"Strange" People

When you go to a foreign country you expect the people to be “strange” because the food is “strange,” the schedule is “strange,” and the traditions and cultures are “strange.” Everything is "strange" to us when we step out of our comfort zone but after speaking with several people I’ve noticed that we are similar to Spaniards.

I’m a young woman who has an ambition to do great things with her life, but I’m also a young, SINGLE woman searching for my soul mate. Everyone wants love in their life right? Well in the realm of love, Spaniards, and Americans… we are the same. Spaniards love I mean love Americans because it is something they don’t usually see. In their eyes, we are foreign “strange” creatures but in our eyes we are normal and vice versa, but of course that is logical. (There’s a certain social psychology theory for this but I’ve been learning so much Spanish today my brain can’t function in English. That’s a wonderful sign for my grade in Spanish.) The fantasies that women and men of all countries are relatively all the same. We wish to meet our soul mate that is from another country in another country. I’ve come to find out that Spanish girls love the blonde-hair, blue-eyed stereotypical look of American boys. My fellow American friend Ali Paine (go read her blog) and I love the dark skinned, dark haired pretty boy look of the Spaniards. One of our tutors said it was going to be easy to find our future husband here, all we have to do is tell every guy that we are from America; it’s a done deal.

As far as music, Spaniards are obsessed with American music. Every store you walk into they are playing Rhianna or Ke$ha. I haven’t gotten the full effect of experience how they get down in the club but I’m sure I will in due time.

Food: a common word known around the world. Spaniards love American food, especially our drive-thru menus. Our tutor went around one day and asked us what our favorite food in America was; come to find out she loved chipotle and of course she liked the famous Tex-Mex food. Americans think that Spaniards love spicy foods but it’s the complete opposite. A lot of seasoning is used in the food but it doesn’t have spicy tastes.

Americans, Spaniards, Germans, English, Australian, etc., all have something in common—we are all human beings created and put on this earth. When you go visit another country, even another state in the U.S., try and learn about the “strange” people. You become wiser and you also gain a better perspective of the world.

You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. -Friedrich Nietzsche

Love,
Caroline (The girl who doesn’t have enough time to go out and meet Spanish boys because of her Spanish homework.)

When in Spain, do what the Spaniards do.

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.  ~Pablo Picasso

Good evening America and goodnight Spain.  In America we are used to eating big breakfasts and decent sized lunches and dinners. However in Spain the custom is to eat barely any breakfast and HUGE lunch then a respectable amount of food for dinner.

Today for breakfast, my roommates and I had toast to eat and water to drink. Yes, toast and water but when I say toast I don’t mean put-it-in-the-toaster toast I mean a limp piece of bread, white bread at that. You can only imagine how hungry I was during class today. At the table, the loaf of bread was set out along with our plates and utensils. Condiments included an off brand version of nutella (still just as good), mantequilla (butter), and mermelada (jelly). In this country it is not typical to have ice with your drinks. Therefore in our house the cups are put in the freezer, so that when you pour your water it can get semi-cold. Fun fact for the day. After breakfast it is time for the first day of school.

Mama Amalia doesn’t live too close to Recaredo 44 so that requires us to take the city bus every morning and every afternoon. Que lio! When you wait for the bus you actually have to be very attentive to when your bus is coming. Why? Because if you don’t stick your hand out to signal the driver you want him or her to stop, they completely drive by you. It hasn’t happened to me--yet. The bus took about 15 minutes to arrive to the school but I’ve been told that it takes a lot longer.

During school, about three hours into class, our tutors came. The tutors are students for the University of Sevilla. Oh Berto! He is like a huge bear that you want to hug but you really don’t. I was surprised to see how well he knew about universities in Texas. During this tutoring session, we learned slang terms of Spain. My favorite word—Vale—and many more but they are too inappropriate to post. Jajaja (laughing in Spanish).  Our day finally is winding down and it’s almost time for lunch.

The heat is at its prime and I am anticipating my arrival to the apartment. As soon as I arrive, lunch is almost ready, and I get enough time to cool down. There’s a lot of cooling need to be done. For almuerzo (lunch), our first plate was a delicious salad. The salad’s best accessory was the avocado. If you know me, you know that “me encanta aguacate” (I LOVE AVOCADO). Next, we were served a soup with potatoes and meatballs. It was a delicious, but a very filling plate. In Spain, it is a custom to eat fruit for dessert.

After lunch, it is also a tradition for “siesta.” Siesta is where businesses close around 2 PM and don’t open back up until 6 PM. This is because people leave work to go back home for lunch and a naptime. I wish we had this America. The woman of the house usually stays up a little while longer after lunch to tidy everything up, then she has about an hour to herself before it’s time to get back to work. Most women in Spain do not work because their job is to cook and clean for their beloved ones. I mean they love to do it. They are truly fulfilling the Proverbs 31 duty, which is great.

Spaniards usually eat lunch late. They eat at around 3 PM. You may think that is a late lunch but they don’t eat dinner until about 9:30 PM. Crazy right? I bought a tin of Pringles because I definitely was going to need a snack until then. Para la cena (for dinner) we ate a sandwich and these weird, cheese-filled, fried, cylinder-shaped, things. I have no idea what they were called, but I guess I should’ve asked. Like I said before, the portions for dinner are a lot smaller. Instead of melon for dessert, like we have had for the past two lunches and dinner, we got ice cream. I’ve noticed that the main desserts are fruit, ice cream, and cake. Not too shabby eh?

I can really get used to the traditions of Spain. Growing up in a Hispanic house hold I already have similar customs but my mother has learned to adapt to the American way of life. Don’t be afraid to try something new. You never know what you’ll get out of it and if you try it well hey, you learned something new—about yourself and about something else too. You only live once. Take advantage of every opportunity you get.

Hasta mañana,
Caroline (The girl who received binoculars from her house mom to look at the handsome spaniards playing soccer outside her window)

No Limits.

Seville, Spain, a city in the southern part of Spain about 7 miles in circumference when comparing it to a circle. On the map however, the main part of the city is shaped like an egg. Each step taken is on cobble stone and each street is the width of a small mover’s truck. It is summer time everywhere in the northern hemisphere of this world, but in Seville, as soon as you walk out of the door you are breaking a sweat as if you were just leaving an intense boot camp class at the gym; that is an understatement. The sun slowly begins to go down at about 10:30 pm while in America, it is 3:30 in the afternoon and the girls are out getting sun kissed by the pool and the boys are joining them for a taste of eye candy. Siesta is my favorite part of any day in Spain. Lunches are big and your food coma follows.  At night it is a lot cooler and the people are ready to P-A-R-T-Y. The street lights illuminate the skyline and the tranquility is livened up by the Spanish chatter at the bars, no matter the day. 

I do have to say, I would not be here if it weren’t for the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s love. Every day I was blessed to see another day which brought me closer to the long plane ride to this magnificent country. I still cannot fathom the thought that I am here, sitting in Mama Amalia’s apartment, overlooking the city. I’m blessed and very thankful for this opportunity.

I’ve been here for a week now and I absolutely love this country. It might help that I can speak Spanish, but it’s something I’ve never seen before. Until July 30^th I will be studying the beautiful Spanish language. My wish is to completely emerge myself into the Spaniard culture and to experience as much as I can. There are no limits. My mind is hungry for new knowledge and life-changing experiences.

Over this past weekend, I’ve gotten the chance to explore the history of this city with my new classmates. We went on a stroll, yes a stroll, to the largest gothic cathedral in the world. The architecture of this building is wonderful and the detail was extraordinary. I have never visited a cathedral; this is my first but hopefully not my last. The fact that I can just walk to a historic place and learn something new is an amazing feeling. I wonder how the locals feel about living in a city that is important to time.

Not only do I get to learn about history but I, as mentioned before, will also be perfecting my Spanish. Tomorrow is the first day of our intensive summer course. Am I ready? We’ll see. Can I conquer it? Positive.

From this day on, I will continue to share my adventures. Live it up! And Thank the Man above for each day you wake up.

Love,
Caroline (The Girl Seeking Her Future Spaniard Husband)

P.S. Vale means ‘Ok’ in Spain. Vale Vale Vale!

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page” – Saint Augustine