Cata de Aceite
Monday, February 25th
For it being a Monday I was pleasantly content. In my Tourism Marketing class, we found out about our final project for the semester and let me tell you I am SO excited!! We are asked to create with partners a 16 step marketing plan about a new company invented by our own imagination. I got to partner with the one American in my class who is also focusing on event planning for her major. We got approved and decided to make our own wedding event venue in a northern beach city of Spain; this project is going to be more of a dream to envision than an assignment and I am already so excited to work on it and complete it. We already have decided to call it Tie the Knot Astruias (the city name) and have our venue in the beautiful Playa de Silencio. In my Culture of Food and Wine class we had a tasting of various olive oils, bread and of course olives. I was impressed with myself for distinguishing specific flavors and scents between the oils and growing in my tasting skills. Afterward I finished writing my blog from the previous week, ate dinner and went to bed.
Costume Searching
Tuesday, February 26th - Wednesday, February 27th
Tuesday was pretty uneventful other than my morning class and the CEA breakfast with the professors. I started researching costume ideas for carnival and kept turning to something floral. Wednesday I finally ventured out to find my costume. After my 8:45 AM class, I went to Filo to have a delicious bowl of yogurt with nuts, fruit and honey and a cup of cafe con leche. Mia and Morgan met me there to then go searching for our costume essentials. After getting our outfits and accessories, we then walked to a shop to make an appointment to be announced in next week's post (I'll keep some of you all in somewhat suspense ;) ). The temperature was hot and beautiful so I wore a skirt and t-shirt around town, even though I definitely stuck out as a foreigner with bare legs. During my Culture of Food and Wine class we went on a mini-excursion underneath Las Setas where we got to access the Antiquarium which contains many Roman ruins that were discovered in the construction of Las Setas (*which are actually called Metropol Parasol). The remains date back to 30 AD and consist of flooring, building remains, pottery, art, fountains, mosaics, fish bones and lanterns. That evening I introduced Zoey and Mia to 100 Montaditos and Primark. Honestly, we only went to 100 Montaditos so we could use the bathroom but also to take advantage of Euro Mania on Wednesday's where all 100 sandwiches are one euro each. Primark was on the agenda just so we could finish up our costume purchases.
DÃa de AndalucÃa
Thursday, February 28th
A day to sleep in, YAY! Sevilla just so happens to be the capital of AndalucÃa , the southern region of Spain. The last day of February signifies the modern festival and holiday that commemorates the 1980 referendum which gave AndalucÃa its autonomous status. All in all it means NO CLASSES! I got to experience the sweet tradition of eating churros con chocolate for breakfast and even had the more traditional orange juice and toast with olive oil for lunch. I didn't necessarily see a typical ceremony in the streets but I did celebrate by relaxing and prepping for all the street festivities I was about to encounter in Cadiz for the weekend. I went with four of my friends by train around 7 PM to ring in the carnival and head towards the beautiful beach city. My friend Morgan actually has a family friend who lives in Puerto de Santa Maria, which is right outside of Cadiz. Cadiz has a US military naval base which is why her family friend is currently in Spain. His house was a beautiful two-story home with a pool and three large guest rooms. He was so welcoming and hospitable offering anything and everything he had in his pantry, fridge and wine rack. We were so fortunate to be able to stay for free for the weekend at their house during the busy carnival time. He also had two cats who slowly got playful and cuddly during our time there. That evening I introduced the new show I just binged, Russian Doll, on Netflix to my friends and then we went to bed to wake up decently early for our day in Cadiz.
Vamos a La Playa
Friday, March 1st
I can't believe it is already March. By the end of this month I will be half way done with my program. The time just keeps flying by here. We woke up pretty early, 8 AM, to get in our costumes and do our makeup to match our outfits. We ended up walking to the port where we were able to take an 11:15 AM ferry to Cadiz for cheap and easy transport. Arriving to the beach city, we were greeted by a lollapalooza looking "Carnival 2019" sign and streets lined in strung lights and stands. There was no one in sight wearing any forms of costumes. Not until we arriving to the market, past the cathedral and down some roads, was when we finally saw some young children in costumes showing off their unicorn horns and onesies to their friends. Being that we didn't really eat breakfast, we stopped at the Central Market for an early lunch (1 PM, and yes that is early here). I ended up splitting a chorizo paella with Mia and ordering a Mexicana Hamburger that had guacamole, chips and queso (which I have missed mucho). It had a kick to it which I have not been used to since arriving to Spain as most of the food here is simple and not spicy. After eating we proceeded to walk our way around where carnival would be if there were actually people here during the day and then to a market to pick up drinks and snacks for our day at the beach. We found out that most of carnival doesn't really pick up until the evening and until Saturday so we decided to take the rest of our day in Cadiz to enjoy each other's company along the shore, under the rays of sunshine and feeling the breeze of the tide. Thankfully we didn't go all out in costumes on Friday so we got to actually enjoy the sun and the surprisingly high UV index while drinking cheap bottles of sangria and boxes of wine. We ended up seeing lots of kids playing soccer on the beach and making sand castles. After watching the sunset along the ocean, we proceeded to find a tapas bar near the happenings of carnival. The place we ended up at had delicious chicken tender pieces (recommended by our waitress), croquetas and yummy garlic fried shrimp. Closer to the time of our departure back to Puerta de Santa Maria we saw the streets come to life in lit signs, musicians singing and performers decked out in makeup and acting out their parts. There was a Homer Simpsons couch that tourists could sit on (that we would need to pay for) that played the theme song that reminded me of my Papa Hajek who loves the show (picture below). Taking the 10 PM ferry back we all took our showers, prepped for a semi early morning departure and watched another episode of Russian Doll. I got my friends hooked. We cuddled a bit with the cats and then went straight to bed.
Festivities
Saturday, March 2nd
It finally was the day we had traveled south of Sevilla to experience. We woke up pretty early to really go all out with our costumes and try and get tickets for a decent ferry over. We ended up arriving to the station at 11:30 with a line all the way out the door and down the building. We got in line right away and found out the next available ferry was at 2:25 PM. Purchasing both our outward and return tickets, we wanted to make the rest of the day run smoothly. Since we had a bit of time to kill between ticket purchasing and the ferries departure we went to Aldi to pick up food for lunch and prepare ourselves for whatever carnival was supposed to be. I didn't have many expectations or preconceived ideas about what to expect so I really was open minded about the whole experience. Aboard the ferry we finally saw so many people in costumes such as men dressed as women from Handmaidens Tale, Star Wars characters of all kinds, hippies, Mary Poppins, Flappers, Disco Dancers and various decades attire. It was like Halloween in the beginning of March made up of all adults and no free candy. I was genuinely shocked to also see a lot of costumes that would be completely unacceptable in the United States now with strides towards reducing cultural appropriation, sexist and racist costumes (if you're curious to know what some of them were just shoot me a message). I ended up finding a street with the name of my hometown Aurora so I felt a little bit at home here. Once walking along the streets of Cadiz, I got to see what carnival actually was like which consisting of getting stopped every other block to see, hear and embrace a performance from a choir which sang and dance for the people passing by. It reminded me of little flash mobs that catch everyone's attention and start in the middle of anywhere at any given time. All the places we went to were lined in costumes, floats and performers. There were so many street vendors and musicians selling their talent and products. After doing some post Carnival research I have found some terms that formally define some of the interactions I came across. I saw some chirigotas which are humorous groups that perform satirical pieces about everything from politics to current events. I wasn't necessarily sure what they were performing about but based on crowds responses, some people were happy and others opposed in rolling eyes and disagreement. I saw many choirs who were entertaining people in the streets at almost every corner. Usually they had stringed instruments or handmade tools to make sounds to accompany their vocals. I didn't personally see any comparsas who are very serious singers but heard about them from other people around Cadiz. I saw many quartets who usually used kazoos and sticks to hit things with to make loud noises and attract attention. There were plenty of romanceros, the solo acts, who also were asking for money after their performances. There were people arriving to Cadiz from EVERYWHERE. I met so many people my age from all across the world. I met and conversed in Spanish to Mexicans, Italians and Germans. I was able to talk in English to some Russians, Portuguese and French. I met people from Brussels, Ireland and all over Spain. Mostly everyone was dressed up and carried drinks everywhere they went. Many friends were dressed in similar group costumes and performed their own little acts with made up songs, dance moves and mini chants to scream down the streets. Throughout the day the crowds consisted of people of all ages: families, elderly groups, teenagers, college students and parents. As the day dwindled down, people my age stuck around and filled the plazas. We ended up watching the sunset over the water again and getting tapas and drinks from the same place we went to on Friday. After that we went back to the crowds to immerse ourselves in the festivities and merriment of carnival by joining in songs, chants and shared laughter throughout the streets. By the time 1 AM rolled around we were pretty exhausted and a bit chilly so we went to Burger King to get some cheap food and to warm up before our 2:05 ferry ride back to Puerta de Santa Maria. Thank goodness for pre-purchasing tickets as all ferries were booked after 10 PM. Arriving back to the house at 3:30 AM, we immediately went to bed after our long day walking everywhere among so many people.
Pool Day
Sunday, March 3rd
Sleeping in was the best thing to do after the day we had at carnival. I have no idea how people end up doing any more than two days of it. After waking up at 10:30/11 AM we packed our bags and got into our swimsuits. We proceeded to make some toast and eat the thing I have been craving for since getting to Spain and eating so much bread, Peanut Butter. After eating breakfast, we all lounged around the pool and soaked in the sun. What better way to relax and get tan! Our train was to leave for Sevilla at 4:00 PM so we laid out until 3:00 to take in every bit of sunshine we could. We made our train just in time and arrived back to Sevilla in no more than an hour time. That evening I unpacked and prepped my things for the upcoming week. I ended up going to 6:30 PM mass at the close church I like here in Sevilla, Santa Maria la Blanca, where I am slowly getting down the mass responses. Teresa was in Madrid this weekend and was stuck in traffic returning home so instead of cooking dinner she had Kate and I go order some tasty pizza at the local pizzeria. She arrived back home as soon as we finished our slices and so we ended up discussing our weekends and travel experiences for quite a while. Then we all went to bed for the next day was the dreaded Monday.
PÄ…czki Searching
Monday, March 4th
Today I got to try the cheap and tasty restaurant attached to EUSA for lunch. After my morning class I went with two German girls to order and enjoy our choosings from the Menu del Dia. I ended up getting lentils, beef with rice and vegetables, mandarins, a tinto del verano and coke, all for 6 euros. After my Advertising class where we discussed the first episode of Mad Men and their marketing tactics, I biked over to my favorite class that I have ever taken. My Culture of Food and Wines class envelopes so much history and experiences that I want to embrace here. My professor is so passionate and makes the class so engaging which helps me learn so much about the material and grow my Spanish comprehension. We discussed Lent and the pastries made by monejas (nuns) in convents. Wednesday we are going to visit a local cloistered convent and try their ancient sweets that consist of both Roman and Moor recipes. I really am able to invest myself in this class, regardless of it difficulty, as it is truly interesting and encompasses things I am experiencing on the daily basis in Sevilla. I was reminded of my times at Benet as we discussed El Camino del Santiago and Ora et Labora. After class I went searching for my traditional Fat Tuesday breakfast that I normally have at home, a Polish Pączki. I knew I wasn't going to find any Polish bakeries but I went to find anything to resemble the tasty filled donut. Talking to the owner of a Spanish bakery, I was directed to go to the supermarket instead of a local pastry shops. There I found a "minicuña" which was to be the closest thing to the Polish donut. Then I went back to mi casa and finished unpacking from Cadiz. Teresa made yummy fish and vegetables for dinner. I got to chat with her friend visiting Sevilla from Mexico and compare the two dialects. I am actually surprised to be able to tell and notice the strong differences between both with pronunciation and vocabulary.
Well the rest of my week should be pretty uneventful other than Ash Wednesday and my day trip to Jerez de la Frontera over the weekend. Let me know what you think of my blog postings lately. I miss you all immensely. Hasta Luego!