Cordoba and Broken Trains

Hola Todos,

So as promised, here I am blogging about my weekend. Like I said, I had some various things planned, so I will now share my adventures with you.

On Friday, I went on a small field trip with some people from my program. Our first stop was El Hospital de la Santa Caridad which is located in the Arenal district of Seville. It was founded in 1645 to host the homeless and the sick living in Seville in the 17th century. Within the hospital is St. George's Chapel which contains Sevillian baroque artwork and a very elaborate altar.

Our next stop was the Plaza de Toros--thankfully not to see another bullfight. During our visit we were able to go inside the empty ring and admire the beauty of the ring with no one there. The tour guide told us that the stadium can hold 12,000 people and the bullfights run from Easter weekend until mid-October. She said there are approximately 26 bullfights during this time period, and like I told you before, during each bullfight 6 bulls are killed--therefore, 156 bulls get killed per year in just Seville alone :( The stadium also housed a very nice museum that we were able to tour through and we were also able to see the chapel where the bullfighters go to pray before their bullfights--I was wondering what they did before their bullfights, so now I know, might as well seek God before you go face to face with a bull!

Sam, Sydney, Me, and Erik inside the Plaza de Toros

Kisses for the bull

After our tour of the Plaza de Toros, our program tour was concluded and I met up with Dana to spend the afternoon doing a bit of exploring ourselves. My host mom and dad had been telling me how the Plaza de Espana was just newly renovated and that I had to go see it, so Dana and I did exactly that. The Plaza de Espana was built in 1928 by Anibal Gonzalez who combined a mix of 1920s Art Deco and Neo-Mudejar styles into the design of the building. The Plaza de Espana is a giant half-circle building with a moat and numerous bridges. My favorite part of the Plaza are the tiled alcoves that each represent a different province of Spain. Today the Plaza de Espana consists of Government buildings like the Seville Town Hall, the Consulate General of Spain, and is even home to the Spanish Army. Also, just a few fun facts--the Plaza de Espana was used for shooting some scenes in the films of Lawrence of Arabia (which I'm not sure what that is) AND Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

Granada's alcove at the Plaza de Espana

Plaza de Espana

After we went to the Plaza de Espana, we had some lunch and then headed to the train station to purchase or train tickets to go to Cordoba the following day. Purchasing our tickets was a great success once we figure out the schedule and the fares--it ended up being cheaper than we thought it would be to take the train, so we were both really happy about that.

The following day I met up with Dana at the center of the city and we purchased some Starbucks before we took off for the day. Once we arrived to the train station, our train was right on time, so we just hopped on and were on our way. The ride was only about 1 hour and 20 minutes, so were were there in no time at all. The main reason we wanted to visit Cordoba was to see the Mezquita or the Mosque. The Mezquita is perhaps the most accomplished monument of the Umayyad Caliphate of Cordoba, but after the Spanish Reconquista, it became a Roman Catholic church, with a Gothic cathedral later inserted into the center of the building. The beauty of this mosque is just absolutely stunning, and I don't even think my pictures can do it any justice, but I'll share some with you..

Inside the Mosque

Gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral in the center of the Mosque

After we visited the mosque, Dana and I had some lunch and then walked around Cordoba for a while--going into the little tourist shops and other various ceramics shops. We really had a lot of fun, but agreed that their biggest tourist attraction there is the Mosque, and there isn't really much else to see. We headed back to the train station and realized we had about an hour to kill before our train would be arriving. Dana and I being our goofy selves, walked around the train station and took some fun pictures and had a few good laughs.

Once an hour had passed, we went to go wait for our train which we thought would be coming any minute. About an hour passed and an employee from the train station finally came down to the platform to inform us that our train was broken and they weren't sure when it would be coming and that we had to go back up to the station to change our tickets. Dana and I each had about 20 euro on us collectively, so buying a new ticket was definitely not an option. At first we were told that we'd have to wait in the station for the evening until the next train came in the morning, which definitely freaked me out--I may or may not had had a slight panic attack. Then about an hour later, they informed us that they would be putting all of us on the AVE (high speed train) to Sevilla for free. This was very nice of them, but they probably should have done this in the first place instead of giving me a minor heart attack. Everything ended up working out just fine, but I didn't get back home until about midnight, but at least I was able to sleep in my bed and not on a chair at the train station! The employees at the train station also told us if we go back to the Sevilla train station that we can be refunded our money for the broken train, so I will definitely be doing that this week!

So that was another adventure to go down in the history books of Dana and Lindsay. I'm glad we were together for this one, as we were able to laugh about it rather than being miserable. While waiting for the train we also made up a few Spanish songs that could perhaps be released on a CD some time in the future ;) Also, when I got home Juani left me a note that she had prepared a sandwich for me and it was in the refrigerator and to help myself to anything else because she was sure that I'd be hungry. What a nice host mom!

I believe that about covers it for the weekend. Tomorrow starts another week of school and one more midterm to go and then I will be all done! Since I got home so late last night, I'm thinking it's about time to take a siesta :) I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! Love and prayers!

Besos,
Lindsay

It's getting chilly here!

Hola todos!

So I survived the first week of my midterms. I had three this week, and one more next Tuesday and then I will be done! I wanted to explain the Spanish grading system to you as it is quite different the United States. All assignments and exams are graded on a 10-point scale.

9.0-10 is the best possible grade and is called "sobresaliente" or outstanding
7-8.9 is called "notable" or very good
6-6.9 is called "bien" or good
5-5.9 is the lowest passing grade and is called "suficiente"or sufficient
And anything below a 5 is failing

The Spanish grading system is different from the American system in that, a B is an equivalent to a Spanish 7 or 8. In America, usually a 7 would mean a C--so it becomes a bit confusing, but fairly beneficial to us Americans :) So, I just wanted to inform all of you that I received a 10 on my Medieval History exam, and my professor was so excited that he basically announced it to the entire class. Apparently a 10 is very hard to earn on assignments and exams, the Spanish people say that the 10 is for God!

The other day I forgot my keys as I was leaving for class, and realized right after I had shut the door. Manolo was awake and the rest of my family was sleeping, so I contemplated ringing the doorbell, or just not having my keys. I chose to ring the doorbell and Manolo came to the door and he said, "I bet you forgot your keys!" And I said, "SI SI!" So now every time I leave for school he says "Tienes sus llaves?" (Do you have your keys)--and it has almost become a joke between us.

I was also told today at lunch with my family that I should be a Spanish teacher back in America. My family believes that it is very important for children to start learning a language at a young age, and they think I would be a great teacher! So, if the business world fails, perhaps I can pursue a career in teaching espanol! I also told Juani last night about my grade on my history exam, and she announced it at lunch today to the rest of my family and every one cheered, it was quite cute. Juani and I also talked about the differences between Spanish and American students as Spaniards usually choose a college that is very close to home so they can live at home and be with their families, and Americans usually choose to go to colleges that are further away from home. She asked me if I go home every weekend from college, and when I told her no, she was shocked! There are a lot of differences between our two cultures, and this would be one of them!

I'm not sure if I mentioned that fish was starting to grow on me and that I usually eat all of it every time it is given to me. Well, today was an exception. At lunch today we had fried fish--eyes and scales in tact. Although the fish didn't even look slightly appealing, I decided to give it a try as I made a promise to myself that I would keep an open mind about all foods that were given to me. So, I tried it and it was really bad--not poorly cooked or anything, I just wasn't a fan of the fishy taste. When I told Juani that I didn't like the fish she was so upset that she cooked something I didn't like and just kept saying Que lastima! (what a shame) So she promised me that for dinner tonight she would cook me a pizza because she KNOWS I love pizza--that's the italian in me! :)

I also wanted to share with you all that when I went to church this past Sunday with Juani, she talked to the priest and asked him to offer the mass for my Nana. This was easily one of the nicest gestures someone has ever done for me, and I was so moved at the fact that the entire congregation was praying for Rita (or Elvita in Spanish). The mass brought me to tears at point and I let Juani know how thankful I was for her thinking of Nana like that--I knew Nana was smiling down from heaven during that mass. I tell people how Nana's gift of prayer was the single best gift that she could give to anyone, and now she has people all over the world praying for her and returning the favor.

I believe that's about all for now. I also wanted to add a picture of the "mexican" food Dana and I ate one night. We both got tacos, but they didn't quite resemble tacos. That's okay! We ate them anyways. I wanted to inform you that it is starting to get "cold" here. In the mornings and the evenings, you definitely need a light jacket and sometimes I even wear a scarf. I'll have to put the flip flops away pretty soon, too! To be honest, though, I don't think it'll ever get as cold here as it already is back home! I hope everyone has a great weekend. I have a few things planned, so keep on the look out for a blog very soon. Love and prayers. Hasta luego!

"Tacos"

Besos,
Lindsay

Spanish phrase of the day: "principe azul" if you were to literally translate this, this would mean blue prince, but it actually means prince charming :)

Recent adventures..

Hola todos!

I just wanted to write a bit about what has been going on around here lately. As you know, last weekend was an incredibly long weekend for me, or what the Spaniards like to call "puente". I had Friday through Tuesday off from school, and therefore only had two days of school this past week.

I spent the long weekend doing some different things around Seville with my friend Dana. Most of my other friends were traveling to various places like Barcelona, Rome, and Morocco, so there weren't too many people around to spend time with. Dana and I spent a day walking around the city and going to the "Festival de las Naciones" which is situated right in the center of the city. Basically countries represent themselves at this festival, whether it'd be through art, music, food, or dance. There are also stands representing each country that are selling different souvenirs from their countries. Dana and I spent a lot of time there just exploring and doing a little bit of shopping--we're even going to go back again because we had such a nice time! Another fun thing that Dana and I did was go to the movie theater that is very close to where we live in Seville. We went to the theater under the assumption that they would be showing all the movies in English with Spanish subtitles. I don't know why we ever assumed this, but boy were we terribly incorrect. Dana and I ended up seeing "Cartas a Julieta" or in America the movie would be known as Letters to Juliet. Once the movie started, and the main character started to speak, we knew we were doomed. With our wonderful comprehension skills, Dana and I both agreed that we were pretty much able to understand the entire movie and we even laughed when we were supposed to laugh! We also did a little shopping around Nervion Plaza and checked out the latest styles in Spain--although I think the styles are great, I'm pretty positive I won't ever be able to pull them off, but we'll see!

Besides that, I basically relaxed and did some work and prepared for exams for the rest of the long weekend. When I found out about my grandmother's passing, I was happy that I didn't have to go into school the following day and that I was able to speak with my parents whenever I wanted.

So this past week in school, like I said, was only two days of classes--really don't want to overdo it! For most of my classes my teachers spent time reviewing for our midterms that will be starting on Monday. I think all of my midterms should go just fine, and I'm looking forward to them being over!!

My best friend Alicia from school came to visit me from Cadiz on Thursday. She was aware of how upset I was about my grandmother's passing and wanted to come spend the day with me. It was great to see her, and it almost felt as though I had a piece of home with me at that time--she is such a wonderful friend! We spent the day drinking cafe con leche, exploring downtown Seville, and eating delicious sandwiches and ice cream. We also witnessed a nice "hit and run". A car took a corner too tightly and ended up hitting the car that was parked on the corner. The man hesitated and then drove off!! I also wanted to say that I have become a big fan of "cafe con leche" although my cafe is mostly leche and less cafe, but hey, it's still coffee, right?

Other than that, that's about all that has been going on lately. In a couple of weeks my traveling around Europe with be in full force and I can't wait! I hope everyone has a nice weekend and stay warm everybody--I hear it's cold and rainy back home! Hasta luego!

Besos,
Lindsay

And I'm sure the view from heaven beats the hell out of mine here...

A beautiful woman went to heaven yesterday. She was a wonderful mother and a very wise grandmother. She lived eighty-two years of beautiful life, although she had a few obstacles along the way.

Nana taught me that through the challenging times in our lives we should always seek God, for it is only through prayer that our prayers will be heard. Surely raising two children on her own wasn’t the easiest of times, but whenever she felt weak, she sought to God to answer her prayers. Although I have a biased opinion, I can see that Nana raised two wonderful children, my mother and my uncle.

Nana was 100% Irish, and you could see it through and through. Often times she was very stubborn, but we always knew that she meant well. Nana was always dressed in the most beautiful outfits and her hair was always done just the way she liked it—if her hair wasn’t just the way she liked it, she always made sure the hairdresser heard about it. Nana also didn’t like a lot of “clutter”, as she would put it. Her apartment was always spotless, but she always claimed there was still too much clutter. If she was only able to see my dorm room, she would then know EXACTLY what clutter looked like.

Nana did a few particular things that always got our family laughing. She had a strange obsession with having an abundance of toilet paper in her house as if they were going to sell out of it for good. If that were to ever happen—Nana would have been set. Nana also wrapped any sort of present like the crown jewels were inside. At times, it would take my brother and me upwards of ten minutes to undo all of the double-knotted bows and tape that she had wrapped our gifts with. I also don’t think she ever let her gas tank go beyond half a tank before she refilled it. I am most certain her gas gauge never even got close to nearing the “E”—better safe than sorry, as Nana always said!

As a child, I always loved to go over Nana’s house for countless games of Old Maid and tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. Nana always let me win Old Maid. If I ever had the “old maid” in my hand of cards, I would stick it out amongst all the rest and she would always pick it. I thought I was pretty tricky, but she was just being Nana—doing what she needed to do to keep a smile on my face. I have yet to meet a person that makes a tuna fish sandwich like Nana, and I’m most certain no one will ever be able to beat it. Whenever I was at Nana’s, she also spent a large part of her time trying to teach me how to knit. I was able to fully grasp the knitting concept and was pretty good at it, but sometimes I would make a bad mistake. Somehow Nana was always able to fix it, though—beats me how she did it!

One of my most favorite holiday traditions was going over to Nana’s house for pizza on Christmas Eve and opening up our presents that she had gotten for us. Every year Nana would buy me a beautiful Polly Flinders’ or velveteen dress. After visiting with her for the last time in August, she let me know how important it was to her to give me those dresses for Christmas. She told me she always had to make it a point to find the best dress for me. I let her know that I saved every single one of the dresses, and some day, my own daughter will be able to wear them as well.

Nana liked to live her life on her own and be as independent as possible. There were three particular things that made Nana very content: praying, reading, and watching the Red Sox. As I mentioned before, I don’t think there is a single time that I can remember when Nana wasn’t praying for someone. To have Nana’s prayers was the single best gift she could ever give to anyone. I visited and chatted with Nana on a frequent basis, and every time I was in her apartment, I would see that she had a new stack of books ready to be read. Every time I would talk to Nana from school, she’d give me an update on how the Red Sox were doing. I think she may have been the only 82 year old woman that could name every player on the Red Sox. She’d tell me how much she disliked A-Rod, and how badly Johnny Damon needed a haircut. When the Red Sox won a game, or particularly, beat the Yankees, it always brought such happiness to her life.

What I loved most about Nana was her will to carry on—to be a strong, independent woman that was guided throughout life through her faith in God. I think she taught me more than she would ever realize. Through her I have learned to always choose quality over quantity—for money will not buy happiness, but love will always bring guaranteed happiness. She also taught me that prayer is a very powerful gift that everyone is given, and that everyone should utilize as often as possible. She was a very important part of my life, and her lessons that she taught me and the memories that I have with her will always be carried with me forever. I know that without a doubt, I really made Nana proud. The last time I spoke with her she let me know how much I amaze her with all that I have already accomplished. She says that I am always on the go and no one can stop me, but I’m pretty hard for her to keep track of. Fortunately, now, Nana can keep tabs on me from all the way up in Heaven and have a birds-eye view of everything I have yet to do.

When I look to the sky now, I know that my family and I have four of the best guardian angels we could ever ask for watching over us. Four truly wonderful grandparents that have been such an influential part of my life and I will never forget them and all that they mean to me.  Rest peacefully. 

Random Happenings

Hola todos!

Well, today is Thursday and I am officially on my 5-day weekend break. I'm not really quite sure why I have so many days off, but I guess I won't ask any questions. Many people from school are traveling this weekend, but I decided to stay put, as a trip would have been a little too expensive for my liking since this weekend is a European holiday and EVERYONE is traveling. So this weekend I think I'll be doing some exploring of Sevilla. Additionally, Dana and I are on a quest to find a Mexican Restaurant. We know that they exist in Sevilla, but we're just not quite sure where to find one yet, but I'll let you know when we do. There is also a "Festival of Nations" going on in the city center with a bunch of vendors and international food, so I believe we'll check that out at as well.

Of recent, I have met with my intercambio (an intercambio is someone you are paired up with so you can teach the local person english and they can help you practice your spanish). My intercambio's name is Jaime. I believe he is either 26 or 27 years old and he has been living in Sevilla his entire life. I was telling him about my family and how my brother flies helicopters for the Army and he was so excited to hear this as he works for General Dynamics as an industrial engineer, and they make the tanks that are used in Afghanistan. Needless to say, he's a very smart guy and his English is pretty near perfect. We walked around the city for about an hour and he showed me the Plaza de Espana which was breathtaking! We plan to meet at some point this weekend so he can show me more of Seville!

As many of you know, I take the bus to school every day. The bus in Seville is probably my least favorite form of transportation as the schedule for the bus I take is so sporadic. Many times I find myself sprinting for the bus, waiting a 1/2 hour for the bus, or JUST missing it. At least I'm getting some exercise in, right? Anyways, on Tuesdays and Thursdays I get the bus after lunch and I always have the same driver. He has come to know me by my first name now and he's very nice! He knows me so well because I was always messing up my bus ticket when I would get on the bus when school initially started. You're supposed to say "un salto" which means one jump (don't ask me how jumping got involved in riding a bus), and it charges you about 4 extra cents. So I'd always forget to say it, and eventually he would just laugh about it. Now he knows my face and knows that I need "un salto," so it's really pretty fabulous. When I get off at school he says "hasta luego!" and it makes my day.

Home life is going really well. I've been having more in-depth conversations with my family and I am learning a lot from them. I make sure that every time I don't know a word, I'll look it up in the dictionary and write it down so I'll be able to remember it in the future. My host parents actually remind me a lot of my grandparents. Manolo always gets dressed up to go to neighborhood functions, and it reminds me of Pops and how he'd always be looking handsome on every occasion. Juani is a huge reader, so I see Nana in her. I swear that just about every other night that I sit down and eat dinner with her, she's reading a new book. Of course, Juani is also very religious, which reminds me of all of my grandparents. Every Sunday when we go to church she always tells me that she has said a prayer for my entire family, and it really touches my heart. Juani is also a wonderful cook, which reminds me a lot of Gram. Although, I don't think Juani's meatballs will ever compare to Gram's, but I'm just thankful I at least get meatballs on rare occasion!

All in all, everything is going great! Mom just sent me a package this week, so I'm looking forward to its arrival because I'm pretty positive the package contains candy corn inside amongst other wonderful things :) Oh yes, I forgot to mention my second quest. A quest for peanut butter--Spaniards really have no idea that peanut butter even exists, but I've heard that it is sold in a specific grocery store, so I think I might have to go find some so I can put it on my toast for breakfast in the morning! That's about all for now. I hope everyone has a lovely long weekend and that you're all staying warm--Mom and Dad told me that it's getting a bit chilly back home. I wouldn't doubt it for a second. Afterall, it IS the Berkshires. Love and prayers to all.

Besos,
Lindsay

A Weekend in Africa

Hola todos,

I just returned back from Morocco yesterday evening at about 11:30PM. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted, but the trip was such a great time!

On Friday, we started our journey at our meeting point at the Torre del Oro in the center of the city. From there, the bus picked our group up and we were on our way. Our first stop was Cadiz, to pick up additional group members and then it was off to Puerta Algeciras (or the Port of Algeciras) to get on the ferry to Morocco. Dana and I were very fearful of riding the ferry because we have heard so many frightening stories about the ladrones (or thieves) that are on the ferry. Much to our surprise, our ferry looked like a luxurious cruise ship--complete with tables, comfy chairs, and even places to by food. This is NOT what we were expecting, but we were so happy!

On the ferry to Morocco!

  When we arrived at the Ceuta Port, we weren't technically in Morocco yet--we were still in Spain, which was kind of weird, because we crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to Africa, but we were still on Spanish territory. We drove for about 20 minutes and the tour guide announced that we were no in Morocco and to set our clocks two hours behind Spanish time (the time difference was also rather strange!). Once we went through customs, we were on our way to Tetuan. When we arrived to our hotel we ate dinner almost immediately since it was getting so late. We had a pretty good European meal and then it was off to bed as we had to wake up so early the next morning. Our hotel room was pretty interesting--it was given 4 stars, but Dana and I agreed that 4 stars in Morocco is probably equivalent to a 1 or 2 star hotel back in America. Not the greatest spot to say, but it gave us a place to rest our head for the evening. Our room also came complete with a nice rotten banana in the closet which really gave our hotel room a nice, calming aroma. NOT! But like I said, the room did the trick and we were out of there at 7AM anyways.

When we woke up the next morning we had a nice breakfast in the dining room and realized that our hotel was situated right on the Mediterranean. It was so beautiful, so we went out and took a few pictures and then it was off to explore Tetuan with the group.

The Mediterranean

Tetuan was formerly the capital of Spanish Morocco, and has a tangible connection with Andalucia (southern Spain, where Sevilla is). Around the city, you will see street signs and signs for clothing stores, restaurants, etc. all in both Arabic and Spanish (and occassionally French). The people in Tetuan and around Morocco are all very cultured and know many languages. Our tour guide told us that children will study Arabic until they are nine years old, and then they have the option of studying French, Spanish, English or German. So many people know two, if not three languages--which is very impressive and made it easy for us to communicate in either Spanish or English. When we were walking around the city, our tour guide pointed out the farmers who were dressed in red and white. They come down from their farms to sell their goods in the city and they are found all over the streets selling anything from fruits and vegetables to fish and chickens. We were brought to one store where we were able to barter for better prices for things such as ceramic animals (elephants, camels, turtles), jewelry, rugs, etc. I was able to help a few friends barter as I picked up some good skills when I was in China. I also purchased a couple of things for myself as well.

Catholic church in Tetuan

Some fruits the farmers were selling

After that, we went to the very lovely restaurant for a traditional Moroccan lunch. When we walked into the restaurant, we were greeted by three men playing different instruments like crazy men! It was pretty entertaining. All throughout lunch we also received entertainment from a man that could balance a tray of candles on his head and spin around and also a belly dancer. I was also able to get some henna on my hand--it is not permanent, so don't worry! I was also very shocked that I actually LOVED the Moroccan lunch. We had some delicious soup, cous cous with vegetables and beef, mint tea, and some sort of cookie. Like I said, everything was very good and I wish I could have eaten that food all day long!

Our henna!

Me and my camel!

 After lunch, we were on our way to Tangier. Tangier is a city in northern Morocco and lies on the North African coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean. Tangier is where we were able to go for our camel rides! This was my most anticipated event of the entire trip, and it was well worth the wait. I can now say that I've rode a camel in Morocco. My camel was pretty interesting and like to make really strange noises, but overall, he was a pretty solid camel. After our camel rides, we checked into our hotel in Tangier and were able to explore the city for a little while.

When walking down a street, we smelled a nice aroma coming from a bakery, so we went inside only to find some of the most delicious-looking pastries we had ever seen and all for a very cheap price. Of course we had to sample a couple of pastries/cakes and boy, were they DELICIOUS. Hands down probably one of the best desserts I've had since I've been in Spain, minus the chocolate and churros. After exploring the city for a little while, we went back to our hotel for dinner and called it an early night because we had to be up at 5:30AM the next morning.

Delicious dessert!

On our last day we went to Chefchaouen. This is a city in northwest Morocco, situated in the Rif Mountains. One distinction possessed by Chefchaouen is its blue-rinsed houses and buildings, a tradition that comes from the down's former Jewish population. Our tour guide also says the blue keeps the mosquitoes away as well!
Chefchaouen is a popular shopping destination--it offers many native handicrafts that are not available elsewhere in Morocco, such as wool garments and woven blankets. We were able to visit a shop that was selling some beautiful woven blankets and carpets and we were also able to see how they were made, and let me tell you, it's quite the process! I think Chefchaouen was my favorite place to visit because of our hilarious tour guide. Our tour guide was barely five feet tall and was probably in his 60s or so. He was able to speak English, Arabic, French, and Spanish which I was very impressed by. He had a very raspy voice that was pretty hard to understand, but it was fun to just listen to him talk. All throughout the tour he'd yell HABIBI which means my beloved or is commonly used word for friend or darling in Arabic. He was very entertaining and called Dana and I "guapas" on several different occassions. Our trip ended with a meal in Chefchaouen, and then we began our long trek back to Sevilla!

Dana and I with the tour guide (notice how blue it is!)

Overall, I had a really wonderful time. It was awesome to be able to see a whole different country and experience a new culture. It is very interesting to see how the Moroccan way of life differs from Spain which differs from the United States. The ability to experience different cultures and receive firsthand experience from traveling to all of these different places, so far, has definitely given me a new perspective and a new appreciation for people all over the world. My suggestion to America, start teaching children at a young age different languages so we can communicate with our tourists from all over the world just as well as Spaniards and Moroccans can communicate with Americans--not to mention that knowing many languages just in general will you get you places in life.

I have been in Spain now for a little over a month, and to be honest, time is not flying by, but I am enjoying every minute of the time that I have here. Whether it'd be meeting with my intercambio, having lunch with my whole host family, exploring new cities and countries, or just doing homework--each day I find that I am thoroughly enjoying myself and I am so grateful for have this opportunity. I enjoy sharing these blogs with all of you, as I believe I can serve as your "window to the world" and you are able to live this experience right along with me.

Since I'm so exhausted from all of the traveling, I think I will end here and call it a night. It's starting to become cooler in Seville. And since it has been so hot, this cooler weather seems FREEZING, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend and I will write again soon. Love and prayers to all.

Besos,
Lindsay