Reflections from Itálica

Yesterday, on another fieldtrip, I went to the ruins of Itálica a few miles outside the city of Sevilla. The ancient Roman city of Itálica was built in 206 BC by a Roman general and his troops in order to protect Roman soldiers wounded after a battle. According to my profe, every soldier in the Roman army carried a few posts along with their normal gear so that if they needed to they could construct a fort quickly, which is what they did for Itálica. Obviously, they later built a real city complete with an amphitheater that seated 25,000 spectators (the third largest in the Roman Empire). It was rainy and gloomy when we were there, but as my friend Christy said, it seemed rather fitting. The rain lent a touch of antiquity and even tragedy to the place. It seems very right that it should rain while one is walking around ruins, almost as if no other atmosphere or ambiance would make sense. Standing in the middle of the amphitheater was intimidating and sobering; I could imagine it filled with people, imagine how much blood was spilled on that ground. I felt very small standing in a place that was so ancient, so other-worldly, as if my life has been nothing but an infinitesimal speck in the great span of the centuries, which, of course, it has. I found myself imagining the city at the time of Christ, imagining what that world may have been like, and thinking about the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and the martyrs. We are in the season of Lent right now (the forty days prior to Easter), which is a season of contemplation of the death of Christ; it is a season of sorrow, but also of anticipation of the coming Resurrection. In the middle of a ruined Roman city, I was reminded that though I am small, a mere speck from the perspective of time and the universe, Christ died for me so that I may have new life which is more significant by far than any empire. And although this city was once great, perhaps even significant from the perspective of history, it is now in ruins. In a small way, I was reminded of the things in life that are truly significant, the things that will last forever, and they are not grand empires or impressive cities, but instead they are the things of the Kingdom of God. Eventually the season of my life will come to an end, like all things do, and I do not know if I will be great or significant like the Roman empire, but I do know that if I am remembered, it will not be for the sake of my own life or works, but because for some inexplicable reason God chose to work through me.

Language Fatigue

Hearing and trying to use a second language constantly has become a little bit physically and mentally draining. Often I find myself concentrating very hard to try and understand everything that is going on and I am learning so many new words that I can't remember them all. Trying to express myself in another language when I can't find the words to say what I want has also been exhausting. I visited a class on Cervantes that I am thinking about auditing at the University of Sevilla this week, and the professor spoke so quickly and with a very strong Andalucian accent, dropping s's and lisping through everything. It also did not help that in one hour he gave a crash course in the history of three centuries. I understood most of what he said and I learned a lot, but I was so drained by listening. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely LOVE the Spanish language and the culture of Spain. I think it is beautiful; I am just a little bit exhausted. But, I keep pressing on because I know it will pass.

The Cathedral

Although I have been to the Cathedral of Sevilla before, this week I went for an official visit with a group from the Center. Also known as La Catedral de Santa María de la Sede de Sevilla, it is the largest Gothic cathedral and the third largest church in the world. (The two larger ones are St. Peter's in Rome and I think a church in London). With the discovery of the Americas, Spain became one of the most important and most wealthy powers of the world, and all the gold Spain received from the new world came directly to Sevilla. Christopher Columbus is actually buried in the cathedral. Because of this influx of wealth, Spain was able to fund projects like grand cathedrals and there was a flourishing of art, culture, and construction in Spain. The cathedral is built on the site of a former mosque, following the capture of Sevilla from the Moors. The builders used some columns and elements from the mosque, most famously the Giralda, a minaret (the tower in a mosque that is used to sound the call to prayer) converted into a bell tower for the cathedral. The Giralda is an important symbol of the city, both now and in the past. The interior of the cathedral itself has beautiful stained glass windows, paintings, and many small chapels. I wish that I could show you how awe-inspiringly huge the cathedral is. It is overwhelming.

Triana

Saturday morning I went for a walk around the neighborhood of Triana. First a bit of Sevilla geography: The Guadalquivir River divides Sevilla in two; I live in Barrio Nervion and go to school in Barrio Santa Cruz on the eastern side of the river. Triana is on the western side, and since I had not seen the other side of the river I decided to check it out with my roommate Christy and our friend Kerry. Triana, one of the oldest parts of the city, is famous for its hand painted ceramics, toreros (bullfighters), and Rodrigo de Triana who first sighted land in the new world. As I was walking past a random intersection, I passed a statue of him hanging on to the crow’s nest of Columbus’s ship the Santa Maria with the word TIERRA (land) engraved on the base. Triana is also rather infamous for the Castillo de San Jorge—the castle in which the trials and tortures of the Spanish Inquisition were held. We wandered the neighborhood, looked in shops, and even stopped at the Mercado de Triana, a market that has been in operation since 1823. I love wandering the streets of Sevilla, drinking in the sights and sounds of the city. Here are some photos (I wish they did the city justice) of Triana so you can get a good idea of the things I see everyday in Spain.

El Alcázar

I went with a group from the Center to visit the Real Alcázar, the royal palace of Sevilla. It is an amazing work of architecture with a combination of styles from Moorish and Mudéjar to gothic, baroque, and renaissance. When the Muslims (or Moors as they were called then) were in control of the southern part of Spain, the Alcázar was the palace of the ruler. After the Moors were expelled from Spain, the Christian conquerors occupied the Alcázar, and now it is used by the royal family of Spain when they are in Sevilla. (A side note: Spain’s system of government is a constitutional monarchy, like England). Throughout all of the changes of power, the Alcázar was never abandoned, and each time it changed hands something new was added. For this reason, it is sometimes called in plural the Reáles Alcázares de Sevilla because of the several distinct parts. One of my favorite parts of the visit was the labyrinthine gardens full of fountains, an orange grove, and wandering peacocks… a great place to sit for hours reading a book.

Chocolate

If you don't know how much I love chocolate, maybe this will tell you:
Yesterday I went to the coffee shop Café de Indias close to where I go to school to try the hot chocolate which I have heard so much about and to do some homework. Café de Indias (Indias like the West Indies, not like the nation) is a chain of coffee shops that started here in Sevilla and has begun to spread to other parts of Spain. It is like a café plus specialty bakery plus ice cream shop plus coffee shop plus bar (well, everyone serves alcohol in Spain, even their McDonald's). I had heard a lot about the hot chocolate here in Spain, especially from the Café de Indias, so I ordered a glass. It was unbelievably delicious, like nothing I have ever tasted-- almost as if they had melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and added a little bit of milk to thin it out. Spain's version of what I know as hot chocolate (warm water or milk with cocoa powder) is called Cola-Cao, and it is also very good and more rich than the "Nestle" or "Swiss Miss" versions I am familiar with, but this hot chocolate was something else entirely. The Spanish usually drink this kind with churros (churros con chocolate). I didn't know something like that existed, and now I fear my life will never be the same.

Plaza de España

These past few days have been consumed with orientation activities: getting to know the Center and how things work there, the other students, my family, and the city. And today we started classes, so I don´t anticipate things slowing down. On Saturday our group, which is actually quite large, split into smaller groups and went with different professors from the Center on a tour of some of the major neighborhoods and points of interest the city. We ended in El Centro (downtown) near the Plaza de España which was built for the Iberian-American Exhibition of 1929 and some friends and I decided to wander around and take pictures. I have been trying to blend in and avoid looking like a tourist, which I have been very successful at so far, like getting in to the museum for free and being told that I have "una cara bien española" (a very Spanish face/look). But today, since we had already blown our cover with the tour, we decided it was a good day to be tourists and we took many photos. The Exhibition was meant to increase the bonds of friendship between the countries of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and the Countries of Latin America, so throughout the Plaza are beautiful tile pictures (which seems like such an inadequate word, but I have no other) representing the different regions of Spain and Latin America. Artistic tile work (azulejos) is a specialty of Andalusia; I wish the photos did it justice. The architecture of Sevilla and the art of the buildings here has been one of my favorite things about the city so far. So here are some photos (finally).

Familia

My family in Sevilla consists of me, my roommate Christy, and our host mom Carmen. Christy is from New Mexico and is in her third year at the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma where she is studying English and Spanish. We seem to have a lot in common and I am so excited to get to know her more. Christy and I left the hotel together and arrived at our house/apartment in Barrio (neighborhood) Nervion to be welcomed by Carmen, a petite, elderly woman. We had about an hour to get settled in our small room with a window that looks out over the tree-lined street before we sat down for lunch. After only a few meals, I already love Spanish cuisine. We had arroz con pollo (a rice dish with chicken and spices), fresh baked bread, and salad. After I asked her, Carmen suggested a few local cafes and bakeries for me to try. I want to find a local cafe with outdoor seating where I can study-- someplace I can become a regular. I am excited to get to know the city-- in Spanish, conocerla, which means to become familiar with, to know personally. I already have done some exploring and am getting closer to knowing her more.

Exploring Sevilla

After driving four hours from my house to LAX, I flew directly to London then to Madrid where I transferred again before finally arriving in Sevilla. Getting here was insane, but now that I find myself in the midst of Sevilla all of those troubles seem… well, not so troublesome.

Today, I wanted to inaugurate my first full day in Sevilla with some exploring. As it had stopped raining and the sun was coming out, my roommate and I went for a walk around the neighborhood of the hotel we are staying in for orientation. We wandered the cobblestone streets, passed the Plaza de Armas (a very beautiful brick building with Moorish arches and turrets that used to be a train about a hundred years ago but is now a type of mall) and discovered an ancient church, La Iglesia de la Magdalena. A plaque on the outside of the church explained that Bartolome de las Casas, an important monk in Spanish history who defended the rights of indigenous populations in the New World during the 15^th century, was ordained here. We did not get to go inside due to the lack of an openable door, but maybe another time. At the end of our loop, my roommate went back to the hotel, but I kept walking on the other side to find a place to buy some stamps. The papeleria (paper store) was closed when I got there—almost everyone here closes for a long lunch (siesta) from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm—so I kept walking.

I ended up in la Plaza del Museo de las Bellas Artes, the courtyard outside of the Museum of Fine Art. In the middle was a statue of King Alfonso XIII who founded the museum and the whole of the plaza was lined with orange trees full of oranges. Actually, many of the streets in Sevilla are lined with orange trees. Apparently, Sevilla is famous for them—like Georgia and peaches.

I found the entrance to the museum and went inside. Like everywhere else during siesta, the museum was very quiet. The sign said that the museum was free to citizens of the European Union and 1.50 euro for everyone else, but when I tried to give my money to the man behind the window, he gave me a ticket and said that admission was free. Apparently, I look like a local (success!), which reminds me of that time in Paris when a vendor from the farmer’s market thought Megan and I were French tourists, but that’s another story... I wandered the museum for about an hour and returned to the papeleria, which was open by now, to purchase stamps. All in all a very successful day. Tomorrow will be crazy: a tour of the city, placement tests at the Center, meeting my host family and moving in…

This is it!

I just finished zipping up my suitcase a few minutes ago and it hit me that I am actually leaving for Spain tomorrow. It seems as if I have been anticipating and planning my semester abroad for ages, and it has been hard to wrap my mind around the fact that it is actually happening—finally and definitively happening.

"Tomorrow. I am leaving tomorrow," I keep telling myself.

Packing has been a nightmare... I have never been good at it, and trying to fit my life into one suitcase was challenging to say the least. I have been bogged down in the details of packing and flying and just getting things ready, and all I really want is to be there already.

"Tomorrow. I am leaving tomorrow," I keep telling myself.

Although I am so excited to be finally going, I am realizing how much I will miss everyone. Megan, my best friend, gave me a going-away present last night: a stack of letters she had written for me, one for each week plus a few extras to tide me over until I see her again.

"Tomorrow. I am leaving tomorrow," I keep telling myself. This is my last good-bye.