Hola familia y amigos!

As you can see, I have a few new cities under my travel tab! This past weekend we did day trips to Córdoba and Ronda. Córdoba is northeast of Sevilla. The Muslims, Romans, and Christians all passed through the town at one point so it is filled with history and very different architectural elements. Ronda is also a very cute, small town that sits on a canyon. It is famously known for its bridge and massive gorge. We went with the intention of hiking but the "hike" turned into crawling through weeds . However, we did make it to the start of the waterfall, which was very cool!

On Saturday, my two roommates and I made lunch for our host mom. Before we even arrived in Spain, our program director warned us about using the kitchens in the apartments since it is strictly the mother's domain in the Spanish culture. Because of this, we were a bit hesitant to ask permission but surprisingly, Maria was very excited! She even said "my sister is the only one who will cook for me!"

I made my favorite Indian dish: cauliflower, potatoes, and peas. It turned out very similar to my mom's so I was happy with myself. Perla made yummy Dominican chicken with rice and beans and Tasha made a delicious chocolate mousse with a cookie crust. Maria really loved all of our food and no, I don't think she was being polite :). She said we are welcome to cook in her kitchen any time.

At the baths - the only proof we could manage.

To top off the busy weekend, my friend, Dede, and I went to the Arabic baths in Sevilla. This is a spa with six different types of baths: super hot, super cold, warm, steam, etc. We wore these awesome water shoes, drank hot tea and fell asleep to some instrumental Arabic music. On our walk home, I spotted a sushi place that was surprisingly still open (it was around 12:30 a.m. at this point). Naturally, I bought myself a salmon and avocado roll and happily ate it while walking the streets of Sevilla.

I haven't gotten much sleep, which, if you know me, is so not normal. I also think I am starting to catch a cold since the weather last week was very chilly and this week it is simmering hot. In addition, I have a 10 page research paper due on Monday. Normally, these things would bring me down a notch. However, I am in Spain and I feel very happy so I don't mind trekking through it. This is a nice feeling.

My Spanish is definitely improving but not at the rate that I would have liked. I am constantly thinking of my sentences (in Spanish) as a math equation. This is frustrating at times because I want to clearly express myself in a conversation but it takes me awhile to do so. By the time I have a perfect, grammatically correct sentence ready to say, the moment has passed and I am rushing to solve my next math equation. In addition, I think my English has gotten worse.

This weekend is going to be full of soccer games. We are watching the Barcelona vs. Madrid game at some bars on Saturday and then we are going to a Sevilla game on Sunday! I have patiently waited for some fútbol so I am very excited for this.

Will keep you all posted!