As I am doing essentially nothing today, I am doing this edition on my experiences with Sevilla as a country girl in the city. Now, as you probably know, there is a much stricter social dress code in Europe than there is in America. For instance, you rarely ever see people in sweatpants or sweatshirts, unless they’re out for a run. Even yoga pants are pushing the limits. Luckily, Spain, and especially southern Spain, is a bit less uppity than their continental counterparts. Even so, if you wear sneakers here, your butt had better be running, or your shoes will merit you many a judgmental glance. The women wear boots here – always. It’s almost like the “On Wednesdays, we wear pink,” idea, but it’s boots, every day. Backpacks are also not as tolerated, but if you’re a student, it’s still not as bad as being caught in a pair of kicks. The shoes are something that I will never quite understand. Why is it so necessary, in a society in which everyone walks miles and miles on awful roads and sidewalks every day, to wear the most uncomfortable of shoes? It just isn’t sensible, but they do look pretty snazzy.
People don’t really make eye contact here, either. IF you do, it’s awkward for everyone. I’m starting to think that there’s an unwritten code for who gets to look at who. I’m allowed to look at kids because they’re oblivious, and dressed ADORABLY! Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen such well-dressed kids, with their little dresses and boots and hair bows. Even the little boys look nice. These moms must have some extra free time or something. I’m allowed to look at girls around my age, because they never look back. I guess we are too confident for eye contact, unless if it is with a cute boy. Older women will look at me, but I don’t think I’m supposed to look back. I do anyway. They always have interesting expressions to read. Older men will usually see you as you get closer, but look down once you’re passing. I don’t know if they feel disrespectful or creepy for looking, or if they are afraid, or what.
This whole code fascinates me, but it all gets thrown out the window if you’re a tourist. If you’re a tourist, and people know it, everyone watches you. And for the first few weeks, EVERYONE knows you’re a tourist. I think it’s partially judgmental, but also part curiosity. They like to act as though we don’t faze them, but Spanish society as a whole seems to work pretty hard to emulate ours. Most of their tv shows are American voiceovers. They often listen to more American music than Spanish, even though they don’t understand the words. They enjoy McDonalds, adopt American phrases and styles, and ultimately, must not loathe us as much as I had thought. These are all generalizations, of course. They don’t smile on the streets, but they are a very warm people once you get them talking.
Since I began this entry, I really have done many things. For one, Brittany and I went Wednesday evening into town to meet up with Isa. She took us to find costumes or disfrases for our trip the Carnavales de Cadiz this weekend. Showing up without a costume is like taking snow skis to the beach, so this was a must-do. We went into a store that resembled a small, over-crowded Party City. We looked through a huge catalogue of outfits on the counter and waited for our number to be called. Typically they won’t bring something out for you to look at unless you’re going to buy it, which is a fairly foreign concept to us. The lady made an exception and brought one out for Brittany to see. She didn’t like it, but instead elected for the red Charleston sequence dress. She is going to freeze to death for sure. I had only seen one that I had liked at all, which is what I ended up buying. But I’m not telling what it is. You’ll have to read after the Carnaval to find out!
Después, we walked to a little restaurant and sat at a table in the street. I got a café con leche, and we sat and talked for about 2 hours. It’s so fun to speak in both languages, learning new words, phrases, and customs. We never stop laughing for long, and Brit and I have concluded that Isa is actually the coolest person ever. Too soon, it was time for me to go to choir. They walked me to where I was familiar and we parted.
Choir was better this time. I didn’t have to play at all, and they didn’t even fight as much. I felt guilty about my happiness that Grumpy Cat wasn’t there, but she showed up about 10 minutes later, anyway. She doesn’t usually talk to me much, but she did greet me as “Hija,” which means daughter. From what I’ve gathered it’s used as a term of endearment, usually by women who are older, at least 30 for me, like Carmen and her daughter. After rehearsal I walked home for a late dinner.
Oh, I forgot! Wednesday for Lunch, we had potato and fish soup. It wasn’t bad, but the fish was a little squishy and I burnt my mouth on it. It was only afterward when Brittany googled the word that we realized we had just eaten octopus. I was grossed out beyond words, and I thought I might be sick. When we put our dishes in the sink, Brittany had seen a dish of shells soaking. She was almost certain that we were having snails for dinner, and we tried to concoct a plan to get out of it. We opted to just be rude and not eat them. They turned out to be tiny oysters instead, which I was okay with. Oysters are not nearly as gross as snails.
The next day, I had to get up at 9, which seemed early. I hate that it did… because 6 am camp days are going to be SO hard this summer. I had classes pretty much straight from 10:20-7:10, with my break for lunch and piano practicing. Classes weren’t bad, and when 7:10 hit, it was weekend! I walked home in good spirits, stopping at the Chino on Calle San Jacinto to buy accessories for my Carnaval desfraz. Chinos are what they call the cheap stores owned by the Chinese people. I don’t know if that’s an offensive term, but it is what it is. The Chinos are great! They’re similar to a large, over-cluttered Dollar Tree that has every knick knack you could ever need for just a few Euros. I went to pay and remembered that these stores don’t accept credit cards and that my only bill was a 50. Luckily, they took it. I was SO glad to have change. Being in the city without any small amounts of cash can get sticky.
When Brittany got home, I had good news and bad news for her. The bad: Green beans for dinner. The good: They were accompanied by pizza. We had planned to go to Ronda, a small town with glorious architecture, just a few hours away, on Friday. However, the bus we were going to take had either filled or been cancelled, and neither of us had communicated with Carmen in regards to meals. For these reasons, we chose to postpone our trip and went to bed without setting any alarms.
We woke up around 10:30 this morning, had breakfast, and spent a few hours doing very little. After our lunch of a beany/lentilly sort of tasty soup, Brittany left to go meet a friend, and I got ready to head to the park. I’ve been planning to go to the Parque de los Principes for quite a while now, and today I had absolutely no plans! I googled the directions and headed on the 10-minute walk to a new section of Triana. I’ve been to very few places in our Barrio, so exploring further is something that I aspire to work on.
The park is wonderful. It’s pretty sizey for its location, and it is fairly well-populated on this warm day. There is a wide variety of plant life, ranging from palms to paths of orange trees, to more hardy, Pennsylvania-esque trees and shrubs. There is a pond with fountains and 2 arching bridges to walk across, which is very aesthetically pleasing. There are also a few playgrounds with, from the sound of things, the little ones are enjoying, too. People of all ages are here. There are a few elders sitting on benches, couples walking holding hands, pre-teens kicking a soccer ball, and babies in the sandbox while their moms chat. There’s also a big family feeding the birds.
I walked around the majority of the paths, taking my time and enjoying the fact that I have absolutely nothing that I should be doing, and no time frame, for one of the first times in my life. I can’t even practice because the center is closed today for our southern region’s holiday, Día de Andalucía. It’s not a hugely-celebrated day, but a lot of people have off work, and I’m sure the streets will be packed with people enjoying themselves in a few hours. Of course, that’s every weekend, holiday, or sunny day, and today is all 3! It’s a good time to be alive.
After I walked around, I chose a nice tree to lean against to finish this, which was really more like starting, as I’ve been putting it off a bit, on account of I only have 2 pages left in my journal. It’s okay, though. When I purchased my lit textbook, I bought a small one to tie me over until mom sends another. I love sitting here, feeling the grass and the breeze. The birds are pretty decent vocalists, and there was a girl playing guitar, and a few dogs running around. I wish I could sit here forever, but my butt hurts and I think a bug crawled down my pants, so I’m going to retreat to a bench to read my book.
I did that, until the wind chill got the best of me. I walked a bit more, and then left the park. Not yet ready to go home, I walked 15 minutes to the café that Caitlin and I had visited last week. I asked for the same order – café con leche and the fluffy chocolate pastry. I snagged an empty table in the corner where I was out of the way, to leisurely tomar my snack and read another 4 chapters of Ernest Hemingway’s, The Sun Also Rises. In the book, the main character, Jake, is going around the city of Paris, similarly to how I am here, except not, at the same time. Either way, I wouldn’t have appreciated the setting at all before now. I probably would have found his movement from place to place to be annoying and unrealistic, but now I get it. And oddly enough, Jake reminds me of my friend Jon, so I picture him as the protagonist, and it means so much more. Funny how literature always finds you at the time when you need it.
It was around 7:30 when I headed home, happily. It was such a relaxing afternoon, and I’m starting to understand what my hero Stacey means about spending time alone. It can be so significant. Thanks for reading.
People don’t really make eye contact here, either. IF you do, it’s awkward for everyone. I’m starting to think that there’s an unwritten code for who gets to look at who. I’m allowed to look at kids because they’re oblivious, and dressed ADORABLY! Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen such well-dressed kids, with their little dresses and boots and hair bows. Even the little boys look nice. These moms must have some extra free time or something. I’m allowed to look at girls around my age, because they never look back. I guess we are too confident for eye contact, unless if it is with a cute boy. Older women will look at me, but I don’t think I’m supposed to look back. I do anyway. They always have interesting expressions to read. Older men will usually see you as you get closer, but look down once you’re passing. I don’t know if they feel disrespectful or creepy for looking, or if they are afraid, or what.
This whole code fascinates me, but it all gets thrown out the window if you’re a tourist. If you’re a tourist, and people know it, everyone watches you. And for the first few weeks, EVERYONE knows you’re a tourist. I think it’s partially judgmental, but also part curiosity. They like to act as though we don’t faze them, but Spanish society as a whole seems to work pretty hard to emulate ours. Most of their tv shows are American voiceovers. They often listen to more American music than Spanish, even though they don’t understand the words. They enjoy McDonalds, adopt American phrases and styles, and ultimately, must not loathe us as much as I had thought. These are all generalizations, of course. They don’t smile on the streets, but they are a very warm people once you get them talking.
Since I began this entry, I really have done many things. For one, Brittany and I went Wednesday evening into town to meet up with Isa. She took us to find costumes or disfrases for our trip the Carnavales de Cadiz this weekend. Showing up without a costume is like taking snow skis to the beach, so this was a must-do. We went into a store that resembled a small, over-crowded Party City. We looked through a huge catalogue of outfits on the counter and waited for our number to be called. Typically they won’t bring something out for you to look at unless you’re going to buy it, which is a fairly foreign concept to us. The lady made an exception and brought one out for Brittany to see. She didn’t like it, but instead elected for the red Charleston sequence dress. She is going to freeze to death for sure. I had only seen one that I had liked at all, which is what I ended up buying. But I’m not telling what it is. You’ll have to read after the Carnaval to find out!
Después, we walked to a little restaurant and sat at a table in the street. I got a café con leche, and we sat and talked for about 2 hours. It’s so fun to speak in both languages, learning new words, phrases, and customs. We never stop laughing for long, and Brit and I have concluded that Isa is actually the coolest person ever. Too soon, it was time for me to go to choir. They walked me to where I was familiar and we parted.
Choir was better this time. I didn’t have to play at all, and they didn’t even fight as much. I felt guilty about my happiness that Grumpy Cat wasn’t there, but she showed up about 10 minutes later, anyway. She doesn’t usually talk to me much, but she did greet me as “Hija,” which means daughter. From what I’ve gathered it’s used as a term of endearment, usually by women who are older, at least 30 for me, like Carmen and her daughter. After rehearsal I walked home for a late dinner.
Oh, I forgot! Wednesday for Lunch, we had potato and fish soup. It wasn’t bad, but the fish was a little squishy and I burnt my mouth on it. It was only afterward when Brittany googled the word that we realized we had just eaten octopus. I was grossed out beyond words, and I thought I might be sick. When we put our dishes in the sink, Brittany had seen a dish of shells soaking. She was almost certain that we were having snails for dinner, and we tried to concoct a plan to get out of it. We opted to just be rude and not eat them. They turned out to be tiny oysters instead, which I was okay with. Oysters are not nearly as gross as snails.
The next day, I had to get up at 9, which seemed early. I hate that it did… because 6 am camp days are going to be SO hard this summer. I had classes pretty much straight from 10:20-7:10, with my break for lunch and piano practicing. Classes weren’t bad, and when 7:10 hit, it was weekend! I walked home in good spirits, stopping at the Chino on Calle San Jacinto to buy accessories for my Carnaval desfraz. Chinos are what they call the cheap stores owned by the Chinese people. I don’t know if that’s an offensive term, but it is what it is. The Chinos are great! They’re similar to a large, over-cluttered Dollar Tree that has every knick knack you could ever need for just a few Euros. I went to pay and remembered that these stores don’t accept credit cards and that my only bill was a 50. Luckily, they took it. I was SO glad to have change. Being in the city without any small amounts of cash can get sticky.
When Brittany got home, I had good news and bad news for her. The bad: Green beans for dinner. The good: They were accompanied by pizza. We had planned to go to Ronda, a small town with glorious architecture, just a few hours away, on Friday. However, the bus we were going to take had either filled or been cancelled, and neither of us had communicated with Carmen in regards to meals. For these reasons, we chose to postpone our trip and went to bed without setting any alarms.
We woke up around 10:30 this morning, had breakfast, and spent a few hours doing very little. After our lunch of a beany/lentilly sort of tasty soup, Brittany left to go meet a friend, and I got ready to head to the park. I’ve been planning to go to the Parque de los Principes for quite a while now, and today I had absolutely no plans! I googled the directions and headed on the 10-minute walk to a new section of Triana. I’ve been to very few places in our Barrio, so exploring further is something that I aspire to work on.
The park is wonderful. It’s pretty sizey for its location, and it is fairly well-populated on this warm day. There is a wide variety of plant life, ranging from palms to paths of orange trees, to more hardy, Pennsylvania-esque trees and shrubs. There is a pond with fountains and 2 arching bridges to walk across, which is very aesthetically pleasing. There are also a few playgrounds with, from the sound of things, the little ones are enjoying, too. People of all ages are here. There are a few elders sitting on benches, couples walking holding hands, pre-teens kicking a soccer ball, and babies in the sandbox while their moms chat. There’s also a big family feeding the birds.
I walked around the majority of the paths, taking my time and enjoying the fact that I have absolutely nothing that I should be doing, and no time frame, for one of the first times in my life. I can’t even practice because the center is closed today for our southern region’s holiday, Día de Andalucía. It’s not a hugely-celebrated day, but a lot of people have off work, and I’m sure the streets will be packed with people enjoying themselves in a few hours. Of course, that’s every weekend, holiday, or sunny day, and today is all 3! It’s a good time to be alive.
After I walked around, I chose a nice tree to lean against to finish this, which was really more like starting, as I’ve been putting it off a bit, on account of I only have 2 pages left in my journal. It’s okay, though. When I purchased my lit textbook, I bought a small one to tie me over until mom sends another. I love sitting here, feeling the grass and the breeze. The birds are pretty decent vocalists, and there was a girl playing guitar, and a few dogs running around. I wish I could sit here forever, but my butt hurts and I think a bug crawled down my pants, so I’m going to retreat to a bench to read my book.
I did that, until the wind chill got the best of me. I walked a bit more, and then left the park. Not yet ready to go home, I walked 15 minutes to the café that Caitlin and I had visited last week. I asked for the same order – café con leche and the fluffy chocolate pastry. I snagged an empty table in the corner where I was out of the way, to leisurely tomar my snack and read another 4 chapters of Ernest Hemingway’s, The Sun Also Rises. In the book, the main character, Jake, is going around the city of Paris, similarly to how I am here, except not, at the same time. Either way, I wouldn’t have appreciated the setting at all before now. I probably would have found his movement from place to place to be annoying and unrealistic, but now I get it. And oddly enough, Jake reminds me of my friend Jon, so I picture him as the protagonist, and it means so much more. Funny how literature always finds you at the time when you need it.
It was around 7:30 when I headed home, happily. It was such a relaxing afternoon, and I’m starting to understand what my hero Stacey means about spending time alone. It can be so significant. Thanks for reading.