I woke up Sunday morning and got ready for mass. I thought that I was supposed to meet Trini outside my house in Plaza Bib-Rambla at 11am before going to noon mass, but it turned out that we had mixed up the times. So I hung out in the plaza for a while before making the 1-minute journey behind the plaza to the cathedral. Not surprisingly, the cathedral is absolutely beautiful. It has the typical high-arching white ceilings with enormous paintings and sculptures. Aside it from being in Spanish (and a few words in Latin I think), the strangest part about the mass was the fact that there was no singing or books to follow the liturgy. Aside from that, everything else was more or less the same. I hope to return again soon. Laura came back in time for comida after spending the weekend with Ki Ke in Sevilla. After siesta, I met Paige and we hiked up to San Miguel to watch the sunset. There were surprisingly a lot of people there, but it was still a beautiful experience. After we made our way down from Sacromonte, we were pleased to find a Chinese restaurant! As delicious as it was, we still had room for gelato on the walk back. Once I got home, I studied a bit and then went to bed.
Monday morning consisted mostly of class and my first test in Spain. Considering it was in Flamenco theory, it wasn't very difficult, but it could have been easy if I had studied a bit harder! During comida, Delia and I discussed our feelings about work. She enjoys being a host mom, but she would also like to have a job where she gets ready and goes somewhere everyday. Still, she knows how lucky she is to have any work taking into account the high Spanish unemployment rate. I also learned today that the United States experienced daylight savings time last night. However, we will not make the change for another two weeks, so the time difference will be one less hour between now and then. How curious! After siesta, I ran a few errands before meeting up with Lauren to study for my next test. Then I went to Flamenco and studied for the rest of the night. Monday was certainly a tiring day.
I was in class all morning on Tuesday, so I couldn't tell if I was more relieved or drained when I finally left IES. My Islamic Art and Architecture test went well. I crammed the night before so I was a bit concerned, but it wasn't too bad. And now I have a better feel for my teacher's tests and grading style. Before comida, Aja and I went up to the terrace and soaked in the sun for a few minutes--the weather has finally hit 70 degrees! After siesta, I went to my watercolor class before meeting Paige to book our flight to Portugal! I decided that I would rather stay geographically central, and travel there as opposed to England. A bit later, I met up with Trini's friend, Oscar. We went to a tapas bar and took a walk. Once I got home, I talked with Delia before going to sleep.
Wednesday was another beautiful day; sunny and warm. I did my usual late morning run, and met a girl in the park after she caught sight of my Pitt shirt. She's a sophomore at Pitt too, and is studying in Granada with a different program. After I came home, I sunbathed on the terrace until it was time for comida. Delia prepared an interesting dish, which she learned from her Columbian friend. It consisted of rice cooked in Coca-Cola, with raisins and coconut mixed in. Aja and I submitted the recipe to IES for a Spanish recipe contest. After siesta, I went to Islamic Art and Architecture, where we had a calligraphy workshop. I practiced writing my name in Arabic. I can't get over how pretty it is! It's also interesting to write from right to left in order to avoid smearing the ink. After class I ran a few errands and went to Flamenco. Even though the steps aren't easy, I still love that class so much! Since some students are leaving for the Morocco trip the following morning, classes were canceled. Thus, I went out for the night!I took it easy on Thursday in order to rest up for our upcoming excursion. Delia and Laura were so funny during comida. I couldn't be more content with my host family. I went for a walk after siesta, which bettered my sense of direction and understanding of the city. Then I returned home to pack and get ready. At one point, Delia knocked on my door and surprised me with a tapa; strawberries, walnut, and carmel. She's so wonderful! I also saw one of her current paintings; a portrait of José for his birthday next week. And I met one of Laura's friends before they went out for the night. Ki Ke's here too. Then it was off to bed and off to Morocco in the morning!
