Blog 9: Cantando en Español (Singing in Spanish)

Blog 9: Cantando en Español (Singing in Spanish)

View of Sevilla from 'Las Setas'

            Me, a mic, Spanish lyrics, and about three-dozen staring eyes. Sound like a recipe for disaster? In my case, probably, but lets see. Some people are terrified at the thought of stepping foot into a karaoke bar. And the only way you’ll get them to sing is if they’ve had a few drinks. I’m usually not one of those people, so when my intercambios invited me to go to a karaoke bar with them I excitedly said yes. But then I remembered I was in Spain….so that means songs are in Spanish. Mierda. (shit….sorry I’m teaching Spanish swear words). Now I was the one who needed a few drinks. Before I go on, I should explain who are these mysterious “intercambios.” If you want to improve your Spanish you can sign up for an intercambio who is a local Sevillano whom you can practice your Spanish with and in return help them with English. If your studying abroad in a country where English is not the native language, I really really recommend you find an intercambio. Not only do you improve your language skills but you could also meet a new amigo (bet you haven’t heard this word before!). I happen to have two intercambios a hermana (sister) and hermano (brother) and it has been such a great experience getting to know and talk with them. Ok, back to karaoke. I was feeling a little anxious a few hours before we met up. I brought some friends with me to make things more relaxed and fun. When we arrived at the karaoke bar, we entered a big room flashing with fluorescent green and yellow lights. A movie size screen towered over us. And in the middle, glaring at me, was the mic. But in the end I ended up having an awesome time! I found some classic English songs to chose from (guess the Spanish love ‘We will Rock You’ as much as we do!). And I even gave singing in Spanish a shot. La Macarena anyone? Muchas gracias (thank you very much) to my intercambios for inviting me and making my friends and I feel so comfortable!

Did I mention Sevillanos love flamenco?

            This seems like a good time to talk about la gente (the people) of Sevilla. Everyday I’m learning more and more about the Sevillanos, but I’ve only been here for about a month and a half so I definitely don’t know the people here well. For me it’s muy interesante (very interesting) to observe cultural differences. And I’ve noticed a few differences between Sevillanos and Americans. For example saying ‘sorry’, ‘please’, and ‘thank you’ isn’t as used as much as back home. Here you only say these if you truly mean it. Also, people here are much more blunt about their feelings. Remember my host dad telling me about how red my nose looked when I was sick? It’s not being rude it’s just a part of their culture. Finally true to their reputation in romance, don’t be surprised if guys call you “guapa” (beautiful) on a daily basis. And at some point you’ll definitely see a boyfriend and girlfriend not so shy in showing everyone how in love they are. But the thing I love most about the Sevillanos is how close-knit they are. Families eat and talk together. People look out for the niños (children) even in they’re not even their own. I can feel genuine love between families, friends, and even strangers. Back at home I’d call it true ‘aloha spirit.’ Maybe the people here aren’t so different from the people back home after all. 

Also discovered a cool skate park in Sevilla this weekend