Madrid y Toledo

So it was definitely a great weekend spent in Madrid and Toledo with CIDE. We left bright and early on Friday morning (8am!) and arrived in Madrid around 2pm, just in time for lunch! Every meal in Madrid had three courses, and for the most part, the food was pretty good. In Toledo, not so much.
FRIDAY in MADRID- Palacio róyale y Puerta del Sol y Plaza Mayor
We spent Friday afternoon touring the Palacio Royale and the Armada. For real, they were gorgeous! The Palace is huge, and I can’t imagine living in a place like that. The royal family no longer lives in the Palacio Royale; however, state dinners are held in the dining room on an average of three times per week! Apparently, Bush has eaten there more than once. My favorite part about the whole palace was the chandeliers! They’re everywhere and they’re gorgeous. I can’t imagine what the place would look like if it were all lit up. We spent a good bit of time at the Palace, even though only 20ish of the 500 rooms are open to the public. The place was perfect for photos and we definitely took plenty! They’ll be up on facebook as soon as I have a chance to go through them all. We left the palace and headed to Puerta del Sol y Plaza Mayor- two of the most famous places in Madrid. Both spots are hot tourists spots, so of course, we had to go. We hung out in Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol and enjoyed the perfect weather. We had some free time (yes, they took us to the center of the city, dropped us off, and said- good luck getting back), so several of us went on a quest to find the perfect sword shop. Indeed, we found it, and I purchased several owl thimbles- I am a chi omega. ha. Anyway, we had a good time wandering all over the city on our own and arrived shortly before dinner. Dinner was incredible, and we managed to get two desserts- our waiters thought we were crazy, but alas, who doesn’t? haha. We were pretty beat after our insanely long day, so instead of hitting the bar scene, a bunch of us girls went on a quest for an outdoor café and some sangria. We had success and found both. And after an hour or so, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
TOLEDO- my new favorite European city
Toledo was incredible! We couldn’t have asked for better weather- the sun was bright all day and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Toledo is about an hour away from Madrid, and for anyone planning a trip to Spain in the future, it’s definitely worth the trip! Toledo is known for the tres culturas, or three cultures- Christian, Islamic, and Jewish. The Tagus River surrounds the city on three sides and once served as a fortress. Apparently, very little has changed in the landscape of the town since the 1500s. This is the town that inspired El Greco, and we had the opportunity to view several of his works while touring the Catedral del Toledo. The cathedral is said to be one of the greatest gothic structures of all time. The church was finished in 1493, and is itself, a work of art. We had a crazy tour guide, who got us through pretty quickly at about an hour and a half. After touring the cathedral, we headed to a tavern for lunch, where I’m not sure any of us know exactly what we ate. The whole meal, including the wine (the school provided it), was only okay. Shortly after lunch, we headed back to Madrid- we all took siestas on the bus to rest up for las noches blancas!
LAS NOCHES BLANCAS- Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia
Okay, so apparently this is a new thing, but I’ll do my best to explain las noches blancas. It’s happening in several cities across Europe this fall, including Milan and Paris. The way it worked in Madrid was that all of the museums were open from 10pm-3am, FOR FREE! There was live music, karaoke on the streets, reduces covers at the discothèques, vendors, and millions of people out all night. It was crazy, but so much fun! I went with several other girls and we hit up the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, an incredible modern art museum which houses works by Salvador Dali and Picasso, among others. On our way to the museum, we definitely passed a Dunkin Donuts, sandwiched between a Chicago Style Hotdog joint and KFC. Beinvenidos a l’Espana. The highlight of the museum was seeing what many people consider to be Picasso’s most famous work Guernica. Unlike the Guggenheim, I was actually able to appreciate the modern art in the Reina Sofia. We walked all over Madrid for the rest of the night, in search of churros (we never found any) and coffee (but got 4 euro cokes instead- rip off!). We had a blast seeing Madrid in a new light, but for real, I couldn’t take that many people on a regular basis. And how many people can claim that they’ve seen Picasso for free? not many!
EL MUSEO DEL PRADO
While the Reina Sofia is known for modern art, the Prado is known for classical art. On Sunday, we had the opportunity to tour the museum and see works by Rembrandt, Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, and Murillo- among others. The place is huge, but I definitely enjoyed it. The Prado made me anxious to see the French impressionists at the Louvre in Paris. I’m headed to Paris in October and I can’t wait! Basically, the Prado was great and another must see if you’re headed to Spain. Some of us walked back to the hotel from the Prado and found a park- el parquet de retiro. It’s a wonderful place to sit and enjoy the weather. There are several cafes around, along with plenty of running trails, playgrounds, fountains, and a lake with boats. Once again, the weather was impeccable. Shortly after lunch, we boarded the bus and headed back to el pais vasco, my favorite place in Spain.
OVERALL THOUGHT
I like Madrid, I really do, but I love the Basque country. The Basque country is a place that most tourists don’t ever see and that’s a shame. El pais vasco is beautiful and very different from the rest of Spain with its rolling hills and greenery and mountains. Central Spain is dryer and redder and flatter. The Basque country is not, and it’s gorgeous! I also love the fact that Bilbao is a small town- I’d get lost in a place like Madrid. So for any of you planning a trip to Spain, make sure you don’t miss the most unique area- el pais vasco. It’s off the beaten trail, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I had a great weekend, and I have a crazy busy week with a test and an essay due on Thursday. I’m excited about this weekend- I’m headed to Geneva, Switzerland, and I can’t wait. I’m still looking for shoes (it’s getting colder and I need something besides my beloved Chacos) and Amanda and I need to find a place to stay in Switzerland. Anyway, I love you and I miss you all. For all my friends dealing with rush this week, I’m praying for you- your sanity will come back eventually! Hasta luego, and I’ll write again when I have a chance!

pastries are half off today!

pretty much that sums up the day- the bakery on the way to the deusto metro stop sells everything for half price today, so of course, I got something. I have yet to eat it, but there's no doubt that it will be nothing short of amazing. And Dan's burning me Spanish CDS! pretty much that's been my day. I'm looking for shoes this afternoon. Pray that I find some. My feet are cold now, as it's dad gum stinkin' cold in this country! Anyway, more later- probably not till after my weekend in Madrid, but that's aight. Life's exciting but not that exciting. haha. Anyway, I love yall! Robbie- good luck on Friday night! And someone please cheer on the Rebs... they're gonna lose terribly, but c'mon...

el partido de futbol

HOW ABOUT THAT STATE GAME? ROLL TIDE!
Aight so I'm back again, and it's pouring outside and we're passing around some sort of cold thing. I'm feeling okay except for the 8 thousand mosquito bites that I've acquired. I get bitten in my sleep- it's either the window's open and I get bitten by mosquitos or the window's closed and I suffocate. Not really sure which choice is better. So the soccer game was really fun. I'm not really a huge fan of soccer, but alas, the Europeans know how to do it right. They get as crazy for soccer as Americans do about football (SEC fans excluded). They throw sandwhiches on the field during bad calls and yell all kinds of craziness. I wish I could've understood what they were yelling, but alas, I did not- maybe next time. I'm pumped about Madrid this weekend! We leave bright and early Friday morning (8am- translation 1am for everyone in the CST). We're headed to Madrid and Toledo, and it should be incredible. Toledo is on my must see list. It's a 5 hour bus ride to Madrid, but I'm going with CIDE and our group is pretty stinkin' fun. We've had a blast together so far. As of yesterday, I'm headed to Geneva, Switzerland, next weekend, and I'm pretty pumped. I found an amazing deal on tickets, so a few of us are headed there. It should be a good time- I've heard it's gorgeous. That's pretty much all for right now- I still have one more class left today, but it's my favorite one- Europa en el Mundo. Prayers for the mosquito bites (Mama- you'd be sad if you saw my hands and arms) would be greatly appreciated. To my fam and friends, I love yall and miss yall! I'll post again later in the week... and can someone tell me why Ole Miss is playing the worst they've played since I've been in college?

hooray for the weekend!

Okay, so I survived my first week of classes, and for real, I love them all! Europa en el mundo will be my most challenging but definitely my favorite class. I love the professor and the subject matter is incredibly interesting. Let's just say that all political desires have not been lost. Mama and Daddy- I'm forseeing law school for sure now. Yesterday, we talked about international organizations and their functions and all kinds of other really exciting stuff. Basically, this class is the European version of my comparative politics class (and this one isn't stupid like the one I took at Ole Miss). My Spanish culture class is incredibly interesting. Spain is a very unique place, and I'm glad I chose to study in a part that is off the beaten path so to speak. The Basque country is definitely it's own world, and I love it! We're going to a European soccer match tomorrow and I'm super stoked. Other exciting news- I booked a trip to Italy in November- to go hiking in Cinque Terre for $240 for 2 people- yes, I am travel savy even in Europe! haha. Anyway, I couldn't be happier. I love this place and I love the people. I really like my program. More updates on school, the weekend, etc. when time allows. I love you all, and good luck tonight, Robbie!

mis clases y el fin de semana

So I've finally been to all of my classes, and honestly, I really enjoy them. This week has been crazy- actually getting into a routine of going to class, etc. I've mastered my morning commute and now it only takes me 25 minutes to get to the university from Las Arenas- all of that power walking has helped me out! haha. Normally, I go to school in the morning and come home for lunch (around 1ish) and head back to the university/Bilbao for the rest of the afternoon and early evening (depending upon when I have class, etc.). I don't generally get home before 9pm. The Spanish have insanely long days. I'm learning to adjust. I've eaten a lot of frozen pizza (my host mom loves it) and I've managed to find several good bakerys that sell goods at half price on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The baked good here are wonderful! I'll post more pictures on facebook after this weekend so get excited. CIDE is taking us to Madrid next weekend, so hopefully, I'll have more interesting stuff to write. I know this is kinda borning, but I'm sure my parents appreciate it (btw- I love yall!). Next up on my agenda- a lot of reading, shoe shopping, finding a bank that will change my currency, and trips for the next few weekends!

SPANISH III ALTA- my 10 hour class...
My professor for SpanIII is hilarious and is really doing all he can to help us master the language. I'm definitely the slower one in the class (of 7), but I feel like that's halfway expected since I've only had 1 year of Spanish and everyone else has had many more. Today we drew pictures, and of course, mine was THE best. haha. My professor laughed at it... I wish I had a picture of it.

CONTEMPORARY SPANISH CULTURE & POLITICS- oh jeez...
I've been to this class twice and I really like it. It's basically all about Spain and the people and customs and why they do the things that they do. I think I'm gonna learn a lot, and my professor probably has the coolest accent I've ever heard- a mix of Spanish and British. The class is taught in a combination of English and Spanish. I don't really have a problem understanding my professor because she speaks clearly and pretty slowly. I'm excited about the opportunity to learn about Spain (alas, I never did in high school... only France). More to come on this class later...

EUROPA EN EL MUNDO- if only I understood more Spanish... ha.
Okay, so this class is taught primarily in Spanish. Sometimes I have a hard time understanding the professor, but he does his best to get his point across. This will probably be my most challenging class because of the language barrier. Most of the readings are in Spanish which tends to take a little bit longer to get through. I'm hoping my speed will pick up the longer I'm here. This class is kind of like my AP Comparative Politics class- a look into the governments, economies, etc. of European countries and the EU. I'm pretty excited about it.

EL FIN DE SEMANA- we're working on plans...
Futbol is huge here- think on par with Americans and football. Bilbao has a team and they're playing at home on Saturday night, so a bunch of us are gonna go experience a little bit of authentic Spanish culture. I'm not a soccer fan by any stretch, but I think it'll be fun. Some people from the program are headed to San Sebastian this weekend, and if I can find someone to go with, I might just go for the day on Friday. I'd rather see the soccer game than spend all weekend in San Sebastian (a town about an hour away).

GOD iS GOOD ALL THE TiME, ALL THE TiME GOD iS GOOD!

the first day of classes and my thoughts on spain

MONDAY- my first day of school
No me gustan mis clases! Actually, I do but I’ve only had one. So remember the Spanish placement test that I thought I bombed? Yeah, not so much. It turns out I placed into the highest level of Spanish III. Comparatively speaking, that’s really not that awesome but I’ve only taken one legit year of Spanish. Anyway, I placed into the class that I needed to, but they split the class into two sections- a high level and a low level based on test scores. I placed into the high section. I laughed- go figure. My Spanish III class is set up a lot like the intensive classes that I took at Ole Miss- no English in the class, a lot of speaking, and in turn, a lot of learning! More to come on classes later…

OVERALL THOUGHTS- for now anyway
I love the program so far. The first few days were long and filled with lots of information, but alas, what did I expect. I’m excited about my classes. I go Monday through Thursday anywhere from 2-6 hours a day. I’ve made some friends. Naturally, I tend to stick with the Southern kids (there aren’t very many of us). It seems that every other person is from either Grand Valley State (in Michigan) or the University of Illinois, so finding other people who sound like me has made the transition a little easier. I love my host mom, but I wish we had internet and that we didn’t live so far away from everything. The commute is mildly annoying, but I’m in Spain so I can’t really complain. I love the fact that the Spanish wear American t-shirts with random English words on them. A fresh baguette is delivered to our apartment every morning, and I eat bread (pan) a whole lot. Every morning, I eat pan and this incredible marmalade that has the texture of American jam. I love it. My host mom has made a lot of frozen pizza, and I get potatoes at every meal. The water tastes a little different, and I’m learning to get used to it. I’ve had some of the guys get me American football scores because I don’t get to use the internet very much. I think most of them are surprised to meet an American girl who loves college football. BTW- what is going on with Ole Miss? I checked the game stats to see how my guys did and where was Dexter McCluster? And how about that Auburn game- losing to USF in OT? All I have to say is it’s about time. I’m surprised y’all couldn’t hear me yell with excitement across the ocean. Anyway, I guess that’s really it. I’ll post again eventually- who really knows when but that’s okay. God is good... all the time.

el fin de semana!

Here's the weekend recap

SATURDAY- "plants hold the secrets to the world"
We visited the famous Guggenheim museum. Modern art really isn’t my thing, but a lot of the stuff was pretty interesting. I still prefer the French impressionists though. Several of us from the program ate pizza at an American pizza house. It was amazing and a nice change from the pasta, etc. that we’ve eaten a ton of since we’ve been here. That afternoon, the two girls who live near me and I went to the beach for a couple of hours, just to relax. We enjoyed our time, flipping through a Spanish phrase book and laughing. We left and went on a crazy search for a bakery. I was craving some sort of pastry. For real, Basque cake is NOT a pastry. Our hunt proved to be successful and we found a great bakery close to the metro stop. We had what I’d call a cupcake with chocolate on the inside. It was wonderful, and exactly what I wanted. At night, a whole bunch of us met up from Deusto and headed to Areeta (the Las Arenas metro stop) for a festival. Sadly, when we got there, the festival had ended. We headed back into Bilbao to Casco Viejo, an area of town with discothèques, etc. It was a great night!

SUNDAY- a day of rest
The Spanish understand the part of the Bible that describes the Sabbath. Everything is closed and life just slows down, a lot. They truly rest on Sundays. I slept in and then headed to the beach. The beach is so pretty! A bunch of us from the program met up and enjoyed the afternoon on the beach, eating bocadillos (kinda like a sandwich on French bread but the middle is this egg and cheese thing), laying out, and getting in the frigid Atlantic. The water temperature is colder than Cave Springs and slightly warmer than the upper Taylor River, which basically means that it’s somewhere between 40 and 60ish degrees. In the deep South that means it’s freezing! The day was definitely well spent even though I got a little burned. When I got back, I showed my host mom pictures of school, home, and summer. I had to explain everything in Spanish, as she speaks very little English. All I have to say about that is it’s hard enough to explain Derby Day to a person who’s unfamiliar with the Greek system, but in Spanish? Are you kidding me? I have no idea how I did that, and really, who knows if my explanation was even close to what it actually is.

it was a long week indeed

Hola! So, it’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to write, but I decided to write at home and post this at school. My host family doesn’t have internet, so it makes communicating with the rest of the world pretty difficult. Spain has been wonderful. For real, it’s beautiful- pictures to come soon!

UN POCO SOBRE BILBAO y BASQUE- a little bit of info about where I live
Bilbao is a port city on the northern coast of Spain known for industry and Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum. It’s the capital of Viscaya, a province or something like that. Bilbao is also in the heart of the Basque country, the northern part of Spain that has its own language and flag. The Basque want to secede from the rest of Spain and create their country, from what I understand it’s kinda like the South during the Civil War. They have yet to succeed, but they do have a terrorist organization (ETA) that’s targeted a few government officials in Madrid. The cease fire ended in June of 2007, but fortunately, most of their actions are verbal, directed at the Spanish government, and if they chose to attack, they make the target known before hand. Unlike the other crazy terrorist organizations in this world, ETA is not all about killing a bunch of random, innocent bystanders, which is fortunate. The only signs we’ve seen of ETA are the dudes with machine guns that stand outside of the main plaza in Bilbao by what we assume is the Basque government headquarters. Sidenote- there was an attack this weekend in San Sebastian, a city about an hour away.

TUESDAY- my first day in Bilbao
So, on Monday, I got up and went back to the Madrid airport to catch my flight to Bilbao. I didn’t have any problem getting to the Madrid airport, but for real, the traffic was insane! I’m talking Fort Worth on a Monday morning kind of bad. I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare which was fortunate because I was dropped off by the shuttle at the wrong part of the airport. I had to trek across the whole dad gum airport with my life in two suitcases and a backpack. Really, it wasn’t that much fun. I finally found SpanAir and checked in and headed to the gate. In Madrid, they don’t give you your gate at the check-in place; you have to rely on the monitors. Well, they change the gates a lot, and as the periodic announcement said, they don’t announce gate changes. My gate changed three times, and fortunately, I was paying attention. I got on the flight, and once again like in Amsterdam, there were small children running up and down the aisle during the flight. All instructions were in Spanish and the flight attendants gave us hard candy during the flight. I landed and got plugged in with Deusto. I was dropped off and met my host mom. She lives in Las Arenas (translation- very far away from school). That night, we met up with some of the other girls in the program and their host moms. We bought our metro passes (we had to get an ID too… weird) because little did we know but we’d be riding the metro a bajillion times a day everyday. We watched the sunset at the beach and ate incredible ice cream (cremabaska es muy fabuloso!).

WEDNESDAY- beinvenidos a Deusto
So what do you think the school would do with 35ish jet-lagged college kids? Ah yes, make them sit through an eternal orientation session and then walk them around the city. Basically, they told us all about Deusto, showed us around campus and the city, read our manuals to us, talked a whole lot in Spanish, and fed us an insanely large meal. The campus is really pretty, although Ole Miss is still prettier to me (I’m a rebel for life- haha). Spanish customs are pretty different than those in the US. The first one I really took note of was meal times. We also experienced our first real Spanish lunch. Lunch is eaten at like 1:30pm and is the biggest meal of the day. We had a three course lunch, and it was pretty good. I’m not really used to eating that much food, but when dinner isn’t until 9pm, I’m learning to get used to it. People take over an hour and sometimes two for lunch- I’m not sure the workaholics in the US would be okay with that- haha. The Deusto people showed us around the city, and alas, flying all the way across the ocean has not helped my direction sense. I still get pretty turned around in the city, but who’s surprised. Don’t worry Mama- I’m getting better and I’m able to ask for directions in Spanish. The city is beautiful; the architecture is 19th century or something like that. After the tour, I walked around the city with some people; yes, I am making friends. We found a park and some other stuff, but I probably won’t be able to get back to any of those places- haha.

THURSDAY- Spanish placement test and the eternal bus ride
On Wednesday, we took our Spanish placement test. I placed into the Spanish classes that I needed, but for real, the test was flipping hard. After our test, we toured the beaches of Plentzia and Las Arenas. Plentzia is about 45 minutes away and is known for the prettiest beaches in the area. The water is a deep blue, a drastic contrast from the aquamarine blue waters of the gulf. We ate another really huge meal and enjoyed yet another Basque cream cake, yum but not so much. We walked a lot and rode the bus a long way which was mildly entertaining. We finally made it to Las Arenas, near my house. We walked up and down lots of hills and enjoyed the view. Our last stop of the day was a bar for some Spanish sangria. Spain is known for their wine, specifically their sangria.

FRIDAY- the day they kept us over
We went to Deusto for academic orientation. Basically, we go to school all day Monday through Thursday. I’m taking 10 hours of Spanish grammar, comp, etc, Europe in the World, and Contemporary Spanish Culture and Politics class. They read our manuals (that were printed in English) to us. We were supposed to get out in an hour, but alas, that did not happen. That afternoon, some of us went to the beach at Las Arenas. FYI- the beaches are all topless in Spain. I went for a run, and sadly, I’m still paying for it. I went back to campus to check and send a few emails, etc. That night, I met up with some of the people who live in the dorms and we went out in Bilbao. We had a lot of fun and hung out with some of the other international Deusto students. Also, how random is this but I met a guy who graduated from Wyomissing High school in PA with my secondish cousin Allie. He’s the first person I’ve ever met outside of PA that’s heard of Leesport as well. What a small world…

bienvenidos de españa

hola de españa! yes, after over twelve hours of travel, I am finally in Spain. And really, it feels great to be here. Today's been, perhaps, the longest day of my life. I left Alabama at 4:35pm and didn't make it to Madrid until 4pm (roughly 10am-ish 'Bama time). The flight from Memphis to Amsterdam was great. I love Holland! I want to go explore- the place is so green it's unreal! I love the windmills and the tulips. Ah, it will forever be my first taste of Europe, and pretty much from that point forward (less than 12 hours ago), I've been hooked! Sidenote- my favorite thing about the Amsterdam airport: "paging passenger so and so headed to place x, you are delaying this flight. If you do not arrive shortly, we will have to deboard your luggage." This phrase was sometimes followed with, "passenger so and so, we have deboarded your luggage". The crew of my flight to Madrid gave all of the instructions/information in Dutch. To me, Dutch sounds like English gibberish. You think you heard English only to listen closely and realize that you're not. Alas, I finally made it to Madrid. This afternoon, after I checked into the Best Western in old Madrid, I had the opportunity to go explore on my own. The puerta del sol is the center of town in Madrid, and really, it's gorgeous. Everywhere you look you see these old 15th/16th century style buildings housing department stores, hostels, hotels, etc. For dinner, I walked over to plaza mayor which has been around for centuries. The Spanish, like most other Europeans, like to sit on the terraces of local restaurants for hours. So for once in my life, I gave sitting still a good try. I sat on the terrace of a restaurant for about an hour while I ate my dinner (Roman pizza) and sipped my Coke. I loved the opportunity to sit and watch the people and listen to what seemed to be a hundred different conversations in a hundred different lanugages. I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to making it to Bilbao tomorrow. I've heard Bilbao is gorgeous beyond belief. The Lord continues to bless this opportunity. I'm excited to see what He's going to show me this semester. Adios de españa!

and in less than 24 hours, i'll be on a plane...

Even though I'm not sure anyone's reading this at this point, I feel like I should say that this will be my last post until I reach Europe on Monday afternoon. I'm finally done packing, well almost. And once again, I have packed my life into two suitcases and a backpack. Let's just hope those two suitcases are not over the fifty pound weight limit. My daddy headed up to Reading today to help my grandparents move, and I cried for the first time. I'm sure it won't be the last time either. I'm starting to realize just how much I'm going to miss my family. I know this is a great opportunity, and for real, I'm so excited, but at the same time, I'm a little sad. My mom and I have gotten to be really good friends over the last two weeks, and I'm sad that I'm not gonna be able to talk to her everyday like I do when I'm in Oxford. God is good though. I just want to get there and get into a routine, but alas, I must be patient. Also, I'm a little nervous but not as much as I was earlier in the week. I pray that the Lord continues to take that anxiety away. I pray that He takes away my sadness.


FUN FACT- during the LSU vs. Mississippi State game, ESPN aired an OLE MISS commerical rather than a State commerical. Hotty Toddy, GO REBELS! haha... gotta love journalism.

my THOUGHTS on the OPENING DAY of COLLEGE FOOTBALL
So, today is the opening of college football, and seriously, I didn't think I'd be sad about missing this season until today. Ole Miss beat Memphis, barely (23-21). I would love to say that this season is gonna be different and the Rebels are gonna do better, but I'm not sure that any drastic improvement is actually going to occur. Today, the Rebs played like they always do- great until the end of the game. They can't finish a game, just look at the game notes from last season's UGA, 'Bama, Auburn, LSU games. Luckily, the guys held onto this win. On a really exciting note (for real, I feel like a mom), a bunch of the guys I tutored last semester started. Jonathan, Daverin, Nate, Dexter, Marcus, and Shay all saw a good bit of action today. I spent an insane amount of hours tutoring these guys in JOUR101, and I love watching them succeed on the football field as well as in the classroom. So for all the Rebel fans, here are the numbers to cheer really loudly for: 3, 5, 16, 22, 26, 28, 30, 42, 72. 90, and 92. Most of these guys are defense guys with the exception of two, maybe three. I've loved watching the SEC games today, and I'll fight anyone who disagrees that it's not the best conference in the country. haha. My school won as did my two non-SEC teams (A&M and Penn State), so I'd say overall, today was a good day. Hasta luego!