One last Hurrah

Well here it is...my last night in Spain. I have been here for 144 days, and in a little less than 12 hours I will be heading home. Now, I could get sappy and tell you how these have been some of the most incredible days of my life, how I've made a great new group of friends, or how I think I may even be a little wiser than I was when it all started (if that is even possible). Because this semester honestly has been just that - incredible. But, I will spare you the sappy details, because you'll hear them all when I get back anyway. Plus the goodbye hugs I just gave to my friends were a little too much of a tearjerker anyway. So instead, I think I'm going to bring my study abroad blog to a close with a list of all of the things that I'm excited for in the good old USA. Get ready, this list is no joke. I have thought about this long and hard folks.  

1. Food: As delicious as Spanish food is, I am ready to dive back into my American staples. Let me at some Mexican restaurants, a BLT, salmon, and some grilled chicken. Really just anything that isn't gazpacho or ham.

2. Free refills...no explanation needed.

3. People who hold doors open for others

4. AIR CONDITIONING...I've been sweaty enough for one lifetime

5. English: I legitimately think I might be overwhelmed at first. I mean, obviously I speak a fair amount of English here, but to be able to speak it everywhere I go will be quite the novelty. Unfortunately, I'm also going to have to relearn that everyone around me will be able to understand what I say...

6. Driving a car

7. Dollars instead of euros...that conversion rate got old very quickly

8. Oh, and you know, family and friends. And of course, the infamous Starbucks Murphy

I can't even begin to list the things that I will miss about Spain. On the short list is obviously Cruzcampo, siestas, paella, fresh bread, cafe con leche, speaking Spanish, easy travelling through Europe, the ability to walk everywhere, and the beauty of this gorgeous city I live in. But most of all, I'm going to miss these people who have been my family for the past 5 months. Yes, even Carmen. It might be a little weird to not wake up to a half dressed 5 year old every morning.

So this is it...for real this time. The end of my travelling adventures and the end of my blog. I've been thinking a lot about what to say when people ask me "SOOOO...how was it?!" To be honest, I don't even know where to begin. I think I might just go with incredible. Truly and completely incredible and life changing and one of those things that I'm going to be talking about when I'm old and gray and wishing I was young again. Maggie and I say all the time that we're going to be those girls in Chapel Hill that everyone hates because every conversation moves towards "Oh! That reminds me of that time in Spain when this happened..."

But for now, I will leave you with this. Thank you to everyone who has actually read this. I hope it was at least interesting, and know that I have enjoyed keeping it more than I ever would have imagined. Europe, it's been real. I can't wait to see you again someday. Until next time Spain, hasta luego.

An open bar at a First Communion? Only in Spain...

The first day we arrived in Spain, Maria informed us that her First Communion would be on June 2nd, and that we were invited. Having been to a First Communion before, namely my own, I wasn't really expecting too much out of it, and I was confused as to why she was so excited to tell us 5 months in advance. I explained to Maggie that my First Communion was basically just a normal mass where I wore a white dress and took communion for the first time. After that I think we had some kind of cookout and I got some presents, but it wasn't really a big deal. Today I learned what all the hype was about, and frankly, I'm almost wishing my First Communion had been on Spanish turf.

Maggie and I with Maria

All this week we watched Pilar run around frantically trying to get everything prepared for the big day. We knew that the First Communion would be held in Marchena, a town about 45 minutes from Sevilla, but that was pretty much all we knew. Luis' parents live in Marchena, and he works there as well. We weren't really sure why the communion was being held there, but we just did as we were told and got on the bus (yes, they rented a charter bus) this morning at 8:30 sharp. We relaxed after realizing that we weren't over or under dressed, and we settled into our bus seats unsure of what to expect with the rest of our day. We arrived in Marchena and headed to a church for mass. The mass was seemingly normal, and the only difference was that Maria was the only person receiving her First Communion.

After mass we followed the mass (pun intended) to a local casino/bar where we apparently were stopping to have drinks. At this point, Maggie and I were utterly confused as to what we were doing, and if we would ever eat (since there has been a shortage of breakfast food lately). We ignored our growling stomachs and decided to order some sodas, since it was on Pilar's tab. We watched the hoards of children dance for awhile before being herded off to another bar, where the other half of the church group was. At this point we figured we were just bar hopping, and barely got settled before we were ushered back on the bus and off to our next location. We got off the bus and were told that we were at the factory that Luis works at. We were really confused until we rounded the corner and saw that there was not only a tent with tables and a fully stocked bar, but also tennis courts, a courtyard, and a swimming pool. And I thought my First Communion cookout was cool...

Luis' factory, complete with a swimming pool 

We headed straight to the food that was laid out on every table, and joined little Luis and his friends as they feasted on ham, chips, and other random Spanish foods. Our day was made when a lady even walked out with a tray of tortilla de patata for our eating pleasure. I take that back, our day was made when papa Luis walked up to us and announced that the bar was open and that we were to have whatever we wanted to drink for the rest of the day. With that being said, we embraced the Spanish culture that we have come to love and joined the rest of the guests in food and drink indulgence. Although we assumed we would spend the day talking to each other or the kids, we actually ended up making a number of Spanish friends. We had numerous people come up to us and ask if we were "the Americans," and some even wanted to practice their English with us. The day continued on with some impromptu flamenco dancing by papa Luis, who definitely has some moves, and of course, paella and seven different kinds of cake.

 Maggie and I helping with paella

Before the day was over, we were heartbroken to say goodbye to everyone, especially Pilar and Luis' family  members who had been so nice and embracing to us. Luis' parents felt like they could be my own grandparents, and I got more than enough cheek kisses as the day passed on and the keg dwindled down. The day was a great last practice of our Spanish before we head home to the US, and we left exhausted and grateful that we had the chance to take part in such a strong Spanish custom. I feel like being a part of an actual Spanish family has given us the chance to have first hand experiences that most other people in our program don't have, and this was just one of them.

Tomorrow I am waking up to my last full day in this beautiful city, and it still doesn't feel real. Maggie and I are getting up and knocking the last item off of our bucket list, which is trying chocolate and churros. It is surreal to think that we have almost finished our ridiculously long bucket list, but as they say, all good things must come to an end. 

Papa Luis showing off his moves

Snails, a typical summer time food

Maggie and I with cousin Juan, who is half Spanish, half Irish, and knows 4 languages