"There's a reptile on the roof."

"It's a gecko." Ariel knows her reptiles better than I do, and thus, was able to identify the little creature on the roof outside our window.The Spanish love soccer. Just stating the obvious. I really want to go watch one. Haven't had the chance yet. Last night, Spain played Ireland. People crowd plazas and restaurants to watch the games. There's a place with outdoor seating and a TV farther down the street. You could hear the cheers when Spain scored a goal. It was really cool. A lot of people wear jerseys, scarves, flags, etc. My professor said that soccer is a way for people to forget about their troubles, especially the economic crisis here in Spain. The same way boxing was an escape for the people of the Great Depression in "Cinderella Man."We've seen three demonstrations during our time in Sevilla. One was some hospital workers. I couldn't figure out if they were doctors or nurses. The second was a demonstration in front of the town hall by the firefighters, I believe. At first, we thought it was some kind of party because there was music playing, but then we got closer and realized it wasn't a party. =( The third was a bunch of dudes in tents in Jardines de Cristina. They had a banner, but I didn't understand it.The other day, we made our own sangria! It was super fun. We went to the grocery store and bought wine, pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, apples, and oranges.  We didn't actually follow a recipe, but it turned out really well. You just kinda mix everything together to taste. It ends up being mostly juice and fruit. The house Senora said that sangria didn't come onto the scene until relatively recently, within the last fifty years or so. Odd, you'd think someone would've come up with it earlier. Anyway, great time. Oh, can't forget about the chocolate and brownie! Sangria and chocolate. Yes, life is good.Last night, we met up with some of the intercambios to go to La Carboneria. It´s definitely a tourist destination, but it doesn´t have a touristy feel. There are nightly flamenco/traditional dance performances. It's a really neat, laid back atmosphere. Classes are going well. It's a lot of work, but manageable. I can't believe we already had a midterm and finals are this Friday! Drafting an email to your chem professor in your head in Spanish before realizing it should be in English is a good sign, right..?Our literature class took a field trip to see a play- "El Barbero de Sevilla." It was held outdoors in the patio of a palacio. They tend to do that here- hold performances of various kinds in outdoor settings. I like it.Besos!