It´s hard to have a good hair day in Spain

So I´ve been a little remiss with the updatings lately. First, it is really hard to have a good hair day in Spain with rain, humidity, and my very ineffective blowdryer. Add this to the fact that the Spainards are so well-coiffed it makes it very difficult to assimiliate.

I´ve tripped at least once every time I have left my house or school. I really think it´s my new shoes on the cobblestone roads. And in case anyone was wondering, Spainards don´t trip. They would never be reduced to such a pedestrian act. So every time I do, it´s another glaring sign that I´m a fish out of water.

As for this past weekend, Janelle and I along with our new pal Rachel took the bus to Cordoba, a city about two hours to the northeast of here. So pretty, with lots of religious significance (when this area, Andalucia, was ruled by the Muslims, Al-Andalus, the seat of power was in Cordoba, and the Medinat Alzahara was the official palace and seat of government). There is also one of the THREE synagogues in Spain in Cordoba, it was kind of hilarious because we were all excited to go, and then it turns out it was only three rooms. Three tiny rooms that us and a bunch of other tourists descended upon when it opened back up after siesta.

Classes are good, they are easy to understand. I dropped a history class, good riddance. We don´t have too much homework, which makes life easy. One day I actually look forward to now is Sunday. At school, Sunday is a day of dread, the Oh crap moment of the week. Here, Sunday is peaceful, we walk around, sleep, eat, and basically any thing else anyone could ever hope for in a Sunday. This past Sunday Rachel took us out with some of her sevillano friends, and it was great because they understood us, we understood them, and we talked about Grey´s Anatomy. Such a relief!

We´re looking ahead to going to Madrid, and we booked one of our two big trips already - right before my birthday, we´re going to Morrocco! And we´re camping out in the Sahara. How crazy is that. A year ago I could have never imagined where I would be, and now I´ll be camping and actually looking forward to it.

Every day is better than the last, and everything is starting to settle into its place. We´re learning more and more about Conchi every day. And yes, Carlos is in fact her grandson. It only took me a week to figure that out. Danielle, my roommate, got the scoop on the family situation. Nancy is Carlos´s mother and she takes classes at the Universidad de Sevilla. Shelly, Conchi´s daughter in the States, and her husband Alex have three kids I believe, all boys. Anyway, Conchi and Alex watch ninja movies together, that´s Conchi´s favorite kind of movie. Now Conchi is about five feet tall, very petite, and enjoys Arrayan, Canal Sur´s telenovela, and Menuda Noche. I cannot picture her getting into ninja movies. Although perhaps it is her other identity...the other day she received a package for Maria Merchant. ¨That´s my name in the States,¨she told us. Hm.

A lot of people have been asking me about the food. Aside from different mealtimes, it´s pretty much the same. For breakfast, I have toast on steriods, strawberry marmelade, and hot chocolate. Lunch is a bigger meal, sometimes pasta, other times pork fillets, other times lentil soup. Dinner can be empanadas and a vegetable side, or these curious hot pocket like potato-cheese things, I´m not really sure. If I don´t know what it is, I don´t ask. I´d rather eat and enjoy then have it spoiled. But I have been eating shrimp....which is a HUGE step for me. I won´t get into it, but when I was 6 there was an incident involving my new kid sized pull out couch, my Jasmine Barbie doll, New Year´s Eve, and some shrimp. I haven´t eaten it since. But I´m actually enjoying it here. Although what I wouldn´t give for a hot dog or a Diet Coke. For some reason, everyone I know has been talking about stupid hot dogs, and now I want one and there are none to be had.