Feria and studies - an interesting mixture

Hello!  

Time for another update! Last time I wrote was the 17th of April, I believe, and it blows my mind that that was two weeks ago already. It's been a busy last two weeks! On the 18th I went to my church in Triana in the morning. It was so great to worship with them again! It is a great church full of people that I unfortunately have not had the opportunity to really get to know. I appreciate each one that I have met though, and I always feel welcomed there. In the afternoon that same day, after doing some homework, I set off for another church. Before the service we had time to practice and learn more of the Sevillanas, the dance here that is typical during the April Fair. It was fun to dance with friends, even though I know I looked like a dizzy duck (patito mareado... it's like their saying for dancing with two left feet), and was great to have more fellowship time too.  

That next week, on Monday and Tuesday I had school, but only in my program (not in the U. of Sevilla). It was the week of Feria, and so it was a second week of vacation. Woohoo! Monday night I went with friends to see the Alumbrao at midnight. That is went they turn on all the lights in the fairgrounds of the April Fair. The Portada, or great big entrance, was the coolest sight.. It was fun to walk around and look in all the casetas, or big tents where people eat, drink, talk, and dance! On Tuesday I also had a class in the morning and then hiked my way over to the doctor's for the second time. My foot has been bothering me (probably from walking too much), but I am doing a lot better now and have been trying to take it easier. So no worries! But anyway, after lunch I went to Bible study, and we had a time of worship, sitting on the edges of a dried-up fountain. Several tourists stopped by as we sang worship songs to Jesus, and they started taking pictures of us and with us! Haha! It was really unexpected, but a neat experience! After that, I took off for home, got dressed up a bit in my best feria costume possible (for Feria here the women usually wear flamenco dresses with combs and flowers in their hair, a shawl, big earrings, and a fan. I didn't have the dress, but I had a skirt and all the other accessories... check out my blog later for pictures) and met up with friends. We ended up just going into the public casetas and then wandering through the rides. I only went on one of the Ferris wheels, but it was fun!  

To explain a little more about Feria... the casetas are big tents that make up basically all of the fairgrounds, except for the rides (cachorritos) on one side. Most of them are private and you have to be invited to go, but there are a few public casetas too. Inside the tents there are usually two rooms, one that has table, chairs, a stage, decorations that make it look like a house, etc., and another that has a bar in the back where you can order food and drinks and more room to stand. People dress up every day that they go to Feria (or most do), and the best way to describe it is this (my theory formed from opinions from friends and from what I saw with my own eyes): Feria is like a mixture of a county fair, a HUGE prom, and the 4th of July. But it's totally Spanish! It's really cool to see, especially during the day, when people ride through the streets in horses and carriages or on horses, the men dressed up with a Cordoban suit, as they call it - traje de Córdoba, I believe - and the women riding sidesaddle in their dresses or suits. The typical food is ham (jamon... famous here), tapas, rebujito (which is an alcoholic drink - manzanilla mixed with some type of pop), almonds, Spanish tortilla... the list goes on!  

Anyway, I ended up going to the Feria Wednesday through Friday also. On Wednesday, a girl named Leti from my Mythology class invited me and friends of mine to go to her caseta, where we danced and ate and chatted. It was just a group of girls for a while - my friends Martha, Narjis, Kendra, Lea, and Inma came. What a mix of cultures (U.S., Spain, Morocco, Germany...waayy cool!)! We hung out at the caseta for a while and then walked around the Feria a bit before going home. The next day I stayed home for most of the day to rest and then went out again that night. The Feria is fun at night for a while, but when it gets too late there are way too many people that are tipsy or drunk, and the streets are a lot messier - definitely prettier during the day! But we had fun though, and I really am so thankful for my group of friends, because they are all quite responsible, and I don't have to worry about them. It was nice to hang out more with my friend Narjis too, as she was visiting from Morocco and had to head home the next day. Friday night I met up with a group of girls again, and we visited a few different casetas. In one of them two little girls (couldn't be more than 8 years old) taught some of my friends how to dance sevillanas some more. They were so cute! I have to say that at the end of the week, my abilities in dancing had improved greatly, and although I never quite got all of the steps, I learned how to put some acting into it and just pretend! Later that evening, we met up with more of our friends and continued to wander through the Feria some more before walking home.  

Last Saturday, my day was pretty relaxing, which was good after so much activity during Feria. I went to my Discipleship Group for a few hours, but then stayed home the rest of the day studying and relaxing. The next day I decided to take it easier again, and only went to church in the evening. Some girls that hadn't been to that church before came with me, and it was a good service. The pastor talked about the importance of friendships, and it made me realize just how blessed i am with friends in Oregon and friends here in Spain and how I can be a better friend too.  

This past week has been quite busy with studies and homework. I had two tests that I had to study for, and I now have some papers to be working on (that I need to finish SOON). I am feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything - all that I have to do as far as studying and homework, making sure I get time with people before I leave, knowing who and what to focus on.... I just really need a lot of prayer - that God would give me peace, guidance, wisdom, and the discipline I need to finish strong. But most importantly that He would continue to show me how to love each person that I have met here the way He loves me. If I walk away from here knowing that God has used me to touch someone's life and draw them closer to Him, I will have so much more peace.  

Well, today has been a good day as well. I got some homework done, talked on Skype with my dad and Jenna and later with my good friend Carolina, and ended out the night watching the Time Traveler's Wife (in Spanish) with my friends Lea and Leti. It was fun! I now have to go to bed soon as I have church in the morning and a lot of studying to do in the afternoon. I hope that God is continuing to bless each and every one of your lives. Thank you for reading my lengthy emails and following my crazy adventure! 

Much love, 

Sierra

Random pensamientos (thoughts)

Here's a few random thoughts I have had throughout the week:  

1. I passed by a bar on my way home the other night and heard a football (everyone else in the world's word for soccer) game on the TV. Apparently Barcelona had just scored a goal against Milan, and everyone was cheering. I stopped in the doorway to check the score, and chatted for a few seconds with some of the people in there. It made me smile on the way back - knowing that I could walk up to people here and talk to them and UNDERSTAND them and even get their jokes most of the time. I felt like I belonged, you know? 

2. I used to think art (paintings, sculptures, etc.) could be boring. Maybe because no one ever explained the history behind each painting and because every time I went to a museum I felt overwhelmed at the amount of art - it all began to look the same! But from all of my travels and visits to museums here, I have learned from professors, guides, and friends for how to appreciate each piece more. True, I still get overwhelmed after an hour or so, but I have learned a lot! And in my Mythology class we learn a lot about paintings (it's an Art History class), mosaics, sculptures, etc. It's really fun to see a slide pop up on the Power Point and to recognize a piece that I saw in Rome, here in Sevilla, or anywhere else. It makes it so much more real when you've actually SEEN it.

3. Things I understand in Spanish that I didn't before - Literature, movies, telephone conversations, text abbreviations, certain phrases... the list goes on!

4. I have a theory about the differences between the U.S. and countries like Spain or Italy or other European countries. In a few of my classes (like Literature or history), a lot of authors, professors, scholars, etc. say that Spain is a country that is still a few steps behind other countries in a lot of ways. Some people wonder why it took so long for certain changes. But I think that the reason it took longer for Spain than for the U.S. (our country is still very young) is that we in the U.S. started from the beginning. Our Constitution didn't really have to fight against traditions or many previous empires, dictators, monarchies, or any other leaders in order to make something new. I believe that it is SO much easier to start from scratch, with a blank slate, than to try and erase the old and make something new. Just a theory.

5. Here in Spain I feel like I have gained a lot of confidence. I hope very sincerely that this does not lead to pride or vanity, as both are something I need less of, but I get really excited every time someone tells me: "Oh you speak Spanish very well!" Even just hearing that a few times from native speakers made all those years of studying worth it. Now just to keep it up when I go home!!