To Vale or not to Vale

*Vale – a Spanish colloquialism that roughly translates to “okay” or “alright,” but is often used in many more contexts that don’t fit that mold at all.

Disclosure: When we arrived, our program directors insisted that we use this word in order to sound like true Sevillians. At dinner the first night I mentioned this to my host mother and she said it was a filler word the young people used and to avoid it because it was bad grammar. So the conflict begins.

This place often feels like it is out of a fairy tale book.

When we first arrived in Sevilla, I knew it was going to be pretty, but what I didn’t realize was how truly magnificent it is. For starters, every tree lining the streets is filled with oranges, to the point it looks like we are walking through a fruit farm. There are castle-esk structures on every corner, horse drawn carriages on the roads, and parks created for a romantic comedy scene.

Spain is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.

There is too much to talk about in a narrative, so I’ve broken my basics down into categories for your perusing pleasure.

Mi Casa es Su Casa - Home Life

I am living in an apartment in the Triana district. It is right next to the bridge, meaning fairly easy access to most things around the city.

My host parents are Fina and Diego, and they are everything I could have hoped for in a host family. They have had over 20 study abroad students, so they know what’s up. Their son also met his current girlfriend after she stayed with them for study abroad – so needless to say they are very well versed in the students lifestyles.

Fina is a fantastic cook, and she cooks Dre, my roommate from North Carolina, and me elaborate and delicious authentic Spanish meals. For dinner we all sit around a table with a heater under it (very common in Spanish households) and watch my new favorite show Allí Abajo. Everything we eat is fresh, and Fina insists on that. She also insists I don’t eat enough, even when I’ve had seconds.

One of my goals was to learn how to cook a Spanish meal, and so far I’ve got at least breakfast down. “Pan con Tomate,” is a fairly common breakfast, and one of my favorites. It’s toasted bread, olive oil, a slice of tomato and a sprinkle of salt. Very simple, but also very filling. Accompanying this is freshly squeezed orange juice (seriously, we have a juicer we use to make OJ), some tea, and sometimes a chocolate cereal with a fitness lady on the box attempting to convince me it’s healthy.

Apparently I’m expected to study – Overview of School

I attend Universidad de Menezes y Paleyo, an international school downtown Sevilla. The building is old Spanish architecture and has been remodeled inside to have classrooms. It’s lovely, and there is a courtyard right outside where a lot of students wait in between classes.

My schedule has been in shambles for the past few days, but I think I have gotten it all figured out. Despite all of the advisors insisting I just take a summer class, I am taking 5 classes instead of 4 in order to have the right amount of credits for my scholarships. It happens.

The classes I’m taking:

• A Spanish Conversation - taught in Spanish, focusing on the Spanish political set up and also some Spanish grammar.

• Spanish Culture – taught in Spanish, focusing on customs in Spain.

• Al-Andalus, Jews, Muslims and Christianity – taught in English, focusing on the cultures of the Jews, Muslims and Christians in Spain. An extremely fascinating course, but is has homework which automatically drops it down to 4 stars.

• Unpacking the Middle East – taught in English, this class is taught by an extremely intelligent petite woman named Ulga who clearly learned English from the UK. This class is exactly what you think it would be, and extremely enlightening.

• Intercultural Marketing – taught in English, a class about management in other cultures and how to bridge them together to make a cohesive team.

Night classes are a much more popular concept for all students here, and therefore most of my classes are in the afternoon/night time. I do have a lovely break (which I am currently enjoying) from 4p.m. to 6p.m. where I go down to el Parque de Maria Luiza and La Plaza de España to relax and do homework.

**Plaza de España is where a scene from Star Wars Attack of the Clones was filmed, reenacted here by myself and my lovely friend Catherine who was visiting from Valencia.

I walk past this place every day on the way to school.

I’m not alone - Friends

Surprise surprise - I have indeed made some great friends here. I’m not going to list them as to not forget any, but my program is filled with a lot of great people. I also have a lot of friends who are also studying abroad as well, so I get the pleasure of hanging out with them, giving a nice reminder of home.

“Let us not become weary in doing good” - Spiritual Life

- Galatians 6:9

Last Sunday I attended mass at the la Catedral de Sevilla with my friends Bailey and Katie. The service bounced back and forth between Spanish and Latin, so we had a somewhat difficult time understanding it. Overall though, the cathedral was an amazing place to worship, and regardless on prior thoughts about the sensibility of cathedrals financially, it was a great reminder of God’s majesty.

I also just finished reading the book of Galatians in the New Testament, and was somewhat surprised by the forwardness of Paul in his letters. I found him to be very critical, and not as uplifting as he was in other texts. So it goes, I also understand that we need to be critical of each other as Christians in order to make us stronger – as iron sharpens iron.

The influence of Christianity, Muslims and Jews in this area is quite unlike any other place I’ve seen. Much of the architecture has been conquered from group to group and has shaped the outlook of religion in the city. I’ll be sure to fill in that gap more as I learn more this semester.

"Ohh the Places You'll Go" - Travel Plans

This weekend I plan to stay in Sevilla for Friday and Saturday. I feel as if it is too early to leave the city for a long period of time yet, as there is so much to be explored here. I want to ensure that I know the in’s and out’s of the city before discovering other places.

Sunday we are planning on taking a day trip to Ronda, a city about an hour away with lots of ancient Roman ruins and a beautiful countryside view. My host mom says its “muy linda” (very pretty).

Orange is the new Red - Communication

To those who I said I was not changing my phone number and that it would be the same, I am sincerely sorry as I have misinformed you. My number has changed to an international number with a Spanish company called Orange. If you’ve texted me I AM NOT ignoring you – but to actually get in contact please switch to WhatsApp (an app, using the same phone number as before), Facebook messenger, or email.

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Study abroad is a fascinating experience like I’ve never had before. I am learning new and sometimes-revolutionary things everyday, and it is forcing me to question how I perceive the world in a positive way. God has been so very good to me.

Thank you for your continued prayers as I continue on this journey. If you would like to receive these blog updates in your inbox, simply scroll down and put your email in the subscribe box. I only send emails when there is a new post and that is a promise.

Peace and Blessings.