Reflections of the Last Month

Clearly my record-breaking average of two entries per month is going to take a blow, but I decided to sneak one post in before month's end because today marks the one-year anniversary of the day I first stepped on Spanish soil, although I wouldn't really call this entry celebratory (I'm also watching TV as I write this, so I can't claim to be fully focused on a task that really requires full attention).

The great thing about living abroad is that everyday is a reflection. As a deeply introverted, introspective person, I often observe and analyze the happenings of life to a fault. Many times I find myself involuntarily living more inside my own cogitations and musings than in the world that exists outside my mind. All this philosophical-ish rambling to say that Spaniards seem to do the opposite. They live to socialize, to converse, to laugh, and have a good time with other people,  in a way that seems uniquely Spanish to me (or, at least Andalucian). The lighthearted, free-spirited vibe of the city is immediately notable, the daily interactions among the people, always animated and full of expression, I find encouraging, if not entertaining.

In many ways, living in this kind of culture has spurred changes to my natural disposition. I definitely go out more for social outings. I often look forward to grabbing a beer with friends and engaging in discussions about who knows what. Meeting the friends of friends is so common here, it's not uncomfortable for me anymore (whereas in Seattle, we all know this process can be excruciatingly awkward). The incredible weather, in all its glorious sunniness, doesn't hurt either.

By the river in the morning

But what you eventually realize is that, despite moving countries and your environment undergoing a complete makeover, the person you were before leaving your birth country is the person that you have brought with you to your new surroundings. That is, the roots of your being don't significantly change over a five-month experience; you are still the essence of you. This has become more and more apparent as the initial excitement  of starting something novel in a foreign land has gradually faded and the the days have started to feel ordinary, routine.

Not to suggest I don't enjoy the local culture and daily customs of Sevilla; quite the contrary, actually. But, in all honesty, my natural individualistic, often antisocial, inclinations have begun to resurface and now leave me seeking solitude, and my obligatory bouts with anxiety and insecurity at times leave me yearning withdrawal from the world, if only for a short while.

I've moved to my third flat now because the second one was not a good a fit for me at all, mostly due to the personal issues explained above. But the atmosphere of my current one is significantly more inviting, my flatmates much easier to get along with, not to mention more fun and interesting. I'm just going to have to make it work, despite my problems. Because I really don't want to have to have go through another key-swap again:

Here's to the low-phase of my abroad experience ... but really, life could be worse. The key is not to overreact and continue putting one foot in front of the other, because things always tend to turn out alright in the end.

A Small Tribute to Dad (아빠)

I'm putting this post up solely to keep it documented and stored in a space I can access and look back on.

I just received the most heart-wrenching/sweetest e-mail from my dad. Now, this man epitomizes the traditional values of being a Korean male; in other words, he rarely shows emotion. Tough as steel, hard as nails, completely unsentimental. But throughout my two stints in Spain (León and currently Sevilla), he has definitely shown his soft touch and has written the most beautiful letters I've ever received (with his usual witty sense of humor, and in very good English, too). This most recent one, I have to say, trumps them all (sorry .. the good parts are in Korean, for all non-Koreans, haha):

유라,

 

It was for your birthday. 돈 없잖아? 그 정도는 있으니까 Don't worry. 맛 있는거 사먹어.

By the way, you have not mentioned about your living space. Is it good and safe enough?

 

"항상 기뻐하라

 쉬지 말고 기도하라

 범사에 감사하라 이것이 그리스도 예수 안에서 너희를 향하신 하나님의 뜻 이니라" 

This is the song we sang together at the church when you were 4-5 years old.

 

I miss you very much.

...he's pretty much the most awesome person on the planet.

A Couple Weeks Later ...

I'm broke. Because my wallet was deftly snatched from my purse. I've drawn this conclusion because I can't think of another logical explanation for how my wallet went missing between the two minutes I made my purchase at the supermercado and the moment of realization that my bag felt significantly lighter on the way back home. Hurried back to the store, asked the cashier if she had seen my "no sé cómo se llama en español pero tenía todo mi dinero y tarjetas" (this later I realized was bad, too literally-translated Spanish, but what I was trying to communicate was: "I don't know what it's called in Spanish, but it had all my money and cards")  looked around and nada, nothing. So then, I was left with these coins I had ironically left in my pocket:

Thirty minutes later and I've contacted my credit card companies and banks, asked for a 50 euro loan from the deposit I paid my flatmate and ya, end of story. Although I was contemplating exaggerating a few details and embellishing the storyline to create a more artificially dramatic emotional scene, aside from the 100 euros worth of cash/bus cards I've lost -- and my photographic keepsake of my sister and I at Target, which thinking about tugs at my heart (sort of) -- it shall remain a minor hiccup throughout my experience in Sevilla. I'm approaching the incident from the "blessing in disguise" angle, as no longer having access to my American accounts will force me to live off of the money I earn from my private lessons for the rest of February - un reto nuevo, a new challenge.

What will be worth remembering and regarded as a significant experience, are moments such as these:

Witnessing the Seahawks' Superbowl trouncing in freaking Granada out of all places (with another Seattlelite, too!). Now, this bar (pictured below) will be forever known to me as the Irish sports bar in Granada where I watched Seattle win their first Super Bowl:

Also, the intercambios I've started with a few different Spanish locals, meeting some freaking cool Europeans on a few different occasions and daily stuff like that is how I plan to find meaning during my time here. On my trip to Granada last weekend, I found that I enjoyed myself much more going on aimless strolls in the Albacín and meeting my friend's Spanish flatmates and visiting their favorite tapas spots than going to the big tourist attractions like the Alhambra; basic things that gave me a sense of the local culture and everyday life. I like to keep it real like that, yo (I wonder what the expression for "keeping it real" is in Spanish?).

Granada is definitely a picture-taking-worthy city, though; it is absolutely breathtaking. It's just I've been really lazy and bad at taking pictures. Here's one that I took from a mirador (viewpoint) of (part of) the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada in the background:

But I understand that visual materials can enhance the emotional impact of written products, so, if only for the sake and popularity of my blog posts, I will start making a greater effort to stow my camera into my bag and whip it out on occasion to snap a few pics. So my devoted readers can get a better picture of my life here. Har har har ...

Here's to lazy Sundays - viva los domingos ociosos.

Assimilation: Tusclasparticulares.com

Well, it's clear that something has been on my mind/subconscious lately, because this has been the second time within the last four days I wasn't able to salvage any sleep because I've been too apprehensive and/or excited. I don't believe it's over anything specific, but rather I've been wired by the prospect of starting something new and meaningful in a foreign country. In total, that now equals four cases of legit insomnia since I've arrived.

So, last Friday or Saturday I put an ad of myself on tusclasparticulares.com to offer English classes, and I received 5 or 6 responses right away. The demand for English teachers is muy, muy high here. I currently have 5 classes set up a week right now - my students range from 3- to 4-year old sisters to 30-something year old computer programmers - , working out the details for another, and hoping for one or two more. Aside from the additional financial gains, it has thus far been a great way to meet Spaniards - Spaniards that want and need my help. Now, private lessons necessitate a lot more time and preparation than my government auxiliar position, but hell, this is basically what I've always wanted to do. I don't mind actually working while I'm here, and hopefully making some kind of difference in peoples' lives.

I also sought out a Spanish conversation coach on said website and met up with him yesterday. Also, I've got some responses for an anuncio I put up for intercambios, or conversation partners between different native language speakers, so looking forward to those meetings, too. If anyone knows anyone in Spain and wants to refer them to me, here are the links to my pages (lol):

http://www.tusclasesparticulares.com/domicilio/sevilla/clases-particulares-ingles-triana-centro-ciudad-los-barrios-vecinos-602178
http://www.tusclasesparticulares.com/intercambio-idiomas/native-english-speaker-looking-for-intercambio-hispanohablantes-606556.aspx

I haven't gone out much at all the last two weeks and seen my American Sevillano friends. Partly because as a natural introvert, I've been pretty antisocial and haven't made a ton of effort to see them - but, to be totally honest, call me boring but I'm ok with not going out every weekend. Also, the whole not sleeping issue hasn't really fueled my interest to party the night away. That being said, I really do like our group. I think we're a bunch of studs.

On a side note, my living situation right now is quickly deteriorating because the old lady who owns the flat totally blindsided me when a previous renter moved out mid-month and two girls came and took his place. Now there are three girls sharing one tiny bathroom, which I wouldn't really mind if they wouldn't soak the bathroom floor with puddles of water every time they got out of the shower with their hair strands swimming in them. Plus, they're always super LOUD at 2 or 3 in the morning. Ah well, only one week left here.

Here's to making new Spaniard friends!

Phase 1: Newly Arrived

I want to say the first 10 days or so that I've been in Spain have been insanely busy, but in truth, I've just been tired. Like, all the time. Jet lag, obligatory bouts with insomnia, a couple sleepless nights, another couple of long culturally enriching nights, just about does the trick. I feel like I've been here for a month.

Anyhow, today I moved into my first place (bye bye NH Viapol and your delectable breakfasts)! The feeling that I'm actually living here, experiencing life in Sevilla, has begun to solidify. Small things today like a pleasant conversation with the cab driver, whose name I unfortunately don't remember (Jose Antonio or Juan Antonio ... not generic at all), sitting in the staff room during the break amongst five different conversations between the teachers, all happening at once in rapid Spanish, and ordinary stuff like this:

makes the experience feel authentic. I've intentionally avoided taking my camera everywhere to snap pictures of who knows what and branding myself as a tourist. All my touristy photos are already on Facebook from my previous trip.

I'm only staying at my current place for two weeks, then I'm moving to an apartment in a district called Triana in February, which was my first preference. I'm oober excited about that. I find that area irresistible. Will post photos once the move happens, but I'll be living with two other Spaniards. It's also really close to this river that I like to run alongside, and it's super scenic. Sweet deal, right?

There are a bunch of small stories and incidents that have happened, but I just can't wrap my brain around it all right now. But, in general, so far, so good. I really enjoy my school I'm "working" at and the teachers, albeit the Spanish bilingual program is a total joke (save for another post).  I'm constantly practicing foreigner Spanish in shops, stores, bars, on the phone, etc and familiarizing myself with the Andalucian accent (also for another post). Basically life happening in Sevilla, and I've thus far enjoyed the ride.

Sorry, really vague post. I'll be sure to try to post pictures and share memorable stories as they come. Till next time. Hasta luego.