good start to the week

Although always tough to get up early after a fun weekend, this week has started off well. It rained all day Monday, and although many of the walkways around school are covered by thin roofs, many of them leak quite unexpectedly, essentially soaking everyone at some point during the day. Today however it did not rain at all, and we actually had some sun during the morning which was great. School is still going well as we have all really gotten accustomed to the routine and classes. Over the past few days, it seems I have been in more of a Dutch immersion program than Spanish immersion, as my host family watches 2 hours of Dutch news on the crisis in Japan each afternoon, and then discuss the events in Dutch. I really want to see what has been happening in Japan each day, so while watching the news I have gotten very good at listening for vernacular words, and trying to invent my own story line for the images. I have also picked up a few good phrases in Dutch, like the word for chocolate (which I won't attempt to spell) and how to say "please pass the food." Pretty useful.........

I cannot believe that we only have one more week in Seville, the time has gone so quickly. At the risk of sounding like I'm exaggerating, I will say that I have loved every minute of this trip. Being a part of a completely new and different culture has been incredible, and I have made some amazing friends here in Spain. This is a trip I will be very sad to end, but one I know has had a huge impact on my life. Looking forward to a great last week in Sevilla!! - Leah