Blog 12: Ronda y Semana Santa

Blog 12: Ronda y Semana Santa

            Not only does Spain have siestas everyday but they also have a weeklong holiday called Semana Santa followed by another weeklong holiday called Feria just two weeks later! After all this pampering I don’t know how I’ll adjust back to my normal life. So I am now enjoying my time off during Semana Santa sipping some green tea and relaxing before my five-day trip to Morocco. This is my last blog to about Spain for the next three weeks. I think to do Morocco the justice it deserves I will write two in depth blogs about my experience there. Then a week after I’m spending a weekend in Portugal so I’ll have a blog about that too. So a short adios (bye) to Spain after this blog!

            Last Friday I awoke to the sound of falling rain. I wasn’t all that happy about the 100 percent chance of rain weather report because today we were going on a day trip to Ronda. Even though I would have rather stayed in my heated room, I tugged on my jacket a grabbed broken paraguas (umbrella). Despite rain, the drive to Ronda was absolutely gorgeous. There were lush green hills dotted with wildflowers everywhere with lakes cupped between them. I wish I could’ve taken a picture of it. Once in Ronda we saw one of the most naturally gorgeous sights I’ve seen since traveling in Spain. There’s a gorge the height of two football fields and the locals built a bridge above the gorge in order to connect both sides of their city. One of our professors said that one of her previous student fell off this gorge and miraculously survived making him famous in this town. Looking down, I couldn’t fathom how living through a terrifying fall like that is humanly possible. But I wasn’t about to prove my professor wrong by giving it a try myself (gulp)! And the rain became a beautiful blessing because a cascada (waterfall) was running in between the gorge. Seeing a waterfall is a rare occasion in Ronda so muchas gracias to the lluvia (rain)!

            After Ronda, Semana Santa finally began. Semana Santa is a religious holiday that is celebrated for a week in Catholic Spain. And I am very lucky because maybe the best place to experience Semana Santa in Spain is Sevilla because the people here go all out during this holiday. Passions run high and hundreds of people flood the calles (streets) to watch the processions. I’ve watched several processions and it was simply amazing. For an outsider the white túnica (tunic) and capirote (hood) that completely covers that face and has slits for only the eyes looks all a lot like the KKK. But this traditional attire predates the KKK (who sadly have made a horrible symbol out of this traditionally religious garb). Each brotherhood from the church walks in this dress holding a staff sized velas (candle). Others hold silver staffs and crests and some carry crosses barefoot show their penitence. In the cover of darkness the procession becomes a line of glowing candles that fill the air with the smell of wax. But the most impressive sights are the pasos (floats) carried throughout the streets.  It takes sixty men to carrying these. Some are golden with beautifully crafted figures playing out the scene of the Passion while others are of the Vigin Mary protected by a palio (canopy) and surrounded by dozens of candles and white flowers. Sweet incense is expelled as she passes and the crowded hushes as she makes her way through the streets. The tears streaking down her face are match by some people in the crowd as the Virgin Mary literally sways away, a beacon of light in the darkness. Even if you’re not religious, it’s impossible to not be stunned by the beautiful pasos (floats) and the fervent love people have for their faith.

Blog 11: Capea (Amateur Bullfight)

Blog 11: Capea (Amateur Bullfight)

            I am looking down at the stomach-churning drop from the top of the sheer faced cliff of the pueblo (town) Arcos de la Frontera. The small, white village is perched on top looking like it popped right out of the pages of a storybook. Ahead of me, flock of black birds battle against the wind and we are so far up that I can only see their backs. I watch as they press on, making their way across the rolling hills of Spanish wine country. Hopefully I have given you a little taste of the picturesque atmosphere of Arcos de la Frontera. While the rest of my classmates were traveling abroad or to far away Spanish cities, my roommate and I took a relaxing day trip to one of the “white villages” of Spain. To be honest, there are not many sights to see in Arcos de la Frontera but the atmosphere and view from the top and bottom of the cliff are spectacular! We also were very fortunate to meet a local guy named Alejandro (I swear there are so many Alejandro’s here) who was nice enough to show us around and drive us to a look out that we couldn’t otherwise have gotten to without a car. We ended the day off relaxing with a glass of “tinto” (they don’t call red wine “vino rojo) before returning to Sevilla.

            Capea was pretty much the opposite of the relaxing day at Arcos de la Frontera. My roommate’s intercambio invited her to go to this event where people talk story, eat good food, drink, and dance. We invited one of our friends to come along too. It took place in this rustic farm on the outskirts of Sevilla. This might sound weird but it was nice to be out of the city and with the air smelling of fresh grass and animals. We also had awesome gamaba (shrimp) paella as well. This was the first time I saw it being cooked in a huge, steaming pan. An elderly man was cooking it and this was apparently his 1000th something time cooking paella like this. Bluff or not, the smell of paella being cooked like that is mouth salivating.

            But the main event is when people can have a go at being a “matador.” For those of you that don’t know, in Spain a strong cultural tradition is corrida de toros (bullfighting). Apparently it’s banned in certain parts of Spain and Andalucia is one of the few places left in Spain where bull fighting is still practiced. Personally I don’t know if I could enjoy watching a traditional bull fight because the bull almost always dies in the end. But I also understand that it is an engrained part of Spanish culture. In Capea, the bull is only a calf (because the people at the event are not professional matadors) and the bull is not killed. Well, I was all ready to be valiente (brave) and get into that ruedo (bullring) and give it a try, but maybe from the pictures you will see why I chickened out. Firstly, the bull was not that small. I can’t imagine how scary it must be looking straight into the face of a full-grown bull. Secondly, I watched as even some of the men there didn’t even go into the ring and everybody (all thirty or-so Spainards) watched intensely and made lots of noise as someone made an attempt. And then some brave soul would go in and stamp around or sweep the bright pink and yellow cape across the floor before getting run over and head butted by the bull. I can’t really blame the bull though. If I had a bunch of people running around, yelling at me I’d be pissed off too! But it was very exciting to watch. I really really regret not being brave and just trying. If there’s one thing I’ve learned being here it’s to take every unique opportunity that comes your way because you might never get the chance to experience it again.

Blog 10: Dinero, Dinero, Dinero (Money, Money, Money)

Blog 10: Dinero, Dinero, Dinero (Money, Money, Money)

Panoramic view of Córdoba

Arcos de la Frontera

            In the past week I’ve gone to two more Andalucian cities. First I went to charming Córdoba and then peaceful Arcos de la Frontera. I will talk about my trip to Arcos de la Frontera next time but these pictures are like a preview. Doesn’t the town and dramatic cliff look like a scene from a movie? I went to Córdoba as another college trip. There we saw the Mezquita, a beautiful mosque turned church that had endless rows of rusty red arched columns.  Walking in there is like stepping back in time. The lights are dimmed and if you have a good imagination you can almost hear the low hum of the Imam (Islamic priest) and the swishing their ropes. The ocean of graceful arcs above seems to whisper the secrets of the past. It was yet another beautiful Islamic treasure. But one of the most fascinating things in Córdoba, for me anyways, is that it has one of the three last Jewish synagogues in Spain. . It was so small and simple it was easy to forget that it is now a reminder of a dark past. During the Spanish Inquisition, many Jewish people fled Spain. Many people were burned on stakes or tortured and synagogues everywhere were destroyed. The fact that this synagogue in Córdoba survived because it was so well hidden is remarkable to me.  The humble white washed walls of the synagogues insides are so starkly different from the grand, golden altars in the cathedral of Spain. Yet I found this little synagogue to be just as profound.

            Next topic. The thought has probably crossed your mind, “how in the world is Terah paying for all this!” That’s a very good question. Spending a semester traveling around Europe might not seem all that possible for us college students sitting in our cramped dorm rooms religiously eating microwaved cup of noodles and pop tarts. I’m not going to lie, studying abroad (or going on your dream trip to Europe) can be cara (expensive) but if your smart about budgeting you can have the time of your life and not break tu cartera ( your wallet). I have three simple suggestions. One, unless you have the means it will be impossible to go out every night. I go out when I feel 100 percent in the mood for it or when my friends are planning to do something different. For example, I really wanted to go to my intercambio’s barbeque and they asked everyone coming to pitch in money for the bebidas (drinks) and comida (food). Since I hadn’t gone out the night before, I didn’t feel bad spending the money. And it was well worth being able to practice Spanish for seven hours! Two, remember to convert euros to dollars in your head. Currently one euro is about one dollar and 30 cents so cuidado (careful)! That cheap twenty euro bolsa (bag) is actually about 27 dollars. Three have a game plan. I have a scholarship that helps pay for this study abroad and I’m planning to work again once I get back to Hawaii. But all this icky money-talk aside, for me, the life experience you get from living abroad is priceless. You will come back as a more confident, worldly person if you truly immerse yourself in a new culture and lifestyle.