The Oregon Trail in Sevilla

Woke up to my alarm at 10 on Thursday morning, got ready, and headed straight to the center to get some work done and talk to Eva. You see, after talking to some people I've realized that my "coincidental" bum encounters are all a bit too coincidental, so I should tell Eva. I got to the center on another scorching hot morning and sat down and told Eva about it all. She knew about the first time, but I never told her about the second time in March, so I told her about that and Wednesday's incident. She looked concerned and didn't really know what to do. She said that if I wasn't leaving so soon she would immediately call the police, but if I really wanted her to we could file a report or something. I decided that it wasn't worth it, the dude's just off. She told me to ask Maruja if she was familiar with him and if this had happened to other Americans, or just other people in general. I then did some much-needed blogging in the center, then sat at a table with the intention of studying some Iconografia, but Amanda's dad had sent her another issue of People magazine and it was on the table. It was just too tempting. So I read that for an hour while intermittently saying some goodbyes. I had to say goodbye to Alissa who was leaving the next day (so weird!), and Rachel who was going to Norway, then back to Sevilla, but then leaving Sevilla for the States right away. So that was it. It was comforting to just tell people to have a good summer and that I'd see them in a couple months. Gotta love that most people on my program are UMichers. I finished the People, felt kind of dirty about it, then headed home for a pretty disappointing lunch: gazpacho, marinated chicken (which I'm getting sick of), and salad with raisins and walnuts (but we had to put dressing on it ourselves, and I don't do as good a job as Maruja when it comes to making the right combo of oil and vinegar), for dessert we got small slices of watermelon, and that homemade yogurt, which I learned is called "Musa" (mousse). Okay, so it's not yogurt, it's mousse. This time it was different: a bit thicker with more lemon in it. It kind of tasted like lemon meringue pie, and I think that I like it slightly more than the one we ate the day before. After lunch I packed up and walked to Starbucks where I camped out and studied for a loooooong time. At around 5 Stacey showed up and we then studied together. Then, suddenly, at around 6 we saw a random wheeled, decorated cart slowly roll down the street of Republica de Argentina...it was the Virgen de Rocio procession! This confused me because just last week was the big Rocio procession...and why was it randomly in los Remedios? As it rolled by a covered wagon, decorated with streamers and roses rolled by...then another...and another...okay, we had to investigate, this was just too weird. Once outside we saw men dressed up in the typical Feria gear and the women dressed in their flamenco dresses. What?? And this procession was pretty long and slow--it was a bunch of decorated covered wagons pulled by oxen! How random! Out of nowhere! Hahahahaha it was the Oregon Trail in Sevilla! It was too hilarious. Dammit for not having a camera. It was just so...random. Once the procession went away (about 15 min) we went back into Starbucks and continued studying until dinner. Once home, we watched the news and there was a huge traffic report about how the highway was completely backed up because of the Rocio! It was hilaaarious. I can't believe it got all the way to the highway...and it was literally walking/rolling slowly down the highway! Imagine watching a traffic camera shot of a huge line of covered wagons pulled by oxen slowly inching down a modern highway. It was beyond funny. I tell ya, Spain is so funny most of the time; I'm gonna miss the 24-hour entertainment that is just observing the mundane here. Sigh. So dinner was really good: gazpacho, one fried egg, and then this potato dish that Maruja's never made before which was delicious. It was basically smashed (not mashed) potatoes baked in the oven with olive oil and lots of garlic. Oh man, our breath reeked afterwards, but it was worth it. For dessert, more musa. Yummmmm. After dinner I struggled to force more studying out of my brain and body. The apartment was so hot and stuffy. I finally sat down at 11:30 and was up until 2:30 studying Iconografia. I was really nervous about the exam and really determined to have an excellent grasp on the material. At around midnight I was in the living room and the heat was really getting to me. Despite all of the water I drank my body was dying on me. My brain felt numb and my head hurt and I just couldn't stop sweating. Under normal circumstances I'd give up at that point, but I was too set on having Iconografia down...it's the exam I was the most nervous for. I finally had my notes down pretty damn well and decided that I earned my bed. I went to bed hot and nervous. Hell week, how I abhor thee.