Matalascañas

Friday we had registration and also a safety “class”. I was able to get all of the classes I needed, and Britton and I have the exact same schedule, which is really nice. Classes start Monday, and everyone is feeling a little apprehensive about everything- no one really knows what to expect. Britton and I went shopping, and then we met our group for pizza in the city. There are 47 students in the program, only 7 of which are guys… don’t worry Ryan, none of them are as cute as you!!! Today (Saturday), probably 35 of the students went to the beach. We all met at the bus station and took a bus to Matalascañas, a beach about an hour away from Seville. We were there for about 5 hours. It was really fun. My group is really great, and everybody gets along really well. My señora made Britton and I a lunch to take to the beach. She is so cute… and crazy clean. It seems like every time we see her, she is mopping the floor or cleaning something. Also, people here in Seville are very conscious of water and electricity usage. It’s funny- Britton and I are so used to just turning on the lights when we walk into our rooms, and about 30 seconds after we enter our rooms, Gracia walks in, and turns off the light, an opens the blinds, and tells us we need to use the sunlight as our source of light…oops. Maybe one of these days I’ll remember! Also, she cleans our rooms everyday- except make the bed- we’re supposed to do that… another thing Britton and I failed to do! Fortunately, Gracia has had many home stay students, and understands that we don’t quite get everything the first few days! She is so great- she is so funny, and super caring. She is always asking about us, and how we are doing, what we are going to be doing that day, and when we return, she asks all about it- just like a real mom. The other day, Britton and I were missing our boys, and Gracia came in to the room while we were talking, and she got real concerned, and was asking us what was wrong, and if we were okay. She gave us kisses, and then started cracking jokes to make us laugh. The next day, she asked us how we were doing, and if we were still sad. She is very caring. I love her! Not to mention, her food is really good- besides the fish haha! There are definitely some things that we have to get used to with the Spanish culture. The first has to do with talking with our señoras. Britton and I have always been taught to be police and say please and thank you. However, saying those things in the Spanish culture shows a sign of distance in the relationship. If you say please and thank you, the person will take it as that you are not comfortable with them. Britton and I will always say “gracias” to our señora, whose name is Gracia, and she goes “No, no no, my name is Gracia, not gracias,” as a joke to say, hey don’t say thanks. We are still getting used to this. The second really different thing for the American students is the fact that Spaniards as a culture are very rude people. There is no such thing as waiting your turn in line- it’s every man for himself mentality over here. Everyone tries to outdo each other. We were waiting for the bus back to Seville today after the beach, and Britton and I had been waiting for about 40 minutes. We had tickets, but when the bus fills up, it fills up… so we wanted to make sure we would get on the bus, so we walked to the bus stop from the beach about 40 minutes early. However, we were nearly the last ones on the bus, because all the Spaniards cut the line, pushing their way through. It’s weird to try to get used to. Well, Britton and I are going shopping tonight, so Gracia will have dinner ready soon. I love you all!