121 Down, 25 Left

I have 25 days left in Seville. It sounds like a very short period of time but I feel like it will be a while until I'm back in the states.

1. The other day a girl in my class told me that "Minnesota Nice" is completely true, according to the two Minnesotans she knows. Myself, and a guy named Aaron, are exremely different, but both equally nice I guess. She's from New York so I guess nice people stand out.

2. I'm doing everything possible in History to improve my current C+ grade. (The only part of my grade that I know so far is my midterm score which was a C+). I participate as much as possible and frequently ask him questions about my paper or the historical period were talking about after class.

3. Recap on Feria: Basically Feria de Abril (April Fair) is a weeklong celebration in hundreds of Casettas in one area of the city. A casetta is basically a tent that a person will rent out for the week and only allow who they want in the tent. 98% of the casettas are like this (private). It's meant to be a Sevillian-specific party where people dance (a sevilliano dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsKqCyi_9lQ&feature=related) or just chat and have some drinks. This goes on from mid-afternoon to well after midnight. As I biked back from the bus station after returning from Madrid after my parents left for home I saw lots of women in dresses along the river in the afternoon ( http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LG-xx1SWdAM/0.jpg ).

I went Sunday night for the final night of Feria. This was the first and likely only time I will be wearing by brown shoes and brown pants haha. I saw the casettas, their HUGE "no8do" sign (the Sevilla motto), and fireworks. The fireworks started at midnight and were really fun. I watched them from a bridge and the noise made it feel like they were really close to you. It was as if you could feel the bangs. It was really fun and I'm glad that I was able to both see/experience Feria and travel with my parents all week to Italy.

4. I thanked Jesus, my finance prof for giving me advice on restaurants for my parents. He seemed genuinely interested in how Mom and Dad enjoyed the trip and how we liked the restaurants. He's a great guy. I also handed in my finance paper finally, 18 pages with Micah, whew. Feels good to be done. I also handed in my 9 page History paper, IN SPANISH. I present next week.

5. Yesterday, without motivation or caffeine I was able to get through my four classes. After lunch and a great skype talk with Johnny Myers I took a two hour siesta. Kelly, who is staying for 4-5 days, a friend of Micah's and a fellow LOST fan, watched Lost with me last night. I haven't watched that with a partner in quite some time. I love discussing theories. Today I biked over to CIEE for my tutor session and learned por/para (both mean "for" in English but have very different uses. I think this weekend I may be helping her on English a little bit. I then biked back to the nearby cafe to get cafe con leche and I actually read Matthew 3-12 today. Took about 3 hours but I loved it. I'm now writing this post on Tuesday before lunch as Thiago colors beside me. He intentionally over and over colors on my notebook to get in trouble and attention.

6. Just a minute ago Ana comes in screaming about a Palmela (a bird) which I didn't know what a Palmela was but she kept saying it. Somehow a bird got in the apartment and I had to get it out haha.

7. The family LOVED the presents mom and dad! Thiago likes the stuffed animal, but did immediately try to rip off his Hat haha. Ana just absolutely loved the angel you got her and can't wait to move it to Alicante. Gustavo will enjoy his gift too.

8. The weather here went from rainy and cold to too hot in a matter of weeks. It is 85 and sunny as I write this. I sweat when I even step outside. I love it, but by the end of May I'll be happy to land in semi-warm Minnesota.