Semana Santa and Bullfight, take 2

So the second I got back from Paris (after talking to the family and sleeping, of course), I went out to explore the festivities around the city of Sevilla for Semana Santa (Holy Week). Basically, imagine an entire city shut down because of parades of as many as 2,500 people dressed in gowns and pointed hats followed by a huge float of either Jesus or one of the Virgins, carried by 20 or so men. Pretty crazy. That basically sums up Semana Santa. Loli gave me a schedule so that I could go see what I wanted to see, but as I know pretty much nothing about it, I just wandered around and took it all in. Most of my friends were still traveling, so it was a little lonely, but I had fun anyway. I hung out with some of my Spanish friends one of the nights which was fun because they were able to explain some things to me and show me some good places to go watch the places, which are called Pasos. Each day, there are as many as 8 Pasos, usually starting around 3 in the afternoon and lasting as long as 12 hours. If this sounds crazy, that is because it is crazy. It's hard to imagine people carrying a giant float for 12 hours (luckily they switch off), but they do it. Sevilla lives for this week (and for the Feria), and it is really incredible to watch. The majority of the city travels around on foot to watch the Pasos, but some of the people have seats in the center of the city because although each Paso is different, there are a few blocks that each Paso has to follow, and if you have a seat, you can just sit there all day and watch Pasos go by. My Senora says that it is better to go to Semana Santa but because she can't walk that much, she has a seat. Well, little did I know, but she has one of the best seats! When Ethan got here, she invited us to come sit with her because she said that the people sitting next to her probably wouldn't be there, and she got us in! It was definitely a different experience to watch it from the seats, but I'm happy I got to see the week from both perspectives.







So Ethan came to visit last Saturday (April 11), and it was great to see him! He had some trouble with his flight there - you know, nothing more than an aborted landing and a couple of lightening strikes...but he made it! I did a lot of the same things I did with Sharon and we had a really good time. We went to the Cathedral, the Alcazar, he came to class with me one day, he went to the Museum of Fine Arts, and we got lots of good Spanish food. On Friday night, we went to a bullfight with 2 of my friends from my program which was really interesting. I thought that it was going to get rained out but we got lucky and the rain really held out til the end. I wouldn't say I'm a bullfight aficionada (fan), but I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would. Ethan and I got some pretty good pictures, and then he took me out to dinner at this restaurant that was made out of an Arab bathhouse. It was really fun to spend time with him since I haven't really in a long time. I guess that will change next year! Ethan has decided that I live in a fake world because I don't have much homework, I stay out til 5 in the morning, and because sometimes, the Spanish are a little crazy. For example, Ethan was too tall for the door to his hostel. Also, we went to the bank and wanted to get change for our 50 euro bills because it is a little hard to use them since most of the stores are pretty small, and we went up to the counter and the guy takes a rubber banded wad of slightly disorganized money from an unlocked drawer and makes the exchange for us. Yup, this is a legitimate bank. Oh, Spain. Ethan says that he's going to study abroad in Candyland.



Ethan left Saturday morning and I left a few hours later for my last trip with my program which was to the beach in Chiclana, about a 2 hour drive from Sevilla. It was a really great time, and so much fun to be with everyone since we barely ever all hang out as a group. It made me realize how much I love the group of people we are studying with here - everyone is so smart and motivated and friendly. It is so nice to be with a group of only 20 people, and we all just get along so well. Luckily, most of the people go to school close so we'll be able to visit. We spent all day Saturday hanging around the covered pool (actually like a greenroom) because it was a little windy, had a huge buffet dinner, and walked over to the beach for a few minutes. We all hung out Saturday night and got up Sunday morning in time for breakfast and more laying out at the beach. Tough life. We stayed in a gorgeous hotel in bungalow-type-rooms with big beds and huge showers where I could take more than 5 minutes. Oh the luxury.

I had a lot of stuff to do when I got back yesterday because I am leaving tomorrow morning for my trip to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Budapest, which I am really excited about. I am going with Hannah, Liz, Kelly, Charlie, and Jon, and I think it's going to be a blast. I'm sure I'm going to write a novel about it here when I get back.

I guess the only bad thing about Sevilla is that my eyes do not like whatever flowers/trees are here and I had to pay a visit to the Spanish ophthalmologist while Ethan was here. It all went pretty smoothly, and he was impressed with my Spanish and very helpful. He gave me some drops and told me not to use my contacts. Luckily I haven't replaced my glasses lenses in about 4 years, so my ability to see is a bit impaired. Guess I'll have to take care of that when I get home? I'll add it to the list.

Still undecided for summer plans, but I'm hoping to hear back from some things this week. For now, I'm defintely going to be in Providence, which I'm so excited about. I can't wait to see my family and all my friends from school when I get to Providence - May 20th!

almost forgot - here's a picture of Loli and me!