Orientation
I've spent the last couple days rushing from one place to the next with my orientation group from the program. My classes (which start tomorrow) will be on the other side of the river, Guadalquivir. Located in a renovated palace in the middle of tiny cobblestone streets full of shops and cafes, the CIEE program study center already has a completely different feel than any of my classes at the University. As people may already know of me, if there's a courtyard I'm already happy. This building also features beautiful ceramic tile work and comfortable furniture around three floors of offices and classrooms.
I think I've figured out one reason I really like courtyards as an architectural feature. It's sort of like a black winter coat that unzips to show a crazy paisley pattern on the inside. Or when you're drinking hot cocoa from a relatively plain mug that happens to have a little design or words at the bottom. The buildings in the city are all so plain on the outside, often with whitewashed or warm, earth colored walls, and relatively few windows looking out. So when you go through a door that opens into a hidden little oasis of water and plants and light streaming down, it's this awesome surprise that's totally blocked off from the public. Your own little paradise inside your home that has all the privacy and tranquility of a small town yard despite being in a compact city with people everywhere.
Anyway, So far in I've already seen a Flamenco show, The Reales Alcazares de Sevilla, many places to eat Tapas. I love crossing the river every day, and I hope at least once we'll be able to rent canoes and travel on it.
We also tool a field trip yesterday to see the Rio Tinto, which is naturally stained red. We also saw the site of the site of the copper and silver mines there which have been closed since the mid 2000s. Unemployment in this area is roughly 50%, but there is a new company that has been make plans for the past several years to reopen the mines. I feel like I connected with this area a lot because I know a lot of people in the US that are struggling financially, and this area has had generations of poor people struggling in the mines to make any sort if money, much like the coal areas of my own state, and even the steel factories of western Pennsylvania have a similar history of fighting against unreasonable wages and working conditions, but working long hours in very hot dangerous conditions in order to sustain families.
After the Mines we traveled to Aracena, an old picturesque town which is mostly known for its Ham and its absolutely enormous cave system, which caught many of us by surprise with its size, complexity, and beauty. When we got off the bus, our leader gave us a time to arrive back in the center, and then left us on our own to tour the town and explore. At first we were all wandering somewhat aimlessly, but another girl and I caught a glimpse of some castle ruins at the top of the hill, and we convinced our orientation group to go in search of them. Another group caught on, and eventually for some reason I ended up first in line leading about thirty people to find the castle ruins. What we ultimately found was a lovely OLD church and some castle ruins alongside it where many sheep and lambs were grazing with little bells around their necks. It was exactly the kind of off-the beaten-path experience you might hope for in a trip through Europe.
So far, although I get along with my orientation group well, the person I am closest to is a thirty some year old veteran father of four with a logical mind and many stories to share about the various places he's lived in his lifetime. We don't quite fit into the mold of a lot of students here who think orientation week is for going out to bars every night. We tend to walk together in the guides and both want to practice our Spanish a lot (although since he's spent a good amount of time in Mexico and South America, he's almost fluent already). Today after we went to the Alcazar we decided to check out the Cathedral and showed up just in time for Mass (so everyone can tell Grandma Jane that I went to Mass in the third largest Church in Europe). It was a good experience to have and I think I got a much better idea of why Gothic Architecture is so important in terms of architectural history. It's one thing to know that they built UP as much as possible, but it's another thing entirely to realize that being in such a big Gothic cathedral is kind of like walking through giant trees made of marble. And I'm glad I had a friend to share the experience with. It's nice that we'll both be taking the first class of the summer together and are going on the Camino de Santiago Later.
Best Wishes to Everyone,
Laura
"It's sort of like a black winter coat that unzips to show a crazy paisley pattern on the inside." lololol
ReplyDelete