the weekend in words

Buenos Dias!

I am about to go to the Universidad de Sevilla and buy my spanish textbooks for tomorrow, woo! Very exciting indeed. I thought I'd start off this post with saying how much I love my mom. I got to talk to her last night and I have to say it was refreshing. The culture in Spain is very different from that of the US and I am missing home for that reason. I have been oscillating between loving it here and struggling here. I don't think I've ever appreciated the acceptance that america allows until coming here. Not that I am not enjoying myself here, because I am, but the Spanish people are not as accepting of people being different. I have found myself in the past two weeks at the receiving end of criticism because of my "american-ness". None the less, I am learning.

Friday was a holiday, but I forget which one, I think it was student day? The kids did not have any school, so Pedro, Carlos and I went to the centro de Sevilla (center of sevilla) and went into the tower of Grinalda (spelling?). I will post photos from this later because my poor little camera's battery is dead and the charger is MIA in my apartment... Its very cool though because the tallest building in Sevilla is 15 stories, so from the tower we got to see the entire city. After we went trough the cathedral and tower we ahad lunch just outside the tower. Our lunch consisted of sandwiches I made and soda from the store. The children love Fanta, so we have had many a fanta these last two weeks. While we were eating lunch, Pedro told translated for me what this crazy man was saying to a homeless man with no leg. While I told the man to leave, in english of course because my espanol es no bueno, he did not. Finally he did leave. It was a horrifying sight and I wish I could have/would have do something more. After that all ended, we went to get gelato from "Marcapone" the shop.

That night we went to the countryside, the three of us again. We got there in the evening so we just watched a bit of TV and a movie. Around midnight, I ushered Carlos to bed (he'd already been sleeping on the couch), and found a few minutes later him asleep in my bed! ha! I made pedro go and get him out, and to my suprise carlos did not go nicely. he kciked and screamed and telled and then all of a sudden got up and went into his bed as if he hadnt been screaming. It was really funny.

On Saturday and Sunday, we went to a friend of the parents house and while there played Paddle. Paddle is like tennis with a smaller court and back walls that can be played off of. I posted a picture last night of that. I like this way more than tennis because you play only in doubles and the court is smaller, and it was just a plus that I had taken a year worth of tennis lessons. :) We also went on a dirt bike during the weekend, slowly of course because the ground was very choppy from last weekends rain. These opportunities that I have here are just amazing. They do things every weekend that I have never done in my life. I am very blessed to be with this family and included so kindly.

Thats about everything from this weekend... I had struggles within myself this weekend because of issues within the family here. I am not going to elaborate, but I am going to ask for your prayers for the family. And for myself, because everything came together so that I could be here, so I ask for the strength and clarity do what I am supposed to.

Buenos dias, mis amigos!