Days Without Rain!

Spring in Sevilla has been unusually cold and wet. In the past month that I have been here it has rained almost every day. Sevillanos aren't used to not seeing the sun, and they were going as crazy as I was. Wet shoes, squishy socks, and cold walks to school aren't very fun day after day. However, things appear to be turning around and for this past week the weather has been wonderful.

This weekend was absolutely perfect, and the Spaniards were out in full force. When the sun is shining and the weather is warm Sevilla is a whole different city. People flood the streets, sidewalk cafes, parks and plazas. Everywhere you walk you can hear live music being played on street corners and in plazas, by people who are trying to make a living and by people who just love to play. Crowds of people laugh, sing, yell, shout across to friends and neighbors, always talking with their hands with broad, sweeping gestures.

Little kids are so excited to be outside after a month of rain. Few things can make a person happier than watching happy kids play. In the parks they find their way straight to the places they can make the biggest mess of themselves. While I was sitting in Parque María Luisa I watched kid after kid run to the fountain/pond and the surrounding puddles of mud. Some made the jump in before their parents could catch up, sadly others did not.

Days liek these really show me just how laid back the Spanish culture is. People here don't walk, they stroll. Even people who are in a hurry seem to walk slowly to me. The sidewalk cafes are filled with couples, friends, adn families leisurely enjoying a coffee, a bottle of wine with olives, bread and a dessert or two. Parents are very relaxed and patient with their children, and it's a beautiful thing to see. After class one day I sat on a bench overlooking the river listening to music and writing for an hour, just to enjoy the weather and the day. While I was there I saw a dad and his 2 or 3 year old daughter walking along the boardwalk near me. She was curious about everything she saw, playing with/chasing the pidgeons, kneeling down to look at every rock she passed, climbing benches, climbing stairs, sitting down, standing up, jumping. Her dad just watched her, talked to her, let her move at her own pace and do what she wanted to do. It took them over an hour to walk 100 yards but he never put her in the stroller or made her move on. Families here are so loving and affectionate. Family is the center of the Sevillan world, and that includes aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, best friends, god parents, etc.

I have midterms next week, so this weekend has been full of "studying." In all seriousness, I have studied quite a bit but the weather has made it hard to stay inside. On Saturday a few friends and I met at the Plaza de España (an enormous, tiled Plaza built for the 1929 Iberian Exhibition) and walked into the surrounding Parque María Luisa to read and study. When the sun went down we grabbed a cup of coffee and headed home for dinner. At 11 we met at Elley's apartment in the neighborhood Los Remedios for a USA style girls night in. Here people typically don't visit each others' houses because most families live in small apartments but Elley's señora was gone for the weekend and was nice enough to let her have friends over. We hung out and watched The Hangover (hilarious) over bread, a platter of fantastic cheese, wine, and chocolate. It was surprisingly comforting to have a familiar night in with friends.

Today (Sunday) I have spent all day studying down by the Guadalquivir River. There isn't a whole lot of grass, but people are literally lining the banks, sitting on stone walls, bringing out blankets and towels to sit/sleep on. It reminds me of 4th of July in Detroit Lakes, waiting for the fireworks to start. It's that packed. I took a lovely nap in the sun, spent some quality time people watching, listening to the guitar music coming from somewhere up the river. Dare I say it? Spring has officially arrived.