I started this blog five months ago when i left for Spain so that my loved ones could see a bit of what i was up to while i lived in Spain and traveled around Europe.

Initially I thought I would stop posting after my travels but then i realized that i have very good friends all living in different parts of the U.S. since we all live busy lives we are not able to keep in contact as much as we want which i think is pretty sad.

just because we don't live in the same neighborhood doesn't mean we have to stop being friends.

so, i decided to keep the blog, for those of you who still want to know whats going on in my world, as well as get a taste of what goes on in my head...scary!

i will have to re-vamp the blog of course. give me time. thanks!

This is my last official blog from sevilla. last night my friends and i got together for our last night. i cried. geez, i´ve gotten so emotional lately. i guess i really do take after my sister. (just kidding).

i cant describe the way i feel. im so happy to be going home and yet i am depressed.

ive grown up so much here.

i truely believe the people that i have met here have taught me so much. im glad god put them in my life and i will never forget them.

People im excited to see again:

sorry mom...i dont have any online pictures of you....but you look like us..and you paid for the room in which i lived...

11 Days until my return to America. Heres a few pictures of what i will miss:



Puente de Triana...so many memories crossing that bridge!
Can´t get any better than these puppies
Fantastic view from La Giralda.
I will make him my best friend before i die. my teacher Angel (in the brown)
my 3 new best friends. too bad we live soo far away...except for isabel.

This weekend I went on my last trip (that is, until I go back home). My friends and I had booked this weekend trip way back in January thinking that going to a beautiful beach would be great as our last trip of the semester. We did not think about the fact that this would be one of our last weekends…meaning one less weekend to be in Sevilla. Although we weren’t happy to leave Sevilla one more time, we had a fantastic time in Lagos, Portugal.

I will admit that I have never really spent much time thinking about Portugal…at all…ever. But I am so glad I was given the opportunity to visit because I Portugal is hands down one of the most beautiful countries I've visited. Beautiful beaches, great food, and great weather, you can’t go wrong there. This weekend was all about soaking up the sun, doing some much needed homework, and just taking in as much of Europe as possible. On our trip we were able to see the sunset in Cabo San Vicente, which used to be the “end of the earth” before the discovery of the Americas. It was so beautiful and fascinating to be there, looking out to the never ending ocean and contemplating life, thanking god, and just having nostalgia over the past months.

Before I end this post and leave you with some pictures of Lagos, I want to talk a little more about what these past months have done for me:

1. taught me to be more independent
2. learned to be more compassionate and understanding of other people
3. made me appreciate my life back home, appreciate my family, friends, and education
4. introduced me to people from all walks of life
5. helped me discover my passion for history, and gave me a greater idea of what I want to do after college

These are only a few of the lessons I’ve learned while being here. This has been the experience of a lifetime and I have to admit that I am very depressed about this whirlwind adventure ending. Being here has taken me out of my comfort zone and forced me to create a new one. When I left Chicago I was so scared, anxious, and sad. And now, I am having the same feelings about returning to Chicago. It’s kinda funny how those things happen. Don’t get me wrong, I miss my family and friends everyday and am so excited about seeing you again. However, living in Sevilla has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I know I am not the same Stephanie –in a good way. This gives me anxiety about how the new steph fits into the old stephs world. Also, how will I look back on these past months? Will I remember the young boy who sings the same Julio Iglesias song everyday on San Jacinto? The feeling of relief when I would get a good sandwich packed for me on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Getting excited on fish stick night? Will I remember the time my host brother asked what a lame was, but pronouncing it LA-MEH? Or being so happy to see our favorite bartender? Will I remember the intoxicating smell of the orange blossoms on the trees in my neighborhood? I guess I’ll have to wait until I get back to the U.S. to answer those questions. One thing is for sure: these months have been the best of my life, I’m so thankful for them. Sevilla will always have special meaning in my heart.

Im 21!!!!!!

Feria in Sevilla might be the most anticipated week of the year. If you ask any sevillano what the one thing a tourist should visit while in Sevilla , their answer is almost always “ la feria” way back in the day feria was a time of year where the farmers would gather their livestock to sell. Then, in celebration of their hard work, they would sit back and celebrate their earnings. Since then feria has changed to one huge week long costume party filled with dancing and a drink made especially for feria called Manzanilla. For this week, which is always two weeks after Semana Santa, the entire city looks back on the past. Horses and carriages become the mode of transportation of choice, and men, woman and children dress in typical 19^th century clothes. I was insanely jealous because I did not have a “gitana” dress to wear but I did my best to manage. The feria grounds is set up with casetas, or tents which are privately owned having a mini party with their own guests, bar, and music. Each caseta is different in size and style; depending on the owners taste. Getting into these casetas can be difficult if you are, for example, a student whose only been living in the city for a few months. Luckily we were invited to a few and had a great time.

Another very important event that happens in feria is that it is the official start of the corridas de torros, or bullfighting season. Sevilla is the 2^nd most important place after Madrid for bullfighting, so during feria, the most famous bullfighters in Spain come to do their business. My friends and I went to a bullfight. I apologize in advance to all animal lovers and advise you to not look at the pictures. They are a bit grotesque. Going to the bullfight, I thought I knew what I was getting in to because I had seen bullfights in the past and even had a cousin who took a stab (no pun intended) at bullfighting for a while as well as an uncle of mine who is literally in love with the sport. However, after seeing 6 bulls die within a two hour period, I'm not very sure if I enjoyed my time there. One thing is for sure about the bullfighting: the matador has to be insanely trained and very courageous. The way in which they fight the bull can be very beautiful and artistic.

One more important aspect of Feria is the type of music that is played throughout. This music is very familiar to flamenco, called sevillanas and is accompanied by sevillanas dancing, which consists of four different routines called pasos. This is too hard for me to do as I only know the first paso but it is very fun to watch all the men, woman and kids dance all day and night. Here are a few pictures of the day of the bullfight as well as a few from feria

I also do not have my writing on the road trip tio Faro. But i´ll give you the jist. My roommates friends were staying in a villa in portugal for this week that we have off for Feria and invited my friends and I. We decided to go Tuesday and stay until wednesday. It was an adventure to say the least, but was well worth it. We got lost a few times, wanted to kill each other at other times, and were insanely disappointed when we crossed the Portugal-Spain border because it was as if we were just crossing states in the U.S. Here are a few Pictures of the Trip!

Getting ready to crossArriving in Portugal!
Sooo excited to finally be at the beach!
Isabel, alisha, and I
After trying to find our friends for 2 and a half hours with no success , we finally found each other at the beach!
My roommate Maya and our friend Joe
attempting to take a nice picture
Julie and IGrilling in the back!

The Rode to the Villa

Our house during our stay!
RainbowDriving home again

OK so i had written an entire page on my visit to morocco but apparently i didn´t save it on the flash drive and all i have are the pictures. later I´ll give you all my information on Morocco. For now here are the pictures!


look meg Statues! on the way to our ferry

A view of Africa from the Ferry
It was windy
In the City of Tetuan. Check out the Arabic Street signs!
Plaza de España
In the Medina (marketplace) of Tetuan...crazy colors! they use this for textiles
The streets of the medina
Used to paint the walls!
Products
The woman dressed this woman in our group!
Gotta love the coca cola
Delicious food!
Fun guy..those are lit candles by the wayA mosque


They´ve got mcdonalds EVERYWHERE
Camels! i rode one!
Its made of sea shells!
Inside a cave in teh city of Tanger. Beautiful views!
vendor in the cave
Stop!
MMMmmm fruit

Representing the chi in Morocco
Just might be the most beautiful city ive visited. Chefchauoen.
Making some beautiful textiles
our tour guide in Chefchauoen
The beaches of Africa