This past weekend was really fun and relaxed. A large group of MCP students took a day trip back to Cádiz (our third time there!) and spent the whole day relaxing on the beach. Going to the beach is a very common pastime for Spaniards, especially in the summer. Ever since the end of Feria, Kiko (our host brother) has gone to the beach every weekend. And I can't really say I blame them... their beaches here are beautiful. Time went by so fast Saturday. We arrived around 10:30 and left at 7:00 but I really only felt like I was there for less than 2 hours. We played games of ultimate frisbee, laid in the sand and listened to music, and also got in two good meals while we were there (one of them being the awesome bocadillo Lourdes made us with lamb, tomatoes, and peppers). The water felt really good too. It really is getting hot in Spain. I looked at the weather for next week and it is supposed to get up to the mid 90s! Looks like I will be getting home just in time to avoid the unbearable heat.
I dedicated my entire morning on Sunday to writing my Iberoamérica paper. This paper is truly one of the hardest I have written since I have been here because the history is so detailed and complex. I have to make sure I get all the facts straight before I can put it on paper, which is really time consuming. Fortunately, I am nearly done with that one so it will be another item to cross off on the "school to-do list". Speaking of to-do lists, we FINALLY made it to a bullfight on Sunday afternoon. At first, I was a little skeptical about the whole bullfight ordeal in Spain because it really is a controversial issue. I told myself that this was truly the only opportunity to see this part of Spanish culture though, so I bought a ticket anyway, and I am really glad I did. The bullfight we went to was called "novillada" which means toreros who are in training to become true "matadors". We saw 6 toreros in total, and all 6 were successful in their task to overcome the strength of a bull and kill it in one strike. The routine for all 6 were identical, but you could definitely tell if some toreros were better than others. It always started with the bull being released from the cage, to which a series of men would then daze it with the cloth and weaken it for the matador. The image was unreal. To see a Spanish man dressed in the "traje corto" with the red cloth and everything was something most people only imagine about Spain. I can see the art in bullfighting, but I respect the views that claim it is animal cruelty and unjust. The thing is, the Spaniards do not like to see the bull suffer either. When the toreros does something incorrectly and the bull suffers, they all whistle and wave white cloths to indicate their discontent with the performance. Regardless I am glad I went, and can happily say I have done almost everything I wanted to do in Spain.
This week I have an entirely open schedule everyday. I want to finish my papers soon to get them corrected by Puri (my discussion leader back in January during the pro cultural seminar) and then I will begin studying for those three exams I have the following week. I'm looking forward to the "school" part of the program to be over, but I still maintain that I don't want to leave Sevilla. I am so excited to go home and see my parents and friends. With only 2 weeks left now, I really think about it a lot, and how strange it will be coming down that escalator and seeing my parents. As much as it pains me to finish this amazing semester abroad, I know I am going to go home completely content with my experience.
PS. The pictures below are (relatively) censored. If you'd like to see the pictures that truly depict a bullfight in Spain, I can send them to you via email.
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