and not feel like you have to run to a million museums! One more girl from Cornell, studying in Sevilla, also joined us, adding to the party. She caught onto our routine really quickly! I think our favorite night was our last night at the hotel. Laura and I were feeling really deshidratadas (dehydrated), and went down to the bar with the sole intention of buying water bottles. But with out order, one of the bartenders started mixing something out, threw down 2 coasters, and serves us this great drink-- reminiscent of a mojito! "Es gratis, chicas" (It's on the house!) We ended up sitting down and talked to him for a while, going back and forth in English and Spanish. We were dying because their jefe (manager) was close by, kind of fiddling with the cash register but clearly eavesdropping on our conversation, actively nodding in agreement with some of our comments. He seemed like a tough one to crack, but soon he was also talking to us! And then another bartender came out from the back with another drink he had mixed up, gratis of course... being friendly really gets you far!!

Overall, this was definitely the spring break trip we were craving, and I don't think I'd change a thing! Por casualidad (coincidentally), we were on PEDRO the cry-baby's flight back home, and he did scream his head off the whole ride but we weren't going to let that discolor our overall great impressions of the trip.

Back in Sevilla, life went back to normal. Our teachers were giving out their warnings that we should try to come to every class from here on out, considering we could easily count the number of classes left... scary thought! I also experienced something at the university I've never experienced in my life: my poetry teacher FINALLY had the results from our midterms, and BOY did she let us know how disappointed she was. In front of a class of about 20, she started screaming, in Spanish of course, about how we are a bunch of disgraces and "no sabéis escribir" (you don't know how to write). She threw up our papers in the midst of her rage, and then the humiliation began... One by one, she called out the students' names, their grades, and gave them a personal lecture on the spot. Out of 10, kids scored 5.5 and below. She called a few students "lastimas" (pities), provoked tears and urges to run out of class, and told some kids they should drop the class-- because that's really feasible at this point, right? I felt SO bad for some students whose cheeks were burning red hot, and the dynamic of the classroom was very tense after the fact. I'm not sure how, but in some milagro (miracle), I managed to get a 9, but her comments were merely "buen trabajo, un poquito breve" (good work, a little short). Awkwarddd...

In other news, Laura and I still had one more trip to look forward to at the end of the week: Lagos, Portugal! We spent some time in the center, loitering around the Discover Sevilla office because we booked the trip through their company. We signed up for the optional sangria sailing excursion and bugged them to give us cool roommates, because the hotel rooms were designed for 4 people...

We actually spent a lot of time in the center during the week, thinking about it. Julieann was visiting Sevilla for 2 days so we tried a new restaurant our friends recommended: Los Coloniales. It was a delicious tapas place, and we ordered SOO much food to split... and the bill came out to under 10 euros per person, even after all we ate! After dinner, we went to La Carboneria to see some free Flamenco... we've been there a handful of times now, and the show doesn't really change, but it's still a lot of fun to go.

Towards the end of the week, my computer charger finally gave way after a voltage converter mix up... but I guess it wasn't SO awful because I knew we'd be away for the weekend and we'd have it cleared up by la semana que viene (next week)... little did I know my experience with Apple in Spain would be completel HOROROSO (horrendoussss and horrific)!! There is no official "Apple Store" in Sevilla, so I was sent to GoldenMac-- a company licensed by Apple to sell their products. They really have no idea what they're doing and caused more harm than good, but at least I have a computer!

OKKKK, I've said enough... next post will be about our adventures in Portugal and the CRAZY birthday week (Laura and Andrea) and end of class celebrations that followed.

FOTOS ASAP YAYYY!!!