So after about 2 weeks of un-restful nights, I FINALLY GOT A FULL NIGHT'S SLEEP LAST NIGHT! This definitely calls for some celebration by me! Perhaps I'll go to a tapas bar for lunch and get a nice big glass of Tinto de Verano... Yum!

My last night in Seville was pretty fantastic. For one, I finally got to talk to a member of my family over skype, and this is just because Cassy has been a huge slacker for the last couple weeks and stays at home, watches movies and bakes stuff that she gives away to other people. It was 8:30 pm for me, and 11:30 am for her. My roommate and I were supposed to leave for dinner in the Centro at this time, but I decided we would be late because of the importance of this skype call. By the time we left for dinner, I was quite elated, but we were half an hour late, which is normal for Spaniards. We were already slipping into Spanish time.

We met our Orientation group for a goodbye dinner at an Irish bar, where we were able to sit at the bar and order drinks and watch the Soccer game going on between Seville and Paris. My first experience with Guiness in the United States was not a good one, basically because I was told it would be good, and it tasted like crap. So I decided to order a Guiness in Europe and see if it tasted any different... I silently toasted my close friends Claire and Katie, who are in quite different parts of the world that I am right now, and took a sip of my Guiness. And it was AMAZING! And I laughed and silently high-fived my figurative friends, and continued to enjoy the wonder that is a Guiness.
I had a wonderful time with my new American friends, talking and laughing at the bar, watching the game. I looked over at one point and saw this French guy staring at me... I knew it was at me because I asked Ashley if he was staring at her or me, and she said, "Definitely you." I tried to avoid the eye-contact but it was making me uncomfortable, so I went back to drining and he went back to singing their French songs loudly in the middle of the bar. I think that singing is the basis of the fight that broke out later right near our table... I had never seen a fight like this in real life, people holding each other back and the ones who are restrained fighting hard at the binds put on them, yelling obsenities and making the bar clear out faster than a giant spider appearing in the middle of a sorority. After that fight, the Frech guys were kicked out, as well as some Sevillanos, and we were able to enjoy our drinks in peace.

After the Irish bar closed (if it's not the weekend, most bars close at midnight), we ventured off to the Plaza, where we met up with the people doing the immersion programs right now, and then I ended up following a small group from our program off into the depths of Seville on a hunt for a club they knew of. Just as I was getting frustrated and annoyed and bitchy because of the amount of alcohol I had had, we found the place, where we were quickly shuffled upstairs where it seems all the foreigners were sent to leave the Spaniards downstairs in peace. Somehow I made it back down there during the night, and carried on quite and in-depth and philosophical conversation with a Spaniard. My speaking was amazing! I was flowing and making perfect sense and using excellent grammar... perhaps I should have a shot or two before I ever want to speak Spanish again! Sober me sucks at Spanish, but intoxicated me is extremely fluent and awesome.

At some point Ashley came over and drug me back upstairs to the land of foreigners, and we ended up staying there until 4 in the morning, at which point I was finally back at my hotel room, and crashed until 5:30, when I had to wake up and get downstairs to take a bus to the bus station at 6:00 am. So after a nice little hour and a half nap, I made it to the bus station and had to wait around until 7:30 for my bus with Will, the other person who will be teaching in my town with me. Will is extremely nice, kind of quiet, but as I was soon to find out, great company for a whirlwind trip.

We got on the bus at the station and headed to Cordoba, which took about two hours. From Cordoba, we got on the bus to Priego, another two hour trip. I could barely stay awake, but of course I did, as sleeping on some sort of transportation seems impossible for me. So I watched as, from Cordoba to Priego, olive trees streched out for miles and the landscape got steadily more hilly, then suddenly we were in the mountains, and olive trees were still everywhere you looked. I became more and more amazed as the landscape became more and more beautiful, and the mountains gave me a slight sense of home.

When we arrived in Priego, we had to call a taxi. When the driver got there, he was a little put out at all the luggage we had (2 suitcases each), and had to call another car to come help us. Once he found out we were going to be living here and teaching English, however, he seemed to excuse us for our vast amount of luggage, for which I'm grateful. I do not want to be accused of being a stupid foreigner that packs too much.

We told him where we were going (our program had ordered 5 nighs accomodation in a hotel in our town), and he was a little shocked. We need to be in the actual city of Priego, because during these 5 days we are supposed to be looking for an apartment, and the hotel we were going to was 5 kilometers away from the town.

WHAT?! What good would that do us?? It cost 13 euros to get between the town and this hotel, we are never going to find a place to live!

When we got to the hotel, my frustration diminshed slightly as I saw just how beautiful it was. White stucco walls, a small apartment-ish room all to myself, wooden, single-paned windows, flowers overflowing everywhere, cobblestone walkways... and a view of the mountains and hills of this area that was absolutely stunning. We were stuck at the most beautiful place I had been in Spain yet. As soon as possible, we sent an email to the coordinators explaining our situation, and as we couldn't find their phone numbers on line, we had to wait until the found our email and called us directly. So we decided to pass some time and eat, since we hadn't been able to earlier in the day. My dinner consisted of a first course of pasta, and a second course of ham stuffed with cheese with fries and mayonnaise (OF COURSE) on the side. And my dessert was flan with whipped cream and raspberries, and a glass of wine during the dinner... so far the best meal I had eaten in Spain. After we finished up, I went back to my room and ended up taking a 4 hour nap... AMAZING. Then I went up and met Will at the bar and we had a couple drinks before heading back to bed for another 10 hours for me. We then called the same taxi guy who took us out there and he gave us a lift back into town to a new hotel, Rafi. He said that it usually costs double to take a taxi on weekends, but he didn't charge us that much because I think he likes us! :)

After we got to the hotel, we went and walked around for several hours, exploring our new town. We have decided that today is Exploring Day. Tomorrow is undetermined, but Monday is Meet Up With Our Program Directors If Possible Day, as well as being a part of Find An Apartment Week. Also this week we have Apply For An NIE Card (foreigners long-stay identification card), as well as Make Some Spanish Friends. It's going to be a busy and eventful week! Anyways, Priego is beautiful and a bit bigger than I thought it would be. I have discovered that my school is under construction right now, and the temporary building is on the outskirts of town, which I believe will take me about 20 minutes to walk to. My biggest goal right now is definitely to find an apartment ASAP, as I am looking forward to unloading these damn suitcases I have been hauling around for a week now, and actually LIVE somewhere. I will post pictures on facebook as soon as possible, so that you can all experience the awesomeness that is Spain and my new town!! :)