I haven't updated this in awhile but that always seems to be the story of my life with this. I just forget about it. This past weekend our program went to Sevilla, but the majority of us were too tired to enjoy the city in its entirety. This is because last week was midterms and the DELE exam. In case you have never heard me talk about the DELE, it is a fluency test we took at the intermediate level. If I pass it I will have a certificate that shows I am fluent in Spanish at the intermediate level. However, my grammar in Spanish is horrible, and because of this I don't think I passed. In fact I am 99.9% I didn't but I will not know for sure until February. At least I don't have to worry about that ruining the rest of my time here. If I don't pass I always have the opportunity to retake it at the University of Portland which I happened to live very close too. To tell you the truth, I don't think very many people in the US even know what the DELE is so it won't be too detrimental if I don't pass. It would just look good on a resume...we'll see what happens. Sevilla is a bigger city than Granada, and had a Starbucks where of course I had to stop at like I did in Madrid. Did I mention Madrid? Well that was a fantastic experience!!! I had my best meal yet in Spain at Hard Rock Cafe. I am determined to find the Hard Rock Cafe in Barcelona when I go this week. Another thing to look forward to! Well to make a long story short about Madrid I had an amazing time and did not get robbed in the process. However, I think now I have seen more coffins then I ever wanted to see. I prefer not going to anymore mosoleums or anywhere that contains dead bodies for quite sometime. Learning that the bodies in the Escorial rot in the "rotting rooms" for 25 years before being put into the coffins in the room of coffins, is not a detail I wanted to know, especially since the Grandma of King Juan Carlos I is among one of those rotting in a room that we walked right by. Definitely not a fan of that, but it was historical and interesting to learn about, despite my minor panic attack while in there.
In Sevilla we rode a 4 person bike around the park, but decided to fit all 6 of us. It was quite the adventure and we got quite a few looks as we were being the "loud Americans", but it was totally worth it. I experienced my first Christmas market in Sevilla. I learned that Nativity scenes here are a big deal and that you can custom make your own if you wish. I can't wait for the Christmas market to come to Granada! I would love to bring back Spanish ornaments. A Christmas market in Granada would also mean its almost time for me to go home!
One month and one day from today I will be back in the US with my family and friends. Most people are not looking forward to this day, but I am among the few that are. I miss my family and friends so much, especially in this last week! This last week was a rough week for me, as I had many tests to study for and didn't have my family or group of friends from home as my support system here for me. I received a package from my sorority last week and realized how much I miss home and all the people there. Don't get me wrong, I have had a great time here and have so many memories, but there comes a time where it is time to come home, and I have reached that point in my time here. I do have things to look forward to until then. This week I am going to Barcelona and get to see my best friend from home who is studying there. I can't wait! Today I also have been thinking about going to Morocco. Before I had no interest in going there but after hearing my friends talk about it and how great of an experience it would be I think I am going to do it. How many people get to say they have been to Africa? Probably a small number. I just need to figure out the rest of the details before I make a final decision.
More updates to come after my time in Barcelona!!!
