Aventuras de España: Eat, sleep, breathe, live Sevilla

Hola todos! I can hardly believe that another week has passed! Time seriously flies by SO quickly here, and during this week I hit the "one month to go" mark, which I have very mixed feelings about. As a result, this week I spent doing a lot of visiting things in the city of Sevilla that I have been meaning to do (and are kind of obligatory as a Sevillan citizen) but I just hadn't gotten around to doing. It has really started to become real how little time I have left here and I want to savor every moment of every day while its still here!

This week started off with Sevillanas (dance) practice. Each pair got assigned one of the four dances we've learned, and Liz and I got our favorite one, so we were pretty pumped for that! On Tuesday we had a combined practice with the other class and ran through everything for the Flamenco/Sevillanas show thats happening in just over a week. I'm so excited for the show; I already have my outfit ready to go! I just love Sevillanas class, its a great stress reliever every week. And now that we know what we're doing a little more, we can start working on not looking so american (if thats possible!) After class a group of us went of the Torre del Oro, a muslim tower built in the 13th century that's now a museum and common subject of postcard photos. It was so beautiful seeing the city from the top of the tower, to get a view of the city that can only be had in a few places in the city. Even after 11 weeks here I'm still constantly taken aback at the beauty of this city at any time of day!

On Wednesday, which was a beautiful day that kept around 70 degrees, I decided to do some homework outside, just to change things up. Well, after about 20min of sitting on a bench by the river, it started to rain, which to me was a clear sign that I didn't really need to do my homework ;) After that I had Encuentro, and then after dinner I went for a walk around the river with some friends. We just walked down one way until we hit a fence, found an opening in it, and then reached a nice lookout spot by the river. Again, it was so great just spending time enjoying the city, finding new places (like aquariums!), and hanging out with friends.

On Thursday I went with a friend to see the Real Alcázar (palace) of Sevilla, which was built in the 11th century. It was filled with huge, beautiful gardens, and the Muslim architecture was amazing! Every room was filled with beautiful tiles, sculptures, fountains, and arches of different geometrical patterns... It's crazy to think that they were able to create this magnificent art so long ago, and that someone got to live there! I was so amazed with it all, and that it took me 2.5 months to visit this place that was a 5 minute walk from school! (Side note: for all you Game of Thrones fans, they were filming the next season here earlier this semester!).

After a week of exams, I decided to take the weekend easy. Saturday morning I spent sleeping in, and then playing with my host siblings for awhile. In the afternoon some friends and I decided to hop on bikes and explore a little further out in the city. We didn't have a destination, we just went. However, every 30min we had to stop and switch our bikes at a bike station so that we wouldn't get charged a fee! We ended up passing a business district, a part of the old wall that surrounded Sevilla, and a place close to where the nonexistent concert was (all those weeks ago!). I had a really great time, and it was really relaxing to just go out and see the city with no agenda with 3 great girls! Today, before church, a group of us decided to go and visit an art market on the other side of the river. I love looking at all the art and seeing what people can do with the different landmarks of Sevilla. I've also been looking to buy a painting for myself, and I walked away with not one, but two pictures (I'll figure out where to put them when I get back! hahaha). And as tradition states, church was followed by a treat at Las Palomas, my favorite bakery :)

As I look ahead to the next few weeks, I can hardly believe my eyes! This upcoming week is my last full week of school, and as of today, I only have 27 days left in Spain. Chelsea and I frequently think back to our first few weeks here, and we can only laugh! Things have changed so much... that is to say WE have changed so much. Even though we are still "outsiders", Sevilla is our home right now, and it is hard to imagine a day without siestas, breakfast cookies, loud siblings, 70 degree weather, flamenco practice, walking to school, etc... Anyways, I don't want to get to sentimental just yet, because I still have practically a month! Looking ahead, continued prayers for diligence/motivation in my classes, as well as an ability to make the most of every day I have left here would be greatly appreciated! Thank you all for the support you have given me with your prayers and messages, they truly mean a lot! Love you all!

Hasta luego!
Rachel :)