The strangest cathedral I have ever seen

Alex and I went on an excursion to Barcelona last weekend and of course we went to Sagrada Familia, the famous cathedral that Antoni Gaudí designed. The cathedral is completely unique, and for the most part not at all what you expect churches to look like. The cathedral is also famously known as the cathedral that is never finished. I am not sure when the construction of Sagrada Familia began, but Gaudí died in 1926, and it is still being worked on today.

One facade of the cathedral is a strange mix of modern and earthy. Large sculptures of figures and events surrounding Jesus's suffering and death cover the large entrance area. These sculptures bring in the modern element--the are composed of smooth simple lines and the figures turn out to be rather crystalline. The supports around the entrances look like tree roots, or something more maluable-like. Maybe like in the pizza commercials when they lift a piece from the pie and the cheese stretches all gooey and such--or maybe that is a really stupid comparison. haha see for yourself.

The inside is the kicker. That's when the size of place hits you. The pillars and buttresses were sculpted to look like tree trunks and branches. The ceiling is covered in repeated, concave spiked circles to imitate a canopy of leaves. There are glowing orbs, looking like spores, in the tree pillars. It gives the place an almost alien feel. It's like a forest, but on another planet. Gaudí modeled his architecture from nature, and even noted the plant-life on the land before the construction of the cathedral and incorporated these elements into the building.

The other outside of the cathedral is astonishingly ornate. There are figures from Christ's life tucked in little decorated alcoves and arches on arches on more niches on those arches. It's definitely the strangest cathedral I have ever seen. It is a refreshing deviation from the normal gothic style. See it if you can.

Real Alcázar

I made another trip to Sevilla with Alex last Thursday-Friday. This time we went to visit the Real Alcázar, one of the oldest royal palaces in the world and originally a Moorish fort. The Almohades first built the palace near the end of the 11th century. It is simply incredible. We spend about 3 hours in the palace, but realistically, could have spent most of the day there.

It is huuuuge, for one. I had no idea about it's mammoth size until we were actually walking through, hallways sprung from hallways and rooms from those hallways and courtyards from those rooms and so on. The architecture is one of my favorite styles-it's mudéjar, a type of Iberian architecture. Basically it's got numerous columns and arches, the floors, doors, walls, arches and ceilings are covered in intricate carved or plaster designs that can make you dizzy if you stare at them too long. Which is actually kind of the point I think. I remember learning in one of my classes at the university that the typical intricate line designs of architecture associated with Islamic buildings was supposed to represent the complexity and beauty of God. The complicated designs were supposed to help you get lost, or meditate on the glory of God. Hmm, I can't remember exactly, but sounds good, doesn't it?

I think my favorite part of Real Alcázar was the gardens. It has huge walled-in outside gardens with fountains, stylized hedges, flowers, winding walkways, different trees, lawns, benches and small, intricately-decorated buildings scattered throughout. The different sections and gardens have their own names. Peacocks and other birds wander about. Also, there was a hedge maze--a hedge maze!! So cool. If we had planned the day better we could have walked around in the gardens for hours and taken a nap in one of the lawns.

Living near the beach

Huelva is not exactly on the beach, but it is close to many. In fact, from my piso's balcón, I can see the high rises of the beach condos at Punta Umbría. Punta Umbría is the most popular/commercial beach around here. Punta is only about a 20-25 minute bus ride from here. I have heard great things about several other less-traveled beaches in the area, but have admittedly only been to Punta.

For someone who has lived in land-locked Western Pennsylvania all her life, living this close to beaches was a big perk (and one of the original reasons why I put Andalusia as my preference when applying for this program). The last time I went on the trip to the beach was with Alex (friend from the US) a week and a half ago! So it was still nice enough out to go to the beach in November, which is fun to brag about. Admittedly, we ditched all crazy ideas about swimming when our toes touched the freezing water for the first time that day, but we still had a great time enjoying the sun and peace. I have gone swimming several times before then, however, and loved it. We are still on the Atlantic side over here. We play beach volleyball and always end up stopping for tapas at the cafe that is on the beach.

Punta is great for sea shells and coral. I have probably taken over a hundred home with me. My apartmentmates don't mind, as our apartment is still pretty empty, and the seashells are great poor people decorations.

Casual Meetings

For the private English lessons that I teach, I go to the students' apartments. One of my students, Cristina, is in her mid-thirties and guides trips for German and Spanish tourists (she speaks German too). I always enjoy our lessons because her English level is advanced. We sit for two hours a week and discuss whatever we want--sometimes it's about Spanish history, sometimes about the pro's and con's of bilingual education, and the latest, this Monday, was about the TV series Homeland and the media's obsession with vampires. Good stuff.

Anyways, it is about a 20 minute walk each way from her piso to mine. Along the way are numerous restaurants with their tables spilling out into the sidewalks. There is also this little section of metal booths and venders--mostly selling hippy jewelry and leather accessories. After my lesson with Cristina, I was perusing around here when two men who own one of these venders started a conversation with me, because, as the rightly guessed, I am not from around here. One is from Ecuador and the other is originally from Cameroon.

Even though I had no idea who they were 1 minute ago, we passed by most of the standard small talk and went straight into talking about serious issues. Like love. Like happiness. Like belief in afterlife. Like the right to bare arms. Like women's rights (well of course). They poured me out a beer from their storage of Cuzcampo 40s and we debated whether true happiness was possible without a partner, the nature of Latin American men and the best places to live as a woman. The man from Cameroon said that he used to want to move to America, but now he doesn't because from an outsider's perspective, the US is very violent. In Spain, on the contrary, people do not have the right to bare arms and do not have access to guns. The man from Ecuador is a classic romantic. He said he doesn't think one can be truly happy without a partner. He has been single for two years and is in search of a tranquil, strong woman to complete him. I stood outside at their counter for a good hour or so chatting. By the end of this hour I knew I had to get home to have some dinner and it was only then that I found out their names: Victor and Gaspar.

Scary Stuff

As my Spanish friend whom I give English lessons to told me, "Halloween" as a fun celebration didn't become a thing here until about 5 years ago. Halloween here is still very different than in the United States---it's actually about being scared. Imagine that. I have tried to explain to a few Spaniards that people in the US usually dress up in funny, silly, sexy or just plain stupid costumes. These Spaniards were very confused when I used a banana suit as an example of a common American costume. Even little kids in the US don't usually dress scary. Instead they are princesses or their favorite cartoon superhero. But here, in Spain, it's scary, or nada.

Despite this difference, my friends and I still wanted to use this semi-holiday as a good excuse to drink. We were motivated to dress up because the local cafe/bar was offering a pint of beer for one euro to anyone who dressed up. We painted our faces like the Dia de los Muertos masks and called it a night. That is a standard, easy costume in the US but it hasn't hit Spain yet. Most people were confused or slightly intrigued by our painted faces.

As I mentioned, Halloween in Spain is about being scared and is still mostly a kid or young teenager holiday (drunken college Halloween parties are just starting to pop up here). One of my private English lessons (clases particulares) is a 15-year-old-vampire-fantasy-loving girl. One time I asked her if she could open her own restaurant what would it be named and she replied "Restaurant of the Dead."After thinking that she would make an awful businesswoman she informed me that all of the waiters would be vampires but it would be a vegetarian restaurant (clever girl!). During the lesson we had before Halloween we practiced talking about our fears. I asked her if she was afraid of death and she answered (in all seriousness) that she was but if she would die by means of a vampire bite that would be a okay by her. hahaha, oh geez. Also, during this lesson we read a "spooky" Halloween tale called "The Vampire Hermit" (http://americanfolklore.net/halloween.html). I thought this story was really silly and ridiculous but when we read it together she actually got scared! I actually felt bad because she had previously told me she had been having scary dreams lately. Woops.

Well there you have it. In Spain Halloween is supposed to be scary. Hmmm...

Torbjorn Pedersen: Once Upon a Saga

Torbjorn Pedersen, or Thor, is from Denmark and is on a mission to travel every country in the world! All two-hundred-and-something of them! He is the one I mentioned in the previous post. Olivia and I met him at a hookah bar in Cordoba on Friday. Thor is being sponsored by the Red Cross and a few businesses. He is only traveling by airplane, train and bus--no planes. Thor investigates and writes stories about the Red Cross in every country he stops at. He also takes a little souvenir of sorts from each country and gives it to someone in the next, as well as takes a picture of the sunset and a picture of someone's eyes from every country to later compile in a collage collection. He is super nice and extremely interesting. What a life. He plans to do this all in 3-4 years and will be one of the only people to have ever traveled to every country. Here is the link to his blog and facebook group https://www.facebook.com/pages/Once-Upon-a-Saga/320287321444752 and http://www.onceuponasaga.dk/. You should follow him if you think this is as cool as I do! 

Adventures in Cordoba

This past weekend Olivia and I went to Cordoba! There is a bus that goes from Huelva directly there and the ride takes about 2 hours. For this trip Olivia and I tried out couch-surfing for the first time (https://www.couchsurfing.org/). It was definitely an interesting experience. On a short notice, a host from Cordoba named Ricky took us in for Friday and Saturday. He is from Britain and teaches English with Academia Britanica (one of the best, largest and oldest English academies).

Cordoba is a really cool historical city. It used to be one of the biggest and most important cities when the Ottoman empire still had control over a lot of the Iberian Peninsula. This means that the Arabic influence is very present in Cordoba and there are lots of old churches and other buildings such as a the ruins of a Roman temple.
This is Calle de las Flores in Cordoba >>

Upon our arrival Olivia and I wandered around the city center and ate some dinner at Cien Montaditos (100 Sandwiches). We found one of the main plazas in the city and had a little botellon there with our favorite Don Simon white wine. We then met our generous host and went out with him for some night life in the city. We first went to a hookah bar where we met an American working in Madrid and her Spanish boyfriend and a man named Torbjorn Pedersen. Meeting this guy is a crazy awesome story that I will write a separate blog post on! We then proceeded to drink the night away at a few different bars around the city until 7am as is the Spanish style of partying. On a side note, for reasons unknown Spaniards love the musical Grease and at several different outings at bars/clubs I have heard the sound track play. Puzzling.

We slept in too late that Saturday but still managed to visit the Mezquita. The Mezquita is amazing! When the Arabs ruled over Cordoba they built a mammoth mosque. It's decoration is extremely intricate and ornate and the columns and arches seem to multiply endlessly, as if you are looking at them by a series of mirrors. You should just google image it, it's amazing. But that's not it--when the Christians took back control of the area they built a large cathedral inside of the mosque! The cathedral is incredibly ornate and beautiful as well. So the building is a very odd combination of Muslim and Christian elements. My description doe not even come close to telling about the place.

We also had to try the Salmorejo since Cordoba is famous in Spain for it. Salmorejo is a popular Spanish dish that is usually a thick garlic tomato soup. We ordered a traditional Salmorejo and an asparagus and jam flavored one as well. They were both wonderful. We also stopped at another restaurant that a Spaniard recommended for us. Salinas is known for its high-quality traditional food. It was great and the waiter gave us a complementary glass of the house's sweet wine which is always a plus!

Teaching: A New Thing

I am here through the Auxiliar de Conversación program. With this, I was randomly assigned to a school in the Huelva province. My school, La Arboleda, is an instituto, which is roughly equivalent to a high school in the US. The students range from about 12 to 16 years old. After students graduate from here they have the option to go to a "college" which consists of a 2-year education in a specialization. After this, they can go even further which their education if they choose.
La Arboleda is one of the biggest school's in the Huelva province, which has made my job pretty complicated at times. It is large enough that there should be multiple auxiliares, but since the crisis, they only have me. This means that I work with nine different teachers in a range of subjects: history, science, math, technology, music, social science and physical education. Some of these teachers have different classes with each of these subjects. In effect, everyday varies a lot for me. My role in the classroom is an assistant teacher. I am only to speak English with the teachers and the students to help them speak and understand the language better. All of the teachers and students I work with are part of a bilingual program at my school. For the classes that I am in the teachers teach the class in their subject in English. I usually read the materials or present the lesson for the day and lead activities with the students. Some classes go better than others. In some classes the students do not care to learn or are too timid to try to speak in English, so the class seems to drag on with little participation and energy. Other classes are better, these are usually with the younger kids who are more excitable or with the oldest students who have a higher level of English. I am still trying to get used to this work. It is out of my comfort zone to be in front of the class, especially if the class is struggling to understand my English.

I also teach English at an academy in Huelva called Kedaro. This is an adult class of A2-B1 level English speakers. I usually enjoy this class. The students are my age or a bit older so we can joke and connect more easily. For this class I am teaching out of the Cambridge English book. I feel more like a teacher here.

And lastly, I teach 3 private English classes where my students either come to my apartment or I go to theirs and we have 1 hour twice a week practicing English conversation and grammar one-on-one. So far I am enjoying these as well. The hour goes quickly.

So English, English, English--this is my life here. I swear sometimes I wake up at night thinking that people need me and are asking me questions about how to say things in English or about grammar. It's silly but true! I have never thought about grammar so much in my life.

Sevilla

My friend Olivia and I decided to do a day trip to Sevilla. Sevilla is only an hour away from Huelva by bus. So after a late start due to a late night before, Olivia and I set out. We heard that there was an international food festival going on so obviously that was one of our top priorities. We grabbed a map at the bus station and began showing ourselves around the city, starting with a walk along the river park to the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold/Gold Tower) which is an old military watch tower that the Ottoman Empire built in the 13th century. From there we walked into the city winding through cafe tables and shops until we made it to Plaza de España. Plaza de España! It was beautiful and huge. It's basically an enormous half circle government building full of columns and arches. There is a large fountain in the middle, and a canal that wraps around the inside where you can be all romantic and rent row boats. There are ornate bell towers that come up from the middle and both sides of the wrap around building and bridges that stretch across the canal. One of the most striking things about the plaza is the tile work. The cool tile design is everywhere: railings, posts, the ground, walls, etc.

We spent a lot of time wandering and taking pictures here then headed over to the food festival. This was great. There were kitchens from dozens and dozens of countries set up in the park. Olivia and I tried Indian, Mexican, Peruvian and South African. At the South African stand there we ordered a Montadito de Cebra (Zebra sandwich)! The menu at the USA kitchen was interesting; it had chicken nuggets, fries, hotdogs, and "Obama ribs" as the options. After vegging out here we explored the city more.
Sevilla is beautiful. It is a bit bigger than Huelva and has all of the beauty of Huelva x 50. We wandered through narrow corridor streets no wider than a normal hallway where plants and flowers hung down from balconies and stopped in shops that popped up along the way. Sevilla is known for its flamenco and we got to watch a few street performers put on a little show. Sometime I will have to stay the night and see a full flamenco show. Finally we stopped at the cathedral. This cathedral is the largest in the world, volume-wise. Its enormity is impressive. A wedding was happening when we visited but we still got to walk inside a little. The other famous site in Sevilla is an old Ottoman palace. Unfortunately is was closed by the time Olivia and I arrived. We still got to wonder around the outside its walls and towers.
After missing our bus we waited around in a park having our own little botellon (a common thing in Spain where young people drink in parks with friends. Sometimes these are really big and organized) with a box of Don Simon wine.  :)