Saturday was my first day without a CIEE determined schedule. Most of the group took buses to various nearby beaches. I stayed in Sevilla with some friends who, like me, didn't love the idea of traveling around with a group of 20 Americans (we stand out enough individually).
I spent the afternoon shopping and enjoying some tinto de verano (red wine mixed with lemon fanta...yummm) with Bea (my spanish host 'mom'). I am always impressed by how outgoing Bea is. Everywhere we go she strikes up a conversation with someone. Today she made friends with a group of four women in their late 50s who were visiting from the north for a few days. (They hadn't slept the night before because they were too busy partying...I, on the other hand, have consistently gone to bed around 12)
After lunch Bea left to meet up with some friends. I had half an hour to kill before meeting up with some friends of my own and just as I was debating how to pass that time I heard through my window the now familiar sound of old men singing flamenco music in the tapas bar down the street. I gathered my things and walked over there hoping for something of a free concert. My entrance did not go unnoticed as I was the only woman and the only foreigner there. I ended up chatting and dancing with the already slightly inebriated natives (this was at about 5pm) as they serenaded me with one classic flamenco tune after the next. They even put my glass of wine on their tab!
And now for a brief explanation of my schedule for the rest of the month:
CIEE-run intensive Spanish classes begin on Monday. My class will be about the social history of Spain and will consist of an hour and a half of classroom time followed by an hour and a half of visiting museums / historical & cultural sites around the city. After the two weeks of intensive classes end, official classes at the University of Seville begin!
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