I wish I could say I was writing this from the airplane ride home from Spain. But that would be a lie. I am on an airplane, however. But I am flying to a friend’s wedding in Kentucky. I have been home for 5 days and it has been a sweet reunion with the United States to say the least. These following few posts are not for the faint at heart…prepare yourself to hear my ramblings of what I learned in my time abroad and advice I would impart to those living overseas.
Quick updates of the last week in Spain:
The one and only LESLIE HALL came to Sevilla for two nights with some of her best friends from high school and it was so fun to be able to spend time with her in my favorite city. She is still traveling around Europe and having so many adventures, but it was such a treat to be able to hang out with all of our mutual friends we have here in Spain and catch up and laugh together.
Leslie and Lizzard are bestiez from Tampa. So fun to all be together!
Moments before our sad goodbye with Lizzard (yes, two z's)
We celebrated FERIA DE ABRIL: A huge festival in Sevilla celebrating spring and flamenco dancing. The Spaniards live for their festivals, and this is the largest one in Sevilla, so it is basically an excuse for a massive party that lasts all week. There are casetas (tents) set up that are privately owned by prestigious Spanish families that have to be reserved years in advance. These are not “tents” in any traditional sense of the word. They reminded me of the tent in Harry Potter (Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows, because it is the SAME tent if you will remember) that magically extended once you went inside of it. These tents had walls, hanging lights, paintings, flat screen tv’s, bars, dance floors, stages, and sometimes they even had live bands inside. As you walk through the twinkle lights strewn streets with authentic flamenco dancing happening all around you, you feel like you are in some alternate universe. There is also a section that is similar to a theme park with lots of fun rides and carnival games…the works.
You could barely walk through the streets without being stopped by impromptu flamenco breakouts.
One of the smaller casetas
Poor kids...they were probably out later than me. This photo was taken around midnight.
A larger caseta..needless to say, we did not get invited in.
It wouldn't be Feria de Abril without gofres con chocolate! (chocolate covered waffles)
Little B with Stewie. Captured mid spin.
The last few days in Sevilla were a whirlwind of emotions, sad goodbyes, and last hoorah’s. The week started off with a seemingly catastrophic event: my hard drive finally kicked it and crashed completely. To someone who is obsessed with taking pictures (and who had promised thousands of pictures to people in my program), this is the worst thing that could happen at the end of my four months abroad. By the grace of God, Mackenzie had gotten about 80% of all my pictures on her computer too, so have no fear; I did not lose everything (besides endless hours of uploading, organizing, and editing).
Last Thursday was Mackenzie’s Birthday and we celebrated by doing a “Perfect day in Sevilla” which included some of our favorite activities or things we had always wanted to try. Our schedule for the day was as follows: wake up early for our last run by the Rio Guadalquivir, café con leche at the Yellow Roof Top Bar on the water, shop for ceramics, lunch at Mama Mia’s (a restaurant that is so close to our heart), grab a quick Rayas gelato, paddle boats/photo shoot on the river, and drinks at the one and only Java Café. It was such a special day because it combined so many things we love about the city, with so many of the people who have touched our lives along the way. God was more than faithful this semester in providing rich friendships, and I don’t know what my semester would have looked like without the community I had. Mackenzie and I ended the night by doing something we had talked about all semester. You see, every day we walk over the Puente de Triana (the Triana bridge) which overlooks the Rio Guadalquivir. We feel a sense of ownership/loyalty to our barrio (neighborhood), and it is a place we have both grown to love. On this bridge you can find padlocks inscribed with initials or dates as a symbol of an unbreakable bond. (Most people who put locks on the bridge are couples, but we decided that it could symbolize a bond of friendship as well). We had talked all semester about putting a lock on the bridge, and that night, we did it! We wrote: "Faithful (Isaiah 43)” on one side, and “MR 13-5-11” on the other. God’s faithfulness has been the theme of our time here and MR is obviously for Mackenzie and Rachel with the (Spanish style) date of course.
There's Mary, Lindsay, and Betsy off in the distance on their paddle boat.
So we did some trial runs on the cement ledge....
The trip home was a teary and arduous one. I spent over 36 hours traveling and the first thing I noticed when I arrived in the JFK airport in New York was how friendly and nice everyone was. I am so used to not smiling, being polite, or saying excuse me, so I was somewhat taken aback when the airport personnel looked me in the eyes and greeted me with a grin. When I arrived home, my family was there waiting with signs, flowers, and tears. (My favorite sign was my dad’s, which read, “WE R UR FANS”…he wanted people to think I was famous?) We headed home to a deliciously cooked homemade meal of enchiladas, salsa, guacamole, beans, and chips. My friends came over later and we all were treated to homemade blueberry cobbler with blue bell ice cream (and my mom made some extra cookies and lemon squares just in case). I don’t really remember much of that night, my internal clock was so confused and my body had begun to shut down. I took a hot shower (I think? I honestly feel like I blacked out part of the night) and had never been so thankful to snuggle up in my own bed.
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