Semana Santa

We returned to Sevilla just in time to celebrate Semana Santa, a week-long celebration for the city. I did not realize the extent of this until I returned back and it took me about an hour to get to my apartment instead of 30 min! When I say there were people in the streets and it was crowded--I mean ALL OF SEVILLA was in the streets. Everyone was dressed to the nines, drinking and eating in the streets, spending all day in the streets, etc. It's really hard to explain if you don't see it yourself. A bunch of churchs have two massive pasos (floats)--the first one of Jesus before/during the crucifixion and the second of Mary. They're ornate and gorgeous, and carried by these people who have practived for months, Costaleros. There are also people dressed in what we would recognize as KKK outfits. The ones with points, capirotes, are Nazarenos and they carry large candles, cirios. Penitentes are the people without the points and carry crosses. Some people choose to go barefoot or with shoes. There's a lot of music--horns and drums--but then there are also silent cofradios (processions), which are really impressive. Streets were shut down--EVERYTHING is shut down--except restaurants of course, which are all selling bocadillos (sandwiches) and cans of beer. One night though, La Madruga (the dawn), is an ALL night celebration in which people march ALL night long with the pasos. All of the pasos go from their church to La Catedral and back to their church. Plenty of people stayed up all night to partake in this. It's just as much a cultural event as religious, but being an outsider, it kind of exacerbates the feeling of foreigness since there's no deeper significance to you. It was really cool to see everything, but as an outsider, it loses it's appeal quite quickly to be honest.

After walking around for a day(or really trying to walk around since it was kind of impossible), I wanted some peace and quiet so a couple of girls and I took a bus to Jerez de la Frontera (Sherry by border-literally). The Alcazar (palace) was closed but we went on a wine tour and tried some Tio Pepe in the end, which I have to say was really not pleasing at all. It was fun though! Jerez was just what we needed after the chaos of Sevilla! Today's Easter and there are still some processions going on in the city. I just can't wait to have Sevilla back to normal!

MARRUECOS!!!

MOROCCO!!
I just came back to Morocco and it was amazing!!!!!

DAY 1. We left last Friday morning (really Thursday night) at 4 am. YUP. 4 am at the bus with all our stuff. We drove to Algeciras, took a ferry to Ceuta, and then drove all day to Fez, arriving at 6pm (and we lost 2 gained 2 hours!!). So that night was just spent in the hotel, which I think everyone was fine with!

DAY 2. The next day woke up early and went to the Medina, which literally means civilization and is the oldest part of the city--the old world market that looks the same as it did hundreds of years ago. This place was a true labyrinth!! We had Moroccan guides that took us around because otherwise, it would have been impossible. We went to one place where they make beautiful Moroccan carpets and were given a presentation. Everyone was thinking that they wouldn't end up buying a carpet but then half the group did. Long story there. Jennie and I are looking at carpets and this guy is trying to sell them to us each for 200 euro, which of course we're not going to buy. Then we get him all the way down to 50 euro each (after a lot of haggling), we say we're going to buy it and have them in bags when one of our friends shows some other salesman that we got them for 50 euro each. All of the salesmen are then yelling at us telling that they were 100 each so we just give them back and say "ok, fine" and leave. So then we visited a "pharmacy" where we were given demonstrations for all of these oils, creams, spices, etc. All throughout this, we're being followed by guys trying to hock us necklaces. This was soooo exhausting and for some reason they would not leave me alone specifically and a couple girls in my group even said to them "SHE DOESN't WANT IT," which was nice. Sooo then we had lunch of these salads and then steamed vegetables and couscous. Ok so here's where it gets interesting. I get up to use the bathroom, but on my way out, this woman just kind of guides me into this backroom (later, a couple of my friends told me they saw some women take me and were freaking out). Low and behold, in the backroom (which is a huge empty Moroccan store) is the guy from the carpet store who had tried selling Jennie and me a rug. He asks me if I still want to buy it so I go and get Jennie and ask her. We go back to the backroom where there's just another lady standing there creepily as we barter for the rugs again. We decide to get them--I really need a Moroccan rug for my house this year--so when we say that we have to pay in credit, he tells us to follow him (we're IDIOTS). We go outside around the building to the front and then follow him upstairs. He tries getting us to pay 20 euro more and then 10 euro more, but we get him to stick to the price. We finish, we go down the stairs and come out in the front of the restaurant where Quique, our director (who is SOOOO AMAZING) asks us where we were. We explained and he reminded us not to trust anyone, and we felt reeeeallly stupid. Ah Quique we're sorry!! So after that adventure, we ended up seeing the place were they make all the beautiful pottery and mosaics, went back to the hotel, rested, ate, and went to a show back at the same restaurant. We all exited through the same place where we had bough the rugs so Jennie an I had some major "déjà vu."

DAY 3. More travel. We leave the hotel early and drive from Fez all to Ifrane to Erfoud, stopping in some place to eat really good meal in this restaurant on the side of what looks like the Grand Canyon. The whole ride was absolutely MAGNIFICENT. Just amazing (even though it was ALL day). When we got to Erfoud, we left our big autobus home for jeeps. When we were leaving the town for the desert we had to cross this bridge which is not even above water--its partially submerged with water running--CRAZY! And then we just drove in the open desert for an hour until arriving at the campsite--the haimas (tents-hard to describe though). After an exhausting--physically and mentally draining--visit to Fez, Jennie and I were really drained so we kept telling each other "everything will be better in the desert." That night we played music before dinner and just hung out in dunes for a bit--I had bought some handrums and had my ukulele and another girl had a guitar and drum.

DAY 4. This day was jam packed!!! I woke at 5:15 am to see the sunrise in the dunes. We rode camels through the desert, climed a MASSIVE sand dune, walked into the local village, walked through an oasis, went to another carpet store for a demonstration (enough!), back to the haimas, hung out with the Berber children, played music and danced with the Berbers, got henna done, hung out, talked to people from the different ISA programs, and had danced after dinner to the live band. The end of the night was really just like the finale of some movie where all the characters are reunited in the end since everyone was there dancing--all the Berber kids, the people that took us with the camels, and the salesmen from the 2nd carpet store. So weird!

DAY 5. Leaving the haimas, the Berbers, and our desert adventure. We took the jeeps back to Erfoud and then the bus to Meknes. Another full day of travel! When we were unloading, some shady guy tried stealing the rugs--to which I told him they were mine (!!!) and some girls yelled for the bus driver and they chased this guy down the street after he tried stealing some other stuff. After we got settled, Jennie and I went to walk around in Meknes for a while and noticed that EVERYONE in cafés(and there were a LOT of cafés) was male. It was weird, but not as weird as going to the discoteca that night. All of the Moroccan women in the discoteca are prostitutes and all of the Moroccan men know that. And then a bunch of ISA students. It was fun nonetheless, just a bit strange to know what's going on around you.

DAY 6. Left Morocco at 7am for all day travel, returning to Sevilla after 8pm (after LOSING 2 hours!). Then we had to traverse the Semana Santa crowds. That's a different story.

Just a few last funny things thanks to Quique:

• at the ceuta/morocco border: "put your passports in this bag and you'll get them back later"
• about getting the dirhams (moroccan currency) we ordered: "the guy with the money should come to the hotel later. maybe"
• "one of the jeeps didn't show up so i guess we'll wait." (jeep with students just didnt show up until much later)
  
• "the king is coming to town" (moroccan king was coming to town but it just sounded funny)
  

SOOOOO MUCH--demasiado!!!

A lot of time has passed since I last wrote on this...TOO MUCH!!! In that time I´ve:

• had another intercambio
• met a bunch of german friends
• visited Lisboa (lisbon), Portugal (tried to visit castles in Sintra, una Catedral, tour of the city, a fortress, etc.)
  
• visited Córdoba (la Mezquita)
  
• visited Granada (la Alhambra, FREE tapas with a drink)
  
• enrolled (and taken a bunch) of SEVILLANA dance classes (type of flamenco specific to Sevilla)
• gone hiking (senderismo)
• visited Carmona (nearby pueblo with some ancient roman ruins)
• started volunteering at UNICEF (all i do is fold sweatshirts--i'm hoping it'll get better...)
  
• taken exams (ughh! studying in spain doesn´t work)
  
• done ANOTHER intercambio in the form of a photography competition
• played an infamous game of SPOONS with my german friends in which it came down to "fighting for my country"--the u.s. won ;)
  
• gone to a private flamenco club with authentic performances
• said a lot of things incorrectly that ended up being funny
• spent time with a lot of people from all over--spain, germany, france, holland, australia, italy
• started reading the mind of my friend jennie, with whom i spend all my time with. we can now have conversations without words. scary.
  
• and a million other things....and all in spanish!!! (well, most of them)

this was a lame entry but i'll write more soon. this doesn't even touch on it. really. perhaps before i go to marruecos (MORROCO!!!) or when i come back. who knows! but i sure can't wait for morroco!!! i've started eating yogurt and bought some probiotics to acclimate my stomach to what i'm about to experience. can't wait!!!

Intercambio!!

Last week I had an intercambio--which literally means exchange. In this case, it was a language exchange. I was running late to meet with my intercambio, Lola, who I had emailed and set everything up with. I was a bit nervous because it´s better to do these things in groups--afterall, you´re meeting a stranger--but I knew we´d be going to a packed place. Anyways, when I got to the gates of the university, our meeting place, there was a group of maybe 8-9 people there and they asked if I was Meredith--my intercambio!!! So then I did a lot of cheek kissing, the customary Spanish greeting, and met Lola, Carmen (TONS of Carmens here), Rosa, Álvaro, Pablo, Rocio, Esteban, y Brittany (she´s an American here from New Paltz--how weird?!).

So we ended up going to this place that has 1 euro food and drinks but is always completely packed on miercoles b.c. of the promotion. Anyways, we hung out there and I got to know some of them and once we ate, we left and went to another bar in Santa Cruz, another barrio (neighborhood) behind la Catedral. That place was also packed but there was room to breathe, so we stayed and I got to know some of the other people better too. Steven (Esteban) is actually studying to be a pilot and leaving to go to Dayton Beach this summer. Two of the girls, Rocio and Rosa are going to Inglaterra to be au pairs too. Pablo is OBSESSED with America and sang me the national anthem, God Bless America, and any othe rpatriot or R&B song (Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion??) you could think of. Anyways, they invited me to go out with thme on Friday to a discoteca (club), which was pretty exciting.

So after parting, I met up with my roommate and at the bocadillo (sandwich) our housemom had prepared for me in another restaurant. My roommate was with a bunch of people from our program and some guys studying in Portugal so then I met a bunch of them and talked all in Spanish until we left. It was pretty funny though since only one of them knew Spanish (he was from Spain). The others were from Brazil (¡¡!!). One of them told me that he´s working on learning French but doesn;t need to learn Spanish because he already understands everything since it´s a mix between the two, and we talked for a while. The one who was Spanish said that I spoke well and it was really fun having a lengthy conversation with him. And then the other one--I kept forgetting that he didn;t speak Spanish, but I was in Spanish mode so I´d say something and keep talking and then realize that I needed to speak in English (they all knew English of course--everyone does or is trying too!).

Last Wednesday, was a busy day--I also had a private tutorial with Pedro, one of the guys from the office, and I visited el Museo de Bellas Artes with ISA on a guided tour. The musuem was good but long and a lot to take in all in Spanish. Our guide was really nice but spoke soo fast and the art was all very religious and redundant after a while (for me). The tutorial was really helpful-just more practice with reflexive verbs, indirect and direct object pronouns--FUN stuff. I was worried about my pronunciation but Pedro told me it was fine but what I do need to work on --and what I learned that night--is that I just need more confidence. So I´ll work on that too!

ay! miércoles!

Cosas interesantes

So many of the things that I find funny or "unusual" here are usually nuances so I`m just going to list some of them:

• When people go shopping (older women for groceries), they have these rolly shopping bags/carts, which are kind of funny, but obviously practical since they´re walking pretty far and stopping at a bunch of places
• The only heat we have in our piso (apartment) is in the kitchen under the table so when we sit down for our meals, we plug the "table" in (its attached in the center of the middle) and use the table cloth as a blanket to keep the heat on us. so now whenever i sit down at the table (even when i don't want the heat), I automatically use the tablecloth as a blanket.
• In a lot of places, there are signs that say not to throw the toilet paper in the toilet. in fact, in many places, there isn;t any toilet paper at all for women. at the fútbol stadium, they didn;t even have a toilet paper holder. they're not even frontin'.
• It's very unusual to get food without a bebida or refresco. There;s always beer or café or soda. always.
• There's pretty much no censorship on t.v. During daytime television, I saw breasts and heard people shouting curses. Fina (my host mom) tells me it's because Socialists are in power. :)
• And yea, people smoke here everywhere--even if it says no smoking. many times when I leave my classes, I walk out into hallways that smell like someone was smoking right there because they probably were. They're trying to pass a law to change this, but I don't think it will really work because there's a much greater sense of "lawless-ness" here. I don't know quite how to explain it but there just aren't as many consequences(?) for doing things "illegal" or "incorrect" here because it just doesn't seem that important. I'm not quite sure how to describe it.
  

FOTOS!

vale vale vale

FOTOS are up on facebook from the past couple of weeks including: my trip to Ronda, el partido de fútbol entre España y Inglaterra, a day in el parque María Luisa, Plaza de España en Sevilla, y claro, CARNAVAL.

random photos

three of these are from Madrid and the one in the bottom left is the cathedral in Toledo.

there´s got to be a better way to do this but until then...