I'll meet you in the morning // when everyone is sleeping...

Here's a few highlights of the week:

Abraham decorated CIEE for Halloween this week. And not just a few pumpkins. We are talking a lifesize coffin, fake bats hanging from the ceilings, large photos of typical Halloween icons, and fake blood for the Language police. CIEE never ceases to surprise me.

Frankenstein, etc. hanging from the ceilings.
In the bottom left corner you can see part of the life-size coffin.

Fake spider webs and ravens everywhere...

Spiders and bats hanging from some the center of the patio.

Yesterday I visited la Casa de Pilatos, which is basically just a gorgeous private house in Sevilla that was converted to a museum because the owners have such an intense collection of sculptures. The house is gorgeous and every room is named after an element of the Passion of Christ.

I finally managed to snap a picture of our good looking tour guide, Alejandro. You can't help but start singing Lady Gaga every time you see him ;)

Absolutely beautiful ceramics EVERYWHERE

Last but not least, the weather has been getting colder here. At 7 PM its only 75 degrees. Rough life, right? However, since our houses are designed to stay cool (because of the heat during the summer) it has been pretty chilly inside. Thus, my señora recently whipped out her latest tool to fight the cold (after the warmer clothing, robe, blankets)...

She thought it was so funny that I was confused when she first brought it out. Then she proceeded to tell me I needed to take a picture of it. So this one's for you Marguerite, now everyone knows how you keep your feet warm :)

I'll meet you in the morning, when everyone is sleeping //
I'll meet you in the evening, when my soul is tired...
And everyday, your name is on my lips //
Everyday, your mercy is holding me up...

For the past (almost) two months, I have watched the sun rise on my way to class. Monday through Thursday, whether I'm cold or filled with a warm fuzzy feeling, tired or brimming with the excitement of the day, as I put one foot in front of the other I get to watch the most beautiful skies be painted right in front of my eyes.

This semester I have had time to just be. I have had time to enjoy the world around me in a different way. I watch the sun rise, I linger over meals, I go out with friends on 'school nights'. I have had time to "Be still and know that I am God." (Yes Hope friends, I just caught up the BE chapel on my podcasts.)

Often when walking around Sevilla, my friend Molly comments the same thing to me: "The sky is definitely bluer here." And as a look up to see a sky that seems sapphire or cerulean, I can't help but agree. Every day and every night the sky is such an incredible color that I don't even want to photograph it. Some days I'm afraid someone will reduce Sevilla to its photos. And although they are an excellent way to share my experiences, it doesn't explain what it smells like or feels like to be walking down the street.

This past Monday when Molly commented about the color of the sky, I thought to myself, Do I even know what the sky in Holland or Hershey looks like on a daily basis? Probably not. In Holland I'm too absorbed in my to-do list or watching out for ice on the side-walk so I don't face plant. In Hershey I rarely walk places unless everyone else is out and I have responsibility for Sookie.

"Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living."
- Miriam Beard

I'm trying to prepare myself for next semester. I know the culture shock will be so much worse returning home and to school than it was adjusting to the leisurely lifestyle here. So dear Hope friends, if you see me rushing to class, looking down at the sidewalk next semester, please remind me to take a moment to check how blue the sky is that day.

Be.

Una mezcla

Time has honestly been flying. I remember when I was a freshman in high school, sitting in one of my classes the week before finals wondering where the year went. Now I am a junior in college, seriously (okay not that seriously - yet...) thinking about life after graduation and wondering where all this time has gone. I know all of you adults are thinking, "Preach it to the choir honey," but you should know by now that us young people rarely believe what you tell us until we experience it ourselves. So I just thought I'd let you know that I get it now. And its kind of a bummer.

But lets not dwell on how much time I don't have left in this beautiful city, let's instead recount what I've been doing with my life this week :)

More homework:

I have finished my first Spanish novel, Nada. 299 pages, more than half of it without a dictionary! I'm also in the process of finishing a play, La Lola se va a los puertos, of which I have 50 of the 190 pages left.

Meeting with my interest group:

I'm not sure how they got a group of 15 college students into a teeny tiny room for a theater improv session. They had us dancing around like idiots and growling and pretending to wash each other's hair. For a while I thought it was all a joke and they were secretly just videotaping us so they could laugh at us later. But then our CIEE prof jumped in and I realized that no, they had just bribed us with a free trip to Madrid if we attend a certain number of these activities. No pasa nada though... since the activity happened over dinner it gave Molly and I reason to go to our secret bar for croquetas, jajaja.

Outings:

Wednesday afternoon I went to la Cartuja, a building with a rather interesting history. It was originally a monastery, but was later converted to a factory for the Ceramics of Sevilla. It is now an important government building for the entrance of political figures into Sevilla, but functions as a modern art building. Yeahhhh.

La Cartuja

Samples of different ceramic designs made in the factory

Modern art in the monastery

It was really interesting to see the contrast of the modern art in the old rooms. However Sevilla is full of these contrasts: the tram that runs right past the Cathedral, the hundreds of people who botellón in front of the Torre del Oro, college classes in an old tobacco factory, the list goes on.

Thursday night Molly and I went out with her intercambio Ramón and some of his friends. It was fun to just hang out and chat, especially since most of his friends didn't know much English. It took us awhile to explain the concept of nerd to them but after awhile I'm pretty sure they understood. I had been nervous that I wouldn't be able to have legitimate conversations with them because of my limited understanding of the language, but so far it hasn't provided the same barrier I expected. Social norms and phrases are still a work in progress but I'm learning every day.

Friday night we went to see a movie with my friend Nadia from my dance class. We saw Amador, which had an intriguing mix of comical and serious elements. Afterward we went to a cafe and sat and chatted until about 2 AM, when Nadia invited us to come meet up with her friends. Unfortunately Molly and I do not have the Spaniard stamina and had to decline the offer this time around. We got back from an 'early night' at 3 AM.

Since I doubt any of you are going to be watching a Spanish film any time soon, I'll give you a brief synopsis. The main character, Yolanda, takes a summer job caring for an old man to pay for an unexpected pregnancy by her long-term boyfriend. The old man dies shortly into the film, but because she hasn't told her boyfriend about the pregnancy, she needs the money and doesn't tell the daughter he has died. Instead she continually goes to the pharmacy to pick up his pills, brings a ridiculous number of flowers from her boyfriend's flower business to cover the stench, and works on finishing his puzzle. The only other person who knows is the old man's long time hooker, a rather comical 50 year old española. At the end of the movie, the daughter and her husband come to the apartment and admit they knew he was dead, but decided to go along with it so they could keep receiving his pension to finish the construction of their new house. I'm sure this doesn't really do it proper justice but at least it explains the rather peculiar plot. We all really enjoyed it... especially since Molly and I could understand it!

Saturday night was a night in to rejuvenate from the beginning of the weekend and get some homework done. I also watched Encantada (Enchanted) with my señora :) I'm happy to say the Disney quality was maintained with the Spanish voice-overs.

Today we went to Córdoba, a city less than 2 hours from Sevilla along the Guadalquivir. Córdoba is known for its historical peacefulness within the three main cultures of Spain: the Christians, the Muslims, and the Jews. The main attraction, the World Heritage Site of the cathedral, is actually the first mosque in Spain that was later converted. Thus I've learned a lot about it in my Islamic art class and was excited to see it in real life!

La Mezquita Mayor of Córoba
...techinally the Cathedral of Córdoba

The Mezquita is the only mosque that isn't orientated towards Mecca. It is instead oriented towards Damascos, the city in Syria where the Abderramán I fled from after his entire family (Omeya) was killed.

El bosque de columnas (The forest of columns)

The alternation of colors and decoration of the mosque was an artistic decision to make the mosque seem much larger than it really was. This was a sign of power of Abderramán I, after being exiled from Damascos. However after expansion by Abderramán II and III, it is now the second largest mosque in the world.

Mihrab

Today, however, the mosque is now a cathedral and is thus filled with Christian paintings and tiny chapels. There is even a cathedral built in the center of the mosque. Because of this contrast in religions within the building, it is a completely unique monument and is an accurate representation of the history of the cultures in the city.

Altar of the cathedral

Honestly, as I was walking through the building, it was difficult to comprehend. To the left and right of the cathedral were the repetitive arches and columns of which the majority of the mosque consisted.

Transition of cathedral area into mosque area

Overall, because of the impressive integration of cultures Córdoba is nominated as one of the cities to be the capital of European Culture in 2016. How cool is that? I love that the peaceful coexistence of these cultures could be recognized so distinctly in all of Europe.

Last but not least, Córdoba is known for some unique tapas, which of course we had to try...

Fried eggplant with honey

Thicker than gazpacho, served with ham and eggs

Ta-ta for now,
Much love from Spain.