nearing the end.

This week has been a whirlwind and gone by so fast. Last Saturday, I went with Rachel, Erica, and Ali to the gypsy market near puerta de triana but we went and it was closed. We don’t know why… it was just really strange and no one was there. But it was okay, because then Amir and Brian and I woke up early on Sunday morning, after a late night out on C/Betis, and we went to the Mercadillo on Avenida de la paz. I bought a shirt for matt there and some aceitunas (olives) and then we went home for lunch.

My Sunday afternoon was spent in the downstairs of mama t’s cramming for the two Spanish finals I had on Monday with djAmer and LaRea. It was good and I got a lot of studying done while Amer provided for lots of entertainment and distraction, because he was so focused on studying.

Monday, after finals Ali, Erica, and I had tinto de verano in the cafeteria at school to celebrate the fact that Intermedio was over. Then in the afternoon, I met up with Clara and we had icecream in el centro and talked about how no one in Spain uses an air conditioner.

Yesterday, before my final, I ran to the Mercado de Triana to get Ana flowers. Ali and I wrote her notes and gave her purple & white, TCU colored flowers. I will see her again Friday at the Isla Magica final reception but still all three of us were on the verge of tears, that Ana had to tell us to leave because she was about to cry.

Then, I ran off to Spanish Civilization and Culture, and I finished my last undergraduate finals (EVER!!) It was very exciting.

After that, Ali and I caught the metro home and took her last walk through el centro. And then after lunch, we went for her last C/con/L (café con leche… coffee with milk) and then went back to her house. I saw Puri again (whom I previously met at Family dinner) and she said I could come in the house and wait while Ali got the last of her things. We lugged Ali’s bags down the street, took the metro from Plaza de Cuba to Prado, and then said goodbye as we put her luggage on the airport bus. It was so hard even though I’m going to see Ali in two weeks in Texas, it just won’t be the same because we won’t be here in Sevilla together. I definitely came home, layed on merillat’s bed and cried.

It has been a memorable week, just trying to spend our last bit of time with each other in Sevilla. Brian, Amir, and I have gotten a lot of use out of our Sevicis that we rented for the week and have definitely taken advantage of eating our last tapas together. And then we went to bandalai last night to see Amer dj for the last time and to celebrate the end of finals.

And I am prepping myself for an even more difficult day to come tomorrow with saying goodbye to Daniela, Brian, Amir, and Mal especially. Because they live all over the US, in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and North Carolina, and so I really don’t know when I am going to get to see them next or if we will ever be in the same place together at the same time, ever again. I know that’s really somber and sad to think about but its crazy true too. Also, tomorrow, is our final UPO celebration at Isla Magica (Sevilla’s theme park) and all our teachers will be there to say goodbye too, which of course means saying goodbye to Ana.

I went on a morning excursion with Mer today to go buy t-shirts from UPO and walk around el centro and we were talking about how leaving is sad, but its also so good, because it just means that this adventure is over for now. And it means that we have a whole summer of adventures to look forward to. And that is the way I would really like to think about it, especially tomorrow, because this experience is something I will keep with me forever and look back on with a huge smile on face. So, there will be lots of happy, sad, exciting, crazy, and wonderful moments in the next few days that I am getting ready for.