Ronda, Erasmus, Pancakes, Baila Sevillana and Dutchess Camillia

This past week in Sevilla was great. So much has happened, it is going to be difficult to recount everything, but I am going to attempt it. Last Saturday my program had a planned excursion to Ronda which is two hours away from Sevilla and included in what's called one of Andalucia's "white hill towns". They call them white hill towns because the terrain of the cities are filled with hills of white rock and boulders. Ronda was filled with breathtaking views and scenery. A group of 8 or 9 of us ate our midday meal at a restaurant that had a terrace overlooking a valley filled with pure green grass and huge rocks embedded in the landscapes. Overlooking a scene like that while eating a simple lunch was completely surreal, and really made me realize I am living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We had a tour earlier that morning of the sights of Ronda, including Puente Nuevo, a Bullring, and Santa María la Mayor Collegiate Church. Puente Nuevo is the famous bridge that connects two sides of the city separated by a gap in the rocks. It divides the old town Ronda (La ciudad) from the new town (El Mercadillo) which was built after the Reconquista. As for the bullring, Ronda is one of the first places in Spain to ever host a bullfight so it was only fitting that we got a history lesson from the experts. We not only got to see the arena, but also the chapel where the Matadors pray before their bullfight, the stables and equestrian school, and a museum that showcased famous Matadors and their "traje de luces" or outfits. It was also fun because Pepe brought his wife and son, Alejandro (who is 3 years old) on the excursion. It was fun to see Pepe's life outside the program center.

Last Tuesday, Elia invited me over to her apartment to make a snack with her and her friends. Her Spanish friends wanted me and her other American friend to teach them how to make "an American classic" food, so we decided to make them pancakes. There were about 11 of us in the kitchen, and we made about 20 pancakes for everyone to share. It was so much fun because all her friends were so nice and welcoming. It's interesting to me that they basically throw a party every time they hang out together because they are always inviting over more people and including everyone. I got to meet her roommates, her brother and his friend, and some of her friends from French class. We also made strawberry and chocolate sauce for the pancakes since they don't sell syrup here. Her friends claim they liked the pancakes, but they did admit they prefer Crepes. I think our next merienda ("snack") is going to be a picnic because the weather is so nice now, it's a shame to be inside.

Fortunately I was really productive with my homework last Wednesday, so I went out with two girls from my program for the night. We went to a disco called Caramelo, which is located in Nervion neighborhood. Every Wednesday is Erasmus night at Caramelo. "Erasmus" is the study abroad program of Europe. Every country imaginable in Europe participates in this student exchange program, and in fact, a lot of students do it as well. For example, both Elia and Armando have done Erasmus in the past. (Elia to France and Armando to Germany). It was really fun at Caramelo because you could tell there were people from all over Europe in the club. And even though I am here to study Spanish, I am certainly not opposed to meeting all the other European ladies.

And now today, Friday, my Ciudad Hispanoamericana class was cancelled, which was obviously the start to a perfect day (and the finish to a perfect week). Every Friday, I take an hour long class offered through my program to learn to dance "Sevillana", which is a much more relaxed form of Flamenco. There are four parts to learn, and today we perfected parts 1 through 3. I'm usually not one for dance classes like this, but it is kind of fun to learn it, and hopefully I will be able to show off my skills when Feria rolls around next month. Then around 1:30 I met with my other intercambio Armando and we went for tapas in downtown Sevilla, called the Centro. He brought me to a place on Calle Tetuan which served fried fish and oysters. In the middle of the conversation, Armando pointed to the street behind me to a procession of about 7 or 8 guards leading the Duchess Camilla of England through the streets of Sevilla. For me, this scene was unbelievable, because of course I have seen and read all about her in the USA newspapers, but to see her only 6 feet away from me by coincidence was crazy. There was no one blocking my view to seeing her. And as she passed a Spanish local shouted in his best English "Welcome... Camilla" and she turned towards us and smiled and waved from under her sun umbrella.

My time here just keeps getting better with each passing week. And we haven't even hit Semana Santa or Feria yet. I'm so happy I studied abroad. This truly is the best experience I have ever had.