A rather long update on what I have been doing with my life…

Two weekends ago (Feb. 13/14) Laura flew all the way from London to come visit me for her long weekend. She was supposed to fly in on Thursday night but the people at Heathrow managed to screw things up badly enough that even though she arrived at the airport hours before her flight, she didn’t make it through security on time to board her flight. Needless to say, she is incredible and went through the whole ordeal of dealing with tube rides, airport security hang-ups, waiting in lines and riding busses the next day and we were able to spend Friday night and Saturday together. It was so good to see her; I wasn’t quite prepared for how emotional it would be to see a familiar face. I could write an entire post all about our weekend, but seeing as she is an English major and can describe it far more eloquently than I, I’ll direct anyone who is interested to her wonderful blog:http://londonflorenceandlaura.blogspot.com/2010/02/slow-day-long-blog-post.html

A great perk of my program is that they sponsor free day/weekend trips to nearby cities. So far I have been to Córdoba and Aracena, and am signed up to spend a weekend in Granada and a day on the coast in Cádiz in March. It’s awesome to be able to travel a bit and see other cities in southern Spain to get a better feel for the area.

I left Laura on Sunday morning and rode a CIEE bus with my roommate Justyna, and the two other Beloit girls Jenn and Lori to Aracena, a small town about an hour and a half away. We weren’t there with any particular itinerary, just to enjoy the day and take in the town. Aracena is adorable. The town is tiny, which is great for a day trip because you can pretty much see all of the sights in a few hours. White houses with clay tile roofs line the narrow cobblestone streets. There is a huge hill directly behind the city, and at the top are the beautiful ruins of an old castle. I really wanted to climb up and look around but I wasn’t exactly wearing the appropriate shoes and nobody else was that interested so I guess I’ll just have to go back. Instead of hiking up to the castle we walked the streets and hung out in the tiny town center. María, our program guide, told us that Aracena is known for two things: great jamón y a famous pastelería (bakery/sweets shop). The vegetarians in the group weren’t super excited about the ham so we passed up el museo de jamón, but everyone was up for finding this pastelería. We asked a few people on the street and found our way just fine. The bakery was packed with people picking up Valentine’s Day cakes and treats. Because all of us were spending our Valentine’s Days alone, we bought ourselves some treats to make up for it. I got a small mousse cake in the shape of a heart and a piece of layer cake. Phenomenal. They were definitely some of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, though I’m sure the location helped it taste even better. We walked around some more and after a quick tapa/coffee break we met up with the rest of the group to take a tour of the Aracena “caves of marvels." I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. The caves were very cool, much bigger and more beautiful than I had expected. It’s pretty incredible that things like that happen naturally.

After a fun weekend it has been a pretty sad week at my Spanish house. I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat and the weather was terrible. It poured rain all week, making the 20-minute walk to class significantly less enjoyable. I didn’t bring my rain boots and really don’t want to buy them here so instead I just rotated shoes and tried to avoid large puddles. All of the streets here are cobblestone and plazas are paved so there isn’t much grass to be found. Water just kind of sits on the sidewalk or runs into gigantic puddles so after a few minutes most people give up on avoiding it and make peace with having wet shoes and socks. I’m sure this didn’t help my state of health, and I kept getting worse. When I woke up on Wednesday I had a terribly sore throat, crusty eyes, and lots of sinus pain. I stayed home from class, called and woke my parents up at 4am to see what I should do, and decided to go to the doctor. My host mom was really great about helping me out. She called CIEE to get the name of a good clinic that I could go to, walked me there and helped me communicate with the doctor. Diagnosis was a throat/sinus infection, and he gave me prescriptions for two medicines that I could pick up at any of the hundreds of pharmacies lining the streets of Sevilla. I was more than a little nervous about how I was going to pay for all of this but after the appointment and prescriptions my total was 45 euros – thank goodness for Spain’s public healthcare! After taking the first rounds of medication I felt better and finished out the week of classes.

On Friday morning Justyna woke me up (at 11:30) and we went out for churros. According to my host mother the churros near my house are terrible “malísimo” although they taste pretty great to me, but she gave us directions to what is supposed to be the best churro place in Sevilla. According to her, when the king of Spain comes to Sevilla this is where he gets his churros. When we got there, they gave us cold churros with sugar and directed us to a bar around the corner where we could get a cup of chocolate to dunk the churros. I’m partial to hot churros so I wasn’t very excited about the cold ones but the chocolate was fantastic so overall I was pleased with the churro experience. When we got back to the house we told our señora that the churros were good, but that we like hot ones better. Apparently we got served the cold churros because we’re clearly foreigners, but if we ask for hot churros they will make fresh ones for us. We’re going to have to try it again sometime. Last weekend Justyna and I also tried out an Italian restaurant close to our house, and had some great pizza and lasagna. I swear I could just eat all the time and a happy camper for the entire semester. All types of food I have had here have been amazing; I’ve even eaten fish and shrimp (I know mom and dad, hard to believe).

This weekend was the first time that all four of my household members have eaten lunch together (usually my señora eats out with her sister or eats after we do). We sat around the lunch table for a good 2.5 hours talking about anything and everything. We started discussing healthcare systems and the current issues with healthcare in the USA. This led to María telling us more about her husband. We knew that he got sick and died about 10 years ago but didn’t have that many details and didn’t know how to ask. It turns out that he died from throat cancer; he was a smoker all his life. The general doctor he went to when his throat had been hurting for a while didn’t think it was a big deal, he gave him a 2-week prescription for amoxicillin. When that didn’t work he went back and was told to go see a specialist. When he finally got an appointment, it was too late and his very aggressive form of cancer had taken over. He died a year later. María brought out photo albums and showed us pictures of she and her husband when her daughter was just a baby. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for her to look at those pictures. She had a whole different life envisioned for herself. She married her husband when she was 21 years old. He was 15 years older and already had 2 kids from a previous marriage. They had María when my señora was 30 years old, and seven years later her husband passed away. She has spent the past 10 years cooking and cleaning every day for exchange students living in her house. I know that this isn’t the life she wanted to lead but I admire her so much for how positive she is, and am so appreciative that she is an incredibly supportive host mother.

On top of this sad story, the sister of María’s husband also has cancer and has been in the hospital for the past several months, on the same floor of the hospital where María’s husband died. It has been really difficult for her to go through another loved one’s battle with cancer and relive everything she went through with her husband. Yesterday morning, the sister-in-law passed away. The funeral was this morning. It was an expected death and came as a relief to the family who has watched this woman suffer through the past few months of her losing battle, but it was still a very sad occasion.

Sorry for the depressing post, I assure you that despite all of that things are still going well over here. I’m liking all of my classes, (hopefully) getting better at Spanish, and loving living in this beautiful city. I miss everyone at home and abroad; let me know how you guys are doing!

Much LOVE, Hannah

Classes

My intensive grammar session ended with a final exam last Saturday (February 6th) and my regular courses started a week ago as of today. I had originally signed up for 5 courses: 3 'Cursos para extranjeros' which are courses offered only to exchange students at the University of Sevilla and 2 classes offered through my program at the CIEE study center. I quickly realized that I didn't want to have to do the work for 5 classes if I didn't have to (I'm still trying to adjust to the STUDY aspect of study abroad) so the plan was to go to all of my classes for the first day and then drop the class I liked the least. And they are...

(U of Sevilla) Cultural Anthropology of Andalucía
(U of Sevilla) Cultural Anthropology of Latin America
(U of Sevilla) Contemporary History of Modern Spain
(CIEE) A History of the Three Cultures in Spain: Jews, Christians, and Muslims
(CIEE) Art and Fiesta: Andalucía and Her Popular Traditions

I was more nervous about my University classes, I didn't know what to expect from Spanish professors or what the class structure would be like. The University itself is an enormous stone building located at the center of the city, very close to the Cathedral. It used to be a tobacco factory way back in the day, and is built with large open-air courtyards throughout. I still haven't gotten used to having these open areas inside, especially when it's raining and I need to use an umbrella to walk through the building.

Anyway, I thought that I would like my CIEE courses more than the university classes but after my first week I am surprised to say that I love (almost) all of my university courses, and have dropped the 3 cultures course. The content of the 3 cultures course looked really interesting and the professor definitely knows his stuff, but on the first day of class I was barely keeping up with what he was saying and the rest of the classes were going to be pretty reading-intensive. Having all of my classes taught in Spanish adds an entirely new academic element - not only do I have to think about and understand the course content but I also have to pay close attention just to understand the words the professor is saying. There is no room for zoning out, even if you just stop paying attention for a second or two there is no way you can absorb anything that is being said. But all of my professors are really good about speaking slowly and repeating things using different vocab if we aren't understanding them. The transition from english classes to Spanish classes has been much easier than I thought it would be, and that is really exciting. My comprehension level is miles above where it was a month ago when I got here, and hopefully my speaking skills will get there too before it's time to come home.

A quick walk-through of my classes...

Cultural Anth. of Andalucía (11am - 1pm T/Th)
This is my least favorite class so far, the first week has been very dry but hopefully that will change once we get past the introductory lessons. My professor loves powerpoint presentations and has so far spent most of his time talking from his desk while we copy down random facts and figures. For the first 2-hour class we went over 'what is anthropology?' Being an anthropology major, this was all review but it was interesting to see it explained in Spanish by a non-Beloit professor. I'm very interested to see how my anthro classes in Sevilla are going to compare to my anthro classes at Beloit as far as teaching style and theory goes. We shall see...

Art & Fiesta: Andalucía and her Popular Traditions (5-6:35 T/Th)
This is now my only non-University class. It is taught in 'el palacio' which is the name of the CIEE study center building. It used to be a civilian house but now all of the rooms have been converted into classrooms or administrative offices (my classroom used to be the triclinium, or the dining room, and is one of the largest enclosed rooms in the building). The building is absolutely beautiful, with colored walls covered in intricate tiling. The center of the 3-story palacio is an open-air courtyard with a fountain on the ground floor. The 3rd floor of the building is a flat open-air rooftop patio with benches and several enclosed offices for CIEE professors. In my Art and Fiesta class my professor explained to us that the building was built in typcial Roman style because of the many cultures that have lived and ruled Andalucía and the rest of Spain over the centuries, Rome was the first. They laid the base for Andalucían civilization, most importantly reflected in the language (Spanish is a Latin language), organization of the territory (city structure with a large cathedral in the center), diet (heavy in olives, wine and grains), and religion (Sevilla and the rest of Spain has a very strong Catholic tradition). Sorry for the tangent, there is a little cultural history lesson for you all.

Contemporary History of Modern Spain (9-11am M/W)
This is the first history class I have taken in a long time, and I am loving it. The first week of this class has made me realize how truly ignorant I am about the history of other countries and people. My world history classes from high school just aren't cutting it. In this class we are covering the history of Spain from roughly the early 1800s until present day. My professor is very nice, and absolutely loves what he teaches. Taking notes in this class is a little tricky because he covers the entire chalkboard with timelines, dates, arrows and lots of little pictures/sketches to get his point across. At the end of every class period he makes us ask 10 questions before we can leave. At first this was annoying but as it turns out, almost everyone has something they aren't quite sure about but probably wouldn't ask otherwise.

Cultural Anthropology of Latin America (3-5pm M/W)
This is by far my favorite class. I feel inspired every day when I leave. My professor reminds me so much of my grandpa in appearance, demeanor and his view of the world. He has high expectations for every member of the class, and he is one of those people that you naturally want to impress and to have think highly of you. This class is a general overview of Latin America, its countries and people and their individual and shared cultural history. In groups throughout the semester we will be researching a specific group of indigenous people from a Latin American country (who they are, where they live, their lifestyle is like, interactions with other groups of people, interactions with their own government, interactions with foreign governments/companies, etc). I'm way excited for that. My professor is a social (in the United States = cultural) anthropologist who has done most of his research in Latin America. His goal as an anthropologist is to combat ethnocentrism, the idea that there is any sort of cultural hierarchy. True anthropologists look at how cultures are distinct from one another, never how they are better/worse or more/less advanced. This idea resonates with me very strongly, and has shown me an important connection between my education major and my anthro major. If I can take this idea of intercultural understanding and oppostion to ethnocentrism and make it a central part of my classroom, regardless of what subject I may be teaching, and expose my students to this ideology at a young age I feel like I can contribute something important to the world.

Things I Have Learned...

On the first day of my grammar class my professor told us that it's okay to struggle sometimes, it's the only way that you learn anything. I have decided that this is a great motto for my first couple of weeks in Spain. Below is a list of just a fraction of the things I have learned in my time here so far by doing them wrong the first (few) times...

• The two most essential clothing items to have are a scarf and a good pair of boots. Never leave your house without them.

• The light switch by the door of my apartment is in actuality NOT a light switch. It is a doorbell. Don't push it when you come home at 3am fumbling with your keys in the dark

• If it looks like it is going to rain, it's going to rain. Especially if you forget your umbrella. Keep one in your purse at all times.
  

• People here don't hug each other or shake hands. Every time you say hello or goodbye to anyone kiss them on both cheeks, first the left and then the right.

• Ignore construction workers. They seem to have nothing better to do than sit on the street, smoke cigarettes, and yell things at blonde Americans such as myself/my roommate - annoying but harmless.

• All electrical appliances not being used should be unplugged (including lamps and the TV)

• Northface fleece = Americana. Don't wear it out in public.

• Always bring all sets of keys with you when you leave the apartment, otherwise you will find yourself locked out of the building and have to wait until someone with keys comes and creep in behind them.

• Fruits and vegetables cannot be purchased at the normal checkout counter in a supermarket - they have to be weighed and priced at the produce counter first. The first time I tried to buy an orange ended with lots of pointing and undecipherable Spanish on the part of the cashier and me walking out of the store with said orange still unpaid for. Oops.
  

• I walk too fast and worry way too much. This is the most valuable lesson I have learned in the past 3 weeks. Learning to stop worrying about things that are out of my control and trusting that everything will work out. And usually, it does.

• Don't be overly concerned about where you are going, take time to enjoy the ride. Look up, see what is around you. Trust that your feet know where to go, and if you get lost it's just another chance to discover something new.

• Don't put up with cold churros - ask for hot churros and people will make fresh ones for you

• If you smile and wave at people you see everyday (the guys that work in the cafe in my building, the doorman, the super friendly old man who works at the pharmacy down the street) they will eventually wave back and strike up conversations when you see them.
  

• Three people should NEVER make one bed at the same time (I came home to María and María changing the sheets on my bed and tried to help out. Big mistake) it's considered extremely bad luck for the person who sleeps there.

• Never open an umbrella inside. Ever.
  

• Be aggressive at crosswalks, traffic lights aren't really mandatory and if you let every car run the light you'll be standing on one side forever.

• Tomar un café y comer un postre cada día. The coffee in Spain is fantastic, and one should never pass up the opportunity to drink un café con leche and eat a pastry after class.

• The refrigerator door is broken, open carefully unless you want to break it some more.

• Cover all drains in the bathroom when they are not in use, and leave the toilet cover down. I'm not really sure why we do this but it has something to do with 'cucarachas' and since I don't want any of those, I follow this religiously.

• María does her 'big cleaning' on Mondays. If you leave stuff on the floor and don't straighten up your desk she will do it for you and rearrange everything how she thinks it should be set up. It's like a little game, you never know where your things will end up.

• Barcelona is the greatest team in the world. Messi is God. No discussion needed.

• In my experience, everything we were warned about Spanish mothers during orientation is true. They are super nosy - always wanting to know what you're doing, what you're writing, whose facebook or tuenti you're looking at, what your friends look like, what your exam scores were, the status of your love life. They are blunt, sometimes embarrassingly so, regarding how people look (muy fea, gordita, etc.), what they are thinking, what they want from you or things that you're doing that they don't like. They are proud of their cooking and take offense when you don't eat everything on your plate and ask for more. They will force feed you if that's what it takes. Showers are supposed to be 7-10 minutes. At minute 10.2 they are knocking at the door "just checking" to see if you are done. They have an internal sensor for what they consider to be unneccesary light usage. If they don't think you need the light, they will come in and turn it off. But most importantly, they love and protect their children fiercely. They are so proud of every single little accomplishment that their kids have and call all of the friends and relatives to let them know, whether it's getting a good score on an important exam or getting your picture put in the local paper. They know when you are upset even when you try your best to hide it and will do everything they can to fix your problems or just hug you until you feel better. I have had the wonderful opportunity to experience all of the extreme ups and downs of my very own Spanish household this semester. It has been an unbelievable ride, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
  

To Be Continued...