Walking = Life.

I better have a body like Shakira by the time I leave this country.

We walk more than humans should ever have to walk. Ever. I’m not complaining, I swear, because I’m in the most amazing country with amazing people and the weather is wonderful (muy caliente!!!), but man – you walk til you don’t think you can walk no mo’ here!

Despite the fact that we all have blisters on every inch of our feet and our bodies feel as if Chris Brown just got done beating us up, WE STILL STINKING LOVE IT HERE. It’s absolutely phenomenal. I can’t even describe how awesome it is to say that I live in Spain, especially Sevilla. Tonight is going to be MADNESS here. It’s La Copa Final de España: Sevilla vs. Real Madrid. Our directors told us which parts of the city to completely avoid, because if we win (VA SEVILLA!!!), there will be pandemonium. And we like pandAmonium, but not pandEmonium.

Classes are incredible. They are so interesting it doesn’t even seem like class! My first class is about the culture and history of Spain and it is so much fun. In fact, when I walked into class today, mi profesor was playing “Viva la Vida” – my favorite song. Um. Ever. So I slightly freaked out of course. And danced a lot. That is until my professor walked in the room and made me sit down. Schwoops. However, I’m sure the feeling of actual class will come when our 2 presentations, 4 quizzes, 3 compositions, 1 group final, and 1 individual final get started. For EACH CLASS. Yep. Que divertido! Not. But still, SO WORTH IT. My other class with such an insane course load is about the pop culture in Spain, and we watch the neatest things in there. We listen to songs, watch movies and television ads, and many other things involving the pop culture of España throughout the decades. Both classes are incredibly interesting, but near the end of the last one, all of us start to fade… baaaad. We’ve already gotten so used to taking siestas!!! Naps = da best. Especially during the hours that it’s, oh doncha know, more than 100 degrees outside. No big deal.

The directors of our trip = my BFFs. Our head hauncho, Diego, is going to be my Spanish professor back at UGA in the fall. That being said, he and I need to become even MORE BFF while we’re over here. Ha. Couldn’t hurt, and he is super funny! Manuel, are TA, is probably the coolest dude ever. He is from Sevilla and met his wife while she was studying abroad here for 6 months. He made sure to point out to us when he told us the story of how they fell in love that she was here for 6 MONTHS, not WEEKS. Que triste para nosotros chicas – jokesss!!! Yesterday he showed us the place where he proposed to her – holy cow. The best story ever. Dude even read the girl a poem. He needs to give hints to all of mankind.

Just these past three days have been JAM STINKING PACKED. The first day, Whitney and I walked for two extra hours because our sweet, sweet madre is good at everything except giving directions. And for future reference, if you are ever lost in Sevilla, don’t ever ask the locals where to go. Apparently since it’s such a big city, they don’t even know where to go themselves, cause they’ll tell you like 500 different things. Now we have gotten the hang of the city, and are pretty darn good at figuring our way around! We have taken walking tours of some of the most beautiful places in the city – La Catedral (the 3^rd largest religious building in Europe), La Giralda (a tower with 36 ramps up to the top and the tallest building in Sevilla), La Plaza de Espana (which appears in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones as Planet Neboo), and El Parque de Santa Maria that is incredibly beautiful. As many beautiful places as we go and as much as I love taking pictures, I am going to have like 5 bajillion albums on Facebook by the end of the summer. But that’s ok. At least one for every dollar I spent to get over here – and that’s quite a bit of fotos!! But God rocks, and He provides, and I’M HERE IN SPAIN!!!

This afternoon after climbing the 36 ramps to the top of La Giralda, the group and I went to una Heladería, or an ice cream shop that beats all American ones combined. Just saying, if you ever find yourself in Sevilla, get the half cheesecake half tiramisu combo. It’ll blow ya mind. Heck, basically everything here blows your mind. God made one awesome world. How amazing that He lets us share in it!!!!

It’s 9 PM here and still not time for dinner. It’s such a different lifestyle here, and it’s a MUCH BETTER fit for me! After dinner, we’ll hit up a restaurante to watch el partido de fútbol… Remember, Go Sevilla!!! GOL!!!