Now that we're almost up to speed, not much has really happened this week. Sunday I went to church. I saw a few people that I knew, which was nice. I went to class on Monday. I didn't go to class on Wednesday because I didn't sleep all night the night before, and now I have come down with a cold, probably from running around all last week and being exhausted, and the fact that it rained randomly the other day, when it's been sunny. Thursday I went to the church for more dress fixing. Today I went out for lunch. I've been getting some school stuff accomplished. Now all I have to do is wait for tomorrow afternoon and Anna and Papa will be arriving! It's going to be another exciting week, I hope I will get a chance to update. See you soon!

Friday we decided was going to be a chill/shopping day. We did go and visit a convent in the morning which was really nice. The best part was the ladies, and talking to them. One of them was from India, and she spoke English. I bought two jars of jelly from them. Tiffany and I got lost but finally found our way back to where we were supposed to be, and we shopped a little while. We went back to the Jewish Quarter and got a few things we'd been looking at there. By the end of the day we made our way to the Plaza de Armas bus station and went into Bormujos. We went grocery shopping for a few items and then went to Darby's house to procure the other things I needed. After that, we went to the Blacksten's house where I hosted a spaghetti supper for everyone who wanted to come. It turned out well, Tiff said the spaghetti was good, almost like at home. I couldn't have done it without her spaghetti sauce mix that she smuggled over though. Thanks to all involved! It really turned out to be a great night, even though we had to leave early. Tiff and I had to get up early to take a taxi to the airport. I sent her off on her way, and she got home safely. I got back safely too, and I went back to sleep. 

Wednesday: (Eventually i'm going to get caught up, and then get really behind again.) We started off the day going to the Museum of Flamenco Dance. It was a little tricky to find, but we did find it and as soon as we stepped into the exhibit we entered the world of flamenco (kudos to the ambiance). It was an enjoyable experience, and I got a book in the gift shop, because for some reason books on flamenco are scarce in the united states and I thought someone might need a reference back home, including myself. I did a paper on it, I know how scarce and confusing resources are. Tiffany and I then went to the cathedral, which was breathtaking. We also went up into la Giralda, which is the tower of the Cathedral, also the highest point in the city. It was very windy, but a great view of the city on all sides. I got lots of pictures, but next time i'm planning on going in there with my video camera. I'm planning on getting pictures of the Muslim Palace, because I videotaped it last time. I forgot to mention the incredible meal we had at a place called Mama Terra. It was all organic food, but I had a fantastic salad, and Tiffany had a baguette style sandwich. We were pretty much blown away by how good it was. On our way home we decided to stop at Los Arcos, the mall. We looked around and shopped there awhile before going home and resting up until the next day. Thursday we started off the day going to the Baptist Church so the ladies could fix my dress. It was quite amusing. We were there for awhile, they don't really understand the concept that there are other places we have to be or that swiftness is important. Welcome to Spain. After that we went into Bormujos, and we sorta missed Thursday Market, it was a quick run through, but they were all packing up. Then we went to a Doner Kebab place because I wanted Tiffany to try it. It was good. We were the only ones there. It was a little early for lunch. After that we decided to go ahead and go to Italica. We had planned to do this on Friday, and had even discussed throwing the idea out completely. I am so glad we didn't. It was incredible. It turned out to be one of the best parts about the week. Italica is an archaeological dig site in Santiponce, a pueblo about 9km outside of Seville. It contains an amphitheater, which is the most impressive work, along with some other small sites such as baths and the city wall. It continues to be uncovered, and it was amazing to realize that where we were standing, and the rocks we were touching, had been there since Roman times. This wasn't a museum, we weren't just looking at something from behind a glass, we were standing on it. It was fantastic. We were blown away.

Tuesday: We started off the day going to the Torre de Oro Naval Museum. It was pretty cool, I especially liked the replica's of Columbus's three ships. At the top of the tower was a lookout, and even higher was a small staircase that Tiffany and I bravely climbed, and bravely battled the wind, hoping we didn't fall to our injuries (I doubt we could have fallen to our deaths). This is where the picture from the previous post came from. After that we went to the Muslim Fort, which is really more of a palace. In fact, the King and Queen stay there when they come to visit Seville. This place is MASSIVE. It doesn't look like it from the outside, i'm slowly finding out that this is a trend in Seville. There were gardens and a left wing and a right wing and a center wing and two floors, among many other things. We left after about two hours because our brains couldn't handle any more, but we were satisfied by what we got to see. After that, since it was in close proximity, we went to the Archive of the Indies, which is basically a library of documents. It was a little humbling to be aware that surrounding us were ships logs and important documents that were worth more than we could think of. There was an exhibit in which we found the writings of famous Spanish Conquistadors. It was pretty cool. We didn't expect to get done with all of those so early, so we decided to go and do the two museums in the Parque de Maria Luisa, The Seville Archaeological Museum and the Seville Museum of Popular Arts and Customs. Both of these were really exciting. My favorite exhibits out of each, the lower floor of the Archaeological museum where there were tools and pottery and jewlery, to name  few, from before Roman times. They dated back from the Bronze Age. I think that was the oldest stuff that I have seen in my entire life up close, and it fascinated me. On a side note, they have had tweezers forever. Yes, even before Roman times. The design hasn't even changed. I saw them, and I said to Tiffany, "THOSE ARE TWEEZERS!!". I was pretty excited. I was pretty amazed at how talented and artistic and smart these people were, and how little we give them credit. In the other museum, my favorite exhibit was definitely the lace. There was an entire room dedicated to lace. It was absolutely gorgeous and intricate. We ooh'd and aah'd at just about every single work. After awhile we realized this, and laughed at ourselves. But they were just so pretty. Once we finished both of these museums, we realized we still had daylight left, and we might as well go do something else. Therefore, we found the Seville Museum of Fine Arts. It was a good way to end the day, we'd seen everything else, so some paintings were in store. Of course everything was beautiful. I particularly liked one painting from the naturalism period of a woman who very much reminded me of Jane Eyre (my favorite!). The painting was so realistic, it looked as if it was a picture. Speaking of realistic, there was another painting that up close was pretty, but nothing special to look at, however when Tiffany and I were in the room opposite it, we managed to turn around and see it. Tiffany though it was a group of people touring, I thought it was a display case that I missed of 3-D statues. When we realized what it actually was, we gained a whole new appreciation for the painting. Some things are better viewed far away. So after a day of 6 museums and one palace, we were spent. Later in the week though, we were very thankful that we got all of that done in one day. It really made the rest of the week less stressful, and it opened up a lot of doors to get some other things done.

Ok! It's time for the massively long update! I'm sorry I didn't get a chance but last week was crazy! So now I get to tell  you all about what Tiff and I did and what we got to see and how incredible it was. I put up pictures on Facebook, and I don't know how many i'll be able to put on here because there are LOTS of good ones, so we'll just see how it goes. Friday: Tiffany came into town, we went to a great Japanese Restaurant for lunch that I had been wanting to try. We walked around the city for a bit, running errands like getting bus passes and groceries. Tiffany was pretty out of it, so we went back to the apartment and went to bed pretty early. However, I had bought some fresh, ripe strawberries from the market for two euro the day before, so Tiff and I had some chocolate fondue to finish those off... that was our supper. It was a fantastic supper. Saturday morning we went to the beach! I don't have any pictures of the beach...why I don't know. Maria and Caramelo were kind enough to drive us and let us stay in their beach apartment for a night. I don't think they even went to the beach, but Tiffany and I attempted. I say attempted because we went the wrong way exploring, and somehow we ended up in ghetto beach, so we had to find our way back to a bus stop, which took us back into town, and we finally found the beach, which was in fact about a two minute walk from where we started. Yay us. During this process I got sun poisoning, because I had intended to put on sunscreen when we got to the beach. After two hours of walking and carrying a heavy beach bag my body rebelled. We did find a nice shop window which was conveniently orange and purple. Tiffany got to take a good Clemson picture. So all in all we spent about 2 hours actually at the shore. We did eat a good seafood lunch, which was unexpectedly expensive, as an understatement. Sunday night we went home, but on the way stopped at Maria's daughter's house, which was massive. It didn't look like it from the outside, but we got a tour. It had a swimming pool and a few large flat screen TV's and an overall coolness about it. The best part was the roof, they said they were going to make a zen garden up there. The view was absolutely breathtaking. I was really glad we stopped to hang out with them. On Monday I had school so Tiffany went with me. She wanted to go to class with me, so I let her, but she decided not to on Wednesday, lol. We did have time to eat a really good breakfast of tostadas in the cafeteria that morning. After class we went to BodyWorlds, an exhibit on the human body. It was fantastic. We both really enjoyed it. We were in close proximity upon exiting BodyWorlds to visit the Plaza de España, which is a massive building, I think used for government purposes. Still, it is a main tourist site, and reference point, because it is so beautiful, and huge. 

Since we still had some free time, we went and ate lunch at McDonalds, because I was craving it, and then we went to IKEA, where I bought some Tupperware, and Tiffany bought a nice set of coffee mugs. Tiffany had never been to IKEA before, so she was really excited to get to go! In Spain they do not say "eye key uh". Instead they say "ee kay uh". It was interesting to me, but I suppose it makes sense. We were wondering if you could register there for your wedding gifts, cuz that would be awesome, not that either one of us has any plans of getting married any time soon.  That was mostly all of our Monday. Tiff bought some great chocolate at IKEA, we also had some great melted chocolate and waffles at the beach. I love hot chocolate now, now that I know what hot chocolate is. It's fantastic. I'm so glad I can still be a chocoholic in Spain. So that's about it for Monday's journey, I'm going to create a new post for Tuesday.

REALLY quick update since I have a lot of homework to do, I will hopefully post more in detail soon. Last Thursday I went to Bormujos for Thursday Market and bought some amazing strawberries for only 2 euro. We had them for dessert since I ate at Sean and Shelley's for lunch. Friday Tiffany came to visit! We ate lunch at a great Japanese Restaurant, bought her a bus pass, and walked around the city a little bit. Saturday we headed off to the beach with Maria and Caramelo. Sunday we came home. Monday I finally had class! Yay! For which I now had homework. Tiffany and I also went to IKEA and to BodyWorlds, which was REALLY cool. Today we went to The Torre de Oro Naval Museum, The Muslim Fort/Palace, The Museum of Archaeology, The Museum of Fine Arts, and the Museum of Popular Costumes and Customs. It's been a busy day! We're very tired. Catcha later!

Hello all, sorry I haven't posted in a few days. I saw Watchmen Saturday night. It was in Spanish. I'm not sure how good it was, but I think it was pretty good, and I got the general gist of it. There was a lot of nudity that I didn't expect, but that might just be because I'm in Europe. I don't know how the movie will look in the US. The seating in the movie theater is weird though, you have assigned seats just like in an arena or a stage production. There were less than 10 people in the theater with me, so I really could have sat anywhere I liked. The guys behind me asked if I was Italian. I don't know why. 

Update on the bus situation: I have discovered Honduras and the Republic of China. More news as it breaks.

I decided to get out and about today. I went into town, just walking. I did catch the bus for a quick ride to Los Arcos, the mall. They have a Toy's R Us, a Disney store, and a Claire's. They also have a movie theatre and a large store called Hipercor, which is a lot like Walmart. They had a lot of Flamenco dresses there and I laughed at the outrageous colors and plastic jewelry and such. Later I went to explore some in the city, to find out about some things I'd been curious about. I met up with John and some of his friends from UNC for a Bible study around 3:45, and afterwards went to put money on my phone and get some money out of the bank. On the way home I stopped by a Doner Kebap place and got a meal to go. It wasn't as good as the one in Burmujos, but I will keep searching. That's about it for the day. I hope to upload some more pictures soon.

Yesterday was a holiday. It was Dia de Andalucia. I went to an "anniversary party" for the event with Maria and Caramelo. It was filled with their family, cousin's and sisters and nieces and daughters and grandchildren and friends. It was a full house but it was lots of fun. They even had an ice cream cake, which was different than at home. It was a layer of cake, then a layer of ice cream, then another layer of cake. It was good. I like cake. I met a new friend, the only one close to my age. Her name is Monica, and she is Maria's niece. She's going to give me a call and maybe we'll get to hang out soon. I hope so, that would be fun! Maria's grandchildren love me...but that might be because I started a pillow fight...hehe. Anyway, they spent the night last night and wouldn't let me be all day. They're sweet though. Today I got to talk to the church and that was exciting! Now I just have to find some friends to join me next time...but I have some ideas...

Wednesday was the first day of class. I got up early to eat breakfast and take the bus. It was an ok day, I understood most everything and I was able to go into town and buy the books that I needed. Yes, I had homework on the first day. It's due on Monday, and I don't quite understand exactly what I'm supposed to answer, but I did try. It's not helpful that it says work with a partner. I did feel sorry for this one girl who was supposed to be in Spanish level 1. I tried to speak to her in English but even that wasn't easy. She was Muslim, but I don't know where she was from. I think I finally got her to understand that she was in the wrong class. She was a sweet girl. I found that I can watch Disney Videos on YouTube, much to my enjoyment. To date I have watched Beauty and the Beast, 101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp (and 2: Scamp's Adventure), The Sword in the Stone, and The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning. It's keeping me entertained.

Hey guys sorry it's been so long. I'll try to update quickly. Tuesday night I went with the band from Amarillo (They're from Sean and Shelley's area, the team came this week to play some music and to visit Sean and Shelley, as well as do some prayer walking around Sevilla) to a flamenco show in the Jewish Quarter of town, right behind the cathedral and what Sean told us is the old Muslim fort. Apparently the King and Queen come to stay there when they visit Sevilla. They have their own private rooms. I tried to get some pictures, but I will spare you. For some reason the flash on my camera is turned off, and the flash button where I can fix it doesn't work. Therefore, I had to depend on everyone else's flash in the dimly lit room. Pictures weren't allowed until the last 5-10 minutes of the show anyway, and flamenco is very fast. Needless to say, all of my pictures are blurry and sometimes the people don't have heads or bodies at all. I absolutely loved the show though. The first number began with a guitar player and a singer, the second added a woman for extra rhythm (and voice encouragement? It's hard to explain, but it seems very typical of flamenco dancing. There are a lot of "ole"s and "vale"s) for the male dancer on stage. I'm not gonna lie, the first thing you notice when this guy comes onstage is his very tight pants. Later we discussed what kind of underpants he must have been wearing. Thankfully, as soon as he starts moving his feet, your attention is drawn to them. Flamenco bears a strong resemblance to tap dancing, with less suave movement and more angular, passionate body language. The taps on the wooden platform were very loud, and my attention was riveted to the stage. I was most excited when the female dancer got onstage and the two danced together. The story was one of unrequited love; the two obviously wanted to be together but played a cat and mouse and could never quite get in sync with one another's feelings. It was beautiful. The guitar player did a piece of his own as well, using all of his fingers to play. It was interesting to watch, but I found myself questioning his actual talent, he couldn't keep my attention as well as the dancers did. Maybe I found the melody too repetitive; regardless, I couldn't have done it. It was a lovely evening, and I was thankful that I could catch a  bus at the end of the night back to my apartment with Maria and Caramelo.