La escuela

Well, I guess all good things must come to an end. We finished last semester about the 15th of December and ever since, we've been traveling, partying, exploring, and doing the most fun things. I know that I was luckier than everyone in the world to have such a long break between semesters, but I have got to tell you, waking up for school Monday morning was no fun at all. Throughout my almost two month hiatus from school I've discovered that I'm not at all a morning person like I used to be and that I prefer to sleep in as late as possible. I guess it's a good thing that I only have 9am class on Mondays and Wednesdays (and I don't start til 1pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays). Classes here in Sevilla are pretty laid back...oh, and did I mention that we don't have ANY classes on Fridays? Yeah, so I guess I'm still pretty lucky. Classes are okay so far, mainly introduction stuff this week. They're not hard which is nice, just a little boring! Hopefully that gets better as the semester goes on....

Last night we went out for a friend's birthday to a place called Santuario. Before we went, our friends told us that Santuario had free shots and free sangria, but I thought it was too good to be true. I'll only say this once in my life, but thank GOD I was wrong! We had to pay a 1 euro cover charge to get in, but as soon as we walked through the door there was a free shot waiting for us and....BOTTOMLESS sangria. We basically drank it like they weren't gonna make it tomorrow. Even though that miracle only lasted for an hour, we hung out to dance and celebrate our friend's 21st birthday. As usual, we ended up having way too much fun and didn't get home 'til about 2....which made that 9am class even tougher this morning! But I have a feeling that Santuario may become a Tuesday night ritual...and that I'll be suffering through translation class every Wednesday. As they say here in Spain "Es lo que hay"..."It is what it is!"

Thank goodness I've been able to embrace a little Spanish tradition they call siesta. I have never in my life taken naps but since I've started classes I've been taking full advantage of my free hours in the afternoon. We come home and eat lunch and then I curl up in bed for about an hour and snooze. I honestly don't know how I ever lived without these...I feel like a  million bucks when I wake up. So, when I come back home I may have to find a way to work a siesta into my daily schedule. Vamos a ver (We'll see).

Tonight, we are going to "Salir con Españoles," which is organized by our program. We get to meet Spaniards and talk with them and they are going to take us around town and show us some of their hangouts. I'm so excited too see how the locals live...and hopefully we'll find some good tapas and good drinks while we're at it!

But for now, I think I'm gonna get an early start on today's siesta!

Until next time,
Natalie