Sí, podemos. Sí, hicimos. (Yes We Can. Yes We Did.)

I went to bed at 3:30am on Tuesday night (well, morning) when Obama had won Pennsylvania. I woke up at 7:30am and Obama had won the election. I could banter on about this and how I'm feeling--it's actually quite tempting--but I'll save you because it's all pretty predictable. I will say, though, that people here are equally excited and happy. Obama has steadily been the focus of all news and people here--students and young ones included--are very well informed. My friend from Belgium in one of my classes was telling me how he lives with a bunch of Europeans, and they all stayed up to watch the elections, and when Obama won they were all crying with happiness together.

Yeah, and how many students in the US even know who the president/prime minister/head figure of Belgium is? Anyone? Any of my friends reading this? Maybe the history buffs. Being in Spain really showed me to what extent the US is a world superpower and how much we affect the lives of people all over the globe. Helen, my translator from China, sent me an email yesterday also congratulating me about Obama, and she lives in a pretty isolated place.

Yesterday I took the bus home. There were 2 other American boys on the bus. A man on the bus heard them talking in English and said "American? Yes? ...Obama! (except it was more like 'Oberna!') He black, you know? Black! Black president! Big change!" The American boy just said "sí" over and over again. (I'm pretty sure, based on other contextual clues, that he was not the biggest Obama fan.) And I sat there laughing to myself like a crazy person, but what else is new.

One last thing before I move on: I feel patriotic for the first time in my life. It is a totally alien feeling for me. I like it. I could get used to it.

In other, less exciting news, I had my first tutoria at the beginning of the week. El centro arranges little tutoring sections for you if you're having trouble with one of your classes, free of charge. I wouldn't say I'm having trouble with Anthro of America, per se -- I'd just like to be more on top of the material than I am now. I met with my teacher, Patty, who just finished her Anthro studies at the University. I like her a lot. She had some great tips for me (like which 2 or 3 books I should really read out of the list we have that's over 100) and was very easy to talk to. It will help me with Anthro, of course, but it will also help my Spanish. That's one more hour a week where I absolutely have to be talking in Spanish.

Speaking of which, Fernando and I have started having English classes twice a week. We have an official schedule. And although you wouldn't immediately think so, teaching English actually makes me use my Spanish more. I have to explain the concepts of English to him in Spanish. It's good. I like spending time with him and it's obvious that he really appreciates that I take the time to do it. He's very studious and serious about learning, and it's good for him because he doesn't have much going on otherwise. He has a bunch of BBC English DVDs that he practices with in between our classes.

I figured out how to get my computer working with the wireless that the university provides in some of its buildings, which is great! The service is good and I could probably find a pretty quiet hall or area to Skype in. I should also be able to get there on Saturdays, whereas the center is normally closed... Now that I can use internet in the public library and the university buildings, I can spend less time in the center, which I think is a good thing.

I'm in love with my Anthro of Contemporary Societies professor (joking -- he's 70+, Angie's height, and has enormous white hair). No, in all seriousness, he's been a great teacher and is very approachable. He's given me some good stuff to read in Spanish for my 'time' topic. I stayed after class to talk to him on Tuesday, which of course got us talking about the elections. Turns out his relatives are from Cuba and he's an Anarchist. It was a fun conversation. He was really friendly and we bonded over both having issues with Bush's America. No doubt on Monday he'll call upon us to share stuff about how things are going in the US in class.

My Development class is a joke, but in an amusing sort of way. For example, yesterday the professor said: "So, when we're evaluating a territory, what's the first thing we ask? Wait, no, nevermind, the first thing we ask is 'where's the bar?' Ok. So what's the second thing we ask?" And later, when he was talking about population distribution and the number of people in each age group, he said "ok, so then you get married at 25... wait, no we're in Spain, so when you get married at 30... wait, no, that's still too early. 35! When you get married at 35... and then start working when you get married... no, well, wait... maybe at 40..." And the thing is, both of his jokes weren't really meant to be jokes. People laughed, of course, but they were kind of true. People here--the professor included--would need to know where the bar was and people here don't get married and get real work till much later, either. So yes. This is what we learned in class yesterday.

I'm going to do volunteer work through an organization called Solidarios. They have various ways you can volunteer in Sevilla, and I decided I'm going to do their program where you spend 3 hours a week with an older person who lives alone and is lonely. I'm looking forward to really getting started--so far I just had the orientation. Some of the other ways you can volunteer involves working with a group of students (like Katie spends a few hours a week at night walking the streets with a group of students and offering hot coffee and conversation to homeless people), and that might've been a good way to make friends. Oh well. Having it just be me one-on-one with someone will force my Spanish to develop a lot more, I think.

There have been 2 cockroaches in the kitchen in the past 3 days. Not a good sign. They're also ENORMOUS. I was the one that found both of them. Or rather, they found me. The first time I was in the kitchen doing homework. I was reading a book for my Franco class that has a scene with a cockroach in the kitchen. A few minutes later, I looked up from my book, and there was a beast of a cockroach scurrying by my feet (WEIRD). I managed to trap it with a jar and Fernando dealt with it the next morning. Yesterday, though, the cockroach kept scurrying off. Fernando and Mayte got down on their hands and knees and were crawling around the kitchen looking under the the drawers and appliances for it. Every so often Mayte would see it and scream "Ay, madre de dios, Fernando, aqui esta!" and then Fernando would quickly shuffle over with his flashlight looking for it and spraying stuff with it. We kept losing it, but finally we saw it running across the wall near the ceiling. Mayte let out a scream--cockroaches really are enormous--and Fernando started trying to stab it with a broom. It didn't work, so he left and brought in a ladder. I couldn't help but laugh. Mayte was laughing too. I guess you just need to imagine a 70-year-old man on his hands and knees with his butt up in the air looking around the kitchen while his wife screams profanities in Spanish. It was, um, fun? We never ended up finding it... they sprayed some stuff. Maybe that will work.

And now I'm off -- LONDON TONIGHT!