Week 3
This week marks the third week in! Mid-terms are completed and in class we are continuing to learn new material. We started the week with a field trip to the Cathedral of Seville and later I participated in some of the Corpus Christi celebrations in Seville. To close out the week the ICS took us on a weekend trip to Morocco! Read on to hear what this week has brought.
Week 3 of Classes
Week three of classes went by very quickly. We had a field trip on Monday and we left for Morocco on Friday, so we only had three days of class! In my Spanish class we got our exams back. Most people did very well on the test, however there was one portion on reflexive verbs that the majority of students got wrong. Our professor went over the test and explained any mistakes we had made. She curved the test, too. I did very well on it! We got to keep them to study for the final later next week. This week we started learning the preterit tenses, or past tense. We learned preterit perfect, preterit indefinite, and preterit imperfect. They were fairly easy to conjugate, but I was a little confused on when to use each tense. Who knew there were so many ways to talk about the past? There were also a lot of irregular verbs to practice with which was a little confusing, but I know that once I study them I will feel more prepared for the test and feel more confident.
In my culture class we also got our mid-term grades back. Everyone passed with nothing less than a B! Judy was very generous in her grading. Her test was the reading quiz, so a lot of it was opinion based questions which are pretty straightforward. This week in class we learned about the Cathedral of Seville on Monday during the field trip and continued to learn about Spanish art. We also learned about Spanish character including values, lifestyle and morality. It was a very interesting lecture and fun to compare and contrast the Spanish lifestyle towards ours back in the United States. While taking a closer look at these subjects, Judy made it clear to us that we shouldn't spend our time abroad comparing everything to the United States. Rather, she suggested that we take time to appreciate the culture and lifestyle in Spain for it's differences. For the most part I have been taking her suggestions to heart and have been going into situations with an open mind. However, when reflecting it can be fun to contrast and see how life is different between the two countries. During my time in Spain so far I have learned that one lifestyle or culture is not better than the other, only different. Furthermore, our differences are something to celebrate and cherish.
Week three of classes went by very quickly. We had a field trip on Monday and we left for Morocco on Friday, so we only had three days of class! In my Spanish class we got our exams back. Most people did very well on the test, however there was one portion on reflexive verbs that the majority of students got wrong. Our professor went over the test and explained any mistakes we had made. She curved the test, too. I did very well on it! We got to keep them to study for the final later next week. This week we started learning the preterit tenses, or past tense. We learned preterit perfect, preterit indefinite, and preterit imperfect. They were fairly easy to conjugate, but I was a little confused on when to use each tense. Who knew there were so many ways to talk about the past? There were also a lot of irregular verbs to practice with which was a little confusing, but I know that once I study them I will feel more prepared for the test and feel more confident.
In my culture class we also got our mid-term grades back. Everyone passed with nothing less than a B! Judy was very generous in her grading. Her test was the reading quiz, so a lot of it was opinion based questions which are pretty straightforward. This week in class we learned about the Cathedral of Seville on Monday during the field trip and continued to learn about Spanish art. We also learned about Spanish character including values, lifestyle and morality. It was a very interesting lecture and fun to compare and contrast the Spanish lifestyle towards ours back in the United States. While taking a closer look at these subjects, Judy made it clear to us that we shouldn't spend our time abroad comparing everything to the United States. Rather, she suggested that we take time to appreciate the culture and lifestyle in Spain for it's differences. For the most part I have been taking her suggestions to heart and have been going into situations with an open mind. However, when reflecting it can be fun to contrast and see how life is different between the two countries. During my time in Spain so far I have learned that one lifestyle or culture is not better than the other, only different. Furthermore, our differences are something to celebrate and cherish.
Field Trips and Cultural Visits
On Monday we had a class field trip to the Cathedral of Seville. I have walked past the cathedral many times but I have never gone inside it before this field trip. Inside the cathedral, it was an absolute dream. I found out that it is the largest Gothic church in the world, and the third largest cathedral in the world! It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the cathedral, there was so many things to look at I didn't know where to turn my head! The Cathedral was another amazing blend of culture in Seville, as it was formerly a mosque in the 8th century during the Muslim rule. After the Christian reconquest, the building evolved into the Cathedral it is today. However, if you look closely you can still see the remnants of the Arabic structure; from the minaret turned bell-tower to the mosaic patio enclosing the orange trees. Another interesting thing that stood out to me is how greatly Spaniards venerate Christopher Columbus. Inside the Cathedral is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, held by towering bronze pallbearers. Columbus helped to put Spain back on the map in the 15th century, however, back in the United States many people do not give him the honor or respect that Spaniards do. This was just another interesting part of Spanish culture I that noticed.
This week was also the Feast Day of Corpus Christi in Seville. Corpus Christi is a Catholic holiday celebrating the Eucharist. I am Catholic myself, but I have never experienced this holiday in the way Spaniards celebrate it! The actual feast day was on Thursday, but there were celebrations starting the Wednesday night before and continuing throughout the next week! On Wednesday night I walked to the city center with a friend to take part in the celebrations. I was amazed by what I saw! There were hundreds of people in the streets, throwing bundles of rosemary onto statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus to adorn them. There was incense burning on every street corner and people lighting candles in honor of the saints. There were also huge altars being set up on the streets to get ready for the masses that would be held the following morning. There was even a brass band marching through the streets playing music the entire night! I couldn't believe how big of a celebration it was. Not only were there people honoring Jesus and the Saints, but there were also people enjoying cerveza with friends and family and eating tapas together on the streets. It really was a celebration! I feel lucky to have been able to participate in the Corpus Christi celebrations first hand. This experience showed me how large a role religion plays into the society of Spain. Spaniards even had the day off of work for Corpus Christi! Back home religion doesn't seem to hold as much weight on everyday life where in Spain it is the backbone. Additionally, this experience showed me that Spaniards will find any excuse to celebrate and enjoy life with one another which is an outlook I intend to take back home with me!
On Monday we had a class field trip to the Cathedral of Seville. I have walked past the cathedral many times but I have never gone inside it before this field trip. Inside the cathedral, it was an absolute dream. I found out that it is the largest Gothic church in the world, and the third largest cathedral in the world! It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Inside the cathedral, there was so many things to look at I didn't know where to turn my head! The Cathedral was another amazing blend of culture in Seville, as it was formerly a mosque in the 8th century during the Muslim rule. After the Christian reconquest, the building evolved into the Cathedral it is today. However, if you look closely you can still see the remnants of the Arabic structure; from the minaret turned bell-tower to the mosaic patio enclosing the orange trees. Another interesting thing that stood out to me is how greatly Spaniards venerate Christopher Columbus. Inside the Cathedral is the tomb of Christopher Columbus, held by towering bronze pallbearers. Columbus helped to put Spain back on the map in the 15th century, however, back in the United States many people do not give him the honor or respect that Spaniards do. This was just another interesting part of Spanish culture I that noticed.
This week was also the Feast Day of Corpus Christi in Seville. Corpus Christi is a Catholic holiday celebrating the Eucharist. I am Catholic myself, but I have never experienced this holiday in the way Spaniards celebrate it! The actual feast day was on Thursday, but there were celebrations starting the Wednesday night before and continuing throughout the next week! On Wednesday night I walked to the city center with a friend to take part in the celebrations. I was amazed by what I saw! There were hundreds of people in the streets, throwing bundles of rosemary onto statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus to adorn them. There was incense burning on every street corner and people lighting candles in honor of the saints. There were also huge altars being set up on the streets to get ready for the masses that would be held the following morning. There was even a brass band marching through the streets playing music the entire night! I couldn't believe how big of a celebration it was. Not only were there people honoring Jesus and the Saints, but there were also people enjoying cerveza with friends and family and eating tapas together on the streets. It really was a celebration! I feel lucky to have been able to participate in the Corpus Christi celebrations first hand. This experience showed me how large a role religion plays into the society of Spain. Spaniards even had the day off of work for Corpus Christi! Back home religion doesn't seem to hold as much weight on everyday life where in Spain it is the backbone. Additionally, this experience showed me that Spaniards will find any excuse to celebrate and enjoy life with one another which is an outlook I intend to take back home with me!
Photos from the Catedral de Sevilla and the Corpus Christi celebrations
Weekend Trip to Morocco
This weekend the ICS took us on a cultural excursion to Morocco! North Africa is fairly close to Southern Spain, so it is a pretty easy weekend trip. It took about five hours to get there. We left on Friday morning and headed by bus to Algeciras, a port city in Spain. From there we took a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar into Ceuta, a Spanish colony on the African continent. The ferry was pretty big and there was a deck we could walk around on. From the deck we could see the African continent as we were approaching! We also saw a pod of dolphins on the way. I was thrilled to watch the continent grow closer and closer until we finally docked! After we arrived we got onto another bus to cross the border into Morocco. Going to Africa has always been a dream of mine, so I was so excited to finally be here!
Later that day we took the bus to Tangier, a city in Morocco. We had a quick walking tour of the city and then went to Cape Spartel, a beach where we rode camels and visited the Caves of Hercules! It was such an incredible experience. The whole time I kept thinking to myself: "I'm in Africa!" The camel ride was amazing, and I couldn't believe that people ride them all the way across the desert for days on end! The beach, Cape Spartel was also very beautiful and the water was cold! Already I have noticed how different Morocco was than Spain. Here, the country is about 98% Muslim. It was very different seeing so many people covered up in Jalabas and scarves. While we were driving to Tangier I even saw people kneeling on mats on the side of the road in prayer. It was all very different but very interesting to me. I also noticed that there were generally more men on the streets than women. Throughout the trip we had a Moroccan guide, and he told us that women usually stay home with the children during the day unless they are buying groceries or running errands. Also, there were a lot of children working in stores or selling items on the streets. Our guide told us that in Morocco children only go to school until age thirteen, and then they have the choice to continue their education or end it there. As most children can't afford to continue on, their education ends once they turn thirteen. This was very eye-opening because back home I feel that many students take their education for granted, whereas here an education is something one hopes and dreams for.
After we explored Cape Spartel a bit more we left for Tétouan where our hotel was. We ate a traditional Moroccan dinner of chicken and couscous at the hotel and then went outside for a little bit. Our hotel was very clean and updated, and it overlooked the Mediterranean sea. That night a couple of friends and I walked down to the beach and put our feet in the water. It was so incredible being there, and the stars were so bright above us! The entire day was a dream come true. The next morning we left early for the city of Chefchaouen, also known as the Blue Pearl of Morocco!
This weekend the ICS took us on a cultural excursion to Morocco! North Africa is fairly close to Southern Spain, so it is a pretty easy weekend trip. It took about five hours to get there. We left on Friday morning and headed by bus to Algeciras, a port city in Spain. From there we took a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar into Ceuta, a Spanish colony on the African continent. The ferry was pretty big and there was a deck we could walk around on. From the deck we could see the African continent as we were approaching! We also saw a pod of dolphins on the way. I was thrilled to watch the continent grow closer and closer until we finally docked! After we arrived we got onto another bus to cross the border into Morocco. Going to Africa has always been a dream of mine, so I was so excited to finally be here!
Later that day we took the bus to Tangier, a city in Morocco. We had a quick walking tour of the city and then went to Cape Spartel, a beach where we rode camels and visited the Caves of Hercules! It was such an incredible experience. The whole time I kept thinking to myself: "I'm in Africa!" The camel ride was amazing, and I couldn't believe that people ride them all the way across the desert for days on end! The beach, Cape Spartel was also very beautiful and the water was cold! Already I have noticed how different Morocco was than Spain. Here, the country is about 98% Muslim. It was very different seeing so many people covered up in Jalabas and scarves. While we were driving to Tangier I even saw people kneeling on mats on the side of the road in prayer. It was all very different but very interesting to me. I also noticed that there were generally more men on the streets than women. Throughout the trip we had a Moroccan guide, and he told us that women usually stay home with the children during the day unless they are buying groceries or running errands. Also, there were a lot of children working in stores or selling items on the streets. Our guide told us that in Morocco children only go to school until age thirteen, and then they have the choice to continue their education or end it there. As most children can't afford to continue on, their education ends once they turn thirteen. This was very eye-opening because back home I feel that many students take their education for granted, whereas here an education is something one hopes and dreams for.
After we explored Cape Spartel a bit more we left for Tétouan where our hotel was. We ate a traditional Moroccan dinner of chicken and couscous at the hotel and then went outside for a little bit. Our hotel was very clean and updated, and it overlooked the Mediterranean sea. That night a couple of friends and I walked down to the beach and put our feet in the water. It was so incredible being there, and the stars were so bright above us! The entire day was a dream come true. The next morning we left early for the city of Chefchaouen, also known as the Blue Pearl of Morocco!
It was about an hour drive through the Rif and Atlas mountain ranges to get to Chefchaouen. Even the drive was incredible! All along the road I saw Moroccan farmers, oxen, cows, and goats strolling past. Even though I was tired I didn't close my eyes because I didn't want to miss a thing. Once we arrived in Chefchaouen it was unbelievable. Every wall, windowsill, sidewalk and roof was glowing in all shades of blue! Everywhere I looked I saw blue! I asked our guide why the town was painted this way and he said that the paint and the color repels mosquitoes. Nowadays, people continue to paint it blue for tourist purposes. We took a short tour of the city and then had free time for shopping. There were so many things to buy! There were blankets, leather goods, slippers, antiques, and other handicrafts, along with spices and pigments and dyes. In Morocco, haggling is the expected and traditional way to shop. This was a new experience for me and also made me a little uncomfortable at first. However, it turned out to be much easier than expected and the store owners were very nice! It was also a little difficult getting used to the currency in Morocco. They use the dirham, which is also used throughout the United Arab Emirates. There is about ten dirham to every one euro, so shopping there is relatively cheap. It was also fun listening to people speaking in Arabic here. I have never heard it spoken before, and it is super cool! The lilt and pronunciation is very different than other languages I have heard. In the streets we could also heard the call to prayer from the minarets. It was a very foreign sound in a new language, and amazing to hear. When I was shopping most people would speak Spanish to us and then switch to some English. By the end of the transaction, we could say "shukraan" which is "thank you" in Arabic. It was such a unique blend of culture and language and I am so happy I got to experience it!
After our day in Chefchaouen we headed back to Tétouan for dinner. That night we went to a dinner show at an old Arabic Palace. We were served delicious Moroccan cuisine and drank traditional mint tea. There were also Moroccan dancers and musicians who performed for us! The next day we stayed in Tétouan and visited the soulks and medinas in the morning. We stopped into a natural Berber pharmacy where we shopped for oils and other types of natural remedies, and then headed to a leather market. Before leaving the town we stopped at an Arabic bakery where we spent the last of our dirhams on pastries and steaming glasses of mint tea. That concluded our trip to Morocco, and we headed back to Seville. This weekend trip was much different than the other field trips we have taken in the sense that it was more focused on the cultural aspects and daily life in Morocco. Instead of learning about history and language we learned about the traditional way of life in North Africa. It was an experiential trip and it focused on giving students the chance to visit a Muslim country and experience their way of life. This trip was one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life. Never have I experienced such a different culture and way of life, and I will remember this weekend for the rest of my life.
After our day in Chefchaouen we headed back to Tétouan for dinner. That night we went to a dinner show at an old Arabic Palace. We were served delicious Moroccan cuisine and drank traditional mint tea. There were also Moroccan dancers and musicians who performed for us! The next day we stayed in Tétouan and visited the soulks and medinas in the morning. We stopped into a natural Berber pharmacy where we shopped for oils and other types of natural remedies, and then headed to a leather market. Before leaving the town we stopped at an Arabic bakery where we spent the last of our dirhams on pastries and steaming glasses of mint tea. That concluded our trip to Morocco, and we headed back to Seville. This weekend trip was much different than the other field trips we have taken in the sense that it was more focused on the cultural aspects and daily life in Morocco. Instead of learning about history and language we learned about the traditional way of life in North Africa. It was an experiential trip and it focused on giving students the chance to visit a Muslim country and experience their way of life. This trip was one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life. Never have I experienced such a different culture and way of life, and I will remember this weekend for the rest of my life.
Photos from Tangier, Chefchaouen and Tétouan
Week 3 Reflection
This week was very busy and filled with so many new experiences. This week brought new sights, new sounds and even new smells! I still can't believe that I went to Africa over the weekend. I never thought I would say that! Something I have been reflecting on this week is the importance of going into situations with an open mind and an open heart. This week I have experienced new ways of life both in Seville and in Morocco. I have seen poverty in ways that I hadn't seen before but also joy in ways I hadn't seen before. Going into every experience with an open mind has helped me to appreciate the differences between each country to my own. My experiences this week have helped me to further appreciate my life back home and the rights and privileges that I have. I am grateful that I live in a country where I can receive an education and where I have rights as a woman. While the United States still has issues our nation needs to work past, U.S. citizens have many liberties and rights to be thankful for. During my time in Morocco I have also come to realize that in this country joy is found in the simplest of things. Most people here do not live extravagantly, rather they live simply and enjoy each day with one another and with the few possessions that they have. Here, joy is not found in how much a person has but in how much love a person has to give to one another. Morocco has taught me that if I can find joy in the smallest of things, I will always be a happy person.
This week was very busy and filled with so many new experiences. This week brought new sights, new sounds and even new smells! I still can't believe that I went to Africa over the weekend. I never thought I would say that! Something I have been reflecting on this week is the importance of going into situations with an open mind and an open heart. This week I have experienced new ways of life both in Seville and in Morocco. I have seen poverty in ways that I hadn't seen before but also joy in ways I hadn't seen before. Going into every experience with an open mind has helped me to appreciate the differences between each country to my own. My experiences this week have helped me to further appreciate my life back home and the rights and privileges that I have. I am grateful that I live in a country where I can receive an education and where I have rights as a woman. While the United States still has issues our nation needs to work past, U.S. citizens have many liberties and rights to be thankful for. During my time in Morocco I have also come to realize that in this country joy is found in the simplest of things. Most people here do not live extravagantly, rather they live simply and enjoy each day with one another and with the few possessions that they have. Here, joy is not found in how much a person has but in how much love a person has to give to one another. Morocco has taught me that if I can find joy in the smallest of things, I will always be a happy person.