***disclaimer this has no pictures sorry everyone***
this past weekend I went to Sevilla and Córdoba, Spain with my program. Kathryn and I went early on Thursday night and stayed with her friend Charlotte cause on Friday morning we went SKYDIVING. Sevilla is ranked in the top ten places in the world to skydive and also has the highest skydiving point in all of Europe. The forecast said rain and we were a little nervous but when we left the house Friday morning and it was sunny we were even more nervous. We got to the drop zone at 10 am and signed all out paperwork and got our debriefing and instructions on the jump. We put on the really flattering and attractive jumpsuits and we're just about ready to poop our pants, when they made an announcement about a weather hold. The next four hours were spent watching it pour rain, making friends with some australian and british guys who were jumping by themselves, befriending the people we were jumping with, and watching some jersey shore in spanish. As we started to give up all hope, the weather seemed to clear but yet no announcements were made. So we asked if we were going to be able to and how long they would wait until they told us to go home, to which the answer was when it gets dark. Then in 15 minutes time they made an announcement that we were going to fly, we got all strapped up, I nervous laughed a lot, and we got on the plane. Really wasted no time.
What happened next there are really no words for. It took us about 10 minutes (maybe less i was too busy freaking out and laughing my ass off) to get up to the 15,000 ft point. Also sidenote, I was afraid of heights until this point. I was the last one to jump and I saw Kathryn jump before me, told her I loved her, and her I love you response was the scariest thing I've ever seen, like she really thought it was the last time she was going to say I love you to anyone ever. Then it was my turn, I dropped all my weight and was hanging out the side of the plane only with Pablo holding me in and all he said was, "Hope you're ready!" and that was that.
It was then a solid minute of free fall which was single handedly the most amazing feeling I have ever experienced. Pablo did a nice little 360 view and point out Sevilla while we were falling 120 mph. Then he opened the parachute and I expected some sort of whiplash but there was none. He let me play with the parachute for a little just dicking around in the sky like it was no big thing and we even went through a cloud and that was pretty cool. By the time we got down I wanted to go right back up. I kept hugging Pablo I was so happy and he was probably like get off me rubia but whatever I was the happiest girl alive. Already thinking about the next time I can go. The Australian man then gave us a ride home back to Sevilla and we were unsure of what to do next. So when Kathryn and I got food I naturally thought the next best step would be a tequila shot in celebration. She thought otherwise but it was a good way to commemorate the coolest thing we had ever done.
the next day we packed up our stuff and left it at the hotel where CEA would be meeting us. Then we went to meet the at the Reales Alcazares for a tour. We waited for a half hour at the wrong entrance and they went in without us and we had to pay to get in. Unfortunate but worth it to see them and also reunite with everyone. We then continued to get a tour of the Cathedral which is the biggest Gothic cathedral in the world and went 30 something stories up the the top called the Giralda with a nice 360 view of Sevilla for miles. Afterwards we went back to the food festival with some people and later met back up with CEA at Plaza de España. We hung out there, walked around, admired it, took some pictures, and then decided we would rent a 6 person bike contraption (3 rows, 2 to each, with Rachel in the middle and a basket on the front) I drove first and put my bag in the basket in the front. Everyone proceeded to put their bags on top of mine, sit in the basket, do chinese fire drills in the middle of the park, etc. It was actually so much fun until we went to return the bicycle and I realized my bag was gone. Somewhere on this 6 person bike ride it had fallen out. So there went my life essentially... my iphone, my spanish phone, my wallet with 40 euros, my debit card, my school ID, my bus card, my passport card (not to be confused with my passport phew still have that). So naturally I was pretty upset cause for some reason I always lose really important things when I'm actually not doing something stupid (i'm classifying stupid as like drunk and out at a bar, the 6 person bike was not that stupid). There are no photos from this weekend either because all my photos were on my iphone so sorry for the verbose blog post with no pics errybody.
I went to the police station with Jorge and Rachel and filed a report and that was all I could do. Called my mom and had her cancel the card (sorry mom for scaring the crap out of you). And all I could do was move on with the night. We pregamed in the boys room and were just about ready to go and Dash was taking his last chug. He rolled back on the bed with 40 in hand and legs in the air and I thinking this would be an innocent funny practical joke gave his legs a little push, but of course, at the exact second I gave a push he was bouncing to come back up. Smacked his tooth on the 40 and chipped off a quarter of his front tooth. I was responsible for him looking like a hillbilly. He was naturally very upset and I was just on the verge of a mental breakdown, cause all I could think was why me??? Ella made everyone leave Dash alone and head out without us, took me back to our room cause she saw I was on the verge of tears, screamed into pillows with me, let me cry and then gave me her St.Christopher medal because she said it was obvious not I needed the good luck more than she did. I was still convinced to go out and make the best of it and Ella picked up the bill for me for the night. She really killed it out there keeping me a moderately sane person for the rest of the weekend. I managed to have fun and make the best of it.
Next day we went to Cordoba and saw the Mezquita/Cathedral. It was really cool and I had learned about it in class so I thought it was one of the coolest buildings I had been in in Spain. Unfortunately, almost all of us were miserably hungover and dash was missing part of his tooth so we weren't all the most enjoyable people to be around. We did enjoy a fabulous lunch though and then headed back to Granada. Yesterday Dash got his tooth fixed at the dentist and I'm excited to see it when I see him in class today. At least one thing got resolved! This weekend I go to Copenhagen to reunite with some Tulanians very near and dear to my heart. I'll be traveling with no debit card, no way of getting money and no phone! safe... Ella said she is going to give me one of her debit cards in case of emergency and she gave me her ipod touch (actually she has been my guardian angel it is not a joke) but alas it is also the first time i'll be traveling alone and the first flight i'll be taking without ella so i'm a little nervous and a bit sad. But! it's sensation white and i'm not really one for a rave or anything but i'm so excited to see everyone i don't care and also this looks pretty damn cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E96BskqZHeE (this is amsterdam but whatever all those northern european countries are really cold and kinda the same) i'll post in here next week so you know I made it back alive!
everyone reading this on the east coast, my thoughts and prayers are with you during Sandy! stay safe, stay dry, and drink wine!! love you all
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