"If you don't have nothing to do, I invite you"

I can't believe it is already Friday... another week come and gone. Time is flying by here in Sevilla, I can't even believe next week will be MARCH already. And I know it is only going to get faster, but at least I recognize that my time here in Spain is dwindling every day, so I sure do try to make the most of every moment. A few Saturday's back I met a group of study abroad students from California at a local bar, and they introduced me to a group of about 4-5 Spanish students. One guy from California had already received his Intercambio, so a group of them (about 8) were going out for the night. Marni and I got to know his Intercambio pretty well and actually made a pretty decent friend out of her. We added her on Facebook and slowly have started to hang out with her more and more over time. Her name is Elia and she comes from a small town about an hour away from Seville. She told me one of her favorite things to do is meet new people. She has had intercambios from the USA for the past 2 years and have met people from Massachusetts, to Washington DC, to California (and now to Michigan!) We met up twice this past week, once for ice cream and the other for a drink at a bar right across from the University. I also had to accompany her to the Fabrics store because her Mom is currently sewing a dress. She has told me my Spanish is very good, and when I asked if she purposely talked slow so I could understand, she replied that she speaks to me as if she would speak to any of her friends. Her compliments were very reassuring, and I am excited to finally have met someone that will force me to learn Spanish and speak it all the time. Elia does want to learn English though, so we spent about a half hour talking in English. It's really interesting to teach someone English because there are certain phrases that make sense to us, but not to them. I taught her what it means to "keep in touch" and also "to hang out". She takes an English class for her own benefit outside of the University and told me their past class they learned about "personality qualities". She said she was asked to write her worst personality quality on the chalkboard and wrote "Booze" on accident when she really meant "Bossy". It was so funny to hear a story like that, because in Spain, I am always feeling like I am the one making the mistakes. I told her the worst part about speaking was the conjugation and she told me to try not and think so much about it, but rather just say the verb and over time I will acquire the correct conjugation. She also has invited me to her house, which was a really nice gesture. Unfortunately I have been very busy every weekend so far and haven't been able to take her up on her offer, but if I have the opportunity later in the trip I will definitely go.

This morning I saw a good friend from home, Rachael. She was in Sevilla just for the afternoon because she is traveling to Morocco tomorrow with an organization called "DiscoverSevilla". I met two of her friends, and they really seemed to like Seville. They suggested I come to Alicante in the Spring for the beach, but I have no idea how I will ever be able to fit (and afford!) all this traveling. If it works out, I will go though. It was very cool to see an old friend, who lives only 2 houses away from me, in one of the world's most beautiful cities standing next to the Torre del Oro.

Tonight, Justin, Marni and I are off to discover Toledo. I am excited to see the country's old capital before Madrid. I probably won't get much sleep (we are traveling by bus for 2 nights), but I think the city will be worth it.