Recently

My sister's visit:

My sister came to visit last week. She lucked out with the weather both in Bilbao and in Sevilla. I took her to various places to eat and drink (which is apparently all I do here). We saw the park, went to the coast, ate pintxos, etc. She didn't like much Basque food, unfortunately. What kind of person doesn't like chorizo? My god. It was really nice to see a face from home. I was starting to get pretty homesick, but I think I'm cured. I also took her to the Jamaican bar, where she had a ball laughing and pointing at the "Ja-fakins" (i.e., fake Jamaicans).

Sevilla:

One word: Gorgeous. I was outside in just a cardigan and I had to take it off because I was too hot. Let me say that again in all caps: I HAD TO TAKE IT OFF BECAUSE I WAS TOO HOT. I'm just trying to impress upon you how astonishing this was after six months of living in effing Bilbao. The idea of venturing outdoors in just a sleeveless shirt and shorts seemed to me tantamount to leaving the house in my underwear. On the first day, my sister, Milenka, Dom, and I ate a cheap menu del dia on a busy street. We drank I don't know how much sangria and people watched and the sun toasted my shoulders and I got sooo sleepy. What a perfect day! That's pretty much my idea of heaven. A lazy day spent eating and drinking and being with people whose company you enjoy, and then a nap. Yes.

The next night, we saw some authentic (?) flamenco. I hate to be that tourist who sees flamenco and is "forever changed" and goes on and on about it, but...it was really awesome. I thought it would be cheesy and stupid, but it was worth getting a little lost in a sketchy part of town (i.e. risking our lives, and by "lives" I mean "purses") at 10PM to see it.

So yeah, deeeefinitely applying to switch to Andalucia next year. Just a taste of it wasn't enough. The weather alone is enough to make me want to pack my bags immediately. Growing up in Florida really ruins you for living in cold climates. I can deal with it for a while, and yeah, I've gotten used to it on a day-to-day basis, but I'm definitely never going to settle anywhere that has real winters if I can help it. Whenever I tell someone who isn't from Florida that, they mention the hurricane problem that we have as a deterrent to moving back to Florida, but if you grow up with hurricanes happening all the time, they're just not that big a deal. Am I right, Floridians?

Athletic:

Two nights ago, Bilbao Athletic Club played a really important match, and everyone here went bananas. It was quite a sight to see and I regretted not having brought my camera out. Football is like their religion.

There was something else I wanted to write about, but it's slipped my mind. Meh.