Foreign

I did something yesterday that shocks me.  While walking through the streets of Sevilla with a friend I saw a group of European tourists and I referred to them as foreigners.  FOREIGNERS?! As if I was born and raised in Sevilla, let alone España.  Now where I get off having such a big head, I have no idea.  I guess I feel like if I've been here 3.5 months I'm essentially a native? haha Look out Iowa City cause I might accidentally bring this big head back with me, providing it doesn't have to be checked at the airport.  I refuse to pay baggage for a big head. 

Semana Santa (not the KKK)

This past week I had the pleasure to experience Semana Santa in Sevilla, which is essentially the Paso capital of the world.  What is a paso, you ask?  Let me explain :) 
Semana Santa, aka Holy Week, is the one week where everyone in Spain is an extraordinarily devout Catholic.  The pasos, which start on Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos), are all scheduled down the the half hour and they last all the way until Easter Sunday (Pascua).  The point of the procession of the paso is to carry the structure from your church through the streets of Sevilla to the Cathedral.  Once inside, mass is said and the structures are blessed.  The whole thing is done as a pilgrimage and a penance in preparation for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Each paso consists of the portadores (between 20 and 30), who carry the large paso, the capataz, who directs the men carrying the structure, and a llamador, which is basically a knocker on the paso that the capataz uses to signal to the men when to set down the paso or pick it up.  Now this might sound simple, but the men under the paso actually can't see anything so the job of the capataz is extremely important.  He tells them when to turn, how much to turn, how fast to go, how slow, and when they can rest/keep going.  Each paso is so large that when they turn they have to pivot and then move forward.  The pasos are all at least 400 years old, made out of hand carved wood and silver or gold-plated.  They all have intricate statues of either Jesus or Mary, and they are literally the most extravagant things I have ever seen. 
Each church that has a procession has both a Mary and a Jesus.  And each procession also has sets of Nazarenos (the kkk people) and two marching bands.  The entire group and procession is so slow and there are so many people that when standing in one spot, it takes an hour and a half for one procession to completely pass you.  The entire process of going to the Cathedral and coming back takes on average 10 hours.  The portadores are on rotating shifts but the nazarenos don't get a break. 
Overall the entire experience was amazing!  All of the Spaniards get extremely dressed up for the occasion, and the entire city takes a break and their lives revolve around the pasos.  Unfortunately this year was the rainiest Semana Santa in 80 years and because of this many of the pasos couldn't go out.  People were so upset they were literally sobbing.  It was quite the experience. 

This is my neighbor Enrique and his cousin Jose, and Meag.  Enrique inspected us before we went to watch pasos to make sure we were dressed up enough!

A Nazareno getting started young. So cute!

Jesus de la Hiniesta, the church from my neighborhood.  This is "my" paso

La Virgen de la Hiniesta

Another Nazareno

This is a Palm Sunday depiction complete with a real palm tree

A paso leaving the Cathedral after being blessed

A Last Supper paso complete with all 12 disciples, Jesus and a real table with food and everything

Because the pasos take so long they end at night, this is the Hiniesta coming in at 2:30am by candlelight

La Virgen at night

A paso in Cádiz

In just one row there are 12 sets of feet.  Imagine how many men there are total!

The men underneath literally can't see anything because they are completely covered.  This is all happening in 70 degree heat, mind you.

That's a real bed or iris flowers

Easter Sunday mass with the girls!  And a pic infront of our very own Virgen de la Hiniesta

This Is Home: Switchfoot

This Is Home

Songwriters: Dodd, Andy; Foreman, Jonathan; Watts, Adam;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ykm1v9xbU

I've got my memories
They're always inside of me
But I can't go back
Back to how it was

I believe you now
I've come too far
No, I can't go back
Back to how it was

Created for a place
I've never known

This is home
Now I'm finally where I belong, where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching for a place of my own
Now I've found it, maybe, this is home
Yeah, this is home

Belief over misery
I've seen the enemy
And I won't go back
Back to how it was

And I got my heart set on what happens next
I've got my eyes wide, it's not over yet
We are miracles
And we're not alone

Yeah, this is home
Now I'm finally where I belong, where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching for a place of my own
Now I've found it, maybe, this is home
Yeah, this is home

And now after all my searching
After all my questions
I'm gonna call it home

I got a brand new mindset
I can finally see the sunset
I'm gonna call it home

This is home
Now I'm finally where I belong, where I belong
Yeah, this is home
I've been searching for a place of my own
Now I've found it, maybe, this is home

(This is home)
This is home
Now I know
Yeah, this is home

I've come too far
And I won't go back
Yeah, this is home

The Language of Friendship Is Not Words but Meanings - Henry David Thoreau

One of my favorite weekends in Sevilla came and passed and I completely forgot to blog about it!  Fortunately the world of blogging is forgiving and I can still tell you all about it two weeks after the fact.  On a beautiful sunny weekend in Sevilla I got a visit from one of my best friends from the USA who also happens to be studying in Spain this semester! 

Hannah Kregel made the trip to spend the weekend with me :)  I picked this quote as the title of this post because Hannah and I are both in a new world trying to make it with a new language, and despite being worlds apart we continue to grow closer.  It was the first time I mixed my Spain life with my US life and it was really exciting.  I don't know if it makes sense, but due to the circumstances of our lives here everyone is a little different than they are back home.  So to have someone from "back home" come to Sevilla and see "Spain Amanda" was weird at first, but it was fun!  I also got to meet the "Spanish Hannah."

I got to play tour guide for the whole weekend, showing off my knowledge of the monuments and all of my favorite places to hang out.  Hannah and I met a random group of guys from Madrid, Bologna, and Argentina and spent a lovely and interesting afternoon with them.  She also met my señora Maria Carmen and my brother Leandro.  I introduced her to the Muffín and Rayas, and we went out to dinner at an AMAZING Italian restaurant located in the ancient Arabic baths in the old Jewish neighborhood located next to the Catholic Cathedral.  How many contradictions is that!  Only in Sevilla...But for real the food was amazing and the wine was delicious.
We also spent time planning out our trip for the end of the semester.  We decided we're going to spend a few days in the Black Forest, a few days in Switzerland hiking in the Alps and swimming in the lakes, and then we'll spend the remainder of our trip in Italy.  I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

5 Steps to Being Awesome

So as I have already indicated several times, I've spent a huge amount of time growing and changing over the past several months.  And as my time here is drawing to a close I thought I might reflect on my secrets to happiness and share them with you all.  I think it’s incredibly important that we all be the best versions of ourselves.  I also think every once in awhile people need reminders and a kick in the pants to make sure we don’t get too lazy.  I wish I could say this list is quick and easy, but the best I can do is call it short.  Because really, change can be hard sometimes.  But it’s worth it, trust me. 

1. Make sure that you have healthy diet and exercise habits.  I know this might not be what you were expecting but seriously when you eat healthy and you exercise not only will your mind feel better due to endorphins and lower levels of chemicals and toxins in your body, but your body will feel better and look better.  You’ll have more energy and you’ll be more confident in yourself.  What I like to do is make a playlist of upbeat music that I enjoy, and I set it for a specific length.  Then I make sure that I exercise the duration of the playlist every day.

2. Don’t sweat the small stuff.  Seriously.  Don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you spend more time worrying about living up to your own expectations than enjoying what’s going on around you.  If there’s one thing the Spaniards have learned to do well it’s relax and live in the moment.  I thank God for bringing me here and showing me that not being an overachiever and not worrying about every little thing can actually be a good thing.  Which brings me to my next point…

3. Spend more time doing what makes you happy.  Because why not?  Not to get all preachy, but for real, we only have this one life and it is such a temporary thing.  And I’ve come to discover that we really are the ones who choose how we live it.  As I have started to take my education classes and get out and see the world I realize that really to succeed in life and to exceed at life one of the most important things is that you’re doing what you love.  It may not be the number one thing in your life, I mean not everyone can be a professional athlete, but it adds another dimension to who you are.  You aren’t just a student, an employee, a parent, a citizen.  You have something that you can do to forget the stress of everyday life and relax and be yourself.  This is super important. 

4.  Are you unhappy with something in your life?  Change it.  Quit complaining, everyone is tired of hearing about it no matter how much they pretend they aren’t.  Whether it’s a job, bad relationship, friendship, lifestyle, anything.  I’ve learned that it’s 1000x better to push yourself out of your comfort zone and risk change and failure than to continue in the same rut that you’ve been in for however long it’s been.  Sure it might be easier to stay on that route, but are you happy?  Are you confident?  Can you look at yourself and honestly say that you couldn’t do any better?  Chances are that the answer is no.  So what are you waiting for?  Sit down and write a list of how you are, and write down how you want to be.  Then start making changes until you have one list. It might be really hard at first but the benefits of challenging yourself and making changes are invaluable. 

5.  Forgive.  Forgive yourself and forgive others.  I personally have had a hard time learning how to forgive myself for things and I think that lead to me having a hard time forgiving others.  But it is SO FREEING when you learn how to cut yourself some slack and cut other people slack too.  When you hold bad feelings or resentment it hurts you just as much as it hurts others.  Having said that, forgiving isn’t forgetting, and I think everyone sets their own standard for what’s worth forgetting and what isn’t.  But for real if you want to be at peace and you want to have better relationships with others you have to forgive.  

So this is my short list of ways to be the best version of yourself.  I realize that it might not apply to everyone, but I've found these to be some of the most important lessons I've learned in my whole life.  I mean think about it.  In the end if you aren't happy and you have regrets in your life, what does that say about anything you ever did?  We only have this one life and we should spend it doing things we care about and working to be the best versions of ourselves.  So quit reading my blog and go be awesome!

If Nothing Ever Changed, There'd Be No Butterflies

It happened to me.  I hit a point where I find myself walking through the beautiful streets of Sevilla and absolutely dreading going back to the United States.  I literally hit moments when I say to myself, “I can’t go back.”  But then I’m brought back down to earth when I have a bad day with my practicum or I think about American food and I get homesick and think to myself, “only 2 more months of this, you can do it.”  Honestly though those days are becoming increasingly less frequent.

Before coming to Spain I honestly thought I would immediately fit right in and it would be the life I always imagined for myself.  But in reality there was a good solid amount of time at the beginning of my semester here where I woke up every single morning and thought to myself,  “What the hell did I get myself into?”  I even hit a point where I decided I hated Spanish and didn’t want to learn it anymore.  I was so frustrated by the thick confusing Andalusian accent, the total lack of a normal time schedule, and other cultural differences.  For example: I’m a fast walker and a fast eater.  I always have been.  In Sevilla people just wander down the street to their destination, and they just linger over their meals and cafes.  As a result of this I got SO FRUSTRATED for the first month or so.  The ambiguous attitude the teachers have both in my classes and in the school I teach at, the different relationships between guys and girls...I tried to be as open as possible but I honestly did hit a 10 foot wall at first. 

Now my April self looks at my January/February self and just smiles.  The only way I can explain it is that I used to be this 5’3” girl looking at a 10 foot wall in dismay.  I spent a lot of time kinda sitting there and looking at it.  Then that girl went to the store, bought gunpowder, and blew the wall up :)  The strange and unfamiliar things I was constantly bombarded with at the beginning of my semester have now transformed into the normal and comfortable for me.  I look at the Spanish culture and the language and I want to know and understand more.  I search for ways to fully immerse myself and improve every day.  Although I dropped my original plan to be a Spanish teacher I actually care more about learning the language now.  My attitude towards school is completely different.  In Spain parents don’t ask if you got an A, they ask if you passed the course.  I have to admit, the attitude has crept into me with alarming ease.  At the beginning of the semester I was afraid I wouldn't be able to let myself relax and slack off in school...haha what a joke.  And last Sunday, I had a 4 hour lunch with my family.  4 hours.  I would have died if I was forced to sit through a meal that long 4 months ago. Spaniards are like the modern, stylish version of high Jamaicans.  Except they talk fast.

A lot of people say that they have changed a lot during this semester.  Although I know for a fact that I have changed, I think what really happened is that I found myself in Spain.  It’s not that I’m a new person, it’s that I used to not be myself.  I guess when I hit moments of panic about coming back to Iowa City it’s more of a situation where I’m worried that I’ll lose myself again.  I might get re-caught up in the little every day worries of grades, schedules, and the general fast pace of life.  But I decided I’m just going to adjust my lifestyle and make it work.  Gandhi said be the change you wish to see in the world.  Now although I have no noble cause, I'm hoping I can bring the Spanish lifestyle to all of the people around me :)

April Showers Bring More Blogs

It's a rainy day in Sevilla and although I have plenty of homework to do, my time is clearly much better spent blogging.  I can not express how the month of March just flew by me.  It was like March Madness, but in the sense that I spent the entire month traveling, recovering from traveling, investing in my social life, and trying not to fail my classes. Now that April is here (Whaaaaaaaaaaat?? How did that happen?) I finally have time to breath, and, consequently to blog. Because those clearly go hand in hand ;)
While JP turned 11, my dad turned...a year older, Rebecca is racing her heart out and choosing a college, Mary is hard at work in her first City High musical, and Abby had her senior opera recital, I hit my halfway point in my "life abroad" and I realized my time here is going to be over before I know it.  And because I can't seem to get myself to keep a regular journal, I decided I am going to do a little reflection on my blog. 
One of the biggest things I have noticed is that as a student abroad I have lost a great deal of control over my life, and it's interesting to watch how I react to it.  Although I am free to come and go as I please, I live with a family and am a part of a family.  They pick my meals, when my laundry is done, when my bedding gets changed, and I essentially have no privacy.  The other thing is that as a foreigner I find that often times I have to struggle in communication, and am at the mercy of my native counterparts.  It's not so much the daily interactions at restaurants or when I go shopping (although the other night I asked the waiter for "tinto" and he brought me a "cerveza" idk how you mix those up), as the directions for a paper during class, or the fact that there really are certain concepts that do not translate or exist between two cultures that really make it hard.  For example, there is literally no way to say "I'm salty" in Spanish, so that emotion never gets expressed.  But because of all of these things I have been forced to get extremely creative in social situations, be open-minded, always ALWAYS always have patience, and last but not least to let stuff go.  I feel like I'm in a mental yoga class 24/7!
But my mind isn't the only thing getting exercise.  As I walk and run the streets of Sevilla I've noticed a physical change as well.  I randomly catch myself smiling for no reason, skipping off a curb, and walking with a pep in my step, head held high.  I go out of my way just to walk by my favorite park, plaza, or monument.  I have a bakery, cafe, church, and study spot that I call my own.  I am starting to feel at home in Sevilla!  The best part of all is that I recently started dreaming in Spanish, which is supposedly a sign of beginning fluency.  Now I know I'm not even close to being fluent, Mr. Subjunctive reminds me of that every day. But I've gotten to a point where I can hold my own with the natives.  I plan on spending my remaining time in Spain soaking up the culture and the colloquial vocabulary to further improve my communication and so I can feel like I fit in better.  Although I think I've mastered this no pasa nada lifestyle almost as well as the Spaniards :) 

Córdoba (a.k.a. Surprise!)

This weekend I had my last trip with CIEE and the Teaching Development Program.  Thank God!  Although I love our group dearly, I'm done with guided tours.  Nunca más.  You can only learn about the history of Spain and the Arabic/Roman/Christian/Visigoth architecture so many times.  I'm afraid we gave our tour guide a run for his money.  But no pasa nada!  Córdoba was a beautiful city and the history shone through despite a cloudy day!  We visited the mezquita/catedral, the original synagogue of the Jews, the Jewish neighborhood, and last but not least the alcázar.  But the best part of the entire trip was a tap I got on my shoulder :) So there I was looking at this other group of American students, kinda sizing them up and looking at their clothes as usual hahaha, when I got a tap on my shoulder.  So I turned around and to my surprise Hannah Kregel was standing there.  Of all the coincidences in the entire world, we both happened to be taking a day trip to the same city on the same day and going to the same monument at the same time.  Although perhaps even more random was the time I ran into Aron Evans in a bar in downtown Sevilla.  WHAT A SMALL WORLD!!!  I was honestly so surprised I didn't even know what to say.  I was speechless, in other words.  Estupefacto. And to think, she's coming to visit me next weekend!  All in all it was a very exciting and surprising trip :)

Córdoba

Inside the mezquita section

Mezquita/Catedral

Catedral section

They carry this during the Semana Santa

At the Alcázar

Christopher Columbus and the Reyes Católicos

Oh you know...just Hannah Kregel and me!