Vale Vale Vale!

Buenas tardes a todos! (Good afternoon everyone!)

We FINALLY got our internet to work just a few minutes ago. Sol, this darling girl from next door has been trying to fix our internet to work in our room for the last 3 days or so. She is so incredibly nice! My roommate and I are wanting to get her a present to thank her more. So now I will be able to update more frequently than before since I only received signal in the living room where they watch TV all day, a little distracting.

Today was our third day of class. We have our intensive language course called Advanced Present-Day Usage, now everyday for 3 weeks for 3 hours every morning. Then on Tuesdays I have a Flamenco dance class (1 hour) and Cultural Realites of Spain (1 hour). So Tuesdays are quite busy but the other days it is nice to be done by 12:45 everyday! The dance class is tough because you have to move your hands and your feet in very particular ways at the same time! Phew! But it would still be fun to know how to do it. Luckily its a Pass/Fail class so I don't have to worry about not being coordinated. The Cultural Realities class is interesting and there are only about 10 people in it. We talk about Spanish culture, cultural differences, homestays, learning a new language, everything. Should be pretty helpful I think! I love my professors but 3 hours of class in the morning definitely gets long and boring after the first day. Luckily we get a break halfway through to get a cafe con leche down the street.

My roommate and I ride the bus to school every morning (20 minutes) then walk back in the afternoon because it is usually warmer and nicer out. However, lately it has been down pouring at random times so we have been getting caught in the rain a lot and getting soaked for about 10 minutes. Its still a beautiful walk down the river and through the small streets in the Centro of Sevilla.

Enough about school, I want to talk about travel! This weekend my roommate and I were going to visit a friend in Alicante but we have decided to cancel it to save money. We wanted to go to the Sevilla FC vs. Betis soccer game at the stadium here in Sevilla but since its such a big game, the cheapest tickets available are 70 euro! Here's some context, my apologies: Futbol (soccer) is incredibly popular here and everybody has their favorite team that they follow. In Sevilla there are two soccer teams: Sevilla F.C. and Betis. So far I haven't met anybody who supports Sevilla FC, only Betis. They are called Betistas if they are fans of Betis. To be a fan is not just to watch the games everyweek, you have a member card and you are completely devoted to that team whether they win or lose. No matter what happens you still believe your team is the best in Sevilla. After every game (which is usually watched in pubs with your friends), the rest of siesta and the next day is devoted to analyzing every tackle, shot, and call from the previous game. It truly consumes their lives! Very fun to be a part of though!

Back to travel, I have decided to take some trips through a business called Discover Seville because they offer much better prices than my program and go to the same places (sometimes better places). I can go to the Carnavales de Cadiz and Gibralter for 59 euro, when going through my program the Gibralter trip cost 60 euro by itself! Great deal! They are highly supported and regarded by the local students too so I can trust them. I have also decided to go to Morrocco through them as well for a six-day trip during Feria de Abril. It is a little more expensive but it includes a camel ride and ATV ride through the Sahara Desert (dunes) to an oasis where Berbers live and put on a show for us. We would see Fez, Rabat, and Assilah for cities. I am very excited and a lot of my close friends (including my roommate) will be on this trip with me. I understand that their are concerns for my well-being to travel to Morrocco. I completely understand the dangers and concerns, but the experience is once in a lifetime that I can't pass up! Discover Seville has been going to Morrocco for 5 years and the fee we pay covers all transportation, meals, housing, professional guides, and entrance fees into important buildings. I can't wait!

Anyways, this is long enough but I just wanted to check in on what has been going on here in Spain!

Miss you all and keep the emails coming!
love,
betsy