Belated Christmas

Where have the weeks gone? I can't believe Christmas has already flown by. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with friends and family. I fear as always with this blog, I am playing a bit of catch up, so here we go!

Last weeks of the semester:

The last two weeks of the semester were a tad overwhelming. I'm used to final exams being spread out over a week's worth of days, but this semester they were compressed into 2 days. On top of that, each of my 4 classes had a final paper, also due on exam day. I powered through though, and now I can say that I am six credits away from being done with my spanish major! Yaaaay!

Final Goodbye's:

The end of the semester was extremely abrupt. Exams ended on the 13th of December, and the majority of the semester long kids flew out the very next day. The night of the 13th, pretty much the entirety of CIEE gathered at a well known spot along the Guadalquivir River to say one final goodbye. These goodbye's were some of the saddest that I've ever had to make. I've met so many lovely people this semester, and while we will all be back in the US one day, we are all so incredibly spread out, that it will make visiting difficult. Being in Spain has definitely made me realize just how big the United States is, and how little I've actually seen of my own country. Hopefully I will be able to visit some of the fantastic people I have met this semester. Sevilla is going to miss you all dearly, as will I!

Christmas in Sevilla:

On a happier note, I have yet to blog about Christmas in Sevilla! While the Christmas season is pretty much over in the US of A, Spain's Christmas season extends to January 6th (Epiphany), the day the wisemen came to deliver gifts to baby Jesus. In Spain, Epiphany, not Christmas, is the day that gifts are generally given. Here are a few of the other differences I noticed about Christmas in Spain vs. the States:

Belenes- In Spain, families do not put up christmas trees, but rather nativity scenes, which are called belenes. These nativity scenes are beautifully ornate and intricate. Near Seville's cathedral, a giant Belén market is put up where you can buy everything for your belén, including statues of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, donkeys and other livestock, carrots and cabbage to feed your fake livestock, guitars, moss, potted plants, and other shrubberies. It really is amazing how decorative these things can get.

Lights- I've seen a few big cities at Christmastime, and I can honestly say that no one does Christmas lights like in Sevilla. All the main streets had huge banners of lights that absolutely lit up the night. Palm trees and orange trees were lit up as well, definitely giving off a different Christmas vibe than back home. My pictures don't really do it justice, but here is Sevilla by night at Christmas:

Sevilla's government building, El Ayuntamiento

Walking along the main street by La Catedral

Lit up orange trees

Lit up palm trees

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire- Yes, literally on every street corner of Sevilla during Christmas season there is a man roasting chestnuts. I had never really tried them before, and let me say, they were quite a delight.

Christmas Goodies- Apart from chestnuts, Spain has many other traditional Christmas treats. Some of my favorites included turrón, rosco de vino and polvorón. Turron was an almond based sweet. There are two types, one being  really hard and crunchy while the other was really soft and would melt in your mouth. Roscos de vino were essentially little donuts covered in powdered sugar, which were delicious. Polvorón was kind of like a shortbread, which is very crumbly and has a lot of cinnamon. Yes, the following pics are from google images, because I failed to take pics :P

Left- hard turrón, Right- soft turrón

Roscos de Vino

Polvorón

In general, I would have to say Christmas in Spain is much less commercialized. Yes, they have the lights and the treats, but stores and TV commercials  were not as gung ho about buying buying buying. Christmas in Spain definitely focuses more on the religious aspect of Christmas. It was quite a different feel than being at home during Christmas.

Speaking of home, I arrived back in the States on the 23rd to enjoy the holidays with my family. I'm so thankful I was able to make it back for the holidays. It has been so great to get to see everyone and catch up. I'm here in the great state of Illinois until the 15th of January, and hopefully during that time I will be able to blog about the 6 days I spent in Italy before going home! Until then, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Last Week's Higlights

Alright, guys. I am blogging instead of working on my 4 papers or studying for my exams which are all next week, so you better be proud of this commitment. Ok, who am I kidding, I'm procrastinating. :P I'll try to keep this post short so I can get back to legitimate productivity.

Last week was same old same old. Classes are gearing up for finals and the semester long kids are making preparations to leave Sevilla. It will be so weird to be here without them!

Last weekend was absolutely fantastic! My friends Jessica, Michele, and I flew up to Northwestern Spain, an area known as Galicia. We were in the town of Santiago de Compostela, the capital of this area which is known around the world for being a famous pilgrimage destination.

The apostle Saint James (San Santiago) is the patron Saint of Spain. Legend has it that St. James preached in both the Iberian Peninsula and Jerusalem, and after his martyrdom, his relics were transported to the town of Compostela. Ever since St. Jame's relics were placed in the Cathedral, it has attracted pilgrims from around the world. There are several different routes to Santiago de Compostela, starting in England, France, and Southern Spain.

The symbol of the pilgrims is a seashell. There are a few legends explaining why. One is that on route to Santiago from Jerusalem, his body fell off the boat and into the sea. It washed ashore completely unharmed and covered in scallop shells.

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The Cathedral was the highlight of Santiago. It is a beautiful building and it was astounding to think that people have been traveling here for hundreds upon hundreds of years. 

Apart from the Cathedral, Michele and Jessica and I spent a lot of our time walking around the city, which is really easy to navigate. Santiago was magical. It had a really old world feel. Most buildings are made of stone and have moss and greenery overtaking them, which makes the whole city feel cozy and charming. We went to several beautiful parks and just soaked in all the greenery, which is lacking in Sevilla. 

 Michele knew a Spanish university student who lives in Santiago, which was great! It's always a lot more fun if a local can show you around and teach you about the city. We got to eat some fantastic Galician food, a lot of which is seafood because they are so close to the ocean. My favorite thing I ate was an octopus empanada. Since the octopus was mixed into a pastry, you didn't get the full on squishy texture, which is why I think I could stomach it.

Pulpo (octopus) in a storefront window

Our trip to Santiago, while cold, was so fun and relaxing. It was the perfect way to take a breather and chill before the last week of classes and finals. So much has to be done this week; it's a bit intimidating. 

I have made one major dent in my pile of work, and that is finishing the 1100 page  nightmare that is Don Quijote! Don't get me wrong, Cervantes is a literary genius. There are some brilliant ideas and themes hidden within this book, and I'm proud to say that I've read it. I'm also so incredibly relieved that it's over. 

Reading Don Quijote was a lot of this:

Gah, do I have to?

And this:

ummm wat?

And this:

zzzz

But now it's over, and I can just put the book up on my shelf, and point it out to people and say, "Hey... look, I read that. Be amazed. :P" 

Alright, I should really get back to studying. There is so much to be done in a week. I hope to make a blog post about Christmas in Sevilla sometime soon. The decorations and the food are amazing!!! Hasta luego!