Córdoba, Lejana y Sola

In the past two weeks or so since I last updated my blog, I have...

• Played on a playground. (See-saw and swings- yes!)
  
• Obtained a library card at the public library. (Which is where I am currently typing from. Massive children's section + DVDs + wi-fi = happiness! I can already tell this is going to be my second home in Sevilla.)
• Found a community center with internet that is a 3-minute walk from where I live.
• Made friends whose idea of fun is not going to bars every night of the week. (This is more of a challenge than may sound.)
  
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• Eaten churros (which, to my surprise, are not sweet) dipped in hot chocolate (which is very thick and delicious, almost like liquid chocolate).
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• Eaten homemade french fries and delicious Spanish cheese. (Apparently my señora thought I didn't eat cheese for the first week.)
• Drank coffee and eaten cream-filled pastries. (If you couldn't tell, I am seriously deprived of fatty food here.)
• Visited two museums in Sevilla: the Museum of Flamenco Dance and the Museum of Fine Arts.
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• Visited an ancient mosque (the third biggest in the world, which was later converted into a cathedral like every other mosque in this country, of course) and a synagogue (the second photo below: note the Hebrew writing)- both in Córdoba, a historic little city that is a two-hour drive from Sevilla. I've never been a big history buff, but when you're standing in magnificent structures constructed in the 8th century that tell tales of the times and people they have withstood, it's hard not to be.
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• Met an Indian person who lives in Sevilla (when one day I noticed that the images on the sides of this store sign that I pass every day were not the Virgin Mary as I had previously assumed, but Goddess Lakshmi).
  
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• Skyped with friends from home.
• Written letters to family in India.
• Been asked by my señora and my professor if I'm happy here. (Maybe this is a sign that I appear depressed? But in general, I've found Spaniards to be very, very friendly people, so I think they were just showing that they care.)
• Followed more American celebrity gossip than I have in the past two years in the U.S..
• Watched more TV than I have in the past two years and gotten hooked on some Spanish TV shows. (Namely, a game show called "Pasapalabras," a drama called "Arrayán," and a comedy called "Escenas de Matrimonio.")
  
• Earned 3 credits towards my Spanish minor.
• Spent over 2o hours walking. (See that bridge on the right? I cross it several times a day)
  
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• Given up on trying to keep up with Spanish women and wear cute shoes, and reverted back to my comfy American sneakers.
• Become highly proficient at reading a map.
  
• Been spoiled by having three meals a day placed before me, having my laundry done, ironed, and folded for me, and not being allowed to sweep my own room.

In short, I feel well-fed and educated and comfortable and enchanted and connected with people I love, and thus, happy.

PS- Now that I have figured out how to embed photos in blog posts, I went back and added some to old posts, so go check them out!