Who Says It's the End!

So not to sound to much like John Denver, but I will be leaving on a jet plane TOMORROW, and who knows when I will be coming back again, but my time here in Spain has been incredible! My level of confidence has risen, as well as my Spanish. I have seen some incredible things, but most importantly  I have met some amazing people. The amount of kindness and hospitality that I have been given has been more than enough!
The weekend before my family arrived (to visit me) I went to the beach with Gema and her family. I have mentioned Gema and her family before, but I don't think I've mentioned how much happier I was to have them in my life. Every Wednesday I would go to her house for lunch to practice my Spanish and as well as her English. Sometimes this would be the highlight of my week, because I always felt happy and at ease in her home. If I was having a bad week, I could always depend on having a good laugh on Wednesday. But case in point, I couldn't have chosen a better way to spend my final weekend as an exchange student.
But my weekend with the Martinez family will be one to remember the rest of my life, not because of the things we saw, but because of the people that I was surrounded by. I'm always going to remember Gema and Javi telling Marina to stop running or the sunset we saw at the lagoon outside of El Portil.
They were also people that I could really depend on! When my parents arrived in Sevilla, they offered to drive them from the airport to their apartment! But not only that, we had dinner at their house, the same night, and they accommodated to my brothers picky eating habits.
That Wednesday we had dinner, in the oldest restaurant in Sevilla. Javi and Gema did a really good job at picking all the right food for us. It was so good that my family, still, says that it is probably one of the best meals that they have head over our three week trip.
But saying good bye to Javi and Gema was probably one of the hardest goodbyes. It's true though, that you make some of your best friends while studying abroad, even though Javi and Gema were old enough to be my parents, I know that I will see them again some day!

Gema, Marina, Gema, and I at the Feria in May.

But with all of the places I have gone to, I was hosted by people that, for the most part, I had never met before, and was treated with the utmost kindness and cordiality!
Coincidentally, I will be returning to the United States on July 10th, the same day a year ago that I left for Ireland. So I think that this will be my last blog post as a gap year student, but boy, has it been an adventure. I have traveled to seven countries, (Ireland, Mexico, Canada, England (sort of,) France, Spain, and Portugal!) became proficient in another language, learned new skills (from how to operate lab equipment to fly fishing,) and I have met a great array of people from Belgium to New Zealand to Paul Smiths, New York. But I think most importantly is that the girl coming back on that plane from Spain is a much more confident and independent young woman, than the one that jumped on the jet headed to Dublin a year ago! But honestly, thank you so much to everyone that has made my year all that it was, and I hope that you have also enjoyed reading my blog!
As I am coming upon another chapter in my life, college, and feeling a little overwhelmed with the changes going on, I thought that it would be fitting to end with a quote by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu: Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
Adios todos y muchas gracias para leais mis articulos!!!!!!!

Living it Up! : Ronda y Rocio

To start things off, on the king, Juan Carlos I, abdicated his throne on Monday. This has been happening a lot recently with European monarchies, like in Belgium and the Netherlands. People are angry with the way that the government and monarchy has been functioning lately, which can be shown with the explosion of new politic parties and the desire for there to be a third republic, but I think people fail to see that Juan Carlos I was a very vital figure in helping transition Spain from Franco's Fascist reign, to a constitutional monarchy.
But moving on, Thursday I took my first salsa class, and was it an embarrassing disaster! I went with a Belgian friend, who had been going for a few months, but being from Vermont, where the most authentic form of dancing is Contra' dancing. But it sure showed that the only shuffle I knew how to do was the ¨square,¨ which got a few people annoyed, but WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saturday, I decided to got to Ronda, a village in the mountains (or sierra) outside of Malaga I went with my language academy, Clic, and was hesitant before about going, because I didn't know anyone, but I knew I would be missing an opportunity, so I seized it! And was it great! Apparently, Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell both stayed in Ronda for long periods of time, and parts of Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls takes places in the countryside surrounding Ronda. Ronda is well known for having the oldest bullring in Spain and El Tajo, which is a HUGE aqueduct (now a bridge) that goes down into a steep and narrow ravine.

I was in awe over how there was a town built around this steep ravine, and on top of a series of large hills. And of course I learned some random facts, like that Ronda has the most museums per square kilometer, and that there is a town in the nearby sierra that has the highest amount of rainfall per year in all of Spain! Watch ya know!

I didn't have much time to rest when I got back, because I went out with friends from my language academy, but the next morning my host mother and I left bright and early for la Romeria de Rocio. For all of those that aren't familiar with Rocio, it is a mix between Fería and Semana Santa, but still a bit different. It is held in a pueblo (it looks like something from the Wild West) in the town of Almontes, close to Huelva, and is only used once a year. The festival is held fifty days after Easter. Up to a week before, pilgrims start el camino. The pilgrims tend to wear traditional Andalucian clothes, and carry there things via horse and buggy (just like during Westward Expansion.)

We passed our day eating, drinking, and singing songs about la Virgen de Rocio (it's an older virgin, and was found in the swamp near the pueblo) with my host mother's family. Her family had a very small house, where all of the stayed over the weekend, so the celebrations of Rocio, I felt, was a lot more private than the Fería.

At 3:30 Monday morning, the Virgin left the Basillica. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!!! When the Virgen de Rocio leaves the church, she is, at first, carried by men (and only men) from the village of Montes. They all gather within the church, and when they bell strikes they all go running to the virgin to get first dibs. And the rest is total chaos! Everyone is trying to get a piece of the virgin, and carry her around. But the people, supposedly, that are fighting to touch the virgin, say that the virgin is speaking to them for them to come forth. Personally, I'm surprised that virgin has lasted for as long as it has (since the 13th century!) But it was quite an experience because some people were having religious visions, right next to me, which was a little scary. Also, when the virgin is carried, it isn't very organized, and sometime she falls down. So, when she came by where we were standing, the crowd pushed, and almost suffocated me, because the force was so random and strong. I think that it might have been one of those crowds that could kill someone, but I'm pretty sure everyone got out alive this year!

We got back to Sevilla at seven. I went to sleep right when I got back to the apartment, but I have been exhausted all day! But, it is my last full week in Sevilla, so I'm just going to make the best of it and have....... A BLAST!!!!!!!

Valencia- Tengo ganas para volver!

I have determined that for the rest of my time here in Spain, I will only make my blog a brief, light, and fun read! Like Martha Stewart's Living magazine (mas o menos,) instead of it making a heavily detailed memoir! That means more bullet notes or brief senteces, and lots of colorful pictures. Here we go!

Thursday

• Had my graduation at my Spanish high school
• Fell in, really badly, in front of everyone, but hey no pasa nada
• Got a really nice reference letter from my principal
• Spent the evening eating snails with the people that matter most to me in Spain: Gema, Javi, Marina, and Gema (or Gemita)

Friday

• Left for Valencia at the break of dawn!
• Had a nice taxi driver, AGAIN!!!!!!!
• Was met by Isabel at the airport
• Had a really weird morning because I slept from 10 to 1 in the morning (this has never happened before!!!!!!!)
• Had real horchata (from Valencia) with Ana (Isabel's sister,) Nahia (Ana's daughter,) and Iris (Isabel's daughter)
• Went to the beach and picked up a million sponges!

Saturday

• Met Mormon missionaries on the Metro (who would have thought!)
• Went to one of the most beautiful markets (architecturally) in all of Spain, in my opinion- Mercado Central
• Took a bus tour of all the moments in Valencia (determined that from now all, every city I visit, I'll take a bus tour, just to get the jist on it's history and geography!
• Learned that Valencia was the center of the silk trade
• Thus, had the first stock market in the world
• One of the first cities to enter the Renaissance
• The old riverbed is now a HUGE park

• Had a really good, hearty Italian lunch (SO MANY ITALIAN TOURISTS!!!!!!!)
• Discovered Valencia on my own!
• Went to a cool ceramics museum that used to be a palace (Need to ALWAYS have a guide at those sort of places!)
• Discovered that everything closed at 7, so I couldn't go to any art museums
• Tried to keep myself occupied, so I went to almost every church I walked by, and crashed every Saturday mass in te city center!
• Loitered in clothing stores, and discovered those closed at 9
• Ate my first bagel in 5 months!! 





• I said salmon, but the woman thought I said jamon (MY ACCENT!!!!!!)

Sunday

• Went on another bus tour of the maritime part of the city, which I like a lot more, and it was much more beautiful 
• Learned that Valencia has one of the largest aquariums in Europe (next visit!)
• The America's Cup was held in the main port
• The city was had a very strong musical culture
• Bought two water whistles in the shape of birds at the ceramic market                       

Let me just include by saying that Valencia is truly, a very beautiful city, and that the Lonely Planet's guide on Spain did not prepare me, whatsoever on what sites to see, or what to expect culturally! Yo tengo ganas para volver! Hopefully I will be able to come back very soon!

Also, Valencia was my last independent trip where I was going to meet people that I did not know well. I just want to so that I feel like I do not deserve to know so many kind, welcoming people. Over the course of four trips to four, entirely different cities, I can now say that the strangers that I first met at the airport or train station, I now have a stronger connection with, and I know that if I'm ever stranded in that city, I'll have a person to talk to! 

So there you have it! Two weeks left in Sevilla, until my family comes, and I sure am going to back the best of it!!!!

La Ciudad de Artes y Ciencias

Like A Rollingstone

I'm going to make this post sweet and short, since I have little free time this week, and so that I can get some sleep tonight! So I will make a series of short, yet descriptive lists!

Here we go:

Last Friday- Had a free day before my DELE Speaking Exam

• Went to Hospital de la Carridad, Archivos de Indias, and the Casa de Pilatos
• Hospital de la Caridad- thought it was a museum that used to be a hospital, but turned out that it still is a nursing home
• There were all of these old men directing me into random directions
• Nobody was there!
• Bought a HUGE 50 cent pastry
• Went to Archivos de Indias
• Building that has all of the documents from the early explorers of the New World
• Beautiful building, but VERY dry
• Casa de Pilatos
• Old estate that is, actually, now a museum
• Only walked the ground floor, but want to come again to take the tour of the upstairs
• Had my DELE Speaking Exam, and thought that it went fairly well, but we'll see in 3 months
• Couldn't get to sleep until 1, because there was some random party happening in nearby park

Casa de Pilatos

Saturday

• Did the rest of the DELE exam
• Surprisingly easy, but like I said, we'll see what I get for a a grade in three months
• Went to Madrid
• Champions League Final was that night
• Should have known it was a big deal, after talking with the guy I sat next to on the train, who was going to the Real Madrid stadium to watch the game on a huge screen
• Game was in Lisbon
• Met with Isa, the daughter of a work colleague of my parents, and her husband José
• Never met them before, but they were very nice and welcoming to me!
• Walked around Madrid, which is so much prettier in the sun
• Saw tons of people hooting and hollering in their Real or Athletic Madrid attire
• Watched the game that night 
• Everyone was CRAZY in the street afterwards!

• Everyone was CRAZY in the street afterwards!
• 
  

Sunday

• Went to a volleyball game
• Made me realize how much fun athletic events are!
• That evening I went with Isa and José to the local voting station
• Was the European Elections
• Am surprised how few people actually voted in Europe, especially considering that ¨Your Vote is Your Voice!!¨

This weekend, I just kept on thinking of Dr. Seus's, Oh, the Places You'll Go! I know that it's graduation season, so this book is being read all over the world, but I find it incredibly applicable to my life now. Being an exchange student has certainly had it's ups and downs, but I have seen some spectacular things and met some amazing people over these past few months. Tomorrow is the graduation of the my grade, 2nd Bachillerato, and I can't believe that a year ago, I was in their shoes. I can't believe that I am doing the stuff that I am doing! A year ago I was terrified to go into a store by myslef, or drive a lengthened time, but now I am traveling alone, staying with people that I have never met before, and going to museums and stores by myself in a city that I am not incredibly familiar with! So let me end this post with a quote from Oh, the Places You'll Go! “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” 

That's all folks, and until next time, this is the rambling Louisa Jerome signing off!

Me at the center of Spain

ZARAGOZA!!!!!!! Need I Say More??

I'll start by saying that my train to Zaragoza went incredibly smoothly. I was on time for everything, and so was the train!
When I arrived in Zaragoza (the capitol city of Aragon. Located between Barcelona and Madrid,) I was greeted by my friend Lizzie, who is an exchange student from Tacoma, Wahsington. First surprise of the trip, the massive train station, Estacion de Delicias. In 2008 there was an exposition in Zaragoza about water. I'm not entirely sure what entailed, but I feel like it mostly evolved around conservation. Anyways, the city built a lot of very modern, beautiful buildings, such as the main train station.

That evening she showed me the historic center of Zaragoza, which is beautiful! Although Zaragoza isn't exactly a on peoples top lists of things to see in Spain, it still has a beautiful presence!

Saturday, we went to la Catedral Basilica de Nuestra Pilar, which is this HUGE, baroque cathedral, commemorated to no other than la Virgen de Pilar! We went to the top of one of the many tower, where we had an awesome view of the city and the Ebro River, the biggest (in volume) river in Spain.

I discovered, afterwards, that Zaragoza is still a fairly traditional city, so the majority of the sites were closed for the weekend siesta. So we made use of our time, shopping at some cool hip stores, like Tiger. Later on, we took a bus tour (the hop-on-hop-off kind) of the city. I love those sort of tours! Even though they are some times a little canny, it is a really easy way to learn and see and new city (the Viking tours of Dublin?) The most memorable about the whole tour was when we went through the 2008 Exposition. Like I said before, there was an a ¨fair," (if you may) held in Zaragoza, and there were tons of HUGE, beautiful, modern buildings built, that are now abandoned. There's still a functioning aquarium, and a little man made rafting loop, but other than that there was nothing. We saw people swimming in the massive fountains, but I doubt that they wanted to go aquarium. Although such things are kind of dismal, I thought that Zaragoza could be an awesome place to do a National Geographic article. I mean with the exposition grounds, and the contrasting city center? Why not?

Afterwards, we went to the Goya museum, which was free!!!!!!!!!! Goya was actually born in a town outside of Zaragoza, and painted some of the murals in the Basilica de Pilar. They had some of his famous works, like the portraits of Queen Maria Luisa, but they had TONS (if not all) of his political drawings. I didn't know if all of them were published, but he obviously had some very deep feelings about what was going on in society at the time!
Sunday we went to the Aljaferia, which was originally a Muslim fort, which was, guess, conquered by the ¨Catholic Kings,¨ and later a site of the Inquisition. But, overall, it was very well preserved. Almost every room had a beautiful, wooden, medieval ceiling that was still intact, as well as Moorish styled, alabaster doorways!

We had lunch in the historic center, and at the restaurant we ate I accidentally caused the waiter to drop Lizzie's food on the floor, and break the platter. Bad omen!!!!! I'll get to why later!
After walking off our lunch, we went to La Seo, which is another HUGE cathedral, located on the same plaza as la Basilica de Pilar (named- Plaza de Pilar.) It had the highest ceiling, with grand, curving pillars. All of the large alter pieces were painted differently, which gave the cathedral a special flare. There was also a Medieval tapestry museum in the up stair rooms, but personally, I like paintings more.

And now for the juiciest part! I missed my train! Yep! Stupid mistake, mostly due to the fact that I didn't double check my ticket earlier that day. I thought that my train was leaving for Sevilla at 6, when it actually left at 5:30. We were at the bus stop by Lizzie's house at 5:45 when I checked my tickets. I had a little bit of a cussing fiasco, which I need not to do the next time, but I really hope that the old women waiting did not understand my profanity!
We headed to the train station to get things situated, which was a fiasco in itself, considering that we had to go back and forth, between the ticket office and the Renfe (the main Spanish train company) to get my train switched. I was unable to take a back that night, but was able to get a ticket at 12:30 the next day, that would go to Madrid and I'd switch trains to return to Sevilla. This meant that I had to stay another night in Zaragoza, but, thankfully, Lizzie's host family was fine with me staying another night. Although things had worked out I was a nervous mess, right until I started writing this blog post.
We arrived at the train station an hour early, because I did not want to miss another train, and pay for another ticket. So, I successfully caught the train to Madrid. When I got to Madrid I figured out what terminal I had to go to, but I had no idea where to go, and I had limited time! Again, I was a frantic frenzy! I walked with the crowd, and then I turned around to ask a woman where I should go for connections, and she said that I should turn around. Not true, but thank goodness the escalators had stopped, because I went down one, that usually goes up, to get to my train. I probably skipped security, and the part where I showed my ticket (I was worried during the train ride, quite unrealistically, that someone was going to arrested because I didn't do so.) Sprinting, I looked like a disaster, and the people sitting by me were staring at me with open mouths! But who cares! I'm back in Sevilla- SAFE AND SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!

An American in Sevilla

Semana Santa + Two Weeks Later= Fería! Yep, the April (May this year) Fair, one of the most world renowned festivals in the world. For those that are unfamiliar with what Fería is, it is this big party that always takes place two weeks after Holy Week. It begins, officially on Monday at midnight, when the Portada, or gate, to the Fería is lighted up. The people get dressed up, the women in the normal suit and dress shirt, but the women go in these huge flamenco dresses, called traje de gitana. There are tons of different styles, but most women wear big flowers on top, with there hair beautifully pulled back, and dresses wrapped in shawls. I conformed to this fashion, but suffered only a little bit, considering that it was in the 90s this week! It was even worse in the casetas, at times. At the Fería there are streets lined up with these casetas, which are these little houses that look really tiny and crammed from the outside, but when you enter they are long. In all of the casetas people congregate to eat, drink, and dance (flamenco, or specifically the five Sevillian dances) the night away, but each caseta is different. A company's caseta is sometimes huge with a fancy band and food, like the department store Cortes Ingles, while a family's caseta is small and narrow, and there might be a few people planning some pick up flamenco music. Some of the casetas are public (like the one ran by the Communist party) but the majority are private. Those that are private are usually ran by companies or families. Sometimes, in order to go into a caseta you need to have an connection to an associate, or someone that has paid to have a spot in the caseta. If not, you'll have to pay a lot of money, or get arrested, but even if you went in, the food and drinks are already expensive enough! (10 euros for a plate of foods, which you share, so then you'd have to order three plates to make it a meal, and two drinks to keep yourself from passing out from dehydration!)
When people asked me if there is anything similar to the Fería in America, and I said that the majority of the fairs are agricultural, and people eat ridiculous food, like fried Coca-Cola (hardest thing to explain, ever!) But, everyone said that the Fería actual began as an agricultural fair, also, but mostly with animals. During the Fería, people still ride around the fairgrounds on horseback, wearing traditional Andalucian riding clothes. Another thing about Fería is that all of the towns in Andalucía have a fería, but Sevilla boasts that it is the first and most important of all of them!
I had school Monday through Wednesday, but the majority of the kids only went on Monday. After Semana Santa and doing absolutely nothing on el Día de Trabajo, I told myself that I was going to have something to do everyday this week, and it was going to be with different people. I can say that this mission was successful!

Wednesday, despite being exhausted (I was tired all of this week!) I went with Margarita, her friends, and their daughters to the Fería. We spent most of our time at Margarita's brother's caseta, which was fine, but I made it better because I made worthwhile conversations with people. I unfortunately did not learn how to dance flamenco during my time at Fería, but it was a sight to see. Everyone seemed so animated, even the people who were watching!

Portada de la Fería

Which brings us to Thursday. Originally I didn't have plans, but I ended up going with my English teacher, Tere, which was great. First we went to a retired Latin teacher's caseta, who used to teach at my school in Sevilla, when it was all girls. I had the best ham ever there, and also learned that she has relatives in Quebec! Not like I have ever heard of the town that her family is from, but it was an interesting coincidence. We then went to Gema's caseta, the math teacher I have lunch with every Wednesday. We waited for Gema and her husband, Javi, while we ate croquetas de sanmorejo (fried gazpacho) and plumas de jamón (steak with very fine pieces of ham on top.) When we met them we went to the another math teacher's caseta, which was actually the caseta of a business, Telefonica (not hard to figure out what they do.) Probably one of the most incredible one I went to, not only because of it's size, but also because of the crazily amazing event band that was playing. I danced for a little bit which was a little awkward, because I was surrounded by middle age people that had way better moves than me! I think that it's a mortal sin to not be able to dance well here in Spain! It's not a country where I'd go around doing ¨the shopping cart,¨ or ¨the snorkle.¨
Saturday I went with Gema and her family, and met the rest of her husband's family. We sat and ate in the caseta for five hours, in 95 (35 Celsisus) degree heat, in addition to wearing a canvas flamenco dress with sleeves. But I was under good company, which all really mattered to me! After, we went to Calle del Infierno, which is where all of the rides are. The fairgrounds were a lot cleaner, and the people in the crowd were all dressed, but Spanish rides still play obnoxiously loud pop songs, and have scary looking carnies. But watcha' going to do? Expect the worst: filth, loud music, sketchy people (question why you never see them in broad daylight), and over course- overly fattening, carbohydrate-ridden food! Let me just end with that I was very happy to have been included by the teachers at my school, because without them, I would really be doing nothing. Maybe I'd twiddle my thumbs here and there, but other than that-ZIP! So thank you for your kindness!
In continuation of keeping myself busy, today I met Gabriella and another exchange student, Elora, from Alcazar, and we went to the Alcazar. I think, though, that with only five weeks left, I really need to make myself happy, especially on week days, when I am very bored! And even though things aren't exactly perfect (like school) I should still do what I have always done, focus on the positive and to make sure that I do something to make myself feel better! Until next time (ZARAGOZA!!!!!!!!)

This peacock was just walking around los Jardines de la Alcazar! So cool!

Barcelona: Second Time Around

Well, where should I start? Oh, well I guess I should talk a little bit about the DELE prep class that I am taking. I signed up to take the Spanish B1 exam, and it is VERY hard. I feel like I do fine when we do comprehension, which is when we listen to audio, and the reading, but when it comes to writing and speaking with correct grammar, forget it! After my first day, I was distraught, but then I told myself that although I thought I was proficient in Spanish when I came to Spain, I honestly had nothing, and I definitely wasn't prepared for the strong Andaluz accent! But, yes, after five months I am not going to be a fluent speaker, but I have improved tremendously over these past three months (boy, does time fly by!)
Another thing that I thought I had, but really didn't, was independence. Yes, I have been told many times that I am a strong individual, but that doesn't mean that I am independent. But hey, this past Friday, I flew from Sevilla to Barcelona all by myself, without any anxiety, and I got to and from the airport all by myself. And not only that, I had a great conversation (in Spanish), going to Barcelona, with a Norwegian architect. She was shocked that I knew who Bjorn Daehlie is, but for those that are familiar with the book Sophie's World, the author, Jostein Gaarder, is her mother's ex-boyfriend. Don't know how many degrees of separation that is, but it's just like my connections to Taylor Swift and Christopher Lloyd. (Forget the return flight. I sat next to some kid who was about my age, but obviously gave me the body language that he didn't want to talk. But I did talk to some San Diego State med students, that looked like stereotypical Americans, who were quite hilarious!)

Anyways, so I left my apartment for the airport, on Friday, at 6:30 (blah!) I got to the airport a little too early, but now I know how much time I will need when I go to Valencia at the end of the month. So, with my free time I had a coffee and read El País, and also observed some incredibly studious looking priests. 

So, all went smoothly, and I met Alejandro (the son of a work colleague of my parents) and Elisa, his girlfriend, at the airport. We then went to Alejandro's apartment, to drop my stuff off, and then headed out to the Passeig de Garcia, which is where many of Arte Noveau houses, two (I think) of which were designed by Gaudi. We went to one, Casa Batlló, and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! I think that I need to go to the Sagrada Familia again, to just go inside, and not under the wrath of jet lag, but it's also a little overwhelming. Casa Batlló felt intimate, and I could easily soak everything in. What was so interesting about Casa Batlló was how Gaudi incorporated all of these natural elements into the building. For example, the ceilings looked like ripples of water, or the front of the house looked like scales, while the balconies looked as if they were carnival (not a natural element, I know.) He also, put a lot of thought into everything (obviously) and symbols of Cataluna, like the scales represent the dragon that Saint George slayed, the patron saint of Cataluna.

After we went to a restaurant called Lizarron, which is a Basque (?) chain, where you can buy little sandwiches called pinchas. I got five, at first, from the buffet line, but then waitresses came around and around with more and more. I think that this would be the best place to go after completing the Camino de Santiago, or even better, the Appalachain Trail, because you can easily eat a ton of good food at a decent price.
We walked on Calle de las Ramblas,* which was busy and crowded, but still really cool! We went to Mercado de San Jose (which is also called the Bocaderia?) It was so incredibly colorful and lively, and I learned that there was an insect shack there (last time I had an insect was at the BioDome, in Montreal, for my sixth grade field trip.) There were also tons of fruits and vegetables from abroad, like dragon fruit, which I can't even find in the US.

Marzapan

We then walked towards the water front, and went into a ship museum for a little bit, which had a replica of old Barcelona. After resting our feet for a little bit, we then went to a really cool comic book store. I didn't buy anything, since I don't know anything about comics, but I did see an interesting non-fiction comic about nomads, and I wish I had bought it, but I guess I should learn to just go with my impulses! We then walked past the Barcelona Cathedral, the first church to be constructed outside of the city walls, which was magnificent.

We then went to Alejandro's apartment to get my bag, and then went to meet his parents, Conchi and Manuel. Conchi is a work colleague of my parents, who specializes in audiovisual media for schools, and is also from Sevilla. We went out to dinner at a Japanese fusion-like restaurant, which was great because it was the first meal that I had, in Spain, where I had a whole dish to myself. The things that I miss!
Saturday we went to Barrí Gothic, where we had a Catalan lunch in a restaurant call L'Havana. It was delicious! I mean the food here in Spain really does prove how different each region is. For instance, I would never find mussels with tomatoes in Sevilla, or have cheese drizzled with honey for dessert.

After we walked around the neighborhood, which is a very hipster-like, with all of these cool second-hand stores and dred-locked skateboarders doing their thing (Barcelona is the skateboarding capitol of the world.) Later, we went to a place called El Barro, which was originally a market, but was vacant for a long period of time, until 2003, when people wanted to make it the provincial library, but discovered ruins underneath, that were related to the Catalan Revolution in 1714.

Sunday, el Día de la Madre, we had lunch at Conchi's house, which was the most healthy and delicious lunch that I have had here in Spain: tomato and avocado salads with lean hamburgers. And for dessert, Elisa, who is from a town in Valencia, brought Spanish horchata* (the first I have had here in Spain) accompanied with fartons polo, long, sweet, brioche-like pastries.
                                 
Before we went to the airport, we went to look at the beach house where my family and I will be staying this summer, in the town of Castelldefels (more like the corner.) It's so awesome because it's right by the beach and stores, opposed to when we go to Georgetown, Maine, and we always need to drive ten minutes to get to Reid State Park and thirty to Bath. It will be a different experience, but I am excited for my next visit to Barcelona this summer.

I saw some incredible things while in Barcelona, and I am so happy that I came again. Right now I think I'm done with traveling in big groups, and would much rather prefer to have a real local show me the ropes of their native terrain. I mean, this weekend I gained a totally new perspective about Spain, Cataluna, and the world! But I think the most important thing is that I was surrounded by people that were willing to speak to me and make conversation. I mean, I was speaking in Spanish almost the whole weekend, and I had a great time. This honestly hasn't happened to often during my time here in Spain, so here's an incredibly thankful shout-out to Alejandro, Elisa, Conchi, and Manuel. Thank you so much for such a great weekend! It really made a difference!




*Ramblas has two difnitions- fast water or a street where there is a big sidewalk in the middle.
*Horchata is different in Spain because it is made of chufa, or tigernuts

Córdoba- Mosques, Gardens, and Animals- OH MY!

Well, I just want to start out by recommending an incredible movie, ¨The Night Train to Lisbon." I saw it, in English, Friday night with the other girl in my apartment, Claudia, at this off-the-beaten path movie theater here in Sevilla. The main character is played by Jeremy Irons (haven't really seen any of his other movies before) who saves a woman from jumping of a bridge in Bern, Switzerland. He brings her to his work, but she runs off and leaves her jacket. In the woman's jacket pocket he finds a book, by a Portuguese doctor and part of the Portuguese Revolution, and a train ticket to Lisbon. He takes the things and decides to go Lisbon, where the rest of the story unfolds. It's an intense movie, but the sort of intense that makes you feel happy, sad, and curious, all at the same time!

But moving forward! Speaking of trains, Saturday morning Claudia and I took the train from Sevilla to Córdoba! I went through a little bit of a bumpy road this week to try and go, just for the day, but I pushed myself, and made it happen! I told myself that I had a free weekend, and why not go! You only have so much time in Spain, and who knows when you'll come back!
So, we got into Córdoba at around ten. We had a little bit of frenzy getting a bearings, especially since there was nobody on the street. But no worries, everything turned out fine!
Our first destination was the Mezquita, which was AMAZING!!!!!!! It's so weird thinking that a little over two years ago, for my final project in high school Spanish, I was planning a ¨trip¨ in Spain. I added the Mezquita to one of the things to see, but then I thought I would never be able to see it, but life does take you in unexpected directions.

The Mezquita, I thought, was much more impressive than the Cathedral and Giralda here in Sevilla, maybe because the Cathedral and Giralda are Gothic and darker. But the interesting thing about the Mezquita is that it has multiple parts, that people kept on building onto. The first part, which is underground, is the Chapel of Saint Vincent, a priest who was born in Zaragoza and was a martyr. Then the Moors came to Andalucia around 745, and constructed the majority of the building, but at different periods. And, in 1492 all of the Jews and Muslims were given the choice of either fleeing the Iberian Peninsula or to convert to Christianity. So, in the middle of the Mezquita is a Baroque (maybe?) ¨Cathedral."

Remains of Saint Vincent

The Cathedral at the Mezquita

Afterwards we walked across el Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) and were thinking about going into the Museum of Al-Andalus, but there was a protest going on in front, so we decided against it.

El Puente Romano

We then went to the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos (Christian Kings.) The interior wasn't to impressive, mostly because there was nothing to see except for a tiny Moorish mosaic, but the gardens made up for it.

Then we walked in el Barrio Judío, to go the la Sinagoga (Synagogue,) which ended up being only one room, but was still fairly interesting. After the Jews were expelled from Spain, the synagogue was used as a church, and you can still see a cross painted on the wall. But, most interesting thing was seeing the Hebrew inscriptions, from the Torah, on the wall.

La Sinagoga

Honestly, after witnessing Semana Santa, and all of the Moorish and Jewish influences here in Andalucia, and I think that for any religious, anthropological, or historical scholar, this would be a cultural heaven (not literally!) I mean look at these two pictures! They were right next to each other at the Mezquita!
We went to the zoo, which was fun, but I feel like in the future I need to do a little better planning when going to a city that I am not familiar with, like Córdoba, so that I am able to embrace the atmosphere of the city as much as I can! I mean, I learned that Córdoba is famous for it's patios. I got to see a few, but if I did a little more work, I bet we could have seen more!

One of the lovely patios!

But, after the zoo, I looked at my handy dandy Rick Steve's guide to Andalucia, and saw that he recommended to go to Plaza de las Tendillas, in the city center, which ended up being very neat! It had a funky fun feel to it, with the Córdobesa Bachillerato de las Artes school's windows filled with pictures of eyes and tons of kids going around on skate boards (almost got my fingers got cut off by one of them.)
Today we went to el Museo de Arqueología, and discovered that there was a civilization in the province of Cadiz, called Tartessia. Nobody can decipher their language (writings) or understand their religion, but they have one symbol placed on everything, and their is a theory that it may represent the lost city of Atlantis (IDK?)
Finally, something that I have forgotten to mention is that for about a month now I have been helping out with the primary classes at my school, whenever I have Math, Economics, or English. I go to the bilingual classes, which are English and Science, and teach the students songs, games, and help out with the teacher. Sometimes I can't stop laughing at the little kids (which proves my brother Ben right, that I can not be a first grade teacher) or I need to find new ways to make them quiet (making the llama sign.) But, overall, I love it, and sometimes it makes all the difference in my day!
Next trip- Barcelona!

Holy.... What?

My body aches from head to toe, and am incredibly exhausted, but I'm still high on life! What could this possibly mean? I don't know, maybe I'm in Sevilla during one of the world's most renowned festivals- Semana Santa! Now I don't think my Holy Week experience started on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday.) Oh no! I think it all started when I spotted a random food cart in Nervion Plaza. I thought it was there because it has gotten summery, but why would anyone want to eat churros at noon on a Tuesday? Only on Semana Santa (I at churros con chocolate at four in the morning!)
I was very happy to finally have school off, for a week! Friday we got out of school early, and I sprinted home. We had fish, since it was the Friday of Sorrows! After I met some friends of mine by the Guadalquivir, and showed them Triana, and then I had to go back to the apartment. We were going to go to a paso, since it was the holy day for the Virgen Dolores. I don't know what happened, but I fell asleep.
Saturday I was adventurous and went on a really long run through Sevilla. Now that I think about it, running alone in a city is something that I would not have been able to do a year ago, nor telling myself in school that things are going to be fine, and assuring myself (and actually believing) that I am a fine person! That afternoon (or 7 in the evening) Margarita and I went shopping at the Nervion Plaza (that is something else that has changed, I don't mind shopping as much as I once did. I think shopping in my scenario, though, is like a health addict eating the occasional pack of potato chips.) After we met Conchi and went to the paso de la Milagrosa. I'm really happy that we went, because then I was introduced to the process of holy week parades. First of all, there are two pasos, the Virgen and El Cristo. Each Hermanidad (the church that is allowed to have a paso, but they have to go through a specific process beforehand) has a different Cristo and Virgen. They are considered two different parts, because the Nazarenos* (KKK look a likes!) Each church has different colored and styles for the Nazareno tunics. Each Virgin and Christ float have men underneath them, called Castaleros. They usually where these clothes over there heads, which kind of look like Saharan nomadic headdresses, but I think they are mostly there for preventing any burns or rashes from carrying the float, since all the weight is on their arms and necks! Also, depending on the paso, there are Roman soldiers, (Romanos, I think) with huge feathers in their helmets. And then there are the bands! The band for El Cristo is much more somber, and is made up of only brass instruments, while the Virgen's band is upbeat and is essentially a complete marching band. When I heard the bands this past week I was like, ¨Since when was I listening to the Up soundtrack!" Yes, the music of Semana Santa does have a somewhat Pixar feel to it. But one notable thing about Semana Santa is that there is a lot of standing up and waiting. Since there are hundreds of Nazarenos between each paso, the parade lasts up to an hour, and there isn't really anywhere to sit, even if you do bring a seat.
Sunday was Domingo de Ramos, or Palm Sunday. Now this is the day when everyone gets dressed up. No, it wasn't your golf shirt and khaki pants sort of deal. Oh no! The whole week people were dressed in freshly ironed suits and the latest dresses from Zara. So, being an exchange student with limited clothes, I made my best effort to look like a fashionable Spaniard (and I think it worked, since I was asked directions several times this week!)
Sunday, Margarita, Conchi, Margarita's niece Rocio, Margarita's brother's family, and I went to Parque Maria Luisa to see La Paz (the Peace,) which was so beautiful, words can't even describe it! So, here's a picture!

After, we went to el Cristo de Burgos to San Roque. Somewhat funny story about that. So during these ¨parades," there is a lot of waiting and standing between the Cristo and the Virgin. Thus, the space is filled up with Nazarenos. So, I was just standing there, zoning out, when I heard my name. I thought someone was shouting for someone else, but no, there was a Nazareno staring right at me. Turned out it was a girl in my class, and in front of her was another boy in my class. They gave me candy (which is supposed to be given out to the small children) which made me feel really happy. After we went to some more pasos, all of which is somewhat of a blur, due to the fact that my feet were aching from standing up all day, and that I was plain old tired!

Monday was the day when the Iglesia de la Resurrecion (which is famous for it's Cristo, El Beso de Juda) had their paso, which is the church that Margarita's family belongs to, so her nephew, Pablo, and brother, David, were both Nazarenos. (Margarita's four year old niece, Julia, was supposed to be in the parade also, but she had a little temper tantrum, so that was that.)

I over did it on Tuesday! In the ¨morning¨ (noon) I met my friend Gabriella in the city center, and then when I got back, at three, the Virgin and the Cristo left the nearby church, San Benito.
Wednesday, we saw La Sed, which is the church right by my school, and San Bernardo. I think that that Virgin was the most beautiful of all, mostly because she had blue eyes, but at the beginning of Semana Santa I couldn't tell the difference between all of the virgins, but as the week went on, the virgins looked older and more serious. Some of them looked as if they had been crying, with red around their eyes.*

That afternoon (6) I met Gema, the math teacher that I have lunch with every Wednesday, her husband, Javi, their children, Gema and Marina, as well as my English teacher, Tere. We ended up meeting up with another teacher, Manoli, and her family (her son is actually in one of the classes that I help out with. Another blog prompt.) We saw La Lanzada, El Cristos de Burgos, and El Carmen. I really liked El Carmen, because we were standing in front of a church and when the Virgen came by, the whole procession stopped, and everyone in the crowd sang. Kind of cool! But the most memorable part of the evening was when we saw La Sed again. It was late, but it was so beautiful seeing the Virgin lit up, and the Nazarenos walking by candlight. Just one of the things that will be pressed in my memory forever!

Cristo de Burgas at Las Setas

Cristo de Burgos at Las Setas

Thursday, the day of the Last Supper. So being Andalucia, a lot of women were wearing the style of La Mantilla, which is when they wore black dresses, with a huge comb and black veil over it. That morning we went to see the la Esperanza de la Macarena (there are four Esperanzas en Sevilla: Triana, San Roque, la Macarena, and la Trinidad,) ready for going out that evening for La Madrugada.

La Esperanza de la Macarena

Later that evening we attended la Madrugada, which are the pasos held early (they start at one) Friday morning. We saw La Gran Poder and El Silencio in Plaza Duque, which has been one of the most crowded places that I have ever encountered here in Spain. One boy, who was standing right behind me actually fainted! I went to bed that evening at the early hour of four!

El Gran Poder

Virgen del Silencio

Friday we went to the Bascilica de la Macarena, to see the Macarena enter. Interesting fact about the Macarena. Not only is it the most famous virgin in Sevilla, each side of her face is different. One side is purple, as if she's drunk, and the other is white. Watch ya know!

One of the Roman soldiers from the Paso de la Macarena 

That evening we went out again to see more pasos, and they began to be a little bit more serious. My favorite one was La Mortuga, mostly because it was more personable, and different. Instead of having a loud band, there was a choir and a woodwind trio. Also, we were standing in a really narrow street, so when the Cristo came by, you didn't even need to make an effort to touch the side of it.

Nazarenos of La Mortuga

Saturday we went to La Trinidad, which was another fairly intense paso. The main one was an image of Jesus coming off of the cross, and there were all of these people surrounding him: Mary Magdalene, the Virgin Mary, I'm assuming the men were disciples, and then the most important part of the float was the woman with the handkerchief over her face, which represented the faith. I mentioned that the pasos got darker as the week went on, Well, the most notable of the pasos I saw that evening, was Santo Entierro, which had two parts, the first being a skeleton kneeling next to the Cross, and the other was a glass casket with a statue of the dead Jesus.
And today is Easter Sunday. Honestly, nobody really makes a big deal of it here. It's almost like the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Everyone is returning from their vacations on the beach and tidying things around the house.
So there's the run down! Next week is my last full week of school (whoo-whoo!) and then two weeks until Feria!
*The reason why the Nazarenos have coned hats is because during the Inquisition people wore such hats for punishment (so I was told.) So my interpretation is that the Nazarenos represent the sins of humanity.