Boys, a Bike, and Blessings

Boys: Ok, so I keep having my girlfriends ask me about the boy situation. I'm going to give you all the low down so you can stay in the loop. Unfortunately for my grandma and the girls at work who want me to come home with "a ring on my finger", I don't really have any great love stories. This is the reason: I just don't really find them that attractive. I mean, yes, they are handsome, don't get me wrong, but they're not really my type. I like guys who like sports (its a must), are taller than me (not too hard to do), and can wear sweatpants and sporty clothes. The last qualification is new as of January and I'll tell you why. All the guys dress sooo nice here: polos, button downs, dark jeans, loafers, SCARVES (?), gelled hair, etc. It's a little too much for me. I mean, I love guys that can look good in a polo, but I've only seen 1 (ONE) guy here wear sweatpants and that was for our hiking trip. I think I even said yes to getting coffee with him just because it was a relief to see someone macho and manly enough to wear sweatpants. I think he was a lot cuter with the sweatpants than when we went out for coffee lol. Another reason the Spanish boys break my qualifications is their height :(. A lot of guys have really cute faces but I'm as tall or taller than the majority of them, which is weird because I'm not especially tall. It's not as if I don't like the boys here, because I do. They're fun to dance with at the discotecas and flirt with and chat with at the bars, but I haven't met one that I've been really attracted too. Even if I had, the language barrier and different country thing might prove to be difficult in the long run.

Bike:   The next topic is really exciting! I told Alaina and my parents about it and they just thought it was the funniest thing because they said it fit my personality perfectly. We'll see what you think :) Anyways, I am now an official bike renter of the Servicis (bikes in Sevilla that you can take from any post in the city then put them in another station anywhere else in the city).

these stations are all around the city. You can take a bike if you have bought a "rent" ticket then use it to get all over the city!

they even have cute baskets on them!

I never thought I'd ride a bike to class...I mean at Purdue people kind of look down on the bike riders because they always are almost killing you while you're walking. However, riding a bike cuts my 40 min walk in half. Another thing is that everyone rides them. Men in suits, women in heels, women with kids on the back. Everyone...so I don't feel like too much of a loser. Also, they are especially designed green colored sidewalks where only bikers are allowed to be on. The green sidewalks brings me to my next point: I have not lost my road rage while in Sevilla. Since I've been walking, my said road rage hasn't come up too often, when people stop in the middle of the sidewalk right in front of me, I can easily go around in the grass (and not grumble in my head too much). The Sevillanos live a slow life, which I knew coming in, and it doesn't really bother me. I actually have grown to like it. However, I find that now that I have a bike, I ring that little "get out of my way" bell a lot! This is not entirely my fault though. I know that I need to have more patience, but people are not supposed to be on the green sidewalk! It's a really skinny sidewalk where only 2 bikes can fit and I don't want to hit the people. Also, it makes me mad because they have their own sidewalk, yet choose to walk on the green one, or else stop and have a chat with their friends on my green sidewalk. I guess this is the American coming out of me, since its obvious Spaniards probably never put that bike bell to use lol. Don't worry, after my parents got a good laugh, I decided to take a chill pill with ringing the bell to make people get out of my way. I don't ring it as much as I did the first couple of days :) (except I would like to add that today after writing this, I almost hit a guy because I didn't ring my bell...some people are just oblivious and he was one of those people...)

Blessings:  Ok, I'm going to get all cheesy on you all, but I just want to throw out a thanks to my support system back home. My mom, dad, sister, and great friends in Phi Mu and at Purdue are just so amazing. Without my parents, I wouldn't be able to have done this trip, financially or emotionally. They have always supported my goals and decisions  and made sure I have all the best opportunities and I am just so so SO thankful for having such wonderful parents! They've given me wings to go abroad and love every second of it, but they've also planted that sense of home in me so I can look forward to seeing them again. My parents, cousins, and friends are just so great, I just want to say thanks for everything :)

Well, I'm writing this on a Friday after I just was outside all day soaking up the sun. I have SO much to write about my love for this amazing experience. Be expecting another blog sometime very soon where I rant and rave about Sevilla :):)

Hasta Luego,

Lauren