Except for one big disappointing experience, yesterday was one of the most fun days I’ve had here in Spain. And I don’t know that it was really what I did, although that definitely was fun. I just think it had more to do with my attitude (realizing how little time I have left here) and the changing ambiance of the city. You see, Seville’s Semana Santa, one of the most incredible and emotional religious events in the WORLD, is only 3 days away. And the city has undergone a complete renovation. Yesterday I woke up bright and early for my 8am class, and as we walked through the historic downtown on the way to class, as the sun was just starting to show itself, we started noticing gardens, huge palm trees, pretty benches, and so much more that had seemingly just appeared out of nowhere. Where just 2 days ago had been construction sites (which they had been since arriving here 3 months ago), were now pretty plazas and fountains running for the first time in who knows how long.
For Semana Santa many of the churches participate in processions by displaying their ‘pasos’, or float-type things. These pasos are a huge deal. There will he more than a hundred of them during Semana Santa, some going through the streets for more than 12 hours straight. And, the “floats” (the closest term I can think of in English) are carried by men. Yes, for 12 hours straight. Or more. These processions are so important that throughout the downtown area seating is actually set up. And I’ve heard its REALLY expensive. So anyway, all through this area there are ENORMOUS piles of collapsible chairs. Its really impressive. It probably doesn’t sound that odd, but imagine walking down a really long street. And every 25 yards or so there is a huge 20 foot-long, 8-foot high pile of chairs. Its just crazy.
So while walking to class this morning I also saw an open kiosk (rather unusual, as there aren’t many Spaniards on the street at this hour, so not many kiosks are usually open), and I knew that the program of the pasos was supposed to come out yesterday, so I asked him if it was available yet. It was, so I got a copy and we continued to class. During class my professor told us how crazy Seville is during Semana Santa. It is so crowded, she said, that they have to remove things like public telephones and little newsstands (called kioskos) from the city!
After class, instead of heading to my next class, I headed to the bull ring. Tickets for the season went on sale today, and as the first bullfight is going to be on Easter Sunday when my mom is here, we thought we would go to it (well, we would both GO to it. She would actually WATCH it, and I would probably either close my eyes or leave after about 15 minutes, but anyway…). I checked my phone and had a message from one of my friends who was already at the bullring trying to get tickets. He had already been there nearly 2 hours. But a ton of other people had also arrived really early. It was crazy. And we never realized how passionate some Spaniards are about their corridas, or bullfights, but we sure found out today. Pushing and shoving and arguing for hours. Unfortunately, we didn’t end up getting tickets. Sad.
After that I went to meet a classmate who agreed to tutor me for one of my classes (the program pays for tutors for each of our classes). We met at the university so he could sign the papers and everything. Then he asked if I had plans for the weekend. I said “not yet”, so he invited me to go out with him and his friends Saturday (yay! Get to meet more Spaniards!), and he also offered to take me with him on Sunday to se the first Pasos. How nice! Oh, he also mentioned that there’s a Fútbol game here this Thursday—Holy Thursday, which happens to be the BIGGEST day of Semana Santa—and the game is against England. The English fans that come for the futbol games are notorious for their rowdy behavior. So that means that Seville will be INSANE Thursday night! I’m kinda excited, but it will be a LONG night—there are pasos throughout the night until at least 8am!!!!
As I was walking back to my piso from the university, I had to maneuver around a huge billboard-type sign and another street sign that were plastered to the sidewalk, apparently having been run over by some car. Weird. I crossed the bridge over the river and, entering into my “barrio”, or my district of the city, I noticed that there was several people in the middle of the street standing around a car that was jacked up and without one tire. a car. Ok, it doesn’t sound that weird, but this is Spain, not the US. When I say middle of the street, I mean MIDDLE of the street. No, not pushed over to the side of the street. So these people are standing in one of the biggest intersections of the city at lunch time (rush hour here!), blocking traffic going in all directions!!!
When I got to the other side of the intersection I noticed a Semana Santa poster in a bank window. Thinking it would be cool on the bare walls of my room here, I went in to ask if they had extras. They had 2 left, so they gave me one. Perfect! Next I went to Vodafone to put more “saldo” on my phone. Then I stopped to buy another Bonobus, which is what they call the multi-pass bus tickets.
Finally I continued my walk back to the piso. As I rounded the corner onto my street, I saw a plastic bag of bread being pulled up on a string by a woman leaning over her balcony. I guessed that the man who was just now walking away is the one who had purchased the bread and then tied the rope around the handles of the plastic bag, so as not to have to walk up the many flights of stairs. It looked really funny! I know my host family does it sometimes, because we live on the 4th floor (which really means the 5th floor, as here they don’t count the street-level floor, its like floor zero for them).
When I got back I had a quick lunch (it was quick because my host-mom never eats lunch here on Wednesdays, and so she leaves the prepared and ready to heat up—if she’s here, its never quick because first everything has to be prepared, and then I have to make sure to have juice and lots of BREAD and stuff like that…)
Then I studied for a little while before going to meet a friend. We went to this tiny bar nestled in a little plaza and had the typical andalusian drinks. He got a Cruzcampo beer (what everyone here drinks), and I got a tinto de verano (wine with a fruity pop), which is what all the people who don’t like beer drink. After that we went out for icecream, and then I headed off to meet another friend to go to our first Sevillanas class. Sevillanas is a flamenco-style dance that everyone dances during the upcoming Feria de abril—April fair. Really we should’ve started classes a long time ago, but we didn’t. So I called the teacher and she said we could do an intensive-type session, 5 nights a week, for the remaining 2 ½ weeks until feria (actually there are 3 ½ weeks until feria, but no one works during Semana Santa, so we won’t have class then). We were so excited to learn because unlike most other places where traditions stay traditions and no one really practices them anymore, Here they do still observe things like this. I’ve heard that EVERYONE during the feria week wears the traditional outfits (think lots of frills and polka dots) and dances Sevillanas and stays up all night partying in the ‘casetas’. All week. I can’t wait!!! Especially ‘cause the fairgrounds are only a couple blocks away from where I live!
But omygosh, as we started trying to copy the dance teacher, we were horrible!! She used her arms all elegantly, circling her wrists and all. I felt like a chicken, trying to move my arms like that. How embarrassing! But it was tons of fun anyway. And later on we learned how to use castanets!!!! I was so excited that, as we left the studio, I couldn’t stop moving my fingers (as if they were still holding the castanets). So I went straight to one of the shops that sells them and bought a pair :). When I got bake to the apartment, no one was there, so I practiced some more. I still have a ways to go!
Later that night I went out with Jessica, who lives on my street (but is moving today because her host mom was horrible). We were going to meet up with Andrew, another friend, in Plaza Nueva. But when we got there he was talking with some other girls from our program. As it turns out, these girls were waiting for an intercambio (a Spanish student that she was paired up with in order to practice her Spanish) and the intercambio’s friends. So we all waited together, and when they showed up, we went to one of the bars. We were lucky to get some tables, so we all sat and talked for a couple hours. It was a lot of fun…the Spanish guys were really cool. Eventually the bar started turning off the lights on us, so the other girls left and the rest of us we went to another bar/club. It wasn’t really good dance music, so we attempted to continue talking. We left at about 5:30, exchanged phone numbers, and went home to bed. I was sooo tired!