Sevilla, Me Encanta.

Where to begin??? I've fallen extremely behind on updates from my resident city so I'll do my best to get caught up on recent happenings in Sevilla. It's finally springtime in Sevilla and the weather has been phenomenal. Sunny and approximately 75 degrees every day so I've been spending a lot of time down by the river reading books and working on my suntan. Spring has also brought the tourists to Sevilla, they are often spotted toting giant cameras and with their faces buried in maps--they're everywhere! I must be blending in fairly well with Spanish culture and style because I've been asked several times for directions in the past few days and I kind of love it...makes me feel like a local! Most people are not as easily fooled though, especially when I partake in traditional American pastimes such as devoutly following college basketball. A group of us gathered around a laptop in Bar Phoenix during the ACC tournament and streamed the games online while cheering aggressively for the Tar Heels. As you can imagine, we drew many perplexed looks and chuckles from the local Spaniards. When March Madness rolled around, I discovered that TexMex (the same bar that showed the Super Bowl) would be showing all of the NCAA Tournament and have specials! All of the UNC students flocked to Texmex to cheer on the Heels from across the pond. We were SO excited to make it to the Elite Eight and bummed when we finally lost. The UNC enthusiasts far outnumbered Kentucky fans in the bar and I think they were a little intimidated because at halftime they migrated to another room in the bar.

Nicole, Caitlin and Michael watching the ACC tournament in our makeshift sports bar!

I finally met with an Interacambio named Simo, who is studying computer science at the University of Sevilla.  We meandered around by the river and talked about cultural norms in the States, his family in Morrocco and life in Sevilla. He's exceedingly nice, though a tiny bit on the dull side. Regardless, it was a great opportunity to practice Spanish, learn some colloquial phrases and get some help with grammar and pronunciation. Hopefully we can rendezvous again soon!

I took this picture while laying out by the river one day. Sevilla is so beautiful in the spring.

Nicole's parents are in town this week and we've had a wonderful time showing them around Sevilla. Her dad, a former professor, has assigned us the task of discovering how and why Spanish people live such long and healthy lives while carrying on the lifestyle that they do. They stay up late, smoke cigarettes, drink a beer with lunch, and still have one of the lowest rates of heart disease. Spanish women eat pastries and McDonalds but are still inexplicably thin. How? Why? I will keep you all posted if and when we discover the answer to this enigma! Anyways, we've had a fabulous time with the Hensel's. They had a group over to their apartment for dinner and it was so nice to get a little taste of home.