Not too much has happened this week, and it actually went by very fast. This whole semester is flying by if you ask me! I volunteered at Claret helping the English class, as usual, on Tuesday and got asked the same questions as always. They always say that they want to "practice their English" by speaking it, which I agree is the best method, so I let them ask me questions and we talk back in forth in English. So far the only questions they ever want to ask relate to "were you a cheerleader in high school?" and "does every teenager in America really have a car?"

The rest of the week went smoothly. We had our first test in our Spain and Islam class, and I've actually started to have some homework (shocking, I know).

Julieta not loving me

This Friday we headed off to Doñana National Park in a part of Spain called Huelva, which is about 2 hours from Sevilla by bus. We signed up online for a horseback riding excursion, and I had been excited about it for weeks because I have always loved riding horses. Of course, we should have known the day wouldn't go as planned. It never does with us. First we got on the bus and headed to where we thought was Doñana National Park to find out that we were about 30 km from where we needed to be. Our meeting point for the excursion was nowhere to be found, so we called up the number on our reservation sheet. Luckily, the company was super nice and sent a car for us. Or as the man on the phone put it, "it's your lucky day, a black Audi will be coming to pick you up." We still got charged, but it was definitely cheaper than a taxi would have been. The man in the black Audi drove us to the horse stable, where we finally met up with the excursion group (who looked less than happy with us for being late).

Sweet horse

I got paired up with my horse, whose name was Julieta, and we rode around in circles for a little bit until the guides were sure that everyone knew what they were doing. After that we took off through the park, which is a protected natural area full of marshes and sand dunes. Unfortunately, we didn't get to actually ride on the beach, but we got to see great views of it and I was just happy to be riding a horse. Julieta was a tad on the fiesty side, and she certainly was not happy just following along in line with the other horses. I would say that we bonded...but once I hopped off of her at the end she seemed happy to be able to do her own thing. I guess I can't blame her.

After the excursion the man in the Audi drove us back to the bus station, and after breaking every single American driving law, we ended up catching our bus on time. We made it back to Sevilla in one piece, although a tad bit exhausted and smelling of horse. After a quick shower we set up the computer to watch the first round of the ACC tournament.

The rest of the weekend we've had the house to ourselves again. We've had the opportunity to cook ourselves meals and do homework and yoga in the family room again, which is a nice treat. Yesterday afternoon I went to read in the park, because the weather was perfect outside, and I came home to an empty house. I was curious where Maggie had gone, because the second round of the ACC tournament was coming on and I knew she wouldn't miss it. Finally, she walks in the door carrying treats for the game. She had bought our favorite kind of chips, wine, and ingredients to make "cookie in a cup," a recipe from Pinterest. They truly couldn't have paired me with a better roommate.

Our treats

After watching the game and devouring our chips, we searched through the fridge for something to make for dinner. We ended up mixing the leftover hamburger with scrambled eggs, and then adding a side of some vegetables and potatoes that were leftover. We finished it off with cookie in a cup, which I would definitely suggest to you guys. It makes one perfect serving of cookie, and you can eat it right out of the microwave safe cup you make it in. After dinner we met up with some friends to watch the Real Madrid vs. Betis soccer game.



Today we have just been enjoying a leisurely Sunday at our empty house. And by that, I mean we've been trying to ignore the marching band that has been playing outside of our window for the past 3 hours. And, as always, GO HEELS.

If you're interested, here is the recipe for cookie in a cup.

Cookie in a cup!