and now....for my final thesis

What I've learned this semester

Big things:

• Being by the water makes me happy.
• People generally want to help you feel comfortable.
• I love people who love the world.
• I can be myself around people who aren’t forced at me.
• I love beginnings.
• I can be happy on my own and I deserve to be.
• I like kids more than I thought.
• I love a sense of home and stability.
• One cannot learn to believe in God. You either do, don't or feel you don't have a place to decide. 
• I love ‘love’ just as much, if not more than before.
• The whole world is going green, not just the west.
• The more you see, the more knowledge you gain.
• I’m more interested in “things” when I am experiencing them.
• Kids are sponges to their surroundings.
• In my heart of hearts, I’m a city girl.
• I feel mean when I’m with passive people and have to make every decision.
• I am more comfortable, myself and happy hanging around in a group of 2, 3, or 4 versus a group of 8 or 10.
• I seriously dislike when people litter. Not just in a joking, light hearted way. 
• The most personal way to dance with your partner is with your eyes. 

Stupid things I’ve learned:

• My fragile stomach likes food from America.
• The whole world loves Shakira, Marilyn Monroe and The Beatles.
• American universities are ridiculously over priced.
• Dogs are a European man’s best friend too.
• Dressing nice isn’t that hard to do.
• I don’t need to curl or straighten my hair every day.
• American’s should walk more.
• I’d rather buy sunflower seeds at a baseball game than a bullfight. : /
• Tennis is a warm-weather, classy sport and I want to learn.
• Oeros are only good when you eat 3, 4 or 5 at a time.
• American boys are my cup of tea. 

Feria, I think I love you

This week was Sevilla's famous Feria de Abril<< click for info about it. Most cities in Spain have a spring Feria, but Sevilla's is the biggest and most well-known. The best way I can describe Feria in a few words is....think of "Spain," 100 years ago, in the most stereotypical way possible...and you got Feria! Women wear flamenco dresses, men wear suits and hats, people dress up their horse and buggies to show them off to the crowd, people eat tapas all day long with family and friends, drink rebujitos<<recipe, and dance Sevillanas and Flamenco alllllllll day and allllllllll night. In addition to the hundreds of 'casetas', there is also a huge carnival section for kids and a circus.

Feria kicks off Monday at midnight with the "alumbrado," which means lighting. This is when they turn on all the lights of Feria for the first time. It felt a little bit like new years :)

Tuesday was our day with official plans. Tally and I were invited to a caseta with Jose Manuel (Gracia's son) and Irene (Tally's intercambio).  Gracia was supposed to come with us, but she woke up not feeling too well again : / Alba (Gracia's granddaughter) walked us over to Jose's caseta so we could get in. It was one of the bigger casetas of Feria! And the inside was decorated like the Plaza de España. The actual caseta belonged to Jose's friend, who is the boss of the company that supplies water for Sevilla. We spent a couple hours drinking and eating tapas with Alba, Jose, Maria Jesus and a few of their friends.

That afternoon we walked, no, frolicked around the Feria grounds for a few hours, taking pictures posing with carnival rides, ham legs, paella and our spanish fans. I had that feeling for the third time* abroad. I was completely smitten with the whole festival.
*1 was at the Rocío family party and 2 was Paris.

Later we went to a caseta that belonged to a friend of Irene's. This one was much smaller, but just as fun!  They brought a band in so that the caseta-goers could dance Sevillanas. Here is a few video clips of Irene and her friends dancing (Irene is in the maroon dress with cream colored polka dots. The girl whose caseta it was is Irene's partner in the first video). Tally and I were dragged out there to try it.....but....I don't want to talk about it. I made a fool out of myself hahaha. Fun, nonetheless :)

I've been in a few other private casetas and many public ones as well. I dared my friend Sara to try to spot someone dancing who wasn't smiling.....she couldn't. Conclusion: life is more fun when you dance. I've been back every day...I can't help it :) 

Other Feria highlights that don't fit in the story-line:

• Gofres (waffles with warm chocolate sauce poured on top)
• Making friends with the restaurant workers
• Spanish friends dishing out cups and cups full of rebujitos to us for freeeee  
• Riding the ferris wheel 
• Seeing adults and grandparents dancing Sevillanas
• Jose being very very dad-like and deciding he's the "best" kid (of Gracia's)
• Watching budding/awkward couples dance Sevillanas. The way the guy stares at the girl is precious.