SEVILLA!

El Catedral



los arboles de naranja



The AVE Train



Flamenco Dancers


Buenas dias friends and family!!! So the "school" ( a small building with two stories tops) that I attend decided they would utilize our tuition the only way they know how: a viaje to SEVILLA! Students argued against a weekend of endless gourmet food, extravagant night life and exposure to some of the most beautiful architecture in the world, but the teachers won. So we hopped upon the AVE train and two cafe con leches and a quick nap later I almost missed my stop. Thank goodness for the cherub faced brunette to my left that four minutes after the train stopped asked "Why does the train station say 'sevilla'?" In typical organized fashion our directors got us lost and I got my exercise for the day. I can hardly complain because after we walked through an area that reminded me shockingly of downtown LA ( not in a good way in a dont-step-on-the-homeless-man kind of way) we arrived in paradise. Orange trees lined every street ( apparently for the scent and the touch of color) below calle after calle of mustard, amber, and green buildings squished together like they were giving each other a hug. If I had had that second croissant I wouldn't have made it through the alley ways. We ate like it was our job, consuming one unidentifiable dish after the next. We visited the Catedral ( it has a more original name but I can't remember and I'd get winded just saying it if I did), the Roman ruins in Italica, saw traditional Flamenco dancing, toured the inside of the Spanish palace, took a trip to a ranchero to see an equestrian show, and possibly slept. To summarize the Spanish nightlife I turned over to my arranged roommates cama at 7:30 AM to find it empty. It would be more appropriate to call it day life. We encountered a poor unfortunate bachelor with horrible choice in friends who was dressed up as a woman in a nighty, curlers, red lipstick, and a rosary. Whoever married him was a lucky man. All in all we came back from the trip a little more knowledgeable, a lot more sleepy, and very much bonded. We all seem to grasp the concept of the movie "Taken" over here so the theme has been no man left behind. Well I must adios it's the afternoon so my roommates should be waking up shortly! Te amo todo!

xoxox

Chrissy

Me Encantalo!

our "cafeteria" which looks more like a restaurant at the bottom of our casa



El Jardin de Las Delicias by Bosco


HOOOOOLLLLAAAAAA! I write to you from the ice cube that is our "dorm room". Apparently a dorm in Madrid constitutes a five piso vintage house with squeaky wooden stairs surrounded by walls that look like they will cave in on you in any moment. I live on tercera whose decor would feel right at home with the mad hatter or an old lady with cats ( periwinkle walls ordained with hideous pink flowers). Alright so my brain works in lists by day so recap here we go:

TUESDAY: After weeks of dread about the unknown roommate situation I wound up with two of the most normal girls at Suffolk and living in a room for five... if only getting the heat to work were that easy. I knew that me and the girls would get along when one of them said to me "Did you check Perez.... Heidi has a new face!". Yes you can get Perez in Madrid, no you can't get Hulu. You win some you lose some. After a LONG siesta we made a failed attempt at locating the campus on our own for orientation and thus spend the better part of 2-3 hours lost missing orientation entirely. Directions aren't our strong suit.The girls didn't seem to mind because asking young attractive Spanish men for directions never seems to get old. We did however come up with the catchy new Spanglish catch-phrase "Me Encantalo!" which we roughly translate to "Loves it!".

WEDNESDAY: Made it to orientation this time where we got a reassuring two hour visual demonstration of all the pick pocketing and assault techniques we will encounter. Apparently they look like Brad Pitt with the stealth moves of James Bond. Can't wait. We had lunch ( apparently bread and cheese are the only two food group that exist here) and then headed to the Prado Museum where we got a brief ( but free im not complaining) tour. The most memorable award goes to El Jardin de Las Delicias by Bosco which while some might call pornographic I thought held the most historic and symbolic meaning. Not to mention its hard to hate a painting that consists of unicorns, pig nuns, and dead fish. We then wandered the city to Sol ( a shopping mecca of course) and managed to offend at least two locals by questioning where the towels might be in the department store.

time for another siesta! Hasta luego!