tapas and maps

after i finally arrive, i am exhausted. someone once told me that if you stay awake for three days, you begin to hallucinate, and honestly i felt as i were in a dream. after arriving, without luggage and a day late to my program, i was immediantly escorted to torre del orro where my tour began. there are about eighteen other students in my program, and more than half are year-long students, meaning they know each other and the city quite well already. already there is dissonce between us, a distinct line between the veterans and the noobies, however most are funny and nice and welcoming, just established in their patterns and friendships.

walking around seville for the first time, as i mentioned before, was unreal. the city was like old black and white films of paris, bustling with the vigor of new york, romantic and beautiful and picturesque in a way that struck my sleep-deprived mind as ethereal and dreamy. we ate tapas together, delicious plates bombarded our table, one after the other, chicken, rice, coquettes, and i vibrated with hunger and exhaustion, unable to communicate well, fearing being left out unless i attempted conversation. after tapas we went to flamenco, again i imagined i was hallucinating again, with a studly serious man wearing vivid red high heels stomping furiously on a platform to the beat and croon of spanish guitarist. his heels stomped louder faster, furiously and his hands danced flamboyently, not ceasing even to push his shiny curls from his face. as he twirled, my body gave out, too much, too soon. i abandoned flamenco, my guides, and my fellow students, and attempted to find my way home.

after an arduous and byzantine trek, i found my appartment, crashed in my tiny twin bed, and slept, almost missing the bus tour the next morning.

the day was long, not boring, and brimming with too many striking sights to name. that evening, my friend emily james and i accompanied our other friends matt and louise out on the town. they live across the river of seville, while we live near each other, on the edge of the city. after finding one another, we broke the conversational ice over hookah, then later found a cafe and continued our midnight conversations. after arriving home at two, i realized i could sleep for only five hours before i had my first day of spanish school.

thus far school is enjoyable. there are six nationalities represented in a room of ten people. australia, korea, japan, denmark, switzerland, and cananda. the japanese women are the most funny, and our entire class vibrates with energy, a group of people all learning and struggling and living in a foreign country.