Horsing Around

Good morning!

Nothing new and exciting in the life, but thought I'd update you none-the-less.

(Pic: Rocío, las marismas "wetlands")

Been trying to enjoy the little things lately, like how good a soft rain feels on your face or watching an old man make the sign of the cross as he passes by la Catedral.

Took a horseback lesson again last night. Better than last time, definitely. The class was much smaller and therefore more productive. (Side note: I took the metro all by myself to get there-big accomplishment as it was the first time in my life I've taken public transportation solo in a city.) I started off on a big gray Andalusian who was pretty spooky; poor guy was super lame though, so I switched horses with the trainer. I got to ride his four year old PRE stallion-what an awesome horse! For being only four he was very well behaved.

After going through test movements (I'm still considering competing with them), we decided to try jumping. To sum it up, funny. We started off with little tripping poles because two of the adults didn't want to try to jump. Within five-ten minutes we were jumping .75 meter. Not big, but fun enough. The baby PRE I was on did great. The other two Andalusians were a struggle. You could see it in their faces. They looked at the fences, said 'no way', and then plowed right through them. Small fence, big fence-it made no difference. Took down all the poles and an occasional standard every time. Hilarious. Luckily, the owners had a sense of humor and no aspirations for the jumping world.

Plans for the weekend:

• Thursday: Sevilla FC vs Porto FC Fútbol game tonight with some gal pals :)
• Friday: Sleep all morning, gym, Escuela de Tauromaquia in the late afternoon (Bull-fighting School!!)
• Saturday: Early start for a two-day trip to Granada with my program. Apparently all-you-can eat meals and long showers. Which am I more excited for? Long, hot showers. Planning on shaving and spending a minimum of 20 minutes in the shower and coming out a bright pink. You have no idea how exciting this is.
• Sunday: continue with exploration of Granada. Home, homework, sleep.