La Semana Santa (Holy Week)

This week, it's back to the grind for University of Seville students. Fortunately, I only have to make it through till Friday and then I am back on another week-long vacation!! I'm two days in, and it kind of feels like this week of school isn't even real. We are between two of Seville's (and really, Spain as a whole for that matter) two biggest festivals of the whole year. I'm really not sure as to why they schedule their Feria (Fair) only a week after the Semana Santa, but I guess I can't complain, especially if it gets me out of school for two weeks. So far I have already had a class cancelled, and in one of my others, we are watching a movie all week. I think the professor's kind of treat this week as a chance for students to catch up on all the work they have due at the end of the year. The grading here is basically all done at the end of the semester, whereas in the USA, we have exams consistently throughout the school year. I've learned that in order to effectively do homework, you basically have to work on everything you have due at the end of the year little by little every day. I'm proud to say I am already 8 and a half pages through my 20 page paper due on May 31. It's really not all that hard if you write a paragraph a day, and most the time I end up writing more because I don't want to lose my train of thought. And then when I do... I save the document and wait to open it up again the next day. Guess I am finally getting a handle on how the Spaniards do homework here. Let's hope I don't get too distracted in the coming weeks that I get thrown off my work schedule.

Upon returning home from Portugal last Thursday, we were greeted by heavy rain and cloudy skies. I was pretty disappointed because I knew that meant that the Semana Santa processions were not going to go out into the streets of Sevilla for everyone to observe. Frustrated, I took a cab home even though I am normally against spending money on cabs. Thankfully though, I was greeted by a big meal from Lourdes, who said she had really missed me and Justin while we were vacationing. I gave her a book I bought in Portugal of images of Lisbon because she couldn't find her own before I left for my trip. I think she really appreciated it. During lunch, she had the TV set to a local channel, which was showing processions of year's past and giving constant weather updates on what the night and following day were going to be like. Lourdes told us that even though the processions were not going to go, we could still go out in the streets and see some of the hermandades (brotherhoods) and their respective churches.

On Thursday, I still wasn't really sure exactly what Semana Santa was like in Seville, so Justin and I pretty much wandered through the city observing the people and following the big crowds. We ended up at a church located on Reyes Católicos (where our first hotel was when we arrived in January, Hotel Becquer) and saw three "pasos".

Here is a summary of what I could gather from my Semana Santa experience (even though it was probably the worst one weather wise in decades):
1. There are approximately 70 to 80 "brotherhoods" in Seville, each with their respective church, charity, and "pasos".
2. The pasos are big, rectangular structures that are decorated at the base with gold, flowers, and ribbons.
3. Each brotherhood has 2 to 3 pasos, one of which is usually the Virgin Mary with a face of distress and another of Jesus Christ, either situated in one of the stations of the cross, or shown in the very last moments of life on earth.
4. The brotherhood can consist of women, men and children, the largest of which is 13,000 members.
5. As a part of the brotherhood, you are required to wear a robe and coned shape hat at all times while in public during Semana Santa to hide your personal identity and show respect to God.
6. Although they are exactly alike, the robes and cone shaped hats that the brothers of the hermandades wear have absolutely nothing to do with that of the Ku Klux Klan.
7. A select few of the brothers (30-40) carry their pasos through the streets of Seville during Semana Santa, most with destination for the Cathedral and later to return to their respective church.
8. The processions can last as long as 14 hours in the streets, the biggest challenge being the sharp turns and the rotation of men carrying the pasos.
9. The women wear "mantillas" on Holy Thursday, which look like long black veils and are worn to humble themselves in the presence of God and the death of Jesus.
10. The most important part of Semana Santa is the "madrugada" which is literally translated to "middle of the night". The most famous processions are suppose to go through the streets and are accompanied by complete silence from observers.
11. The most famous pasos are "La Esperanza de Triana", which is located about 3 minutes from my house and "La Macarena" which is located about 30 minutes from my house. (I saw both)
12. There is only one procession on Easter Sunday, and it is the least commonly observed by the Spaniards.
13. The worst possible thing that could happen during Semana Santa is bad weather.

Unfortunately, we suffered one of the worst rain storms in the history of Semana Santas this year. For the first time since 1933, all 6 of the "Madrugada" processions did not leave their temple to walk the streets. In fact, I did not get to see a single procession Thursday-Saturday because of my trip to Portugal the first half of the week and the brutal rain the second half. Although I was pretty disappointed, I still made the most of the week of what I could, and think I still got to see the meaningful and cultural part of Semana Santa.

It's crazy to think that Semana Santa is such a widespread and well respected tradition of Spain, especially when there is supposedly no association between church and state. I have to believe if something like this were to be proposed in America, protests would probably surpass that of the religious processions. Then again, 90% of the Spanish population is baptized Catholic, so there is really no one to argue against it.

As a Catholic myself, I really enjoyed seeing the pasos. They truly were amazing to look at, and the fact they are life size made it all the more powerful. In each church I entered, I was given a ribboned pin which I will save to bring home. It was interesting to me that the Spaniards emphasize Holy Thursday and Good Friday more than Easter Sunday, but I think it's because it is more of a reminder of Jesus dying for sins rather than his resurrection to heaven. On Sunday, a group of 8 of us went to a mass in Plaza Salvador. The masses here are really interesting to listen to because I get a chance to improve my Spanish listening skills, and it is funny to compare the prayers from English to Spanish. Especially things like the Apostle's Creed and the Our Father.

Feria is a much different kind of celebration from what I have heard. It is basically a week long party. Yesterday, I went to look at the casetas which are set up at the end of my street and owned by various families throughout Seville and it already looks like it is going to be a fiesta. I'm really hoping I get the chance to go inside the casetas even though they are extremely private and a big deal to get an invite to. Then again, I've been told by some of my Spanish friends that I could pull of being a Spaniard. Maybe I could work that to my advantage in getting into some of these casetas...

Also, yesterday me and three other friends decided to cross the "row a boat through Plaza España" off our last two months checklist. It was fun because the fountain in the middle of Plaza España is finally turned on, and the weather was pretty nice yesterday. The rowing part was funny because it's kind of harder than it looks. Every time we would crash into someone we would just say "hola" and laugh because I think the awkwardness is supposed to be the whole point of it. Regardless, it was something we had to do before we left Spain. Next on our list is "Pedalquivir"... taking a rowboat into the river and going downstream with it.

Lisbon and Lagos, Portugal

This week is the first of two long breaks we have from school during our semester in Sevilla, Spain. We get this week off because it is Holy Week in Spain, and since over 90% of the Spanish population is Catholic, the school systems (both university and primary education) give students the whole week leading up to Easter off. As study abroad students, almost everyone in the program decided to travel for Semana Santa because it is a good opportunity to explore Europe while we have the time off. At first I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go for Semana Santa because of all the options, but Lourdes and other people in the program suggested Lisbon Portugal for a relatively cheap, but well worth-it vacation. My friends Leann and Kirsten and I decided to book a six week trip to Portugal, where we would spend 3 days in Lisbon and 3 days in Lagos which is on the southern tip of Portugal. Later, another girl from the program, Carly, decided to join us so we were an even number.

We left for Portugal by bus Thursday night at 11:59 PM and arrived in Lisbon at around 7:00 AM. I was in charge for booking the hostel for Lisbon, so I had to figure out directions from the bus station to the hostel. We had to take a metro to get to the hostel with all our luggage, but the metro system in Lisbon was so small that it was really easy to navigate, especially when no one was around at 7:00 in the morning. The hostel we stayed at was called Lisbon Lounge Hostel and was probably the cleanest and most well-kept hostel across Europe. I am not exaggerating when I say that every aspect Lisbon Lounge was clean and germ-free. At first our group had a great impression because we really felt like we were getting our money's worth, but unfortunately the cleanliness came with a down-side in that it was mostly an older crowd and young families (with very little kids) that stayed there. Leann, Kirsten and I shared an 8-room dorm with a family of 4 and one girl who was probably five or six years older than us. Even though the hostel wasn't exactly what we were looking for fun-wise, we still made the most of it and certainly got good night's sleep and excellent breakfasts with crepes every morning.

We were really happy Carly was able to come on the trip because she has a distant relative who lives and works in Lisbon. He was 23 and his name was Jonathan. He was so helpful and nice the whole weekend, we spent practically every free minute we could with him. He showed us how to navigate the city in search of key destinations and took us out two nights while we were there as well. When we first met up with him, he walked us down to an area called El Roccio, which was a big plaza with the government building and fountains right in the center. He then directed us to the famous Belém neighborhood right outside the center of the city, where we went and saw the famous monument and Monosterio de dos Jerónimos. We got some very good pictures, and were able to ride the famous Lisbon trams which are small yellow cars that go every which way around the city. Some people avoid paying for the trams by grabbing onto the back of them and riding it to wherever they need to go in the city. Apparently Portugal loses billions of dollars each year on public transportation because so many Portuguese cheat the system by not paying. No wonder Portugal is in one of the biggest economic crisis of the world.

That night Jonathan met us up at a local spot looking over the city for "wine and cheese". You would have thought he had done this a million times before because he came entirely equipped with knives, cheese rolls, crackers, and bottles of wine and cups to pass. Later, he took us to Barrio Alto, which is the most popular place in Lisbon to go out. There were so many people in the streets, you could have gone down any street in that neighborhood and found people hanging out. The next day, we went to the "thieves market" in the Alfama neighborhood of Lisbon, and I bought a pull-over and a few gifts for friends. The vendors go out every Saturday and Tuesday to try and make a profit, and they seemed pretty successful the day I went. That afternoon we ate lunch at an authentic Portuguese restaurant, where I had shredded chicken, potatoes, and salad. The girls ordered the sea food since Portugal is right on the Atlantic ocean and said it was some of the best they had ever tasted. We then went to the famous Castle of Portugal, where we took my guidebook my parents sent me and read about history of defense of the Portuguese empire. I enjoyed walking through the castle, imagining real soldiers protecting the city from it.

The whole week we had been checking the weather in Lisbon and Lagos to best plan our beach excursions. The weather report unfortunately called for rain in Lagos on Monday and Tuesday, so we decided to buy our bus ticket to Lagos late Monday evening instead of the morning. Sunday we went to a beach called Caprica right outside Lisbon and spent almost the whole day there to take advantage of what we thought would be the only sun we were going to get on our vacation. The beach was great, and the water actually felt good even though it was cold. That night we stayed in mostly due to exhaustion (even though yes, we did spend the whole day laying on the beach) after a pizza dinner at a nearby restaurant.

On Monday, Kirsten Leann and I decided to check out a popular town right outside Lisbon called Sintra. Sintra is the site where the Portuguese royalty would go during the summer months to escape the heat of the city because it is about 40 minutes north. When we got to Sintra, we took the bus straight up to the royal palace called Pena Palacio and then bought our tickets to the gardens and the Castle of the two Mouros. The Palace was beautiful, filled with a ton of different colors and scenic views. We took a lot of pictures, but weren't allowed cameras in the actual palace. The cool thing about the Pena Palace was all the nature that surrounded it. There were a ton of winding paths with trees and flowers all along the sides of them, you could definitely tell the property belonged to someone rich and famous. The Castle part of Sintra was another defense project that was built by the Moors to defend their empire and later seized by the Portuguese when they regained the land and country name back. I really liked the castle because we got to walk through the stone walls and look out to the whole city, as if we could see what the rulers saw when looking out over their country.

The bus to Lagos was about a 4 hour ride, and when we got there we were immediately greeted by English promoters all throughout the streets welcoming us to Lagos. For a while, I think I actually thought Lagos native language was English because there were so many Brits there. We got to our hostel called the Stumble Inn and unpacked all our stuff. Starving, we set out to find food but unfortunately almost all the places were closed. Until... we ran into a set of three promoters who brought us to a place called "Surf and Turf" which literally was opening for it's first day ever. Needless to say, they need some practice to perfect their food given they basically handed us microwaveable foods one after the other. It was kind of funny though the whole time to be in the situation because the owner was absolutely crazy and the cook possibly even crazier. They knew how their performance was though, so they gave us a lot of free food and drinks and we only had to pay a small amount for the final check. It was certainly one meal of this six month trip I won't ever forget.

Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated entirely to the beach, and fortunately we had better weather than we anticipated both days in Lagos. It was kind of cooler than we thought since it was on the coast of the Atlantic, but we avoided rain pretty much at all costs which was a huge advantage for the trip. The most impressive thing about Lagos are the cliffs and natural rock that surround it. I got some of the best views I have ever had in my life of the ocean while in Lagos, and feel like some of the pictures I took are almost like post cards (yes, they're that good). We also decided we would eat all the foods in Lagos that we normally can't while we are in Spain because it was such a touristy area. One night we had Thai food which was excellent and the other we had Mexican. I ordered my first burrito in months and it was one of the best things feelings ever to finish it. I always have been more of a Tex-Mex food fanatic and the burrito in Lagos definitely satisfied my craving. We also treated ourselves to several desserts and gelatos during the trip, so we really did our vacation up in Lagos.

One of my favorite parts about this trip though was the company. I had a great time with all three of them, and really never got sick of them. I have made a lot of close friends on the trip, and I'm glad because traveling with others is always way easier and fun, especially when you are going around Europe. I look forward to my upcoming trips to Amsterdam and possibly Pais Vasco in northern Spain. We made a lot of memories, and spending "spring break" in Portugal for my Junior year of college will be one I likely will never forget.

I am currently back in Spain, right in the heart of Semana Santa, where today was Holy Thursday and tomorrow is Good Friday. Unfortunately it has been raining here so the processions are not heading out because it could ruin the faces and statues that they carry. We still can go inside the churches though and see them which I guess is almost just as good because you can get a closer look instead of being trampled by people. I can already tell Semana Santa is a very important tradition in Sevilla just by the way the men and women dress in the streets despite the rain. I plan on waking up pretty early tomorrow to try and see if I can follow Armando's map and see some of the cool and famous processions of Semana Santa. I will likely give a more detailed blog of what Semana Santa is like when Easter finishes. I'm expecting it to be pretty sentimental and meaningful.

How was your day? Routine.

Today marks 13 weeks I have been in Sevilla. It really does feel like a long time since I arrived here and was living out of a suitcase in Hotel Becquer. When I think about this past week, there is really nothing special that comes to mind though. I guess you could say I have integrated into a pretty routine life here. As Lourdes says "un día normal". But what may be "routine" for me is actually the things that I will remember most when I return home to the United States. I usually wake up around 8:45 every morning for my early Centro classes and come home around 2:15 for lunch Mondays through Wednesday. Thursdays and Fridays, Lourdes makes me a bocadillo (sandwich) because I have class during the official "meal time". And then Monday through Thursday I have a class from 4 to 5, which I can't stand some days because it is right in the middle of the afternoon when I could be outside or doing work for my classes. My class schedule here is very broken, but I can't really complain because I am enrolled in five classes and there is no way I could have coordinated it such that I could get afternoons off and Fridays off too. Regardless, I usually spend the next three hours after my class with an Intercambio at a nearby restaurant or café, or go to the recently discovered University Library on the second floor of the building. I forget sometimes how cool this building actually is. It used to be a tobacco factory so it is very common to find rooms and libraries in obscure places throughout the building. I finally have started some of those long papers I have due at the end of the semester and they aren't as bad as I thought they would be. My goal is to get a lot of them done by the end of Feria, because after that I will need to hand them into my program center to have them edited, and turned in by the end of May. I figure if I start now, and write a little bit everyday, it won't be as painful as it sounds. And I know that when I write these papers it is only going to help me in the long run, so I can't complain. I figure as long as I do the best I can in my work, my professors can't demand much else, especially since I am a foreign student. Everyone says they are soft-hearted on grading foreigners, but I don't think I'll believe that until I see it.

These past two weekends my roommate's parents were in town for his birthday. They took me out to dinner twice, which was really nice of them and we celebrated Saturday night (April 9) because he turned 21 at midnight that Sunday. We ate at a really good restaurant called San Telmo that Saturday night, and we celebrated at a few bars on Calle Alfalfa, which is located pretty much right in the center of the city by Plaza Nueva. His older brother was here too, so it was kind of fun to show someone our own age the nightlife of the city. The Chronowski's also let me send home my winter clothes in a suitcase with them, which was a really nice gesture. I sent home every last sweatshirt and sweater I had here, and kept one pair of jeans and one pair of khaki's. It gets so hot here during the day, it is almost starting to be unbearable (even with shorts). I don't even want to think what it will be like come the middle of June. I sure hope the university has air conditioning.

I can really tell my Spanish has been improving because my Intercambios and Lourdes have commented saying how much of a difference they can tell in my speaking between the time they met me and now. When I first arrived in Seville, I probably understood about half of what the Spaniards were saying, but now there is barely anything I don't understand. As for the speaking, I think that is where I have seen the most progress. Having conversations with Lourdes is so much easier now than when I first arrived. The other day I explained to her for about 5 minutes straight the implications of Obama being re-elected in the United States for 2012 and did it all in Spanish. I was really proud of that, and she understood everything I said. It's a good feeling to actually see progress in my language skills, and I hope I have more opportunities like that one in the future to prove myself capable of fluently speaking Spanish.

This Thursday I am headed to Lisbon and Lagos Portugal with some people from my program. I am really excited to see Lisbon because it is Portugal's prized capital, and Lagos will be like a nice beach vacation. We return home to Sevilla the Thursday of Semana Santa (Holy Thursday) just in time for the most famous procession called the Macareana that starts at one in the morning on Friday. Armando told me he would make a plan for me to follow for Semana Santa so I can see the most famous and important processions. I am lucky to have someone willing to do that for me because otherwise I probably would just be aimlessly wandering the streets of Seville.

Although this past week has been "routine", looking ahead I don't see a single "routine" week left in the program. Between Semana Santa, Feria, Malaga with Pepe, exams in the Center, and the end of university classes in June, my time here is kind of running out. And yes, I did finally buy my return flight home ticket, so you can all stop worrying that I was going to stay in Spain forever. That certainly doesn't mean I am not coming back though. I think I have a college graduation present in mind for myself next May...

Ronda, Erasmus, Pancakes, Baila Sevillana and Dutchess Camillia

This past week in Sevilla was great. So much has happened, it is going to be difficult to recount everything, but I am going to attempt it. Last Saturday my program had a planned excursion to Ronda which is two hours away from Sevilla and included in what's called one of Andalucia's "white hill towns". They call them white hill towns because the terrain of the cities are filled with hills of white rock and boulders. Ronda was filled with breathtaking views and scenery. A group of 8 or 9 of us ate our midday meal at a restaurant that had a terrace overlooking a valley filled with pure green grass and huge rocks embedded in the landscapes. Overlooking a scene like that while eating a simple lunch was completely surreal, and really made me realize I am living in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We had a tour earlier that morning of the sights of Ronda, including Puente Nuevo, a Bullring, and Santa María la Mayor Collegiate Church. Puente Nuevo is the famous bridge that connects two sides of the city separated by a gap in the rocks. It divides the old town Ronda (La ciudad) from the new town (El Mercadillo) which was built after the Reconquista. As for the bullring, Ronda is one of the first places in Spain to ever host a bullfight so it was only fitting that we got a history lesson from the experts. We not only got to see the arena, but also the chapel where the Matadors pray before their bullfight, the stables and equestrian school, and a museum that showcased famous Matadors and their "traje de luces" or outfits. It was also fun because Pepe brought his wife and son, Alejandro (who is 3 years old) on the excursion. It was fun to see Pepe's life outside the program center.

Last Tuesday, Elia invited me over to her apartment to make a snack with her and her friends. Her Spanish friends wanted me and her other American friend to teach them how to make "an American classic" food, so we decided to make them pancakes. There were about 11 of us in the kitchen, and we made about 20 pancakes for everyone to share. It was so much fun because all her friends were so nice and welcoming. It's interesting to me that they basically throw a party every time they hang out together because they are always inviting over more people and including everyone. I got to meet her roommates, her brother and his friend, and some of her friends from French class. We also made strawberry and chocolate sauce for the pancakes since they don't sell syrup here. Her friends claim they liked the pancakes, but they did admit they prefer Crepes. I think our next merienda ("snack") is going to be a picnic because the weather is so nice now, it's a shame to be inside.

Fortunately I was really productive with my homework last Wednesday, so I went out with two girls from my program for the night. We went to a disco called Caramelo, which is located in Nervion neighborhood. Every Wednesday is Erasmus night at Caramelo. "Erasmus" is the study abroad program of Europe. Every country imaginable in Europe participates in this student exchange program, and in fact, a lot of students do it as well. For example, both Elia and Armando have done Erasmus in the past. (Elia to France and Armando to Germany). It was really fun at Caramelo because you could tell there were people from all over Europe in the club. And even though I am here to study Spanish, I am certainly not opposed to meeting all the other European ladies.

And now today, Friday, my Ciudad Hispanoamericana class was cancelled, which was obviously the start to a perfect day (and the finish to a perfect week). Every Friday, I take an hour long class offered through my program to learn to dance "Sevillana", which is a much more relaxed form of Flamenco. There are four parts to learn, and today we perfected parts 1 through 3. I'm usually not one for dance classes like this, but it is kind of fun to learn it, and hopefully I will be able to show off my skills when Feria rolls around next month. Then around 1:30 I met with my other intercambio Armando and we went for tapas in downtown Sevilla, called the Centro. He brought me to a place on Calle Tetuan which served fried fish and oysters. In the middle of the conversation, Armando pointed to the street behind me to a procession of about 7 or 8 guards leading the Duchess Camilla of England through the streets of Sevilla. For me, this scene was unbelievable, because of course I have seen and read all about her in the USA newspapers, but to see her only 6 feet away from me by coincidence was crazy. There was no one blocking my view to seeing her. And as she passed a Spanish local shouted in his best English "Welcome... Camilla" and she turned towards us and smiled and waved from under her sun umbrella.

My time here just keeps getting better with each passing week. And we haven't even hit Semana Santa or Feria yet. I'm so happy I studied abroad. This truly is the best experience I have ever had.