Aventuras de España: It's all in the timing

Hola todos! Another week has come and gone, and with that I have reached the halfway point of my semester here in Sevilla (can you believe it?! because I certainly can't!) As I look back at the calendar I can hardly believe all the things I have done so far, the Spanish language and culture I've absorbed, and the things God has taught me about myself and others. I feel so blessed to be here every day, and I wouldn't change a thing about it! I could go on and on, so I'll spare you the sentimentalities and get to my week ;)

So Monday we didn't have school in celebration of Fiesta Nacional de España (which you all know as Columbus Day). My friends and I wanted to visit the Torre del Oro because it's normally free on Mondays. However, it was closed for the holiday, so we decided to go to a different museum instead. On the way there we passed the Plaza de España and there was a hot air balloon there. We were intrigued, so we went to find out the price, and turns out it was FREE! Needless to say, we hopped in line as fast as we could! We had to wait awhile, and the ride only went up for about a minute and then came back down, but it was still totally worth it! Afterwords we walked to a different part of the park where there are tons of pigeons, so we bought food and fed them. There were so many, and they would land all over you if you had food. I was slightly scared I would get pooped on with so many birds, but it was so funny, I had to try! Right by this park was an Archeology Museum, which also happened to be free that day, so we stopped in there as well. Needless to say, that morning did not turn out as planned, but I couldn't have planned it any better!

On Tuesday, our art class visited the Cathedral in Sevilla to look at the gothic architecture. While its not as beautiful as the Cathedral in Toledo, it was still amazing! After the tour we wanted to go up La Giralda, which is the tower connected to the Cathedral that was originally built as part of the mosque, which was partially demolished to build the cathedral. At first they wouldn't let us up because they were going to close in 10min, but our professor convinced them to let us up, but we still only had 10min. Approximately 5min, 35 ramps, and 170ft later we were at the top, where were were treated to a beautiful view of Sevilla....and then promptly had to go back down. It was so worth it though!

Friday we had a "noche de chic@s" (girls and guys night), which consisted of delicious guacamole and american snacks, great people, and of course The Princess Bride. After the movie we proceeded to have an impromptu dance party, complete with the Cupid Shuffle, Wobble, Macarena... you get the idea! I laughed so much that night, which was really nice after finishing 2 exams this week as well! While I love everything Spanish, it was nice to just have a "normal" american night for once!

After a week or so of cooling down, the weather decided to warm up again here in Spain, so on Saturday we decided to go to a beach outside of Huelva for the morning and afternoon. This beach, like all the others, was so beautiful! Even though it was surrounded by vacation homes, there was hardly anyone there! The beach seemed to go on forever, and was covered in shells at the water line all the way down! I've never seen so many shells before! After spending about 4 hours there we headed home, where I relaxed a little, ate some dinner, and then headed off to the discoteca! I wasn't really sure what to expect with the discoteca, and I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I figured I had to try it out for myself! Well, it definitely ended up being an interesting experience, but overall I enjoyed it. I just danced with my group of friends and we had a good time!

Thank you all so much for your continued prayers and support! I am so thankful for them, and for you all! As I look ahead to the upcoming week, I would really appreciate prayers for focus in my classes, as this is the last week before our week-long break. There's a lot of planning that has to get done before we leave still, and I tend to put vacation planning over homework.... Continued prayers for safely and good health are always appreciated as well!

Well, I think thats all for this week! Love and miss you all!
Hasta luego!
Rachel :)