So yesterday (meaning actually Monday a week ago, now), I was at school practicing piano when I got a message from Brittany saying that Carmen had been crying for quite a while on the phone, and that Antonio’s issues were more serious than we though. She said that it might be time to ask if we should leave – if that would be easier for her. But how do we go about doing that? I told her not to worry, that I would handle it.
I went to visit Virginia at reception and I gave her the update on our situation. It was bad enough when he was in pain, but now it’s complicated. She told me to go talk to another director, Aco, in the office. I walked in and signed. They all asked what was going on and told me to have a seat.
I explained everything, starting with the fall a week into our time here, through the hospital time of living on our own and now with his condition. I told her how great of a host mom Carmen is and that we don’t want to leave, and certainly not to hurt her feelings. WE just want her to know that there are options if it is too much for her. The resident director, Amalia, who had been eves dropping from her office, came to join the conversation.
We talked everything out, and Aco said that she would call Carmen to have a chat that afternoon. I wiped the tear off of my cheek and thanked them for being so great. I really do love all of our program directors. They are wonderful people, and they run this place SO well. I get very agitated when I hear people complaining about the management, because they are obviously clueless as to the organization and work it takes to make this work. Those 4 women run it flawlessly, in my opinion, and they are so kind, patient, and caring toward all of us. If anyone has had an issue that went unresolved, it’s because they didn’t ask. I’m so glad I chose CCCS-Sevilla.
When I got home last night, it was almost dinner time. WE had soup and grilled ham and cheese. Part way through our meal, Antonio got up to go to bed. Carmen wasn’t in the room, so we jumped up and followed him to make sure everything was okay. Apparently during lunch he had been sitting with his head under the table blanket like a little kid. He was cold and knew that the stove should have been there, but Carmen put it away so that he can’t burn himself. He also kept getting up and walking around aimlessly. Later when Carmen tried to get him to use his oxygen like always, he couldn’t remember how to put the mask on. He just held it there the wrong way close to his face and started breathing. It’s heartbreaking. He’ll mumble, and Carmen asks what he wants to say. He says he can’t remember. She rubs his shoulder, says it’s okay, and to tell her when he does remember. Today he couldn’t remember his grandson’s name.
So it is now Wednesday of the following week – April 9th. I don’t have a very good excuse for not writing in a week… I’ve just let it slip a bit. Things here have been interesting at home. Antonio has slowly been improving, but he is still confused most of the time. He is restless and tends to wander around at night looking for Carmen, when she had been in the bed right next to him. Her patience has been running low, too. Some days are better than others, but at least things are getting a little better.
On a brighter note, my life has been going pretty well. Last week Anthropology class was cancelled on Thursday, so Corie and I decided to go to a café for chocolate cake and café con leche. It was superb, and we sat for an hour or so until they kicked us out. We then went to Triana and waited til 9 in another café. Claire met us at the bridge, and the 3 of us went back into El Centro to eat at an Indian restaurant, the Taj Majal. I know, it’s so cliché.
I had never eaten Indian before, and now I may be hooked. I got some kind of chicken curry that had onion, tomato, and cilantro in the sauce. It was divine. I ordered rice with eggs to eat with it, which was Corie’s recommendation, and a good one. We also had nan, their special garlic bread, and some lovely white wine. It was such a blast goofing around together and eating delicious food. That definitely goes down on the list of my favorite days here.
Friday I had to dress up to record for my piano recital, but it’s very difficult to make recordings when the piano is in the only ‘hangout’ space we have. I get so frustrated with the people in there sometimes. I also hate when I set aside an hour to practice, and I spend the majority of it raging at a table while some bored person tries to figure out Chopsticks, or God forbid, the ‘not’ couple flirtatiously trying to figure out My Heart Will Go On. (Gag). I had 1 chance to record before school closed for the weekend, and I blew through the big middle run. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t good, either. Matt’s piece deserves better.
I ended up staying in Friday night so that I would be fresh for kayaking in the morning! I walked the back way out of Triana and across the other bridge. We met at 11:30 at the aquatics/sports club. It was me, Megan, Rebecca, Sarah, and her friend Kyle. We met our guide who helped us get the 2-person boats down and into the water. He was a very friendly older Spanish man, who made our trip enjoyable. I shared my boat with Megan. It was a perfect day – not too hot and not too cold. The sun shone so brightly, which was nice, seeing as we were utterly drenched. I sat in the back and powered us through the 2-hour ride. I probably should have been a little more careful for my hands’ sake, but I’m fine. We saw so many turtles sunbathing on the rocks, and other wildlife as well. It was a fabulous time, and it’s incredible to be able to say that I have paddled on one of the most historically significant rivers in Spain!
Once home, I showered, had lunch, and then took a much-needed 3-hour siesta. It was lovely, but then I couldn’t fall asleep at night. Figures. Sunday morning I met Carrie at a café on San Jacinto. WE had life chats and a lot of café con leche. We also split a wonderful, flakey pastry that was shaped like a horseshoe, and lightly filled with a pasty chocolate sauce. It was super good, and a good date for my soul. Afterwards, I went home for lunch and got ready to go out with Isa.
She pushed the time back from 4 to 5, which is an ever-so-typical Spanish thing to do. We walked around Triana for a bit before going for icecream at the same café I’d gone to that morning. I had Nutella and strawberry. I think next time I will try Kinder, which is what Isa had, and it was fantastic. Then we crossed the bridge to sit by the river and chat for an hour in the bright sun. it was HOT.
We planned the rest of our reunions for the semester, which was exciting, but also slightly depressing. I am going to miss that girl SO much. Then we crossed back over the bridge to have a drink on the other side of the river and chat for another hour. It was very fun, and I was sad to say goodbye for the next week and a half.
Monday I had to pack my dress and computer to re-record for the piano recital, which was no easier the second time around, but I think I played a little better. Afterwards, I went on a class trip to a Flamenco show with our dance professor at the intimate Casa de la Memoria. It was amazing. We were so close to the performers, and it wasn’t Sevillana dancing like we learned, but rather traditional guitarist, singer, body percussion, and a sick on-steroids type of insanely fast almost tap-dancing with Flamenco arms. I was so impressed, and I loved counting the rhythms and seeing ho it all fits together. What an incredible experience to see some of the greatest artists of our time!
Yesterday I had class all day, but when I got out of anthro, I had a text from Claire, wanting to know if I had evening plans, which of course, I didn’t. I met her in the Plaza Nueva where there was a huge protest going on, hosted by students from the Universidad de Sevilla. We went to Cien Montaditos for a snack and drink. I got a bite-sized burger, which was not beef, but still good. We then went to school and out onto the vacant patio to practice Flamenco. I googled ‘Sevillanas’ on my phone, and we were set! We worked on each dance and ran through them all. I just Love dancing Sevillana.
We got kicked out at 10, and parted ways at the river toward our neighborhoods. On the walk home I thought of SU and my family, but also of my friends and adventures here. I’m in such a conflicted place in regards to leaving, but no matter how I feel, I leave May 14th. I have 1 month left, and I fully intend to enjoy every moment.
“Adventure is worthwhile.” -- Amelia Earhart
I went to visit Virginia at reception and I gave her the update on our situation. It was bad enough when he was in pain, but now it’s complicated. She told me to go talk to another director, Aco, in the office. I walked in and signed. They all asked what was going on and told me to have a seat.
I explained everything, starting with the fall a week into our time here, through the hospital time of living on our own and now with his condition. I told her how great of a host mom Carmen is and that we don’t want to leave, and certainly not to hurt her feelings. WE just want her to know that there are options if it is too much for her. The resident director, Amalia, who had been eves dropping from her office, came to join the conversation.
We talked everything out, and Aco said that she would call Carmen to have a chat that afternoon. I wiped the tear off of my cheek and thanked them for being so great. I really do love all of our program directors. They are wonderful people, and they run this place SO well. I get very agitated when I hear people complaining about the management, because they are obviously clueless as to the organization and work it takes to make this work. Those 4 women run it flawlessly, in my opinion, and they are so kind, patient, and caring toward all of us. If anyone has had an issue that went unresolved, it’s because they didn’t ask. I’m so glad I chose CCCS-Sevilla.
When I got home last night, it was almost dinner time. WE had soup and grilled ham and cheese. Part way through our meal, Antonio got up to go to bed. Carmen wasn’t in the room, so we jumped up and followed him to make sure everything was okay. Apparently during lunch he had been sitting with his head under the table blanket like a little kid. He was cold and knew that the stove should have been there, but Carmen put it away so that he can’t burn himself. He also kept getting up and walking around aimlessly. Later when Carmen tried to get him to use his oxygen like always, he couldn’t remember how to put the mask on. He just held it there the wrong way close to his face and started breathing. It’s heartbreaking. He’ll mumble, and Carmen asks what he wants to say. He says he can’t remember. She rubs his shoulder, says it’s okay, and to tell her when he does remember. Today he couldn’t remember his grandson’s name.
So it is now Wednesday of the following week – April 9th. I don’t have a very good excuse for not writing in a week… I’ve just let it slip a bit. Things here have been interesting at home. Antonio has slowly been improving, but he is still confused most of the time. He is restless and tends to wander around at night looking for Carmen, when she had been in the bed right next to him. Her patience has been running low, too. Some days are better than others, but at least things are getting a little better.
On a brighter note, my life has been going pretty well. Last week Anthropology class was cancelled on Thursday, so Corie and I decided to go to a café for chocolate cake and café con leche. It was superb, and we sat for an hour or so until they kicked us out. We then went to Triana and waited til 9 in another café. Claire met us at the bridge, and the 3 of us went back into El Centro to eat at an Indian restaurant, the Taj Majal. I know, it’s so cliché.
I had never eaten Indian before, and now I may be hooked. I got some kind of chicken curry that had onion, tomato, and cilantro in the sauce. It was divine. I ordered rice with eggs to eat with it, which was Corie’s recommendation, and a good one. We also had nan, their special garlic bread, and some lovely white wine. It was such a blast goofing around together and eating delicious food. That definitely goes down on the list of my favorite days here.
Friday I had to dress up to record for my piano recital, but it’s very difficult to make recordings when the piano is in the only ‘hangout’ space we have. I get so frustrated with the people in there sometimes. I also hate when I set aside an hour to practice, and I spend the majority of it raging at a table while some bored person tries to figure out Chopsticks, or God forbid, the ‘not’ couple flirtatiously trying to figure out My Heart Will Go On. (Gag). I had 1 chance to record before school closed for the weekend, and I blew through the big middle run. It wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t good, either. Matt’s piece deserves better.
I ended up staying in Friday night so that I would be fresh for kayaking in the morning! I walked the back way out of Triana and across the other bridge. We met at 11:30 at the aquatics/sports club. It was me, Megan, Rebecca, Sarah, and her friend Kyle. We met our guide who helped us get the 2-person boats down and into the water. He was a very friendly older Spanish man, who made our trip enjoyable. I shared my boat with Megan. It was a perfect day – not too hot and not too cold. The sun shone so brightly, which was nice, seeing as we were utterly drenched. I sat in the back and powered us through the 2-hour ride. I probably should have been a little more careful for my hands’ sake, but I’m fine. We saw so many turtles sunbathing on the rocks, and other wildlife as well. It was a fabulous time, and it’s incredible to be able to say that I have paddled on one of the most historically significant rivers in Spain!
Once home, I showered, had lunch, and then took a much-needed 3-hour siesta. It was lovely, but then I couldn’t fall asleep at night. Figures. Sunday morning I met Carrie at a café on San Jacinto. WE had life chats and a lot of café con leche. We also split a wonderful, flakey pastry that was shaped like a horseshoe, and lightly filled with a pasty chocolate sauce. It was super good, and a good date for my soul. Afterwards, I went home for lunch and got ready to go out with Isa.
She pushed the time back from 4 to 5, which is an ever-so-typical Spanish thing to do. We walked around Triana for a bit before going for icecream at the same café I’d gone to that morning. I had Nutella and strawberry. I think next time I will try Kinder, which is what Isa had, and it was fantastic. Then we crossed the bridge to sit by the river and chat for an hour in the bright sun. it was HOT.
We planned the rest of our reunions for the semester, which was exciting, but also slightly depressing. I am going to miss that girl SO much. Then we crossed back over the bridge to have a drink on the other side of the river and chat for another hour. It was very fun, and I was sad to say goodbye for the next week and a half.
Monday I had to pack my dress and computer to re-record for the piano recital, which was no easier the second time around, but I think I played a little better. Afterwards, I went on a class trip to a Flamenco show with our dance professor at the intimate Casa de la Memoria. It was amazing. We were so close to the performers, and it wasn’t Sevillana dancing like we learned, but rather traditional guitarist, singer, body percussion, and a sick on-steroids type of insanely fast almost tap-dancing with Flamenco arms. I was so impressed, and I loved counting the rhythms and seeing ho it all fits together. What an incredible experience to see some of the greatest artists of our time!
Yesterday I had class all day, but when I got out of anthro, I had a text from Claire, wanting to know if I had evening plans, which of course, I didn’t. I met her in the Plaza Nueva where there was a huge protest going on, hosted by students from the Universidad de Sevilla. We went to Cien Montaditos for a snack and drink. I got a bite-sized burger, which was not beef, but still good. We then went to school and out onto the vacant patio to practice Flamenco. I googled ‘Sevillanas’ on my phone, and we were set! We worked on each dance and ran through them all. I just Love dancing Sevillana.
We got kicked out at 10, and parted ways at the river toward our neighborhoods. On the walk home I thought of SU and my family, but also of my friends and adventures here. I’m in such a conflicted place in regards to leaving, but no matter how I feel, I leave May 14th. I have 1 month left, and I fully intend to enjoy every moment.
“Adventure is worthwhile.” -- Amelia Earhart