The eyes of Texas are upon you

Almost through with week #2 of classes -- it´s going both incredibly slowly and unimaginably fast both at the same time. I have an exam on Tuesday as well as Wednesday...aah!! Sometimes I forget that I´m here for school (bah...at least on paper). The good news is that the material is really really interesting. We´re learning a ton about Spanish history, and it is truly amazing. This is the land of fairy tales and of knights in shining armor and kings and everything. The Pyrenees mountains serve as a net of sorts to diferentiate Spain from the rest of Europe, while African and Arabic influnces funnel in through the south. I can´t even begin to count the number of times I´ve accidently stumbled upon an old castle or palace or royal garden or 500-year-old mosque or fortress tower.........

Last night we had another "intercambio" to have time to hang out with some Spanish students, although they all have final exams over the next couple of weeks, so we didn´t hang out very long. Afterwards my friend Chelsea and I went to an Arabic restaurant to get some dinner (although we ordered spaghetti...very NOT arabic). Our waiter knew right away that we were Americans, which is not very uncommon. I don´t know what it is, but Americans just absolutely stick out all the time. Anyhow, then he said "you are from Texas, no?" I don´t know how he knew it. We had only said perhaps one or two words, and neither of us have a Texan accent. When I asked him how he knew, he said it was in the eyes. I still can´t figure it out. Anyhow, the food was delicious and we even got a free dessert out of the deal, not to mention an oversized portion of spaghetti for the regular price. There was also some talk about him looking for a wife so he could start a family, but that´s when we changed the topic. jajaja.

I am trying to work out going hiking in some nearby mountains on Sunday. I love the city here, even though I am not a city person. It´s somehow different, I guess in part because everyone walks everywhere anyways. And bikes -- they have a public bike rental service that is really awesome and I hope it catches on in the states. You have to give your credit card number to a machine so that if the bike is lost it charges you 150 euro, and there´s a 10 euro starting fee and the first 30 minnutes are free and after that its like 1 euro per half hour. Anyhow, it ends up being really cheap and people use them all the time. Still, I want to escape busyness and crowds to find solace in the abyss of nature.

For now, I am going to walk over to some museums with a friend before going to classes. I miss you guys...I wish I could be sharing these experiences with my dearest friends. Every time I leave home I come to realize more and more how wonderful and amazing my friends and family are. So, thanks for being incredible!!!

hasta luego,
catia