Ah, Sevilla- a beautiful dream

Studying abroad- for some, this is basically the same thing as an expensive vacation hidden under the mask of pursuing higher education in a foreign country. Some students go the entire summer w ithout really integrating into the culture and experiencing true Sevilla. I was lucky enough to meet some wonderful Sevillan friends who were eager to show me the city and the life. I had very few friends from the school. Apart from my college friends who were there in June, I rarely, if ever, went out with Americans. And I say this with great pride. Why? Because if I wasn't clinging to American students, my only other option was Spaniards (or no one at all- and come on, I'm not that antisocial!). If I was hanging out with the Spanish, I was actually integrating and fulfilling both of my goals.

The whole reason I came to Sevilla was to learn Spanish and experience Spain. I did both. My Spanish improved, at least a little bit. Some people are more talented at this, but I finally got to the point of not over thinking what I wanted to say and just saying it. That means I actually talked! And my friends could (at least more or less) understand me. I thoroughly enjoyed my Spanish 20th Century Theater class with Mila. The assigned reading kicked my butt. It was worth it though. My July course in Spanish for Health Professionals with Sara proved to be (thankfully) a much lighter course than the literature class. This time around, I could spend more time out in Sevilla and less time hitting the books (and the dictionary).

Did I come to Sevilla with any expectations? I'm not really sure. I knew I felt a lot more comfortable being with friends from back home than all by myself. Other than that bit of a security blanket, I don't remember having any specific expectations. Maybe over time, I somehow learned to prevent myself from going into anything with expectations. Now, my mind is more like a sponge, ready to soak up the experiences that come, rather than be disappointed because they did not meet my preconceived notions. I learned a lot this summer. Not only about Spain and the Spanish language, but also about people. I'm amazed at the people that Divine Providence (or destiny, for some) puts into my life and all the things that I learn from them. I was moved by the openness and honesty of the people I met. Although we did not (and probably would never) agree on everything, it did not prevent us from being open to each other (and all the craziness or seriousness involved) and becoming great friends, a little family of sorts. A summer in Sevilla was one of the greatest adventures of my life. It was also a nice break from reality, a dream that ended too quickly. A time to learned about myself, others, life, and the world. A time to learn from experience. I think I will continue learning and applying my (many) experiences in Spain for a while. You don't come to Sevilla and leave unchanged.

Big Girls Don't Cry

But this is no big girl. This girl could barely keep from bursting into a fountain of tears at the cafe, waiting for her bus to Madrid. Actually, some of them managed to escape her control. I never thought it would be so incredibly hard to leave Sevilla. Of course, I knew I would be very sad to leave, but it hit so hard and so fast. Literally, the moment I walked out the door. The people on the bus probably thought I was crazy or something. That's what six weeks of living in Sevilla can do to you. I can't believe they are over. This summer has been such a growing experience- cliche, I know. Those of you who know me pretty well realize that going to and living in a foreign country by myself is not exactly in my comfort zone. And add Spanish to that! But thanks to Sevilla, I decided to keep going with Spanish. The culture, history, literature, and language fascinate me. I learned so much from all the people that I have met here. Not just about the language, culture, and history of Spain, but also about life. I was given the opportunity to experience Sevilla as a local, rather than just a tourist. For that, I will be forever thankful.
I made a promise- to return (asap!). Hopefully, I will be able to fulfill it.
A mi familia sevillana- las palabras de Taylor Swift, "I was enchanted to meet you."
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I will get around to posting about the last two weeks soon. Just had to get this one done first.
They will be ordered chronologically so you may need to look back.

"Hey! Ho! Let's go!"

Welcome to the post that covers all those random little things I haven't written about. Apologies for the disorganization and total randomness. There is no common theme. Here it goes!

For all my pre-med Youtube addicts:

Try looking up "Bilirubina" on youtube. It's a funny song that uses tons of medical vocabulary. Who said learning medical Spanish had to be boring?

Vamos a la playa!

A few Sundays ago, our friend invited my roommate and I to join in on a surprise birthday party at the beach. (This group had grown up together on the same block.) Punta Umbria was about one hour away, but we took a detour. =P The countryside reminded me a little of Poland. The day was quite lovely. We met tons of new people and tried to communicate in our broken Spanish and their English. The beach was beautiful. The sand was so fine it was soft. The sea had a very clean (once you got past a small patch of seaweed), sandy bottom. The water was actually rather warm. The only drawback was the wind. I guess it wasn't too bad because you didn't feel the sun burning you. But that was the problem. I feel asleep for about a half hour and did not feel the heat of the sun beating down on me. Result: burned back. Not too burned though, just a little pink. There were people, but it wasn't too crowded. This beach is rather off the tourist radar and so has managed to retain its charm. I probably looked like a little kid running across the sand and straight into the water. But it was fun, and I enjoyed it immensely. On Monday, I found out my professor had also been at that same beach. The sun had worn me out so much. The Spanish really have something with this idea of siesta...

 Las Setas

or The Mushrooms. We took a school field trip to this modern structure. I really don't even know how to explain it. Either search it or I'll get around to a photo. You can go up to the top for a view of the city. The middle level has restaurants and a market. Underground, you have some ancient ruins spanning various centuries. While history is cool and interesting, ancient ruins are just not my thing. Once I see a few, I'm set. I guess I prefer a bit more modern history.
Oh and underneath the big mushroom top, there is a plaza where they set up the TV screens for the Eurocup!


Rayas
The best ice-cream in Sevilla! And on my way to school. This place has the most ice-cream I have ever seen. As well as some of the best! I end up getting chocolate with orange and strawberry. I know, I should try new things, but those two were soo good. I went to both locations: on Reyes Catolicos near Zaragoza and near the Setas on a plaza I can't remember. If you haven't noticed, I'm terrible at remembering street names. I do have a mental map and can find my way to and from different places, but don't ask me to give you street names.

Just another Monday

This week, our normal temperatures have returned (40C+), which means our nights are very warm. Perfect for walks around the city. Being a very studious person, I decided to go out instead of pouring over medical Spanish. You only live once, right? (And I promise my grade doesn't suffer.) As I was packing up my purse, I think my guardian angel nudged me to bring my camera, after debating about it for a minute. Good thing I did because I saw some pretty cool stuff that night. Mi hermano español did a bit of a walking tour with commentary on the architecture (por ejemplo- arco polilobulado: a certain type of arch within mudejar- or neomudejar?- architecture) and history (where exactly was the center of the ancient Roman city- at las Setas or Alfalfa? Two theories, you decide.). I don't know how people can live in beautiful cities with such rich history and not be familiar with it. There's a certain pride to coming from a historical place, which is just about every place in Europe. From my own experience, I really enjoyed trying to explain to Carlie the history of my city, Gdansk, and  other places we visited in Poland last summer. So if you ever want to come to Poland with me, it might be difficult to get me to shut up. =) 

Moving on, our next stop was El Rinconcillo, a traditional Sevillan bar. It was founded in 1670 so it's probably one of the oldest places around. The tabs are kept in chalk on the wooden countertops- adds to the charm. I wish I took a photo inside... Oh well, just look it up online. While we were there, some costaleros in their headpieces showed up. Odd, right? Turns out there was procession with the paso de Virgen del Carmen. Band, incense, candles, flowers included. It was pretty incredible to watch the procession come down the narrow street at about 11pm. One of the marches they played was "A ti, Manuel" (if I remember correctly). The procession got us talking about Semana Santa in Sevilla. So many different aspects of it- from the crowds, the brotherhoods related to each paso, the way the costaleros lift it up off the ground and walk, anecdotes relating to the celebrations, the different motivations for attending, and how people react to it. I think I need to come back to see this. I got to see the outside of the church of Jesus de Gran Poder- one of the most important pasos. I think it was for this one- the face of Christ is based on the actual face of a prisoner condemned to die. Fun fact #2: JP2 bestowed upon the church the title of a minor basilica. Turns out Ariel and I went to Mass in a church with the paso of the entombment on Calle Alfonso XIII.

The architecture of Sevilla continues to delight me. People really miss out if they don't look up. The buildings around Alameda de Hercules are particularly pretty, though twenty years ago the area wasn't as nice as it is now.

I think I've run out of things to ramble on about from last night... and I have homework to finish. So hasta luego!

Actually, now that I have internet to post this, I do have an additional comment. While I was walking to the school at 6pm, the pharmacy sign displayed a nice 44C (that's 111F) in the sun. As I passed tourists on the street, I wondered what sort of people would visit Sevilla in July. There's only three options:
1. You obviously did not do your homework.
2. You had absolutely no other choice.
3. You like to walk around cities in this heat and court heat stroke. In which case, there is something seriously wrong with you.
That is all.

Granada

Friday morning, bright and early (a little too early if you asked me, but nobody did, so it remained too early), a nice hike over to Avenida de Portugal carrying our weekend bags. There was a point at which I was ready to hail a taxi or swear off all forms of non-wheelable luggage and drag my bag the rest of the way. The drive to Granada was about three hours of fairly decent nap time. Free time upon arrival basically consisted of me crashing in the hotel because, as previously implied, I was a little tired. The afternoon was spent in the Alhambra, which is kind of a royal city situated on a hill above Granada. The palace and the gardens are just beautiful. I really enjoyed the architecture (mudejar style, I think... either way, not European). Although it was all very pretty, it was at least 40C out there, which means my brain checked out for the day and I barely processed or retained anything the guide said. Nota bene for the future: If you want to visit the Alhambra, go in the morning or just avoid it in July and August.

I don't know why you would say you're going to Granada and end up on the beach for most of the time. (For those wondering, Granada is not a coastal city...) My roommate and I decided to spend the day in the city. First, we wandered through the Alcaicería. A cute market with narrow streets, rugs, clothes, bags, jewelry, etc. Jeanie pants are so popular here and they come in all sorts of really cool patterns. Then, I just had to go to the Capilla Real, where Isabella and Ferdinand are buried. There are two mausoleums: one for Ferdinand and Isabella, the other for Felipe and Juana. Directly below the mausoleums, there is crypt with their actual coffins (Ferdinand, Isabella, Felipe, Juana, and Miguel- the oldest grandchild). Adjacent to the chapel is a small museum with Isabella´s crown and scepter. The Catholic monarchs requested to be buried in Granada due to its significance in the Reconquista.

In Granada, there is a really neat tapas custom. If you order a drink, you get a small tapa for free. It´s a variation on tapas culture of Spain. And that´s how we went about getting our lunch for the day. A drink and a tapa. :)

After lunch, we walked down Calle Reyes Católicos, which turns into Carrera del Darro along the river and passes through Plaza Nueva and past St. Anne´s Church. Then we wandered into the Albaicin, the Arab neighborhood. It is situated on a hill and has narrow streets. Took Calle de San Juan de los Reyes- many souvenir shops worked by Moroccans. I think my favorite thing about Granda was their teterias. They are the coolest things ever. It´s basically a tea shop, Arab style. The decoration inside is sweet, and the music was themed. You lay down on these sort of benches with cushions with tea on the tables with tile tabletops. Soo relaxing. The tea is really good, and there´s a huge selection. I tried a mint and lemon iced tea with sugar. We also split a crepe. I think I could´ve stayed there all day. But we had to leave eventually. Later that evening, I wanted to go see the Puerta de Elvira and Calle Elvira, passing through the Jardines del Triunfo. All very pretty in the evening.



Yup, that'd be Picasso and he was born in the building to the right.



We went to Málaga on Sunday and visited the Museo Picasso. Personally, I think the guy was certifiably nuts, but obviously some people appreciate his work very much. The colors in some of the paintings were nice and I don´t mind the still life, but the "portraits" ..... So that was interesting. We passed the church where he was baptized and saw the windows of the building where he was born. After that, we got back on the bus and headed to the beach in Torremolinos. Chinese for lunch was delicious! I techinically set foot on the beach, but it was so hot and humid that I preferred to spend the afternoon in a cafe.

And that is more or less my weekend for you. :)

Btw, Granada= pomegranate.

Art fair 3

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Art fair 2

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Art fair 1

Every Sunday, there is an art fair in front of the Museo de Bellas Artes.


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Conversaciones sobre Bob Esponja

Oh, the very health related conversations we have in my "Spanish for Health Professionals" class! haha I have no idea how we ended up discussing Spongebob Squarepants, but it happened. However, parents, do not fear. I am learning a great deal about healthcare in Spain as well as muchisimo vocabulario. Yesterday, my class took a field trip to a Red Cross hospital- Hospital Victoria Eugenia. It´s a private hospital (as opposed to public), but has a contract with the public system. In class, we´re working through the various medical fields. In addition to medical Spanish, there´s a pretty decent grammar review, which has been completely frying our brains.

Last weekend, my roommate and I went out for churros in the evening. We met up with one of her friends from school. He managed to strike up a conversation with a Mexican girl at the churros stand. She's here for the summer as part of her university´s program in a field I can´t remember. So that was kinda cool- hanging out with a Mexican girl we met at a churros stand in Sevilla.

Yesterday, my roommate´s computer arrived in the mail. Normally, this wouldn´t be a big deal. But she has a great music collection (I´m so tired of my ipod). This means dance party in our room, which is upstairs so it doesn´t bother the family. It came just in time to blow off some steam and release some stress. It´s been a long, yet wonderful, trip.

Besos!

All the pretty lights

Ronda

Ronda is a very pretty little white city. It actually reminded me a little of Santorini because both are situated atop cliffs. Ronda is divided by the Tajo Gorge and surrounded by plains with mountains on the distant horizon. It is one of the Pueblos Blancos, known for their small streets and white washed buildings.
The Casa del Rey Moro looks out on the gorge. Christian slaves cut out steps in the rock down to the river to collect drinking water. If I remember correctly, that may be how Ronda was conquered during the Reconquista- cutting their water supply. We crossed the Puente Viejo to visit the Arab Baths, or rather their ruins. We walked around, crossing the Puente Nuevo. This bridge has a little prison room a little below the top. The only escape was down... and no one survived that.

In the bullring- the space back there was tiny. No fat matadors allowed..

The Plaza del Toros (with the Riding School) is quite ancient and holds very few but prestigious fights, mainly due to cost. Putting on a corrida can cost tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of bulls and matadors. It is a lot different than the one in Sevilla. All the seating is shaded, for one thing, and it is much smaller. We got to go "backstage" and see the bull pens. Passing the riding school made me miss riding soo much. That was one great indoor arena! With some free time, Yilin and I wandered through the Alameda del Tojo. It has a little balcony jutting out from the cliff. The view is breathtaking- the fields surrounding the city for miles and mountains far off.
A sunny, hot day in Ronda was well spent. A very charming little town with a bit of a Greek feel.

Barrio de Santa Cruz

Plaza de Santa Cruz

I think I've already mentioned this barrio, but it deserves another brief round, especially after a guided walk with one of the professors. It was originally a Muslim area. Apparently, they were quite the opposite of the Romans because these streets are nowhere near a grid pattern. It is perhaps one of the easiest places to get lost. The streets are very narrow to create cool, shaded streets. If you look through the iron gates, you will see little patios and usually a fountain. Later on, it was turned into the Jewish quarter, and now it is a bustling tourist area. You can visit the house of Murillo. One of St. Teresa of Avila's convents is just across the street. Plaza de Santa Cruz was the original site of the Iglesia de Santa Cruz, where Murillo was buried. Hospital de los Venerables is located on a plaza with a tile (they prefer these to plaques) commemorating Don Juan Tenorio. Some part of the story was set in the plaza. If you are not familiar with the character, look it up. =) It's a very well known work in Spain.

Some of the plazas have legends and stories attached to them. One tells the story of Susana, a Jewish woman who fell in love with a Christian. She warned one party of an attack by the other. I cannot remember which side at this point. She later regretted her decision and entered a convent for the remainder of her life. She wished that her head be displayed in the square as a warning and reminder for others. There's a tile with a skull in that plaza.

Pretty building.

Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes de Sevilla

The museum was originally a convent. I was really happy they had quite a few Murillo's there. The former church has been converted into a beautiful display.
Later that afternoon, we took a boat tour down the Guadalquivir River. Enjoy!



Murillo



  



This should look familiar to some.



Victim of festivities

Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this photo?

A "victim" of festivities after the Eurocup finals. No one really knows what happened...


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¡Campeones!

Although I am not much of a sports fan, I could not be in Spain and not go watch the futbol games! A few weeks ago, the girls and I went to watch Spain vs. Croatia (held in Gdansk!) at Las Setas (an architectural structure with an elevated plaza and a mushroom-like top). They set up a huge screen for people to watch the game. Ariel and I got distracted by ice-cream so we ended up standing in line because, yes, there was security. There were so many people there. Fans with face paint, jerseys, and flags. All super enthusiastic. Everywhere you looked, red and yellow. The HUGE Spanish flag hanging from the Setas looked awesome and just flowed in the wind.

Of course, Spain made it to the Eurocup finals! haha And there was no way I was missing that! Initially, I was going to meet up with my "adopted" intercambio to watch the game at Las Setas. But I guess everyone else had the same idea because one hour before the game even started, there was a line all the way down the street. Quickly ditched that idea. Most restaurants, bars, and cafes have a TV set up inside or outside to watch the game. We ended up watching the game outside but I can't remember the exact location, and you really don't need that info either so that's ok. People got very festive- facepaint, flags, wigs, etc. I even saw a few Italians. haha When the Spaniards scored the first goal, craziness ensued! Sparklers, liquids spilling everywhere, cheers, jumping, and hugging. Yes, soccer is a big deal here. I actually felt a little bad for the Italians when they lost... oh, well. Maybe next time. After the game, the people were super jubiliant. Cheering all the way home, and cars honking all through the night. While I didn't get very into the game (just the way I am), I really enjoyed this aspect of the culture. Especially experiencing it with the locals. =)