Betis Fútbol

Last weekend went by pretty quickly and busily, and coming up after this week, I have a week long break to spend in Italia! (The only problem is trying to get a car rental place to rent a car to a 21 years old who doesn’t have a hard copy of his Driver’s License because his wallet was stolen) I spent this weekend in Sevilla and went to a Betis (Sevilla’s local team) soccer game on Sunday. A group of about 25 of us from school went to the game together, and we sat way up in the nosebleed section, but we still had a pretty good view of the game, and it was pretty exciting. The fans were really into the game, until the opposing team scored to tie it 1-1 with 2 minutes remaining… then they got pretty frustrated. But I really enjoyed the game – the Spanish are crazy about their soccer.

Photos that wouldn't fit in the last entry

Here's some photos from a gypsy wedding - the bride was taking her photos in the castle in Mallorca at the same time we were there. I really want a suit like this guy's...

Mallorca y Toledo

¡Mom and Dad in Sevilla!
La Mancha (molinos de Don Quijote)
Toledo sunset
Bellver Castle, Mallorca
Pallea at Enrique's Grandparents house

Sorry it’s been so long since my last entry. That means this is going to be a longer entry. I just got back to Sevilla today, after 4 nights in Mallorca, visiting Enrique and his family (Enrique lived with my family in 2004 on a foreign exchange program set up by my Spanish class). It was an amazing weekend – Enrique and his family are incredible hosts. The first night we went to a restaurant that’s known for their snails. We ordered an appetizer and Enrique’s dad and I prettymuch ate the whole plate – these snails were loaded with flavor (and it was pretty cool to see what goes on inside of a snail shell – I had to pull them out with a toothpick, and there’s a lot of their body that hides inside that shell). They’re served whole, in their shell, and they look exactly the same as the garden snails in Walnut Creek. Anyways, the meals were definitely a highlight of Mallorca. We went to all the best restaurants on the island, including one in a little town called Valldemosa, where Enrique’s parents were friends with the dessert chef. That meant free desserts for us to try, and they were some of the best that I’ve ever had! My two favorites were a hazelnut cake and a dark chocolate tort that was bathed in a sauce made from fresh oranges.

Another great meal was on Saturday night/Sunday morning. A group of 13 of us went to a restaurant in an old grainery that had a huge wood firepit in the center. A few minutes after we ordered, our waiter returned with a huge plate filled with raw meet for us to see before it was put on the grill. It was a beautiful sight, and even better when she brought it back cooked. We had an 11 pm dinner reservation, and the by the time we’d finished with desserts, it was just past 1 am; perfect timing to get to the discoteca as it opened at 2. Our whole group stayed at the discoteca until it closed (around 6:30am), and then we went out to breakfast, so by the time we got back home, it was 8am! ¡Que española somos! The next day, we had our final big meal in Mallorca, pallea made by Enrique’s grandma. It had everything in it – chicken, rabbit, calamari, peppers, and shrimp. It was by far the best weekend of food that I’ve had in a long time.

The weekend prior to this one, there was a school field trip to Toledo and La Mancha. We saw the windmills that Don Quixote fought with, and then spent a night in Toledo. Toledo’s cathedral is beautiful, actually the whole city is; it’s built up in the hills, and it’s set up like a big ancient fort.

This week is going to be a full one. I have a presentation tomorrow, and tests in all of my classes (4) coming up on Thursday and Friday. But it shouldn’t be that bad if I get some studying in these next few days. Maybe I should start that now.

Getting to Know Sevilla

Tonight I’m meeting with my Spanish language amigo, Antonio. We meet twice a week, talking in English one day and Spanish the other. He’s a Sevilla native studying for a pretty big English test that he’s going to take in December, so we’re practice speaking together.

Yesterday I left for church at 10am, and didn’t get back home until 4:45pm. There was the normal service, but afterwards, the little congregation of about 20 shared a meal together. There was so much food, it was incredible! We had rabbit, pork, chicken, potatoes, eggs, garlic bread, rolls, bean salad, and then for dessert, there was tiramisu, a cake with peaches, something else with a pink frosting, and coffee. The only thing that was missing from this church feast was Smitty’s Tri Tip; beef isn’t as popular over here.

I’ve been taking pictures of some of the stranger Spanish foods that I’ve found… including an ice cream shop that serves “Smuts” and “Banana Crack,” hot dogs in a Cambell’s soup style can, a can of spam that just says “Lunch” on the container, and “Cratch” candy bars (the “a” is pronounced more like an “o” in Spanish). But most of the pictures above are from last night; it rained during the day, but it cleared up during the night, leaving a beautiful sky. Sevilla is a beautiful city.

For prayers, could you guys keep my parents in your prayers as they’re doing a lot of traveling to be here with me next weekend? Also, I’m beginning transfer applications, so that I can complete my 3-2 engineering degree. If you could keep me in your prayers through this process of applying to colleges all over again and eventually making a decision of where to study, I’d really appreciate that. If you guys have anything I could be praying for, just send me an e-mail and let me know.