::spanish anecdotes::

I don't have any profound thoughts or particularly poignant self realizations this time so I thought that I'd share some of the interesting anecdotes and snapshots that have happened to me since living and adventuring in Sevilla, Spain.
Scavenger hunt photo in our neighborhood, Triana
  • My roommate (she's a junior at Asbury University) and I attempted to explain to our host family what the word "sassy" meant. Elocution in Spanish is fun and challenging!
  • We also tried to explain the significance of Groundhog's Day, definitely a strange American holiday that I don't understand.
  • My host brother (he's 24 years old) and I bonded over a mutual love of Lord of the Rings or El Señor de los Anillos. That was a good night. 
  • Weird foods I have eaten so far include: bull's tail (it's like ox tail Chinese style but not), blood sausage, whole clams/mussels still in the shells, and octopus (yes, I could see the suction cups on the tentacles).
  • Fun colloquial Spanish phrases include: "¡Vete a freír espárragos!" Literal translation is "Go fry asparagus!" but it means "go away/leave me alone". "Eres la leche" directly translated means "you're the milk" but in Spanish it means "you're the best". Go figure.
    School is better with friends
  • I walked about 50 miles in the first week between trying to get my bearings in a new city and participating in a photo scavenger hunt.
  • One night, my host brother invited my roommate and I to go out with him and his friends and we felt that we were becoming actual Sevillanas.
  • There are ice cream shops on every single street, probably because of how hot it is here in the summer but it's wonderful all the same.
  • Churros and chocolate are an amazing combination. You must try them.
  • Talking to and understanding old men in Spanish is 10x harder than normally speaking Spanish to everybody else.
  • I feel like I actually live here now that I get annoyed with the tourists who aren't watching where they're going and stand in the bike path while taking pictures.
    Chilling in Morocco
  • Fútbol (aka soccer) is very, very important here. That's pretty much all you need to know.
  • I'm learning how to dance Sevillanas which is heavily influenced by the Spanish dance, flamenco. I'm still tripping over my own feet. Rhythm and coordination are NOT my strong points but I'm trying!
  • Tapas are delicious. Eat as many as you have money for.
  • From my trip to Morocco: you will be ripped off on the souvenirs you buy, just accept it. Camels smell worse and look stranger up close in real life than in pictures.
  • Poetry from the Spanish Romanticism era is 5x more romantic when read in Spanish and 20x more amusing when spoken and stumbled over in a thick American accent.
  • I hate small talk in English and I'm not any better at it in Spanish. If possible, I'm actually more awkward. Work in progress. 
    This is now my city. ♥ Sevilla

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