Words aren’t necessary

I have an internship in a Spanish café which deserves its own special post but, I have a coworker named Carlos whom I get along with so well. From day one we clicked - me with my little Spanish and him and his few English words. He really understood me and my sarcasm without a common language to really a communicate with. Carlos and I both agreed who were the annoying clients in our café and who we thought was strange. All of this with pointing, grunting and rolling of eyes and I learned a whole new set of vocabulary I would have never learned in school. With the help of Carlos I learned so much about Spanish sayings and I actually had a genuine friend too. He took me to meet his friends and to travel to bars
It was also the same for my host mother and sister. I have never felt so connected to people who don’t even speak the same language. My host mom and I get along so well and we only have observations and trial and error. I really enjoy just sitting in the room with my host mother and just talking to her and asking her questions that spring off of my basic questions. She is so full of joy and always willing to help me learn and practice my Spanish.
I have learned that words are not always necessary and sometimes not even needed. All that you need to understand another person is patience. This is a virtue and always quoted and in actuality is the basis of understanding. I now know that I will take this new thought process with me and try to instill that more in my American way of life.

Things I love about Spain/Things I dislike abut Spain

Things I love about Spain:
Walking everywhere
Olive oil
Public transportation
Siestas
Conservation of resources
Things I dislike abut Spain:
Walking everywhere
Olive oil
Public transportation
Siestas
Conservation of resources
It is funny how everything you love can be everything you hate at the same time. I really love the cultural differences and how I have learned to adapt to another lifestyle. I think a common misconception about studying abroad is that you either hate or love your country and your experience. I have learned that I love balance. I do enjoy walking everywhere but I miss my car. I wish there were more options to have better public transportation in Dallas and that I could pick between both instead of just driving. I also enjoy the wonderful benefits of conserving resources such as light, electricity, and water. Although I wish that the hot water was always on instead of having to turn the gas on or maybe I could take a shower longer then 15 minutes. I must say I do enjoy the accessibility of recycling. Here in Seville there are always bins right in front of your face so recycling is so easy to do here. In the states it often hard to harder to recycle if you live in an apartment or live outside of the pick up zone. We had bin at Tech but there was that conspiracy about it just being in appearance and they really threw the recycling in the trash! I really like olive oil it 's good for you but, what about variety I like corn oil too! Siestas are nice but what if I wanted a yellow double-sided highlighter between the hours of 2-6pm not a possibility here. I love how at home I can run in to a store open 24hrs a day whenever I want. The first thing I will do that first week I return home will be to go to my favorite stores between the hours of 2-6pm. I love Spain and hate Spain it all at the same time. I am grateful for this experience and will miss it dearly... but, I will be the person to offer to drive when get back to the states!

Can you hear me now?

Today I experienced the joy of waiting for an hour in a Spanish mobile phone store. To my surprise the notion of “the customer comes first” is only an American thing. Service and money are not directly linked in Spain. They serve you when they want to serve you. Waiting in line is not organized and you better hope that they saw your face and remember when you came in. I am used to waiting in line at a phone store, as a slave to my contract. At least at home they treat me like I am their most valued customer. People come in, look at the line and choose to leave or stay. In my experience there is normally more than one worker at the store but it takes two of them to process an order. It is a very time consuming ordeal, and a visit to the phone store is never fun but one is Spain can be excruciating.

I have waited for hours in the states at the Sprint Store and if given the choice between that and waiting in Spain – I would choose Sprint every time. This is only because you can yell at them in English and they will quickly try to resolve the issue. Not the case in Spain -you yell, they say “It’s not my fault” and nothing gets resolved. Let it be known that Spaniards argue all of the time about everything. What I miss most about the states is that employees address you based on priority and not who is closer to the desk. But Spanish mobile phone companies did get one thing right: You can buy whatever phone you please with no contract! Thanks Sprint for binding me for two years with roaming fees…

Semana Santa

This past week has been Semana Santa, a weeklong celebration for the death and resurrection of Christ. It begins on Palm Sunday and ends with Resurrection Sunday. Semana Santa is celebrated all throughout Spain; the country is a Catholic Nation. The celebration is especially big in Seville. I was here for the whole week of Semana Santa and I saw the main attraction which is the viewing of the pasos. Pasos are like large lifelike scenes depicting the last days of Christ’s life. The Pasos are mounted on large decorated (piece of?)Wood and adorned with gold or silver and these are the center pieces in processions of men and women dressed in hooded attire to hide their identity.
I never have experienced anything like Semana Santa in my life. In Spain I am considered a protestant and the celebrations for Easter time greatly differ in the states. Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) I went out with my tutor and her family to watch the Pasos. Domingo de Ramos in Seville is a sight to see: everyone is dressed up in their Sunday best. Café and bars across all of Seville are open to cater to the tired, hungry, and thirsty from watching the Pasos. Everyone is out and the whole city is filled with young and old walking the streets following the pasos. There are tons of people walking the streets, watching and waiting for the pasos. This routine continues throughout the week until Thursday when the all night processions begin. You can literally view processions from 4pm Thursday afternoon until 4pm Friday. Saturday there are more pasos to watch and Sunday the big day. The day Christ rose from the dead monumental for Christians. Nothing happens. No pasos. No people dressed up in there Sunday finest. A football game was on that day and everyone was dressed up in their finest reds and white for Seville. No mention of Jesus Cristo or la Virgin Maria. I realized then I do not really understand the catholic nation of Spain. :D