Haaaaaaaaaaaapy New Year!!!!!!!

I had to get really excited in the title. Because my actual new year's celebration is...basically nonexistent. It is 9pm and I might head to bed.......I'm going to go ahead and still blame that on the jet lag.

Aaaanyway, I have been doing some reflection over the last year. Since that's usually what you do on New Year's.

Some things that happened in 2010:

- I had moved to Portland at the end of 2009. But in 2010 I finally started feeling comfortable there and knowing my way around and meeting fun people and having a social life :) Bascially, I fell in love with Portland in 2010.

- well, I took a little trip. To Spain. I'm not sure if most of you were aware of that. It was pretty cool.

- my niece turned 1. She is amazing.

- my momma got diagnosed with breast cancer and went through 4 surgeries in 5 months. She is an amazing woman. One of the strongest women I have ever known and one of my greatest heros. She is doing fantastic now, by the way.

- my best friend got married. To a great guy and they are super cute together. Although I do miss getting to hang out with her whenever we want, we still get to hang out quite a lot. And they are a great couple and I'm so happy for them!

- I got a B in Spanish. Boo.

- I went to some really fun concerts (Jamie Cullum and Michael Buble. Don't laugh.) and saw Cirque du Soleil! So incredible!

- my uncle passed away after a long fight with cancer. He had a rough life but was a sweet, loving guy and he is missed.

- I learned a lot of Spanish. Thanks in part to the aforementioned trip to Spain. And even to the class in which I received a B.

-I met some fantastic people. In Portland, in Spain, at church, at work, in class, through other random ways and in other random places...they are all great and I'm glad to have met them all.

-I spent a lot of the money I had saved from working at the bank. On the semester in Spain. Worth it. I think...

- I cut my hair short. Short-ish. Nothing too exciting, nor important. But it happened. And I'm letting it grow out again.

Some things I started doing in 2010:

- working at the gym. Such a fun little job! Definitely kept me entertained and busy (and at times a little stressed), and I had some fun, met some awesome people and made some money.

- going to Solid Rock church and a house church that meets on Mondays. Here I met some more amazing people, learned some more about God, worshipped, grew and just had fun.

- volunteering with AKA Science, the after-school science program put on by the OHCC. So much fun and a great learning experience.

- working out. I learned that I can actually enjoy it! Thanks to the best personal trainer ever, Jeremy.

Some things I learned in 2010:

- a little bit of Spanish :)

- that I'm stronger than I previously realized. And I'm not just talking about my giant muscles. baaaahahahaha

- that you can make all the plans you want and have all the dreams you can dream, but God is ultimately in control. A lesson I for some reason have to keep on learning over and over again.

- that I am a lot braver than I realized. Mostly in relation to food. hahaha I ate a lot of weird stuff in Spain. And never even threw up! And actually liked it all! (minus blood sausage and pig foot...)

- that I can take on a lot of things at once. For instance: 16 credits, 2 volunteer positions, 20 hours of work per week AND a social life. Granted, the next term I cut back a little. But I didn't die. Not quite anyway.

All in all, 2010 was a fantastic year. There were some downs. Some really down-y downs. But there were also a million ups. I had so much fun. After working for four years at a job I really didn't like, that drained every ounce of being that was in me, this was a pleasant change. I'm not just talking about my trip to Spain either. I had so much fun just living in Portland that I was actually sad to leave. I was questioning my decision to study abroad. There were other reasons I was questioning this too, but I had decided that I had had so much fun this last year in Portland that I wouldn't have minded it if I didn't go to Spain. So glad I did though!

Besides my amazing time in Sevilla and the fun I had in Portland, I realized that what it's really all about are the people. Spain wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without the amazing people I met. Sevilla wasn't the greatest city I've been to. But it was so hard to leave because of the relationships I built there. And Portland is the same way. I had so much fun there because of the people I met that I did fun things with. Obviously I have amazing relationships in my hometown too. I wouldn't want to be without them. But that's exactly the point. As long as there are great people around you, it doesn't matter where you are or what you are doing. Because they will make it worth it. Not to say that you should stay somewhere you aren't happy just because of the people. I never would have left the bank if that was the case. But here's a thank you to all those fantastic people in my life. Those that have come and gone, those that are new, those that are old, those that I only see occasionally, those I see all the time. You are all amazing and I wouldn't want to be without any of you!

Now, here are some goals I have for 2011:

- keep practicing and improving my Spanish.

- get more involved in my church.

- read more. In Spanish.

- start working out again. Whoooops. Spain was terrible for that.

- cook more.

- meet more cool people. and hang out more with the cool people I already know.

- be better at keeping in touch with people, especially the people I met in Spain. And re-connect with people I haven't been so good at keeping in touch with.

- don't spend too much money on unnecessary things (ie, clothes...). Notice I said "too much money." Not "don't spend any money." I'm trying to be realistic here...

- watch less TV...fortunately my new apartment won't have TV. But I didn't have that last year either and still wound up watching way too much on hulu.com. Kind of silly.

- sew something. I haven't sewn anything in a long time. I should probably make something.

- frame the artwork I bought in Spain. And the thing I bought in Mexico last year....

Okay, that's enough. I probably won't even be able to do all those. But here's to a year full of change (good change), FUN, goal-making and goal-achieving, personal and spiritual growth, travel, people, good health for everyone, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, contentment and more FUN.

Barcelona. (Barthelona/Barca/Bartha/Barça)

The day after my last final, Sofie and I packed up and headed to Barcelona. We were going to meet Sarah and two of her friends there and spend a few days seeing the sights. Sofie and I said goodbye to our señoras (no tears!!!!), hopped in a taxi and headed to the airport. Where the tears started. But nevermind that.

Now, I was in Sevilla for a little over three months. And I bought a lot of things. I mean a LOT of things. So my two giant suitcases were filled to the brim. And very heavy. How heavy, I did not realize. Until I went to check my two bags on Vueling and the guy said, "uhh, the limit is 46 kilos. This will cost you 230 euros to check these bags." Uhhhh I'm sorry. 230 euros?!?!!? I was not sure what to do. So I just stared at him. And so he started speaking in English because he thought I didn't understand. But I still stared at him, bewildered. There was no way I was going to pay that much to check my bags. But there was also no way I was going to not see Barthelona. So I just kept saying, uhhhhhhh. Ehhhhh. Ummmmm. And he finally asked what Sofie was checking. She had a tiny little suitcase. She is amazing. I don't know how she left after 3 months with less than I started with. Anyway, because of her smart, thrifty, space conservation-ness, he said he'd call hers a carry-on and then my two could count as three bags between us. Yikes. Praise the Lord.

After that scare, we found our gate and sat until our plane boarded. For three hours. Noooo idea why we got there so early. Anyway, we finally made it to Barcelona at about 10pm, where we hopped on the train (baaarely making it in time), then found our way to the apartment/hotel. Dragging my billion pounds of luggage behind us (Sofie is my hero for helping me all week with my bags!). We made it to the apartment. And then stared up the four flights of stairs with tears in our eyes. Then drug (dragged?) my bags up the stairs. Then I ate my last bocadillo from my señora :( Then Sarah told us about how she had been attacked in the train station by some moron throwing makeup on her and pretending to help her while his friend distracted her by asking for directions and his other friend tried to steal her bags. Well, Sarah is much smarter than some dumb muggers, so they didn't get away with anything. Minus staining her clothes :( Anyway, we went to sleep and woke up the next morning to explore Barcelona!

I normally don't like big cities that much. I prefer the smaller, more traditional, historical towns. Not that Barcelona isn't historic. But I didn't really think I'd like it that much. I was wrong. It may be one of my favorite cities in Spain now. The Gaudí buildings are incredible. I had heard of Gaudí and heard of the Sagrada Familia, etc. But I did NOT expect it to be so amazing. Gaudí was a genius. His buildings are just insane. Like nothing you would imagine a building to be. The Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's cathedral in Barcelona, is breathtaking. I could have spent all day looking up at the building. All week probably. After gawking at the Gaudí creations; seeing the Picasso museum full of amazing art; visiting the food market with super cheap, fresh juices; eating PAELLA finally; drinking some cava (champagne); doing some cuddling and movie-watching with the girls; my final serving of churros; and hanging out with my lovely Sarah and Sofie, and Sarah's two fun friends who are studying in France, it was time to part ways :(

Barcelona was fantastic. It's a wonderful big city with so much to do and see, and with so much quirky-ness that the big-ness doesn't even matter. I love Gaudí and Picasso now more than ever thanks to this city. I also love paella. And fresh fruit juice. I DON'T love street performers, which Barcelona is full of. They are just weird and creepy. I also don't love makeup-spilling attention-diverting robbers. But still, Barcelona is great. After all the wonder of this city, it was time to head back to Madrid for a day before leaving for good. Which meant time to hop on an eight-hour bus ride. Fun.

More to come!

No pictures because my computer is dead. And I left my cord in Barcelona. So until Sofie gets back from Spain/Serbia with it, I am computer-less. So you can go to my facebook to see a few photos!

shopping, studying, tears and goodbyes

Where to start...?! Well, first of all, I'm HOME! After 21 hours, three flights, one taxi ride, leaving my iPod on the plane and lost luggage...I made it back to Portland at 12.30am this morning. I can't believe that yesterday (the day before?) I was in Madrid. Craziness.

Back to Sevilla-the last week or so there. I don't remember what I posted about last, and I'm too lazy to look it up. The last week in Sevilla went by really fast. I had finals to study for, sights to see, goodbyes to say, tears to shed....

I had four finals to take the last week. I also had to turn in a final paper about the book/movie Los Santos Inocentes, a portfolio about my teaching practicum and a video for my psychology class. The tests were pretty hard and required quite a bit of studying. And the video required hours of editing, all done in Douchka, my favorite tea shop. We literally spent four hours there one night working on the video. I'm sure the owner just loved us...

Between studying and taking exams, I did lots of last-minute sight-seeing and shopping. I had lots of souvenirs to buy still and places that I wanted to check out or see again. There are still a lot of places I didn't get around to seeing after almost four months. Kind of pathetic, really. But I still saw a lot of amazing things and got in a few last-minute sights.

Our little TDP group had been planning a goodbye party or two. The original plan was to meet up with Ale and Gerardo and some other friends on Wednesday night for some drinks. Then the 5 of us would go out to dinner on Thursday night as our last dinner together. But because of the studying required for our finals on Thursday, we decided to do everything on Thursday night. And then CIEE notified us they were also throwing us a goodbye party that night. So we planned to go to the party, then head to dinner with our little TDP group, then meet up with other friends for a couple drinks.

When Thursday came around, we finished our finals and I did a little packing, then Sofie, Charlotte and I met up for a little pre-party wine-drinking. We sat out at the table in our little patio area and drank a bottle of wine between the three of us. So by the time we headed to the CIEE party, we were a bit tipsy. Which meant I was already a bit emotional. Then when we got there, our TDP teacher, Jorge, was just leaving. We had to say goodbye to him before we even walked into the party. So by the time I walked in, I was already crying. We didn't have much time at the party as we had dinner reservations, but we said goodbye to some friends, to our coordinator Caro and I said goodbye to my professor Angel. Then we ran out to the restaurant. Ale planned to meet us there since we weren't sure what time we'd be done with dinner. And Gerardo was going to meet us after we were done.

A little pre-party wine-drinking.

My lovely TDP family, with our profe Jorge (in the middle).

Saying goodbye to the ever-stylish Ángel.

We headed to the restaurant, which was one we walked by all the time and had tea at a few times. The menu looked great and it always smelled amazing inside. But we had never eaten there. We walked in for dinner, and the waiter who we always saw there said, "you're coming here to EAT today?!" hahah whoops, guess our only-tea-drinking was annoying. Whatever, we ordered rice with duck and some wine and enjoyed our Last Supper together. We had fun chatting and reminiscing and laughing. And trying not to cry...After dinner we ordered some dessert. Then I called up Gerardo to meet up with us. But he couldn't make it as he had to work early the next morning. And nobody else wanted to go out since they also had to get up early. Soooo that was the end of things. I was so glad Ale came to dinner with us so we could hang out one last time. We all headed outside, I said tearful goodbyes to everyone, and we headed home. Where I went to bed and cried myself to sleep. Not really. But mostly.

The TDP group and Ale. Love them all.

Me and Ale. Tears!

The next morning, I woke up, had my last breakfast at Angeles's house, headed to do some final shopping with Sofie and then headed back home for my last lunch with the Spanish family. Which consisted of tomato soup with bread and a fried egg in it, and some boquerones. And of course an orange. I then packed everything up (it barely fit...and made for some very heavy suitcases), sat in my room with no internet and nothing to do, trying not to cry, and then said goodbye to the host family. I took my bags downstairs and Sofie and I headed to the airport to go to Barcelona. I didn't even cry when I said goodbye to Angeles and her family. But then I got in the taxi and saw Sevilla flying past and couldn't hold it in anymore. I'm sure the taxi driver thought I was crazy, and so did Sofie, but I just couldn't help it.

I am not someone who is afraid of change. I kind of thrive on it, actually. If I am in the same place doing the same thing for too long, I can't stand it. I have realized that I end up changing something every year or so-jobs, living arrangement, entire life-plan, etc. I just keep moving around and trying new things, hoping I will eventually find what and where and who I want to be for good. Whenever I leave "home" to go somewhere new, I'm a little sad but mostly excited. I always know that I'll be back in Oregon, close to my family and friends at some point. But when I have to leave the "new" place, its always sad because I know that its for good. Not to say that I will never talk to or see the people or places again. But it just will never be the same. So for this reason, there were plenty of tears when I left Sevilla.

Now I'm ready for what's to come. I'm excited to move in with my new roommates, start new classes, figure out what I'm going to do for work, meet new people, etc. I still would have loved to have been able to stay in Sevilla for another semester. Just to practice my Spanish more and hang out with my Spanish and American friends (and get Joaquín to fall in love with me...). But that's not the plan God had for me. I know I will have an amazing year here in Portland with my family and friends. I love Portland. I still think it may be the greatest place to live on earth. But I'm sure a year from now I'll be ready for something new again...we'll see what is in store for me next! Here's to a great new year!

Soon to come: Barcelona adventures. Don't worry, the Spain blogging isn't done yet :)

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

thief...

I keep stealing pictures from people on facebook. Is this creepy? Wrong? Weird? Whatever, please to enjoy.

This is Ángel, my novel/cinema professor. With Andrew (left) and
Elena (far right) and...I don't remember.

This is Jorge, before our carmel shots...he's the one in the blue t-shirt.

Sofie, Sarah and I hanging out at a fountain in Barrio Santa Cruz...

21!!!!!

My two favorite Spanish guys in the whole world. Maybe my favorite guys
in general. Gerardo (left) and Ale, (with Charlotte in the middle), celebrating
my and Charlotte's birthdays.

video para psicología

Here's the video we made for class. It's all in Spanish, so I realized no one will understand it. Ohhhh well!

El aprendizaje de Español en Sevilla from Sofie SherBurt on Vimeo.

Triana, tea and...something else that starts with "t"...

I'm pretty sure Spain wants me to leave. Or I'm allergic to my bedroom. Either than or my sinus infection is back with a vengeance. Either way, I'm sick. Again. For the fourth time in 3 months. Anyway, because my head is so stuffy that I can't study, besides the fact that I'm tired of studying, here's another post for you lovely people.

Last week of classes! So. Crazy. Today was a good day, minus having to take a Spanish exit exam. Although I know without a doubt that I did way better than I did on the entrance exam. I got to hang out in class with some of my favorite professors and with my TDP buddies. Then I came home and had a yummy lunch. Will go to my favorite tea place later to do a little late-night studying. And then tomorrow we start all over again.

This last weekend we went to Triana. This is the part of Sevilla on the other side of the river. Sevilla is split up into different areas-we live in Puerta Osario, near the Macarena and also near the Centro. There's Nervion, Los Remedios....and Triana. Now, Triana has quite a history. The Triana-ites? are very proud people. When you go there, you find T-shirts saying things to the effect of "the republic of Triana." They think they are the greatest. For some reason I had not been to Triana yet in my three months here. Mentira, I had been to calle Betis once. This is the "party" street lined with bars and discotecas immediately across the river. I'm not sure that it actually counts as real Triana. Anyway, Sarah, Charlotte and I explored that part of town a little on Saturday.

Triana is known for, besides its local pride, ceramics. There are a ton of shops with handmade ceramic creations. They are beautiful. I wanted to buy literally everything I saw. And I pretty much did....After wandering around for a while in the ceramics shops and stopping at the most amazing pastry shop, we headed back home. That night we met up at Douchka for some tea and video-making. We have to make this video for our psychology class about our process of learning Spanish in Spain. So we've got all kinds of video clips that we've taken that we had to put together. It's gonna be pretty amazing, I'll show you all when its done.

Triana food market. Jamón, anyone??

Or, if you're not into pork...maybe some pheasant or a rabbit?!

I ate these once. The sea-snail-like things.

Crossing the bridge to Triana.

AMAZING pastries, with Sarah.

Christmas decorations, sunshine and orange trees.
What could be more Christmas-y?!

Yesterday (Sunday), Charlotte and I went to the art market outside of the art museum here in town. Its one of my favorite places in Sevilla for some reason. I love seeing local artists and their crafts. Maybe its because I have no artistic talents whatsoever that I really appreciate the talents of others! We wandered around a bit, ran into a friend from school, bought a few (more...) things, and made plans to meet up with our friend at Douchka later. After getting home and eating some of the food my señora left me (she was going to be gone all day so left me a LOT of food for lunch and dinner.), we headed to Douchka. For the second day in a row. And after a pot of tea, some dessert, and 4 hours....we left. Almost done with the video. We just are going to go back again tonight to finish it up. Three days in a row, they should give us some free tea or something...

This is lunch and dinner. Not at all an unusual amount of food.
I ate it all.

Anyway, a great start to my last week here! The rest of this week should be pretty great too!


Here are some photos I stole from Charlotte (as are the ones of the Triana food market). She is way better about taking pictures than I am.

Las Irlandesas-the school where we taught.

In the teacher's lounge with Sarah and Tim.

The street we live on-calle Alcántara.

The plaza right outside our building.

The street we walk down, and graffiti we walk past, literally every day.

"No me ha dejado."

Another sight we walk by every single day.

T minus 13 days.

First of all: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!! :)

One more week in Sevilla. I leave next Friday at 8pm to fly to Barcelona, spend three days in Barcelona, then hop on a (8-hour...) bus to Madrid for 2 days and then head back to Oregon. 13 days total left. That's not nearly enough time.

Don't get me wrong. I am excited to see everyone. To see my momma's brand-new look, get a real-live smooch from my niece, get big hugs from my daddio and brother and sister and grandma, go to sushi and froyo with Annie (and eat like 10 plates of sushi), get a pedicure with Helen (this is GOING to happen, sistah!), see my BFF Kayla and catch up, move in and hang out with my new roommates, and see everyone else that I've missed while I've been here. And share my stories and goodies with everyone.

But...I'm not gonna lie, I wish I could come back for another semester. I have made some really great friends here that I'm going to miss. I have found the places I like going to and feel comfortable in. I'm learning so much Spanish. I'm traveling. I'm falling in love. Wait, not literally. But falling in love with 4-year-old students and cities and countries and professors ;) and friends and my Spanish family.

And now I have to leave. When coming here, people told me that 4 months wasn't enough time. I kind of laughed at them. I was in Italy for 2 months and was kind of ready to come home after that long. I figured 4 months would be the perfect amount of time. I was wrong. So wrong. 3 months is just about the time where you start to feel comfortable with things and love where you are. I mean, I loved it from the start. But the things I've done and the people I've met and the memories I've made since my first days here have just built up and stacked on top of each other like the bricks of a house. I finally feel like I'm at home here because of all those things.

Again, don't get me wrong. I don't think Spain could ever actually be my home. I don't imagine I could ever be this far away from my family for an indefinite period of time. But I want to keep speaking Spanish. And hanging out with my Spanish friends. And TRAVELING. And learning. About language and culture and teaching and myself. If I could just go home for a couple weeks for Christmas, then come back here for another semester, I'd be happy. I could see the places I didn't get to in my time here, and hopefully be closer to the level of Spanish fluency that I would like to be at (let's not talk about the amount of time I've spent speaking English here. We won't go there.). Then I'd come home in the summer (before the 120 degree Sevillan summer) and be back for good, ready to roll.

I did this same thing before I left to come here. I was talking about the things in the US I'd miss. And I really haven't missed most of them, besides the people. So I know I'll be fine when I get back and get over my jetlag. But the time leading up to that will not be easy, although I'm going to make the most of it! Seeing the sights I haven't yet seen and re-visiting my favorites. Hanging out with the amazing people I've met here. (Oh yeah and studying...stupid finals really put a damper on things. And packing, and seeing how much I have to get rid of because I can't fit everything in my bags...yet I can't seem to stop shopping.)

So, don't worry about me. I'll be back before any of us know it. And I will definitely be glad to be back home with my loved ones. So here's to making the most of what's to come and enjoying my last (SUNNY) days in Sevilla, while looking forward to what God has in store for me when I get back to the states. See you all in a fortnight! Minus a day...



but (shhh, don't tell my mom) I may have though about/looked into ways I could stay here. Including nanny jobs and directly enrolling in the university without paying for a program like CIEE....which I think would be super-cheap...

Danke/Gracias/Thank you, Suiza.

Switzerland. The land of: hot wine, Christmas, $15 drinks, snow, COLD, $30 cab rides, tall people, cheese, amazing bread, beautiful landscapes, cute Christmas markets, government-sponsored heroin, good music, adorable buildings (hello, Swiss chalet!), sweet people, blond hair, Santa Claus, plum pie, delicious food, drunk Swiss men at clubs...well, that pretty much sums up my trip!!

My lovely friend Isabelle was gracious enough to host me this weekend and be my tour guide. When I got there, she had the whole weekend planned out and everything sounded fantastic! I arrived in the afternoon and she picked me up from the airport. After finding each other (apparently I went out the wrong door as we were separated by a glass wall...), we went to her cute apartment and settled in a bit. Then we went out to the "farm" where her horse, Sasha, is kept. Sasha is a beautiful big horse and he is about 20 years old. It was cooooolllld and snowy when we got there, so we took a quick walk with Sasha and went back when our feet were frozen. It was a beautiful introduction to Switzerland, a beautiful snowy countryside with adorable Swiss kids sledding, an amazing view of the city below all lit up...quite amazing!

After a nice walk with Sasha, we headed back to Isa's apartment where we had dinner. She made chicken and veggies, which was quite delicious. Then we got ready and headed out for a night on the town. We met a couple of her girlfriends at a club that has a 25+ party the first Friday of every month. You have to have ID showing you are 25 or over. Pretty funny, and lots of fun! We waited in line for a while to get a stamp to get in. It was cold. Like bitterly cold. And snowing. And we were waiting outside. But we were bundled up pretty well and they brought out a cup of hot wine for everyone, which was very nice! I had had "vino caliente" here in Sevilla a week or two before and loved it, so was excited that this is a common Swiss drink :) After getting our stamp, we headed to a different bar to get a drink or two before returning to the club. This is where the $15 drinks came in. Needless to say I only had one. Granted, it was an amazingly delicious Caiprinha (Brazilian? drink. so good.), but an expensive one. After a couple drinks (or one in my case), we headed back to the club. We checked our coats, got a shot of...something fruity...and headed to the dance floor. There were a lot of people. Drunk people. But mostly just really fun and friendly and TALL people. I loved it. The girls were telling me about some of the regulars at this 25+ party (which they are also regulars at). Including the twins guys who are probably about 6'7" and stay together the whole time. Of course there were some short and regular-height people too. But so many tall people, I was in heaven. After a couple of fights, a couple drunk Swiss guys and a few hours, I told Isa I was too tired to stay any longer. At this point I had been awake for 24 hours. I was dead on my tired, cold feet. So we headed back home (stopping first for veggie burgers!) and I passed out pretty much immediately.

The next day, after getting up nice and late, we got ready and headed to Lucern. Isa has a friend in Lucern who owns a couple hotels and manages a restaurant. So we had a pretty great weekend. Lucern is just beautiful. When you picture Switzerland in your mind, Lucern is what you see, minus the green rolling hills and meadows you can frolic through. Or maybe that's only what I see in my mind...

Anyway, Lucern is fantastic. You can see the Swiss Alps on a clear day, as well as Lake Lucern. Even seeing both at the same time often. Its quite picturesque. We found a parking spot and did a little shopping in the Christmas-y streets of the cute town. Now, I should mention that it gets dark very early there. Like at 5. And stores close at about 4pm. Quite a different lifestyle from Spain. Anyway, we did a little shopping, picking up all kinds of cute things, until the stores closed, then went for some coffee (or tea in my case) and cake. We found a cute little cafe and I got some plum cake and tea. Delicious. I didn't eat a single thing in Switzerland that I didn't absolutely love. After the goodies, we headed to the hotel where we got settled in and watched a German music television show. I had no idea what they were saying or singing about, but the music was all good! After a little rest, we went to dinner.

Phillip's restaurant is amazing. It's so cozy inside, with wood-paneled walls and long buffet-style tables. Dim lighting and a big fireplace. Just beautiful. Then you eat the food. I never wanted to leave. This restaurant is a fixed-menu, four-course dinner style restaurant. On the menu for this night was: first, a delicious green salad with yummy veggies and a vinaigrette dressing. Next up was some risotto with shrimp. Big, delicious shrimp and creamy delicious risotto. So. good. We took a break at this point and drank some wine. Some delicious Italian wine. (After finishing our glass of champagne earlier). While we were resting our stomachs for the next course, we were being entertained watching the Lucern soccer team down below. We were seated in the balcony area, overlooking the kitchen and other main dining area of the restaurant. The soccer team was taking up three or four giant tables and laughing and singing and having a grand ole time. Again, no idea what they were saying, but I could tell they were having fun. While chatting with Phillip, we found out that the team was going to be getting a visit from Santa Claus later on. December 6th is Santa Claus Day in Switzerland. So the country was gearing up for that day. We saw all kinds of Santa Clauses on the streets. But then one walked into the restaurant. He was not alone.

I'm sure you're imaging he came in with some elves. Or perhaps Rudolph. Maybe even Mrs. Claus or Frosty the Snowman? No...I'll let David Sedaris explain. You see, Santa Claus came with what Mr. Sedaris refers to as "6 to 8 black men." Now, his story is set in the Holland. But I imagine its pretty much the same in Switzerland. In America, if a child is naughty and not nice, Santa gives him a lump of coal instead of toys. In Holland and apparently Switzerland, Santa's "helpers" beat the children with "switches." Imagine a broom made out of hay or something. Sounds terrifying. Apparently it is, as Isabelle confirmed that she was scared as a child by this story. In and of itself, this is a pretty funny thing to watch. Imagine Santa giving joke gifts to members of the soccer team while making fun of them in German, while at the same time a slide show of embarrassing photos is being shown on the wall. The "helpers" are standing behind Santa, and when the other members of the soccer team get too rowdy, then walk over and smack them with the switch, or beat on the table, knocking over glasses. Add to this a glass of champagne and a half of a bottle of wine and you've got yourself a pretty entertaining night. But add to that the David Sedaris story that you've read a million times....and I could not stop laughing. It was soooo funny! Every once in a while Santa or one of the soccer players would look up and ask us girls a question (we were pretty much the only other people left in the restaurant at this point). I had no idea what they were saying, but Isa always responded for us. After the third course of chicken with yummy veggies, and dessert of apple tart-pie-pastry-thing, it was time to go.

Time to go get another drink. The plan was to go get a couple more drinks, maybe go do some more dancing. But after going to the first place and getting a drink, we were both already exhausted. So we headed back to the hotel to sleep. Such a fun night! On Sunday morning, we woke up late again, Phillip brought breakfast to the room for us, we got ready and headed back to Basel (its about an hour away). When we got back, the weather was pretty bad. Lots of rain and cold. Mostly rain. So we didn't really do much on Sunday. We both had some homework to work on, so we did that for a bit, had some pasta for dinner, watched Mama Mia, drank some tea from Isa's new teapot that she got in Lucern, and headed to bed.

Monday, Isa had to work in the morning. But I did not, so I slept in again. I got up late and tried (unsuccessfully) to figure out how to call the airline to tell them that I had bought way too much stuff and needed to check a bag on my way back. When that didn't work, I did a little more school reading and then Isa came home. We then headed to see the horse again, so cute :) But because it was rainy, she just gave him a good brushing and then we went back home. And next up was the Christmas market!

I have complained plenty already about how Sevilla just doesn't really seem very Christmas-y. Well, I got my fill of Christmas Spirit in Switzerland. Actually, I don't think that's possible, but I got a lot of Christmas Spirit anyway. Besides every street being decked in beautiful Christmas lights, Santa Clauses walking all over handing out mandarins or just looking cute, snow everywhere (not that this was done specifically for Christmas...or was it???), Christmas goodies in the cafes, etc-but then there's the Christmas Markets on top of that. These markets are just lovely. Stall after stall all decked out in Christmas lights and ornaments, selling Swiss Christmas goodies (which Isabelle convinced almost every shop-keeper to let me have a taste of), cute handmade ornaments or toys, beautiful scarves and knitted things, random creative works...hot wine...so much fun. We started out by having a hot wine and then wandered through the stalls. After a while, and after buying almost everything I saw or tried, we were ready for dinner. Time for some super traditional Swiss food: raclette. Cheesy goodness. This is a dish of a few boiled potatoes served over an entire plate of raclette cheese, with a pickle and a few pearl onions thrown in. It is amazing. Sooo cheesy. And delicious. And filling. We walked away with very full stomachs, on to another part of the Christmas market.

At this point, we ran into a stall selling some nice scarves. The couple selling the scarves and hand-knitted purses, kids sweaters, etc., definitely did not look Swiss. Or German. Or French. Isabelle started talking to them in Swiss-German, but they weren't quite understanding. She asked if English was better. No. They said Spanish. Well, fancy that! It was nice to be able to translate for Isabelle for a change :) We told them we'd be back later to get the scarf, then headed to the other stalls. So much cute, Christmas-y stuff. But it was cold and rainy and I had already spent waaaay too much money. So we headed back for the scarf from the cute Venezuelan couple. I sneakily took a video of our conversation, as I have to make a video for my psychology class, about my learning of Spanish on this study-abroad trip. Anyway, after a mix of Spanish, German and English, we got the scarf that Isa wanted and headed back home. We watched another movie (Men Who Stare at Goats-pretty great!), and headed to bed. Then I had to leave the next morning :(

So here I am, back in Sevilla again. After the most turbulent plane ride I've ever been on. If I hadn't had my seat belt on, I literally would have been thrown out of my seat by the turbulence (maybe thrown is an exaggeration-lifted a few inches in the air?). Not fun. Then we landed, I hopped on a bus, got off, and couldn't figure out where to go. So I took a taxi home. But all that aside, I made it back safely. 4 days was definitely not enough in Switzerland. I will have to go back someday :) And 4 months is definitely not enough in Spain. I only have 2 weeks left in Sevilla, 3 weeks total left in Spain. I love my family and friends and am so excited to get back and see everyone. But I'm not going to lie, if I could afford it, I'd come back for another semester after going home for Christmas. But if I've learned anything in my 26 years, its that God has waaaay different plans for my life than the plans I make for myself. So I look forward to what He has in store for me when I return, even though I am getting a bit sad about leaving!



I promise I will add photos later. For now, you'll have to look at them here.

GRANDISIMA

I have grown very accustomed to hearing comments about my height. I don't know if I've ever gone a whole day in my life without hearing some sort of reference to it. Well, maybe before I had my growth spurt. Anyway, that being said, I expected no less here in Spain. And I was not incorrect in my assumptions.

Now, in the states, people usually come up to me and say, "How tall are you?" or some direct question about my height. Or they will whisper, "she's so tall!" to their friends. Sometimes causing their friends to turn around and stare also while they are walking by. Whatever. I'm used to it. Mostly its just amusing. Those of you who don't normally walk around with me in public may think I'm exaggerating. Those who have been to a mall, etc., with me know that this is the honest truth.

Again, this just doesn't really bother me. I'm used to it. Plus, honestly, when I see someone tall, I am kind of fascinated too. The word "tall" has no bad stigmas attached to it. Well none that I'm aware of or bothered by anyway. But things are a little different here in Spain.

In Spain, I still get plenty of comments regarding my height. But they just don't have quite the same innocent sentiment that they do in English. First of all there's the difference in language and terminology, second there's the difference in where the comments are coming from.

In English, I'll hear someone quietly say, "oh gee, she's awfully tall..." In Spanish, what I usually hear is "¡¡¡GRANDE!!!" or some variation of that. Literally, "BIG!" Now, I've never had any insecurities or problems with my weight. Someone could tell me to my face that they thought I was fat and I'd laugh at them and not think about it again. But I don't like being referred to as "big." This has a very different connotation from either "tall" or "fat." "Big" makes me feel like a man. Or an ogre. Or some horrible monster. hahahah That may be an exaggeration. A little one.

I still just laugh when someone says that, but it's just not quite as entertaining or amusing here. I was talking to one of my professors about this the other day. He said, "yeah, but you're not grande." Exactly, so why do they say that. Anyway, besides this difference, there is the difference in the source of the comments. Sometimes I will hear something from a woman, if I am talking to her. Like in my class at the elementary school, there was a substitute yesterday. And she said, "how grande you are!" That's fine, I just smiled and we went on our merry way. But other than that, I have never heard comments from random strange women on the street.

Now men....that's another story entirely. Spanish men are not known for their subtlety or consideration. I should take that back, there are a lot of considerate Spanish men I'm certain. But for the most part, they are very assertive and confident and to-the-point. One of the warnings CIEE gave us before we came was to not be surprised by comments from random men on the street. They just like to cat-call, "piropos" in Spanish. Very common. Most girls get comments about their blonde hair, or their nice butt, or the fact that they are a foreigner, a "guiri." I don't actually get that many comments. In fact, there's this group of guys that stand on the corner of one of the streets we walk by every Tuesday and Thursday on our way to teach our English classes (I think they're selling lottery tickets? They love their lottery here.) The girls said that when they walk to school with me this group of guys usually leaves them alone. But when the girls go alone they get more comments (apparently they really do thing I'm a grande monster and they're scared to say anything most of the time). Pretty hilarious. Anyway, when I do get comments, its about my height. No surprise. "¡Qué grande!" or "¡Qué grande mujer!" I just chuckle to myself and keep going.

But then today happened. I was walking to Plaza Nueva to meet Ale for a coffee. The road I take has some construction on it and the sidewalks are closed off. So you have to actually walk in the street to get by. Now, you're not supposed to do this. But no one walks all the way around the construction. So I was following this guy on the road when a big white utility van came from the opposite direction. I hear "¡¡¡¡¡QUÉ GRANDE!!!!!!" as it goes past. And the guy in front of me looks back to figure out what the comment was all about. Because it obviously wasn't about him, he was rather short. He started chuckling when he saw me and looked at me sort of apologetically like, "eh, what are you gonna do?!" I was laughing too. And continued laughing for a while. This story just doesn't sound as funny in writing, but it was pretty hilarious to me.

Anyway, that's the story of my grande-ness. To give you an idea of the piropos from Spanish men, here's a video. Gerardo either helped make this video or at least knows the director. He is going to be working with him on his next short. Anyway, its hilarious. It's all in Spanish, so most of you won't understand it (I don't understand it all either-these are not words nor phrases that you learn in class...or that you ever want to hear spoken to you). But all you need to know is that the guy is yelling really crude things to a girl walking by. Just watch it til the end....that's the important part. I'm sure you can figure out what's going on without understanding the language. And understand that this is an exaggeration of the Spanish men. But not much of a stretch...