Ser Turista

Yes, being super touristy is what we Americans do best. Before leaving the house the other day, I decided to put on my black euro-fabulous puma tennis shoes to give my poor blisters (ampollitos) a rest, and I asked my madre if my shoes were super American. Her response: "uhhhh....a little." I tried.

Yesterday we went with the fam to the archaeology museum in the morning, and then the adjoining park a little later. It was amazing! Sevilla/Andalucia is such a mix of cultures. The archaeological pieces come from the Romans, and there were statues, jewelry, and huuuuuge carvings. It was fantastically fun, plus we got to sound like experts in class when we were discussing Roman influence! However, I would have to say that the park was the most fun. It was more like a jungle than a grassy open space - with paths and fountains and little stairways to climb. Absolutely beautiful. My ten year old sister Bea kept stealing my camera, and she is surprisingly a fabulous photographer! So thanks to her, we have a lot of pictures from the day. I was having fun saying hi to all the ducklings in the pond, and my little brother was making fun of me. So I told him that from then on I would call him "patito" (duckling), and he calls me "gatita" (or kitten, like my name there -Kiti!). It's absolutely hilarious.

Today my group had a tour of the Alcazar Real, or the royal palace inside the private gardens in Sevilla. Again, more amazing pictures to come. It's really Moorish, with lots of tiles and fountains and gardens. Then we pre-registered for classes, and a couple of my friends and I went out for tapas after classes at 8! We sat outside at a corner table and had some sangria, which I had never tried, and some great tapas (including goat cheese, bull tail, and mussels!). It was tre's euro-fab. I still can't believe that I can just go to a tapas bar or get gelato after class. It's very surreal, and very relaxing. I was a little stressed earlier today because it seemed that I had a lot to take care of, but after blowing off steam I was so tranquil that I couldn't even remember what was bothering me in the first place. Everything seems balanced here, like nothing is out of control even at its worst. No coping mechanism like Europe!