Throughout the last month and a half I've been doing various random activities and not straying far from Seville. About mid-March there was a very well-known festival in Sevilla called Feria (which literally means fair in English). Most towns in Spain have their own Feria but Sevilla's is known for being over the top. I was excited to see what this Feria was all about. Basically it is a week long event that takes place in a designated zone in one of the neighborhoods in Sevilla. There are 1,048 privately owned casetas (or little booths/houses) that are set up by upper class Sevillans. These casetas are small and inside there is a bar, kitchen, dancing area and tables to sit. Each is uniquely decorated. Because these are private, you must be invited/ know someone to get in. This aspect is unique to Sevilla whereas in other towns they are open to the public. People go and spend all day and night there. They eat, drink and dance until maybe 7am. Mind you some still manage to go to work the next day. What makes it so special is the atmosphere, decorations and dress of the people. There is caseta after caseta for many blocks, you can easily get lost. There are colorful lights and decorations surrounding the streets. Most women are dressed in typical Flamenco dresses, which are extremely colorful and elaborate. Most men are dressed in suits and ties. Mind you it is about 80degrees during the day and a bit cooler at night. There is the "calle de inferno" or street of hell that has any amusement ride you can imagine. I went a few nights just to experience it. Fortunately some of my American friends have Spanish friends with casetas we could enter. My favorite part of Feria was observing the passion and love the Sevillans expressed for their culture. For some people Feria is more important than any other holiday and they spend all year preparing and getting excited for it. I am almost certain I will never seen anything like it again. It's nice to see people dedicate their time to something that makes them happy and is shared among family and close friends even if it means you don't sleep for a week. I wish I saw more events like this in America.
Me, Abby and Katie (Americans). They decided to wear Flamenco dresses!
La Portada or the entrance to Feria!!
Casetas...
Tried to get a close up of the caseta!
April hit and so did the HEAT!!! After being a bit sick and in need of some happy vibes I hit up the beach of Cadiz with a friend. I swear the beach brings happiness to all!!!
Last weekend, I went on a day hike with 2 friends. We took the train about 85km outside of Sevilla to a small town called Cazalla-Constantina. The train drops you off on the outskirts of the Sierra Norte National Park. Luckily with a bit of previous research and asking a local we found our way to the start of the 10km trail to Las Cascadas de Hueznar (the Hueznar waterfalls)!!! Along the way we came across a herd of goats and cattle. We actually walked right through the herd. Never been that close to a cow in my life. MOOOOOOO! The scenery was very green, with fields of purple and red flowers and rolling hills in the background. Anytime I've been in the wilderness in Spain I always think about how much I've taken the PNW for granted. I've grown up staring at the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainier and spending time in the great outdoors, not something that everyone is fortunate enough to experience. Most Spaniards don't really understand or can conceptualize the PNW. The trail was flat and pleasant, crossing the Hueznar River a few times. We walked through a long tunnel just before cutting off into a side trail that we just hoped was the right one. Sure enough before we knew it we were standing at the top of this small, but pristine waterfall. It's surroundings reminded me of being at the Amazon River in Ecuador. The colors of the water were beautiful teal and green. Overall, it was a perfect day filled with sun, smiles, water and a taste of home.
My Spanish roommate Ruben had a friend from Germany visiting a while back. Gerald stayed with us for a week and I really enjoyed his company. He spoke great English so it was nice to be able to just chat like a normal person in my apartment and not feel like things would get lost in translation. He cooked us MASHED POTATOES and a fried pork dish that was good. We all went out one night. At one point there was a German, American, Canadian and 2 Spanish people sitting at the table. It was really cool to be surrounded by so many cultures yet all be speaking Spanish. I've definitely learned young Europeans are very different from young Americans. They are more easy going about life and their future. Gerald told me in Germany most people finish their undergrad around 25 years old. They also know how to party ALL NIGHT long. I had to go home around 4am and was later informed from my friend that stayed with them til 7am that they were bashing Americans for being lame. I'm sorry that in America bars and clubs close at 2am and in Europe they open at 2am.
My tutoring lessons have been going well and I really feel like I'm making a difference in the kids lives. There are days we all laugh and have a great time and of course there are the days where I'm thankful there aren't my kids. Rosa, the 9 year old who is fluent in English, and I have been playing a lot of "theatre". She loves to make up a scenario and we take roles of random characters (or maybe multiple) and just create an hours worth of fun. I told her about the 11 year old Raul from the high school that confessed his love for me. Rosa of course thought that was the funniest thing she heard and now she loves to play "theatre" with different scenarios involving Raul and Mandy at school. You can only imagine how that goes. Playing with Rosa takes me back to the days when my sister and I would play "Police" in the driveway, with our scooters, my police play kit, cardboard "jails", etc. Oh to be 9 years old with a crazy imagination. Much to my surprise the other day she said the words "shoot" and "geez louise". My mind clicked and I realized she really does listen to me cause I say those "kid appropriate" words a lot.
With the group of four that I teach I decided to take them on a "road trip" through America. I printed out a puzzle map of the USA and then we had a toy car that went to various cities starting in Seattle and ending in New York. They each had their own blank map of the USA they would fill out as we went along. I picked out places and things I thought they would like being 6 years old. That turned out to be harder than I thought. I pulled various pictures from Google. Sure they recognized things like Disneyland, New York and various animals. They loved the Sea Turtles of Hawaii, Mount Rushmore, Wisconsin Cheeseheads and images of New York. They always seemed to be confused that I didn't actually take the photos. I had a picture of a action shot of a football player. They thought it was incredible and wondered how the person took such a photo and that if I took it!!! I'm pretty sure this trip through the USA taught me more than they learned. I guess you forget how much kids don't really understand, how naive they are, and they really are sponges. I'll have to remember this for the day (far far far from now) when I want to be a mom.
Chloe and Sela are two sisters, 6 and 9 years old respectively, that I also have the pleasure of working with. They are probably my favorite. Chloe hates to learn English but she's really really good at it. She's very smart just lazy. It's a challenge to find ways to play and interact with her in English so that she's not bored and she's learning. Last week we played with flashcards of different feelings/emotions. I would make a face and she would have to say if I was scared, happy, sad etc and vice versa. Her personal favorite was switching rapidly between hot and cold as I would take my jacket on and off rapidly and an apparently humorous manner. I think we learned at least those 2 words quite well that day. With Sela, she's easy as she will do about anything. We play charades, hangman, theatre, 20 questions, do worksheets, Go Fish, whatever I want. It's exciting to see her conversation skills improving. She knows a lot of words but it's putting them all together that's hard for her.
Side note: I graduated from college a year ago tomorrow. It's been crazy to think a whole year has gone by already. But I have to say the last year of my life has been one of the most enriching and rewarding of all 22 years. Graduating college, being named an First Team All American Rower, falling in love, traveling to China and Palau with my family and living and working in Spain...AND the best part is it doesn't stop there. Only more adventures to come. How did I get so lucky?! I continue to search for the answer.
May all be well wherever you are. Happy Mother's Day!!!!
Saturday's Sunset...these happen regularly here...incredible! And all from my apartment!
