Muy Cansada

Hola todos,

Orientation week is so busy! To pick up where I left off... I went out to a restaurant called The Room where each of us ordered two types of tapas. I got solomillo adobado (steak) and papas bravas (potatoes) which were delicious as well as a strange green vegetable soup served in a glass that I also thought was great! To top it off, I won a free three day trip to Lagos, Portugal!! I really hope it's not just a scam.

On Wednesday, everyone in CIEE went back to the hotel for more information on classes, excursions, and the eight interest groups that we can choose from. The eight interest groups in order of my preference and their end-of-the-semester trips are: Cultural Expression (Morocco), Spain's influence on the world (Morocco), Traditions (Salamanca), Sports and Nature (Madrid), Gastronomy (Valencia), Culture and Countries of the Mediterranean (Valencia), Seville and the Americas (Lisbon), and Wines of Spain (Lisbon). We will find out which group we get on Friday. Everyone wants to go to Morocco, so it's very competitive.
Later, we all met up to go to the CIEE center (in a renovated palace) to talk to some MORE people about the interest groups and then we were shepherded to the Metropol Parasol, which is a huge white wooden structure that looks a bit like giant mushrooms, and has a great view from the top.

The whole orientation group at the top of the Metropol Parasol.

Everyone in CIEE and the orientation guides gathered inside the giant mushroom and had what seemed like a prolonged cocktail hour (but with Fanta and appetizers). The food wasn't good, but the company was!
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Today was probably the best day so far. This morning our group met again to walk around the city and see some of the iconic sights. We started at Plaza de America in Maria Luisa Park, which is absolutely beautiful. Horses, green parrots, palm trees, fountains, orange trees... And the Plaza de Espana was gorgeous.

Here you can see Andrea and Samuel, our Sevillan guides.

We also got to walk through the University of Seville, which is as majestic as I expected.

 And we walked down The Guadalquivir River until the Triana Bridge.

We went home to rest and I decided to skip the afternoon activity (either more walking or shopping) since I haven't been sleeping well and I didn't want to do either activity. Dinner with Maria (she is an excellent cook), and then off to see the traditional flamenco show! It was incredible! So much passion and energy... my mouth was hanging open in awe. The male dancer was unbelievable, no one could take their eyes off of him. It really was an amazing experience and if you go to Andalucia, you need to see a flamenco show.