Todo Está Cambiando

Another tapas outing

     Wow! I did not realize how hard it would be to post about my experiences here, but things are happening so quickly and constantly that I really don't feel like I can cram all I want to say into one post! I'll do my best to give a good overview, but the truth is that everything is changing (todo está cambiando).




     First of all, just to comment on how everything is changing, a phrase that people often use here is "poco a poco." They use it a lot to refer to us Americans that "little by little" we are adapting to the environment here. We have to adapt to the language, the weather, the level of independence, the food, navigating the city, even using the toilets and showers! The list goes on and on... There are times when I feel completely overwhelmed and like I cannot fit in here at all, but then there are times when people come up to me and ask me for directions in the street, and I feel great about myself! I do not want to look like a tourist every day, instead, I want to do my best to fit in and speak Spanish as much as possible! For an example of how different everything is, this is our apartment building! We live on the sixth floor, but there is an elevator! Thank goodness because it is so hot here!!!

    One of my favorite things about Sevilla is the architecture and the beauty of the old buildings that are everywhere here! We can walk outside of our school and within a few moments can see La Catedral and La Giralda, two of the most beautiful structures I have ever seen in person! I also just love to look at the little details of all of the buildings, even apartment buildings. Like today, when Mara and I went on a walk to find the secret garden we heard about. The garden was a little disappointing but we were still able to find so much beauty in that little courtyard!

 

     Also, we started classes yesterday, which was exciting! I feel like I am finally starting to get to know people here... getting past the small-talk phase finally! Another thing that helped me to get to know some of the girls better was our Noche de Chicas today. We met at the school for a time to share our highs and lows of our time here so far. We enjoyed iced coffee and chocolate pastries together, laughed our heads off about each other's stories, and then went out for paddle-boating on the Guadalquivir River!    

My paddle-boating group

     Just as a side note: My high was attending a Brethren church on Sunday. It was a wonderful time for me to worship God in a different language with people I did not know at all. It was such a good feeling to know that I have something deeply in common with people in the church. We share the same God, the same hope, and we can care for each other even though we speak different languages. It was a profound realization for me. My low was that I lost my flip-flops in my señora's house... I have no idea how, because it is a small space and they never left the house, but nevertheless, I lost them and we could not find them! The thing was that the sandals really were not important to me. I was totally okay to say wow after searching the house for two days straight, its okay that we can't find them... but my señora could not give up on it!! She would not stop searching for them or asking me where I left them! It got a little ridiculous, but I finally told her I left them at the park on accident (even though I know they didn't leave the house) and she bought me a new pair! I think I need to be very careful not to lose anything else (or at least not tell my señora) because she now thinks I am the absent-minded one! =) I'll do my best to keep track of my things!   

 ¡Hasta pronto!