Being a Tourist in Your Temporary Home

Time is an abstract concept. Not to get all deep here, but it truly is. Different places perceive time differently, and Spain is no different.

To give an example -

• The United States is a very time oriented society. We don't like waiting in lines, we don't like it when our food takes a long time to get here, and not being on time is a sign of not respecting other's time. **bracing myself for the comments about my frequent tardiness to social events**

• Ecuador is not time oriented at all. When I first arrived in Ecuador, within the first two hours we were on a bus stuck in stand still traffic on a two lane road for the next 6 hours because a truck had gotten stuck on a bridge. So what did we do? We got off the bus, walked to the nearest town, got lunch, explored, and met the bus when it came through. No big deal. Event pictured to the right.

• Spain is somewhere in between. For class, you are expected to be on time. Work I assume is the same way. Meals though, they are another game. Going to a restaurant can easily be a two hour adventure. You order drinks, and after awhile they come, and then you order food, and it usually takes bit to get that as well, but once you do, you aren't rushed away when you finish. In fact, they expect you to stay for awhile. There is a word in Spanish, "Sobremesa," which literally means the time that you spend chatting with friends after a meal. Spending hours at the table eating is completely normal, and is in fact expected.

• This is fantastic, until you plan your day down to the minute like I do, and want to grab a "quick lunch." No such thing exists. Getting the waiter to give you the check can be a 20-30 minute process. This is even the case at McDonalds.

This is a concept I've become very aware of in the past three weeks I've been here, and I truly love it. The time spent with people is considered far more valuable here than the time spent working or getting from one place to another. Spain's culture is extremely relational, and I'm finding it very easy to adapt to.

Week in Review

Travels:

As I mentioned, I traveled to Ronda and Setenil last weekend. Both of these places were "preciosa" (precious) according to Fina, my host mom, and she was, of course, right.

Our trip was a little wet, as the forecast was not exactly in our favor, but this did not impair us from having a great time. We were soaked by the time we arrived back in Sevilla, but it was all worth it.

The first stop was in Ronda, and let me tell you this place was one-of-a-kind. Known as the City of Romance, Ronda has a history of being pretty much like all of the fairy tale books, with Kings and Queens, cops and robbers, bull fighting (not sure which story book that was), and delicious food. The biggest attraction was "Puente Nuevo" or New Bridge. This bridge isn't exactly new, as it was built in the 18th century, but it was still a beautiful sight to see, and thankfully the clouds subsided for a bit to give us a great view.

Our second city was Setenil, and I wished we could have spent hours there on a sunny day. It was a cute little mountain town, with architecture like no other. Instead of having free standing structures like most places, the natives used the land as their houses. They would carve into the mountain and make the back of their houses, essentially only building one wall on the front to close the area in. Not the best insulated, but considering it gets to about 120 degrees there in the summer, it's a great way to stay cool.

Soggy and all, we had a great trip with We Love Spain travel company, and are excited about traveling with them again to Carnival in Cadiz in a few short weeks.

I also was able to tour the Alcazar Palace this week. It was nice to finally get to visit my future home.

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School (lol):

I am now only taking 4 classes as opposed to the original 5. I dropped Spanish Conversation because it was not a conversation based class as I was hoping, but rather a vocab-memorizing course, which I was not interested in. I have sense spent my time watching my favorite show Allí Abajo (excellent for learning local colloquialisms), reading my book of the month La Joven de la Perla, and will start volunteering at an elementary school next week. All things I believe will better my language skills.

My Middle Eastern Studies professor, Olga Torres, has quickly moved up on the list of my favorite people. She speaks 5 languages, teaches at UIMP, is a guest lecturer at other universities all over Europe on her days off, ohh - and she also advises the Spanish army on their foreign relations with the Middle East, something she casually mentioned during class yesterday. Plus she also has a killer fashion sense. Extreme goals.

My Jews, Muslims, and Christian studies professor, Carolina, said something very profound last week that I found interesting. She said, "Don't ever feel unwelcome here. People will criticize your government and your ways, but they all want to be just like you. They listen to your music, watch your movies, and wear your clothes. Don't let them fool you." I could go on for pages about this, and another time I will, but it was very reassuring for an American to get this reassurance from a local. It's sometimes hard traveling with an American identity, and having the reassurance of a local that we were in fact welcome by the people here made me feel a lot more at home.

Home:

Fina taught me to make croquetas! This is a yummy and traditional Spanish dish of grinded meat covered in flour, egg, and bread crumbs. Sounds not super appetizing, but don't you worry, it is. She has promised to teach me many more dishes, and I anticipate bringing them back to the states.

Also dryers are not a regular house item here in Sevilla because it's usually so hot, so we hang all of our clothes on the drying lines outside. But it's been rainy the past few days. So clothes in the wash are still outside. There are worse things.

Spiritual Life:

I read the books of Ephesians and Philippians this week. I've kind of just decided to go through the New Testament, reading Paul's letters to various churches. Highlights:

• Do everything without grumbling (Phil 2:14-16). Being in Spain, it's amazing to think I'd grumble, but there are times where I tend to want to do my own thing, and not what I am called to do. This was a nice reminder to get back on track.

• Think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil 4:8). Living halfway across the globe is at times difficult, and it is sometimes easy to get down on yourself, especially when your main friend group here is not in your travel group for the weekend :(. This verse reminded me to focus my thoughts on the glory of the Lord, and less on my own problems. Works out better this way.

This weekend I will travel with school to Cordoba and Granada. I anticipate an excellent weekend at both places, and I've heard rumors that certain friends from home will be there as well, so that's very exciting. Check out the "Pictures and Such" tab for new photos and videos taken on my brother's GoPro.

Every week is a learning experience, and I thank you to all of you who reach out and encourage me throughout the week. It is always lovely to hear from friends and family, and knowing I am in your prayers is always a great comfort on this adventure.

Peace and Blessings.

p.s. Happy Birthday to one of my homies Brianna, who finally turned 21. Way to go baby.