1) There was a 17-year-old girl in Sevilla, Marta, who disappeared three weeks ago. It was a really big deal. There were posters and fliers up everywhere -- I saw tens every day. i don't think it would have been possible to live in the Sevilla metro area and not see these signs. They did a great job. There were manifestations and demonstrations that thousands of people attended to pressure the government to spend more time and money looking for Marta. The community went all out. People cared. People prioritized it in a way that I think rarely (if ever happens) in the US. Anyway, I write about the case now because Marta's ex-boyfriend admitted to killing her and throwing her in the river. The amount of news on it is incredible -- the two local Sevilla newspapers had what the major US newspapers must have written about 9/11. It's so huge here, so many people are invested in the case and deeply care. The community cared before it turned gossip, before it became a tragedy. It's so different from the way I've seen cases like this develop at home.
2) I bonded with Candela, Mayte's granddaughter who is 3, this past weekend. We played games, she asked me how you say words in English (her 'school' is bilingual), and then, when she was leaving with her mom to go back to Granada, she ran over to kiss me goodbye (her mom instructed on the cheek), but instead she kissed me on the lips. Uninstructed. Yep.
3) This semester travel-wise is crazy. I'm finally going all-out, American-abroad in ways I didn't last semester. I guess it's because I have more of a precise idea of what I want to see in Europe now than before, and also because Sevilla feels like home -- I know it and I know its backstreets, more or less -- so I feel more okay leaving to go do other things. So here's the breakdown: this weekend the center is taking us to Granada, next weekend is free, although I might go to Cadiz or Carmona, next weekend is Valencia with Austin, then Santiago de Compostela with Austin, then Beth (friend in Florence) is coming, the next weekend the center is taking us to Aracena, and then we're in April. Crazy. First weekend in April I'll be in Ireland for break, then back for the Semana Santa weekend in Sevilla, a weekend free, then Palma de Mallorca with Caroline (friend in St Andrews; hilariously it was cheaper for her to get there from the UK than for me -- the Brits love their Spanish beach vacation I guess!), then Paris, then Malaga with the center, and then it's May 15. That is sheer craziness. Crazy in a good way, crazy wonderful, crazy insane, but absolutely, definitely crazy. Time is going to speed by. Not to mention I actually have a decent bit of work and reading this semester... cool. I'm excited.... especially because most of those weekends are spent in other places in Spain, which I really want to see before I leave.
4) I generally know very little about Central and South America. I'm noticing this in my history classes. The kids here know way, way more -- even though most of it is just basic stuff, it still gives them a huge advantage. They understand the basic flow of events and what happened where, whereas I am pretty much clueless. I think I am normal (or maybe a little above, as I like to think) for an American student, but that doesn't come close to what the Spaniards (and many ERASMUS kids) know. The Spaniards especially know a lot because the classes still treat Latin America with the importance of the remains of the Spanish empire. It should be fine, but sometimes I can tell that I don't know basic contextual stuff that everyone else does. I'll just have to make up for it on my own, I suppose. Like today, I just spent 10 minutes quizzing myself on the countries on the map so that I can have a vivid picture in my head of where each country is when he talks about it (yes, I know, this one is exceptionally embarrassing and overly basic). You should try it! http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Samerica.html
5) And the final, most important news of all... ANGIE IS COMING!!!!!!!!!! At the end of June as I finish my finals, she will come down to Sevilla after doing a bit of traveling on her own and then we will reunite (I'm thinking some slow motion running would do quite nicely, maybe a little theme music) and spend around 30 days traveling around Europe together. We're planning it all out ahead of time and we are both super-organized, so it should be safe, fun, and efficiently excellent. Yes, er, that's what I always say about us. Efficiently excellent.
And the ability to speak in English continues on its steady decrease...
Au Revoir to Manglish
15 years ago
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