aquí y allí

After some minor culture shock and some serious adjusting to a new lifestyle (in another language) I think it’s safe to say I’m finally acclimated to this new world. There is still plenty of ground to cover, but for now I can say that I am happy and starting to get used to the rhythm of this culture.

Being here makes me realize how structured and fast-paced my life has always been. I’m almost embarrassed to admit that I have been having a hard time adjusting to a slow-paced relaxed lifestyle. I tend to measure my happiness based on my level of productivity and here, that is not how it works, which was difficult at first. Every time I read about “culture shock” in my orientation books I always passed it up and thought it wouldn’t affect me. I’m used to adapting to new things around people I don’t know, but here it’s more than that.

Needless to say, I feel like I’m finally getting into the swing of things and learning to appreciate the differences rather than compare them to what I’m used to. After all, I didn’t come to Spain to repeat or emulate my American lifestyle in Spanish. That being said, bring on the siestas and leave the alarm clocks and to-do lists behind.

Today was probably one of my favorite days so far. Usually Sundays back home during the year are my least favorite days because the weight of the week is on my shoulders and I hate not being able to relax. But in Spain, they’re a time to be with family and stroll the beautiful streets. Almost everything is closed besides tapas bars and ice cream shops, and everybody is out and about. Today, we decided to venture off and check out this massive wooden structure that some students told us about.

It was built in 2011 entirely out of wood. It’s literally smack in the middle of a plaza and we paid about two bucks to climb to the top. It was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, but it had some great views of the city.

 We continued our journey of strolling the city by meandering through narrow alleys and purposely getting lost. It’s almost like once you get a grasp on your surroundings and the city itself, you turn a new corner and discover an entirely new plaza or area that is even more beautiful than the last. Ultimately, we ended up making a big loop and knew exactly where we were. After our long walk, we went in search for helado (ice cream) and enjoyed dulce de leche cones in the sun.

My favorite thing so far about Sevilla (aside from the palm trees and fountains) is enjoying a nice cup of café by the river. My roommate and I stumbled upon a cute little rooftop café on the river and just hung out. I also love that the coffee comes in glasses. Weird. 

I am working on a food blog post to showcase all the amazing food I’ve already experienced from my host mom, so that will come soon. I’m also going to try doing a “favorite thing of the week” in my blogs, so this week it’s my “Chi O fountain” 

It might be bigger and more extravagant than the one back home, but it sure does make me happy that I get to walk by it everyday.

XOXO