During the beginning of the week we had Sevillanas class, plus an additional class the next day to fine tune things for the concert. On Wednesday we had probably one of my favorite Encuentros (worship night) of the semester. We had a time of prayer, singing, and reflection that was really what I needed in the middle of a busy week towards the end of the semester!
Thursday I met with my intercambio again, which is always a highlight of my week. It's always encouraging for me to talk with a Spaniard who is learning English and knows how I feel (on the other side of the spectrum, of course!). I've been especially blessed with an intercambio who doesn't just want to talk, but also wants to get to know me personally. I leave most of our meetings with sore abs and a happy heart! Also, some friends and I have decided that we want to sing on the street sometime between now and when we leave, and we picked out some christmas songs, which we started arranging. Who knows if we will actually do it, but I'm having fun just putting it together!
On Friday, after school and some homework, I went with 2 friends to the Feria de Libros (book fair) that is currently going on in a plaza near school. There are a whole bunch of vendors all selling books, from children's books, to college novels, to books that are so old the belong in a museum. For example, my friends and I found a vendor that had multiple books from the 1700's, and even on from the 1660's! It even had evidence of bookworms (which I now know are a thing, hahaha!)
Saturday morning we decided to go to a mercadillo (market) that my friend Liz and her Señora had gone to the week before. Well, as often happens we try to go somewhere and I'm with, we were not able to find the market. Instead, we wandered around an empty business district in Sevilla on foot and on bikes, passing the same street workers 4 times. During this time I accidentally rented out a bike that wasn't in the station, and so I had to call the Sevici customer service line, and after a few minutes on the phone I was able to explain the situation and get it fixed.... all in Spanish! It's the little things like this that help me know I am improving, even if I don't always see it! Anyways, we ended up calling Liz's Señora for directions, and she just ended up meeting us there and taking us herself... Some may say we lost over an hour wandering around, but I would argue that it was still an hour well spent! And we did make it to the market in the end :)
After that eventful morning, a group of us went to the Roman ruins of Italica, which are in Santiponce, a town right outside of Sevilla. Here there are ruins of old baths, houses, mosaics, but the majority of them are just the outlines on the ground (they are from the 100's though, so what more would you expect!) However, there is an amphitheater there that is still very well intact, and was definitely the most impressive feature of the ruins. We were able to walk in the middle and inside of it, which was so amazing! It's hard to believe that I was in a place that people walked in around 1900 years ago! Just one of the perks of studying in Europe I guess, among a few other things ;)
Sunday for me was a relaxing day that included swing dancing in the park, going to a chocolatería for some kick-butt churros con chocolate, and preparations for Monday, which was an extra special day for 2 reasons. "What are those 2 reasons?" you ask? Well, first, it was my roommate Chelsea's BIRTHDAY! And contrary to the beliefs of my host-siblings, she did not turn 28, or 32... or even 40, hahaha! This day was also special because it was our Fiesta Flamenca, where all the people taking the Sevillanas class dressed up and performed for friends and family. I was so happy to not only have other students and the birthday girl there, but also my host mom, host siblings, and my intercambio! For those of you who know my dancing history, you can imagine how excited I was to perform again! The entire night was wonderful, full of great music, great food, great dancing, and great people! Even though we are still clearly American, it was so awesome to be enriched in the Andalucian culture in such a tangible way! The entire day was definitely one of my favorites here so far!
Thanks you all for your continued prayers and support! I am truly grateful for all of them! As I look ahead to this week, prayers that I won't get homesick during Thanksgiving, and for safety as I travel to Granada on Friday would be very appreciated! Also, prayers for continued diligence as I have several final projects coming up would be great to!
Peace and blessings in this coming week! Love you all!
Hasta luego!
Rachel :)
Book from the book fair...note the date!
The amphitheater in Italica
My dance partner Liz and I :)
action shot!
Some of the extra special people who made it to the show! (L to R: Chelsea, my host siblings, my intercambio, and my host mom Inez)
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