Cait vs. Spain: Welcome to My Humble Abode

Wow, Father Time needs to pump the breaks a little bit! The days and weeks are just FLYING by here and it's tough to keep up. This installment pertains to the week of March 27th, so bear with me here! No worries, this past week was filled with nothing but sunshine, light exploration and classes, so it feels as though I'll be back on track with this week!

That last week of March was really great because I got to spend it with my parents, my brother and my aunt! It was nice to get a little taste of home and to be able to show where I've been living for two months. They shook off the jet-lag like pros and spent the first night strolling through the lit-up Centro of Sevilla. They called it an early night and we reunited the next day after my class and toured around some more. I unfortunately couldn't join them on the bull ring tour, but from what I've heard it was a nice educational and cultural experience. One of the fantastic features of having my aunt here, besides the fact that it's always nice to see her, is that she speaks FLAWLESS Spanish. My family was lucky to have this crucial resource when I wasn't around to interpret.

Our first main family activity was to take a tour of the Lustau sherry bodega in a little pueblo called Jerez. Our friendly (bilingual thank goodness) guide, Isabel gave us a private tour as well as explained the process of sherry making. Jerez pumps out this stuff all day, every day, and we got to do some tasting! Don't worry, although most of this fine wine has a much higher alcohol content, we kept it classy with no slurring or stumbling. The rest of the afternoon was very leisurely as we went cafe hopping and just kicked back, Spanish style.

Thursday evening was VERY amusing, as all five of us squeezed into my little apartment to have a nice little dinner. Even Manolo showed too, and made sure to pump us all full of wine throughout the meal. The entire evening was essentially a whirlwind of translation (mostly on my aunt's end) as my family just sat back and smiled. The hilarious part was that Lola would look directly at my parents and speak to them as if they had lived in Spain their entire lives, as Manolo kept chiming in, "Speak slower, Lola, they can't understand you!" It was a fabulous time and such an interesting experience for everybody. Lola was thoroughly enchanted by everyone, particularly Cathy with whom she primarily communicated with (it was tough for my mom, dad and brother to get to know her by just smiling and saying "Gracias").

Friday brought MORE beautiful weather, as well as day trip to another little pueblo, Ronda, which is situated on a vast gorge in the rolling Spanish countryside. Although the combination of hot bus, winding roads and a night out on the town with my older bro wasn't my favorite, the fantastical views brought me back to a blissful state. Our exploration of this cute tourist magnet included the ancient Arabic bath houses and a delightful lunch overlooking the gorge. Complete with more wine (see a theme here?) and fine dining, the day was simply refreshing.

Saturday was just spent relaxing, as my fam prepared for the journey back to the homeland. We spent the night reminiscing and drinking more sherry as we recapped our favorite moments. I'd say the award for "Best Effort" would have to go to my Dad, as despite the fact that at times it seemed as though he was speaking jibberish, he always tried to use some Spanish (love you Dad!). I will say that he DID master the phrase "Una cerveza por favor" and can successfully add "ito" to the end of any word to make it smaller/cuter. Over all, it was a wonderful week, with lots of smiles, laughs and general family fun. I'm sure they're still dreaming of tortilla españolas, Spanish ham, and Cruzcampos (Sevillano beer). I'll be sure to add some more pics of me WITH the family as soon as I get my hands on some!