FERIA

Sevilla holds a special place in my heart. It is a magical city. Of course I love it because I studied there and it brings familiarity and I feel comfortable there but lets face it, it is beautiful. As I have said before (and before and before) the orange tree aroma, the river, the buildings... I just love it there. I have struggled with the fact that people here in Motril (or all of Granada province) have a "thing" against Sevilla but I am holding to my strong connection with it.

This past weekend I went for Feria for round 2. It was good to spend more time there this time around, but hombre, it was exhausting. We had beautiful weather and just being in Sevilla again was great. Our 1st night at Feria was great because we had some lovely Sevillanos invite us into their caseta, or "tent" to experience Feria with them and their friends. I was so excited to be back in the groove of Feria with the incredible attire, beautiful music and dancing.

Of course Feria is a blast but it truly is a special cultural experience full of tradition. It is something that is difficult to describe without seeing it for yourself but where else can you find everyone dressed up either in Flamenco dresses, fancy suits, flowers in their hair meanwhile horse carriages wandering the streets, guitars being strummed, and the constant flow of rebujito -- THE feria drink which is a special wine mixed with 7up... it is really unique. Both nights we had people inviting us in (perhaps because we are cute American girls -- key word, girls...) but the whole weekend we were treated so nicely by the Sevillanos.

It was also really nice for me to show Kime my favorite places in Sevilla and a taste of my life while studying there -- since I have talked so much about it to her for so long now!

I am sad that it was probably (or definitely) my last visit to Sevilla for a long, long time but it was a great way to spend my last visit; with good company, FERIA, and sun in a beautiful city!

el tiempo vuela! (time flies!)

Why is it so easy for me to spend hours browsing the internet and yet so hard to sit down and write in my blog? sillyness.

Time has been flying by which is scary. I now have exactly 6 weeks left of school and 7 here in Motril. I am trying to enjoy every moment because I know it is going to go by faster and faster. The past 3 weeks I have been graced with my family's presence. And i might add, SUN! after 3 months of rain, I cannot believe how lucky we were with SUN! SUN! SUN! If I attempted to write about everything we did it would not only take me forever but probably bore you, my dear reader.

Some highlights:

-Pops and I ventured up the windy roads to the town of "Capileira" -- the highest town in Las Alpujarras which are the mountains south of Las Sierras Nevadas; just an hour from me. This town is a beautiful little white village with many trails to explore and vistas to enjoy.

-Mom, Pops, Anna and Oistein and I explored our 1st nudist beach: Playa de los Muertos and Pops enjoyed a brief skinny dip while we enjoyed the incredible view of the Mediterranean.

-We relaxed, cooked yummy meals, and drank Spanish vino y cerveza in our incredible timeshare in Vera/Garrucha.
-My 23rd birthday was spent in Granada showing my family around one of my favorite cities in the world. We walked the streets, saw the view from San Nicolas, spent hours in the incredible Alhambra, experienced a Semana Santa procession, and after some difficulty enjoyed some delicious Moroccan tapas at one of my favorite places.

-Papa had to return to AK, Kime arrived and filled his space and we found the most incredible beach. Of course, nudist. It ended our stay in the Cabo De Gata (national park) area in the most wonderful of ways.

-Anna and Oistein left us too soon and Mom and I began our stay in the beautiful Motril. Mom enjoyed coming to school with me -- got a taste of my life here and we made our way to Sevilla.

-Being in Sevilla felt like being home again. Mom immediately fell in love with the city (and the SMELL! oh the incredible Orange tree aroma of Sevilla....) We enjoyed simply walking around and of course the Alcazar impressed Mom and although it was my 8th time, I was happy to be back there. We discovered the secret of Triana barrio (neighborhood) --it's ceramic and tile. We had too much fun digging through the dusty tiles and admiring the streets decorated with typical Spanish tile fashion.

-Mom and I took a day trip to Cordoba and marveled at the Mezquita (Mosque now "Cathedral"). What an incredible place (again, even though it was my 3rd time) the history in one building is just too much. The combination of such different religions makes for a beautiful and strange place. Of course we ventured to the Synagogue (one of the last originals in Spain) and through the cute, white streets covered in flowers.

Although I tend to become stressed about being a "hostess" I cannot say enough how good it was to have my family here. It was nice for me to show my life here in Motril to my mom and dad, to relax on the beach and laugh with Anna and Oistein, and then of course to show Mom everything I ranted on and on about in Sevilla. I am so happy they were able to come and enjoy the sun with me! I miss them already.

It has been nice to "relax" again in Motril and now I'm off to Sevilla again this week! It is Feria! Feria is one of Sevilla's main celebrations; historically the start of the bullfighting season but it is a week of, well, partying; what Spaniards do best. During the day it is very fair-like with rides and fair food and at NIGHT: Sevillana (flamenco-esque) dancing, singing, and drinking! I was only able to experience Feria for 1 day last time so I am going back for round 2 and this time with Kime, Meg and Laura.
this photo is (actually stolen from a friend i studied with in sevilla) from Feria 2008.

I must add that last weekend my amazing Motril friends threw me a surprise birthday party (belated because I have been gone!) at my amigo's cortijo (cottage-type-house). I appreciated it so much and of course it was so much fun. I am so grateful for mis amigos here! They are so good to us.

above: bernardo & me at my birthday shindig! and me with the girls i teach privately; lola reyes and mar!

Until next time...

a good read

a good friend of mine gave me the book "The Best American Travel Writing" (i believe the 2005 edition) a few years ago and i have slowly been flipping through it but now that i have more time on my hands i have been able to read more and more. i love the stories in this book and i came across one in particular that i really loved; "Leap Year" by Mark Jenksins. i love this story because 1) it is about a family who moved from the US to Salobreña, Spain which happens to be 10 minutes away from me so i am familiar with the places and things he talks about and 2) because it is well-written and has some really great quotes. i thought i would share my favorite one with "the world" because i happen to know many people who can appreciate it.
enjoy.

Many go [abroad] for the same reasons we travel: to experience the unfamiliar ... to witness customs that we can hardly imagine ... yet moving abroad is more profound than traveling. It goes beyond curiosity to commitment. If to travel is to be a stone skipping lightly over the water, to move abroad is to stop and allow yourself to sink into an alien world, gulping to breathe a different language. Moving abroad is full immersion in a strange country, being forced to make a new life there, using little more than whatever wit, wisdom, openheartedness, and evenhandedness you carry inside you...

if you want to read the full story, its from Outside magazine and here is the link:
http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200401/200401_hardway_1.html