No me ha dejado. She has not deserted me.

Now that it is the last week in September, I have finally finished my first week of classes. Poor students in the United States who have been in classes for a month already. Do I pity you? No. Because I have been there done that for the past two years with a schedule so heavy I had to trick the registrar into letting me do it. However, do I recommend that every single student takes a break from that to study abroad? Absolutely. Don't think twice.

Here's a brief summary of my classes so far:

Flamenco in Andalusia: Culture, Language, Music, and Dance (CIEE)
Fan-freaking-tastic. My profesor isn't the typical intellectual type, rather she has grown up within the Flamenco culture. Her dad was a famous flamenco singer, her brother is a guitarist, and her mom was a dancer. Although the class is more historically based than learning to do flamenco, we have already learned the different forms of clapping and practiced some of the basic rhythms. We all had to try the open clap and she told me "Buena cueva!" (Good cave!). There is a specific curve to the hand you have to have to get the resonating sound and I guess all the Eurhythmics (ughhhh) and tap (yayyyy) experience I have helped me to catch on pretty quickly.

Women Writers in the 20th Century (CIEE)
Honestly, I have never been in an environment that discussed feminism so its been very enlightening so far. My professor isn't extreme but she is very helpful in putting the norms of the country into perspective. The first few weeks I used to feel intimidated by the beautiful women that fill the streets with perfect hair, gorgeous clothes, thin bodies, and 4 inch stiletto heels (on cobblestone nonetheless). Now, in part, I feel sorry for them because this is what is expected, even required, of them. I can't imagine what it would be like to have never left the house wearing a sweatshirt. The patriarchal society in Spain is still very strong and there is historically little room for women's rights. The recent Franco dictatorship pushed women to having at least 12 children and its obvious from some of the catcalls on the street that women are still regards as objects (or baby-popping machines) in society.

Islamic Art in Spain (University)
Because Spain was controlled by an Islamic population prior to the Spanish Inquisition, there are huge Islamic artistic influences in the city. Even after the Inquisition, the Catholic kings and queens built their castles incorporating the intricate Islamic artwork and architecture. Luckily, my professor really understands the incorporation of personal experience with learning; he has a mini field trip in Sevilla planned for almost every other week, some of which aren't open to the public. He also wants to incorporate other elements such as food (YES!), music, etc. to give us the best possible understanding of the culture.

Introduction to Spanish Literature: The Middle Ages
So far, this is my least favorite class. Of course its also the only one I really need to fulfill a particular course in my Spanish major. Otherwise I would have to take Introduction to Literature at Hope after taking the upper level literature courses, which I do not want to do. My professor has a really thick accent and seems pretty intense. On our first day we wrote a short essay about the future of printed books to hand in, which he gave back to us, corrected, today. He's really enthusiastic about the class though, even if most of the other students are spacing out the majority of the time. I'm sure it will get better once we get past the introductory information though and get farther into studying the literature.

So all in all, I'm very happy. I've heard some horror stories about some other professors so if I only have doubts about one class, I think I'm in great shape. PLUS, students who have stayed at my señora's house in the past have taken the same classes as me so most of my books are just sitting in my room waiting to be used. I need to buy two but they are regular books so I can't imagine that it will be more than 50 euros total. Slightly different than my $851 book bill last fall.

On Tuesday I went on a visit with my Interest Group to a church that houses one of the major floats for Semana Santa. It was a good summary of the information but since I was actually here for Semana Santa in high school it wasn't quite as exciting. I ended up switching groups to one about performance which should be pretty cool.

Virgin Mary with Jesus

One of the floats entering the Cathedral (Semana Santa 2007)

In other news, Wednesday was a country wide general strike in Spain. Classes were canceled at the University, businesses were closed, and we were told to remain in our houses or neighborhoods as much as possible. Sevilla is a really calm city so our protest consisted mostly of a big parade with flags and people hanging out, eating bocadillos instead of going to work. One of the younger Spainiards at CIEE told me that in Sevilla a strike is basically an excuse to sleep in and not go to work. However, the protests were way more intense in bigger cities like Madrid, where roads were shut down, police cars were on fire, and people were getting arrested.

Signs covering the windows and walls on all the businesses, even Starbucks!

Strikers filling the Plaza... Me staying clear of the crowd

After navigating the crowds from the strike, I returned home to a lunch with my señora, her 4 children, their husbands/wives, and their children. 14 Spainiards + Amber = 4 hours of nodding and smiling while trying to figure out who was involved in which conversation. It was like Amber being at Jackie's family's dinner table x 1000000000000. Never thought that was possible ;) After the first two hours conversation was a little more directed and I was able to follow much better. Overall, it was challenging but a great experience. And Mom, I just want you to know that my señora managed to navigate her tiny kitchen to when 6 other adults followed her in to help. No more complaining about people in your kitchen at Christmas!

Now as a last side note, I want to share a pretty cool tidbit of information I read in one of my guide books on the bus last weekend...


This is the symbol that covers Sevilla. It is on the bikes, the sidewalks, the buildings, the streetlights, everything. The double-loop symbol in the center represents a skein of wool; the Spanish word for which is madeja. Thus the symbol reads NOmadejaDO. When read aloud it says, "No me ha dejado" (She has not deserted me). These words are attributed to Alfonso the Wise after the city remained loyal to him in the course of a dispute with his son Sancho during the Reconquest.

Although it is early in the semester, I believe this sentiment be the same for me. I can already feel myself changing: I'm more flexible, I'm more open to new ideas, I'm expecting without specific expectations. I know God is using this semester and these experiences to help shape me into the person I will be for the rest of my life. And years down the road I believe I will still be able to say, "No me ha dejado."

In the same way letters from Uncle Jack, Jill, and Nanny have brightened my days with a reminder of home.Talking to family on a weekly basis has kept me involved in their lives from afar. From the best quote finder in the world, Miss Jackie, in week 3 of my note-a-week...

"The art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on." - Henry Ellis

Thank you family for giving me space but still reminding me of your love. Thank you Sevilla for filling every day with a wonderful adventure. I can't wait to see what the rest of the semester brings.