Shplicket

I didn't know what to call this post, so shplicket is now a word.  It means "I don't know what to say."

This morning, I woke up feeling so much less sore, so I got right up and donned some clothes.  Then, I had some breakfast, and after that I got ready for my day by going to the nearest café and I ordered a cortado.  It was good, and the barista was super nice when she gave me my coffee.  I drank it in happiness, and decided to go to the store across the street.

We'd gone into that store during the fourth or fifth day in Sevilla, and I liked some of the stuff, but they were closing so I didn't get a chance to shop there in full.  I tried on some dresses, and found one I liked a lot.  So I bought it.  It was on sale, too!  And the bag I got was big enough that I could use it as a laundry hamper, since señora threw away the one I'd stolen from the Toledo hotel.  (you know those plastic bags they give you for laundry- she threw mine away. Sigh)

When I returned, I had to start on my oral presentation.  My roommates and I thought the presentation day was tomorrow, so we were frantically working... it's on Thursday.  The test is on Friday, FYI.  That itinerary I posted is WRONG in that regard.

***  On Friday, we have our exam in the morning, and then we go back to Madrid via train.  On Saturday, I fly back to Charlotte at like 12:30 PM.  I believe that's just after midnight, but 12:00 always confuses me.  Is noon morning or afternoon?  WHY CAN'T PEOPLE BE SPECIFIC!!***


Well.  Señora's mother, our Host Abuela, was over this morning and cooked us lunch.  It was paella, which I think I described in my second post in Sevilla.  This was a more stripped down and delicious version, with the best rice I'd ever eaten in my life.  I don't know what to describe it as, but it had a vaguely Indian taste to it, and was very very gooey.  It was yellow in colour, if that helps.  There was also chicken in it, which was good, too.  I tried to ask for a recipe from Señora, but I didn't know the word, and "Instructions for Cooking" didn't get the message across.  Oh well, she didn't cook it, so  I doubt she had the recipe anyway.

Then I walked to school.  It was super hot today, so I was motivated to walk fast.  I got to school a good fifteen minutes early, which is fine.  I spent the time drawing a cuttlefish and eating m&ms.

We did some review stuff for advise-giving (which teacher taught us in a very roundabout manner, since you can just use the verb "deber", which means "to advise")  and some tenses.  Then, we took a break, and returned to an activity I would have preferred if it had been done earlier in the trip.

Two Spanish high-schoolers came in to practise their English and us to practise our Spanish, and so we had to split into two groups of four.  I was in the dude group, which is fine with me, even more so because the Spanish guy we were to talk with was very very very cute.  His name was Alejandro I think.

We were told to start out by quizzing him about how La Navidad is different from Christmas (not at all) and he had to ask us about Thanksgiving, which the Texas guys were awkwardly trying to explain is pretty much just eating and football.  When asked what kinds of food they eat, they just said pretty much just turkey.  Is Texas even part of the South?  Where are the sweet potatoes and cornbread???

Then we digressed into talking about whatever we wanted.  We had a long conversation about drivers licenses and learners permits.  Alejandro said that no one in Spain can get a license until they're 18, and have to have a permit from 16-18.  We also talked about sports (guy group, remember?) and Alejandro said he plays rugby in Ireland, which explains how his English is so good.  We chatted about some other things, meanwhile, the girls over there were laughing and screaming and showing off stuff on their phones.  Sigh.

Then, when we said adios to our new buddies, Maria and us girls went out for dinner.  We'd invited they guys, but their host mom apparently does nothing but cook all day, so they couldn't just not show up for the four-course dinner that was surely waiting for them.

We walked and chatted until we came to the restaurant.  Apparently, there was an opera house right down the street from our home that I hadn't known about!  We sat at the restaurant, and I was embarrassed for the United States as the girls asked for substitutions, splitting the bill, sweet iced tea, and turned their noses at a really fancy Spanish restaurant because the food had "too much meat in it."

I ordered something called "tortillita de bacalao" which is basically a fried cod thing.  I don't really know how to describe it... it's cod that is wrapped in a special dough and fried, and there are some spices in it too... but it was absolutely divine.  They gave me the tapas version instead of the full course I'd ordered, but they didn't charge me for the entre, so there was no problem.  And it was surprisingly filling, too.  I really enjoyed it.  I had some good chow today!

Tomorrow, we go to an amusement park in the morning, which has mostly water rides but some other things too, and then straight to school for our last normal day.  Has a month passed already?  I have to go home in less than five days, and I am legit weeping.  I love my home and all, but Europe is so much more... me.