“Gypsy Camp of Death”-Alex Clary

So today was rather uneventful. We went about our normal business; a cup of tea and mini muffins smothered with nutella for breakfast. When arriving at class, the only seats available were those in the very front row. I was reminded of why I normally take one of the seats in the front of the class; I’m forced to focus, and I’m actually able to learn a thing or two. I’m not saying that my ability to learn is completely removed if I don’t sit in front. I just feel like more is accomplished when I sit in front. Such was the case today. You would be surprised, but 400 level classes that are fit into a hour and a half period don’t go by very quickly. Today was definitely different, and I liked it.
Anyways after class, we ran into some Texans that were visiting Segovia as a part of their family vacation. The matriarch of the family was a teacher, and after a conversation with her that lasted about 20 minutes, Nate and Alejandro were all but employed in a small school district in suburban Austin, Texas.
Lunch was next on our agenda. A quick nap ensued followed by homework, which has become one half of the bane of my existence on this trip. The other half is attending the classes that I’m assigned said homework in. I swear this trip would be absolutely amazing if I didn’t have to do 6 credits of coursework during it.
After homework, I talked with Jenna for a little bit. Her family was headed to the beach so she couldn’t talk for very long. How about for an oxymoron? Being in a hurry to relax at the beach. Oh well, I’m over it now. I’m really glad that she’s having a splendid time with her family, and I know that it won’t be long until the next time I get to talk to her.
After that, Nate did some research on the destination for our final weekend here. Originally we wanted to pay a visit to San Sebastian; a small, beautiful beach town in the northern Basque region of Spain. But this destination isn’t very popular to come back from, so with only one bus available, the chances of all of us getting a ticket weren’t favorable. Nate looked up another destination, and another beach town trip that was affordable materialized on the screen in front of him. The town is called Nerja, its on the southern side of Spain, its about 8 hours away, and it looks like it will be at least 20 Euros cheaper than our trip to Barcelona. We’ll be making the bus ticket transactions tomorrow, so please keep your fingers crossed for us.
The clock struck 9:15 before, Maricarmen had returned to the house. The Bulls were beginning to wonder if we were going to be fed. As quickly as she returned, she had dinner on the table. It was pollo y arroz con ajo. The dish was pretty tasty.
After dinner we went out to a bar. I can’t remember the name of the bar, but we stood around at a table inside, drinking sangria and playing Uno. I know, this sounds kinda lame, but the Tres Toros know how to make something out of nothing. After that, we decided to go visit Alcazar at night. It was absolutely beautiful, but in order to get there, we had to walk down a dark treacherous path. We passed some patches of abysmal blackness, and Alejandro was a little paranoid about what lurked in the depths of the darkness. Because we had talked about Spain’s rather large gypsy population, and then subsequently met one last night, Alejandro was under the impression that we were going to be mugged. Long story short, we got out of the path alive, and had a few more stories and laughs to look back on when we reminisce about this trip.
Once again, we are blogging in the room. I’m ready for this short week of classes to conclude, so the long weekend can start and bring my parents and I together again. Can’t wait to see them. Hope everything is sweet back in the States. ¡Hasta luego!
P.S. I want to send my condolences to the Shaw family. I just received the news of Pastor Shaw’s passing, and am understandably empathetic for them. A nicer family would be hard to find. My heart goes out to you guys.