Discoveries of the Week

A pretty chill week six here in Sevilla. The oppressive 90 degree weather is finally beginning to lower into the much more tolerable 80's, and I find the 70 degree mornings to be a little chilly as I'm walking to class. (It's going to be a rough readjusting to Wisconsin weather next year, I know.) Classes are going smoothly, and it's hard to believe midterms will be upon us in a few weeks. This week I tried to blend in as a local Sevillana, doing regular things around town, and learning loads along the way. Here are a few of the things I have learned this week:

1) Learning about art is way more interesting when you get to take fieldtrips

Outside of Hospital de la Caridad

Chapel

This week my Art History class took a field trip to La Hospital de la Caridad (Charity Hospital) to see some classic examples of baroque art and architecture. The hospital was founded in the 17th century by Miguel de Mañara, a wealthy noble. Mañara lost his entire family to a flu epidemic which killed about 1/4 of Spain's population. Left alone in the world, as were many during that time, Mañara decided to create a hospital where the poor and abandoned could come to receive care. Mañara hired many famous painters to create art for the chapel in the hospital, the most notable being Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Spain's 2nd most well known Baroque painter after Velázquez.

One of Murillo's paintings,
Jesus helping a leper

Seeing art in its original home is so incredibly different than viewing slide after slide of art in a lecture hall! Walking around the chapel de La Hospital made me feel so incredibly lucky to be in Spain!

2) Spaniards can't pronounce my name. 

Caitlin. It's a pretty common name back in the States. People often don't know how to spell it, but there is never a problem with pronunciation back home. However, when I introduce myself here in Spain, people repeat my name 4 or 5 times before they get it right or just give up. If my host mom uses my real name, she ends up calling me "Cotleen," although she often just calls me Nicole because apparently I am a dead ringer for Nicole Kidman (I don't see it either, but I roll with it) and it is much easier to pronounce. Thanks to my phonetics class I've come to realize why it's so hard for people to pronounce my name. I'm going to take this time to go on a bit of a phonetics tangent, so feel free to skip over if you do not appreciate the awesomeness that is phonetics :P

The two vowels in my name [ei] and [ɪ] do not exist in Spanish. Also the "t" in my name is a type of "t" called a glottal stop (a stopping of the air in the vocal tract) that does not exist in Spanish. This is the same kind of "t" as found in "gluten" or "pet." 

With 3 of the 6 sounds in my name being hard for Spaniards to pronounce, it is no wonder they can't get it most of the time. The other day I was at a restaurant with some friends, and when the cashier asked for my name to call me when my order was ready, he looked at me like I had about 7 heads when I said Caitlin. He responded, "No, no no, you're Pepa, ok?" I laughed and went with it, although I'm considering adopting Pepa as my official nickname here in Spain.

My new name!

3) You should always try new foods

This weekend I went out for tapas, the typical way of Spanish dining. Tapas are essentially little appetizers, or taste of things. You and your amigos order a bunch of different plates, and share them all family style. It's a great way to dine; you get to experience a variety of flavors and tastes, and you don't feel overly stuffed at the end. I went to tapas with a Spaniard who did most of the ordering, which was a good thing because I got to try things I normally would never order:                

Pork

Swordfish

   

Mushrooms stuffed with a
pesto mayonnaise 

Calamari

Sheep's cheese and jam

I never would have ordered the mushrooms or the calamari because I am not really a fan of chewy textures, but both turned out to be surprisingly delicious, especially the mushrooms! I'm hoping to go out for tapas again soon. There is so much good Spanish food I still haven't experienced yet!!

4) I really love silent film. 

Apart from tapas this weekend, I also went to go see the Spanish silent film "Blancanieves." blanca = white & nieves = snow, so put them together and..... yes! I went to go see a Spanish version of Snow White. This film was incredibly cool for many reasons. First off, it was a silent film, an art form rarely used today. People are often turned off by the idea of silent film. How can a movie be exciting without hearing the actors? Believe me, if the plot is gripping enough, words are not even really necessary. The plot in this movie is so incredibly interesting. In this version of the story, Snow White is the daughter of a famous bullfighter and equally famous flamenco dancer, both who end up dying. She is left in the care of her evil stepmother, who inherits her father's fortune. The way Spanish culture is incorporated into the story made it a really interesting and charming to watch. "Blancanieves" is in the running to be nominated for "Best Foreign Film" in the Oscars, so if you find a theater in the States that is playing it, I highly recommend seeing it!

       Trailer for Blancanieves. "You will never find a story like this"

5) Cathedral Organs are Bad-Ass

Organ in the Seville Cathedral

This Sunday, I decided to attend mass at Seville's gothic cathedral. Walking in to the Cathedral is an overwhelming experience. The vaulted ceilings, the architecture, the ornateness of every single statue... all of it is just astounding. The mass was partially in Latin, partially in Spanish. Thanks to my Catholic background, it was easy for me to tell what was happening in the mass. If I wasn't Catholic, however, I feel like it would have been much harder to follow along. The most impressive thing about the mass was the organ. The organ was HUGE and the sound filled up the entire cathedral. Chills definitely went down my spine. I probably won't return to the Cathedral until Semana Santa, or Holy Week, Seville's biggest celebration of the year. 

Altar in the Seville Cathedral

Well, that was my week in a nutshell! The next few weeks are going to be super busy between class, homework and weekends full of traveling (Gibraltar, Córdoba, Morocco, and Belgium!!!!!) I don't know how well I will be able to keep up blogging, but I will sure try! Have a great week, all!