Ever since getting back from Barcelona my week has been a little off schedule. I've finally recovered from my lack of sleep over the weekend, and thankfully today we didn't have classes due to a national strike. As most of you probably know, Spain's economy is doing very poorly, and today there was a nationwide strike that left every city in Spain with public demonstrations, no university classes, and only 30% of the usual public transportation. I steered clear of any demonstrations and just enjoyed my day off.

Maggie's parents have been here all week, and I have really enjoyed having a taste of the US here in Spain. I've gotten to spend a lot of time with them, and I like seeing the fresh perspective they have on Sevilla. It reminds me of how we all felt the first week we were here. They came over to our house to meet the family and have dinner on Tuesday night, and it was quite the event at our household. Pilar pulled out a white tablecloth and we ate at the dining room table instead of sitting with the kids in the kitchen as usual. Pilar prepared a feast for us, and she fixed different kinds of typical Spanish food, so that Maggie's parents could get a sampling of the kinds of things we eat. The food was delicious, but the best part was getting to hear Pilar and Luis (our host dad) speak in English. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we had a great time, and it made me so excited for my own mom to come and see our house and meet our parents. The children were also on their very best behavior, which is always a welcome surprise.

Tomorrow I have to start packing for our week long spring break trip. We leave on Saturday for Dublin, and from there go to Amsterdam and Heidelberg, Germany. I am very excited, but also interested to see how I am possibly going to fit a weeks worth of clothes in one backpack.

I'm hoping that Dublin will be full of my distant relatives who just can't wait to share a pint with me. I'm sure whatever I find this week will be nothing short of amazing, and prepare yourselves for an extra long blog post when I return.