Saturday, February 8 // Sábado, 8 de febrero
ENGLISH -- This blog may be edited because right now it is a bit of a thought-dump.
A concept that has snuck up on me is anonymity. I have never lived in a big city bustling with people, so I am not used to the feeling of being a small ant in a big ant farm. Here in Sevilla, there are sometimes endless crowds of people in shopping streets or in the tourist areas. These crowds can make us feel different things; they can be overwhelming or stressful, or encourage a sense of urgency. Additionally, there is a different, positive way of looking at it that I am beginning to understand.
While it can feel great to be noticed, it can be very freeing to feel anonymous.
Studying abroad sometimes seems like a selfish experience. I am constantly thinking about why I am here, how my Spanish sounds, where I want to travel, etc. When I find myself in the midst of this bubble, I start to feel pressure. Pressure to become fluent in Spanish, pressure to explore each day, pressure to hit all the cities on my list by the end of my semester abroad. Don't get me wrong, I am the one putting this pressure on myself; I can turn it off if I want to, but it's usually sitting right at the back of my mind.
This pressure is part of the reason why anonymity can be a good feeling. Remembering how small we are is important. Remembering that I am only a piece of the puzzle - that makes up SAIIE, that makes up Sevilla as a whole - is important. The feeling reminds us that our daily worries are not the daily worries of others, and if they can go without them then we can too. That pressure can melt away once this is realized. It doesn't matter if I don't have the answers today, tomorrow, or next month. As long as I am enjoying my time and fulfilling my responsibilities, I am doing what I came to do.
After a busy day in Ronda on Friday, I somehow still had energy so I hatched a plan for the group and we went out to eat. We had too much food and great conversation. It was nice to take a break from the usual routine and talk with some new friends - I have only known them for about two weeks so it's always nice to learn more about them and hear their opinions and stories.
Saturday was another day of exploration, though, because I met up with friends from UW-La Crosse and we had breakfast at a cute place. I had an apple pie smoothie bowl, and yes, it was as good as it sounds. Then we went to some shops and we found an awesome place that reminded me of Five Below in the United States, called Flying Tiger Copenhagen. It had such cheap/cute things!
That night my roommate and our friends Arianna and Charissa decided to check out a tapas place that was recommended to us. It was called Bar Estrella. We sat outside and laughed as we decoded the menu - sometimes food words are a struggle in Spanish - and ordered three tapas to share between the four of us. We should have ordered the raciones (larger portions) instead of the tapas because we each got about bite of each plate.
Realizing that tapas were meant to be eaten at a variety of restaurants, we decided that we would finish our drinks and order tapas at another place. As we walked away though, we remembered an Italian restaurant called Orsini that had been recommended to us, so we peeked at the menu on our way past it. Peeking at the menu was a trap, though, because once we smelled the Italian aroma wafting from the doors, there was no going back. We requested a table inside and shared some garlic bread, pizzas, and lots of laughs.
The yawns came out once we finished dinner, but we persisted and cemented our plan to go out later. We would go to one of the most popular clubs in Sevilla: Uthopia. Tyler joined our group and was the chief navigator because the club was by the river, which meant that it was about a 20-25 minute walk from our meeting point.
Despite the club being known for pickpocketing, I felt very safe the whole time. Our group was very smart about staying together and letting each other know if we needed to take a break or anything. I'll say it: Uthopia definitely passed the vibe check. It had three floors (that we went to - didn't see any more stairs! The rumors about it having five floors seem to be fake!!) and each floor had a different theme and music.
The first floor reminded me of moorish architecture with lobulated arches and brick work and there was a buddha figurine watching over one of the rooms. The second floor was London themed, with photos of British rockers, including Freddie Mercury. This is so cheesy, but when I saw his face, I felt safe, so I just stood by his picture while my friends ordered drinks. Ridiculous. But, I had listened to Radio Ga Ga earlier that day, so like.. a SIGN.
Anyways, I had lots of fun with the group. We danced and sang and laughed until we decided it was time to go home; I left feeling warm, happy, tired, and I was walking a beautiful little line between anonymous and extraordinarily individual.
This might not make much sense, but my thoughts don't make much sense either. So, instead of thinking about it, take a look at some cool photos below! Yay:
