"Los ricos, los viejos o los extranjeros"

Bullfighting.

I've heard over and over since I've been in Spain what an important event this is culturally for the Spanish.
Bullfighting is ingrained in Spanish culture... a stereotype emitted just as frequently as the importance of flamenco, and tapas.

The problem with this theory is that from what I have seen, bullfighting is not nearly so important to the Spanish culturally as we think. The Spanish themselves will say how important it is to Spain culturally, as if this were a phrase they practiced reciting since elementary school, but actions speak louder than words.

When asked about bullfighting, the stock answer I have gotten from Spaniards is almost always the same... "I went one time but never after that." They then typically make a hesitant face and shrug their shoulders saying, "It's really not for me."

So then, if most Spaniards I have talked to have only gone to a bullfight once in their life, how is this "cultural event" able to survive? And maybe a more poignant question – Is bullfighting even still relevant to Spanish culture?

First.
How is this practice able to survive?
I've gotten varied answers from different people.
A professor of mine proclaimed the cultural importance of bullfighting to Spain in class, but then he was quick to say that he had only ever gone to one event in his life. He said the one time he went the vast majority of the people at the spectacle were tourists all there taking photos.
I asked him why bullfighting was considered of such cultural importance if those actually participating in and patronizing the event were not Spanish.

He sat there and thought for a bit but then responded that the truth was bullfighting was probably on its way out. The youth, and he pointed to us in the class, are not very interested in it, and more and more the practice is on the decline. For example, he said, bullfighting is banned in Catalonia and Barcelona.

A girl in class spoke up and said that one of her Spanish friends told her that only "los ricos, los viejos, o los extranjeros" ("the rich, the old or the foreigners") go to bullfights.

"Los extranjeros"
This confirms a sad reality I had already seen on my own. Tourists in Spain believe that to have really experienced Spanish culture before leaving Spain they have to go to a bullfight. A phrase I’ve heard a disappointing number of times reiterates the sentiment: "How can I say I studied abroad for 4 months in Spain, and never saw a bullfight?"

The truth is, there really is this invisible but tangible pull to see a bullfight in Spain. I too have felt the attraction though I’ve promised myself I’ll never succumb to it. I think it’s mainly curiosity but there is also this strong association foreigners attach to Spain with bullfighting, so that if you don’t see one you feel as if you are missing out on something.

I'm here to tell you...you are not missing out on anything. There are so many more worthy and beautiful things that are much more representative of Spanish culture to be spending your time on.

So what about "Los viejos" and "Los ricos"?
When talking with my host mom, Loli, she confirmed there was definitely a bigger audience for bullfighting with the older crowds. And it sounds like its specifically older men.
As for the rich, I can't say definitively from any of my own personal experiences but bullfighting is an expensive sport, so it also makes sense to me that it would also draw a wealthier crowd.

So at this point, you may be wondering why I'm making such a big hullabaloo about bullfighting, or what exactly bullfighting is....
and if you have never looked into what really happens at a bullfight, I would highly recommend taking the time to look at these two websites:

http://www.stopbullfighting.org.uk/facts.htm
&
http://www.bullfightingfreeeurope.org

“The bull has wet newspapers stuffed into his ears; vaseline is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vision; cotton is stuffed up his nostrils to cut off his respiration and a needle is stuck into his genitals… He is kept in a dark box for a couple of days before he faces the ring: the purpose of this is to disorientate him.” (StopBullFighting.Org) *a quote regarding the bull's pre-fight treatment*


Bullfighting kills an animal for show.
That might be fairly obvious to some of you but I know others may have never realized the bull is actually killed in a bullfight.

As naive as it sounds, before my first time in Spain, I never knew the bull was killed in a bullfight. In fact, until earlier this afternoon, I didn’t know that the bulls from the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona actually got killed after their run too.

The images we are shown when we are younger, if any of bullfighting, are filled with pretty colored flags and movements that almost look like a dance, it would be odd to immediately equate that with death. But death for the bull it is. And there's really no "fight" about it, because it is death for the bull every time.

A logical question to be asking now would be, "How is bullfighting different than killing any other animal we eat for food?"
I would argue that the answer is not in the result; rather it is in the intention -
One act kills with the intent to provide nourishment as food, while the other act kills with the intent to provide entertainment.

How anyone can derive pleasure from an other creature's pain is beyond me, and it's part of the reason I've taken such a strong stance against this practice. As an animal, the bull has absolutely no say in what's happening to him, he has no option left but to fight the unfair fight for his life against the matador.

So, is bullfighting still relevant to Spanish culture?
My answer has to be no. Thankfully, there seems to be little interest in the practice among most Spanish nowadays. But tourists retain the misconception that there is and so continue to patronize the sport.

If you come to Spain enjoy...
the calmer pace of life,
the mid-day siestas,
the balance between work and play,
musicians on the street,
the tapas with friends late at night before spending the rest of the night with them in the city,
if you're in Andalusia go see a flamenco espectáculo (sooo worth it!),
walk EVERYWHERE,
laugh until your stomach hurts and your eyes are lined with tears,
then look around at where you are and smile because you are there....

But don't be tricked into going to a bullfight to find spanish "culture."

You'll find what I argue is a more authentic and beautiful spanish culture, just about everywhere else.

I've given a whole lot of my opinion on this blog post, so don't let me be the only one gabbing, please let me know your own thoughts!!

To new experiences and many thoughts,
xx
Gaby

"If you just said coquillage...."

Before I go into what I really wanted to write about today. I'm going to apologize for not writing sooner. I've been fairly sick the last few days and have not been up for doing much of anything. I also wanted to mention that being sick and being cooped up inside all day had made me extremely homesick. It was the most homesick I have been thus far on the trip. It's hard to remember homesickness when you've got so many different activities going on, but when it's just you, alone in a room for hours on end.... feeling slighting delirious from a fever in the night.... you will really really miss home. Or at least I did. Oof! Constant daydreams of laying in my bed with my dogs at home and getting spoiled by my mom.

The good news is I think that was the worst of the homesickness I will experience while abroad. Feeling much better health wise today and not nearly as home sick :)

Now, what I had initially wanted to write about! International friends! And ramblings that came from my head after conversations with said international friends.

It was a weekend of meeting new people (referring to last weekend of course, not this one since I've been sick), and I think I will go more or less in chronological order.

First... the SPANISH!

My roommate Gabby and I both have very similar ideas about what we want to get out of studying abroad. One of the big things we have wanted to do is make friends with locals! Up until this past weekend, we hadn't quite succeeded on that end. But now I think we can officially say we have!

It was Thursday night (a big night for university students to go out on the town) and Gabby and I did not have any plans. Thankfully, our friend Bryce invited us to go meet up with him and we accepted! Bryce is a super friendly guy and by the time we got to the bar, he had already made friends with a group of about 12 or so spaniards.

We were so excited because this was our chance to finally talk to locals! The group was surprisingly welcoming to us 3 americans. One guy, named Ricardo was particularly excited to practice his English with Gabby and me. So the entire night he spoke to us in English, while we responded in Spanish. Ricardo's English was so good the entire night, I thought he must have studied at some point either in England or in the U.S. but he said he never had. It was simply that his dad had always spoken in English with him since he was a child. I asked then if his dad was american and he said "Oh no! He's from here." Needless to say, I was very impressed.

We've kept in contact with Ricardo since that night and I can genuinely say he is one of the nicest, most down to earth people I have met.

He's got an attitude that like most Sevillans I have met while here, is focused on all the positive in life. His abounding optimism is refreshing.

Part II to International amigos.
"The IRISH are coming! The IRISH are coming!"

Lorcan, Pierce and Emma.

Just fantastic people.

The first night Gabby and I only had the pleasure of meeting Lorcan and Pierce, but the next night we invited them to come out and they made the party that much merrier by bringing Emma along.

With them, we tried on all sorts of different accents. It became an outright battle of the accents between the Americans and the Irish.

Please for a moment, close your eyes and imagine an Irishman speaking in his very best Chinese accent.

You will be banished from my blog if you did not crack even the slightest smile at that! haha :p

They taught us Irish phrases like "What's the crack?"

And I'll let you in on a secret, its not only Leperchauns that have dancing fever in Ireland,

we got to witness Pierce's modern dance moves on the discotheque dance floor,
as well as Emma's amazing Irish dancing, while we were at a pub!

What a treat! :)

Anyways, "The Irish are coming the Irish are coming!" is something Gabby said when we found out that L.P&E would be joining us one night. Obviously in reference to Paul Revere's "The British are coming, the British are coming!" But then I thought... Would they get that reference if we said it to them? Probably not right? That's not their history.


TIME TO FIND OUT!

Max, Craig and Felix

A day or so later, Gabby, Malika (our other apartment mate), and I took a trip to a beach in Portugal.

The conversation about whether or not an Irish person or even a British person would get the reference "The British are coming, the British are coming!" had still not been settled.

Suddenly I hear something and say to Gabby..."Do you hear that?? Is that a british accent?" I point behind me and mouth silently "Should I ask?" She responds "Why not!"
And so I whip around and say "Hey! Are you by any chance British?"

and Max responds "We are!" *motioning towards himself and a friend sitting next to him* and then correcting himself "or well I am! I'm from England..."
Craig, his friend to the right, pipes in, "I'm from Scotland."

Max: "and he's from Germany!" *pointing to Felix*

So we ask them if they would get the reference and Max understood the quote through context. It's not a quote he had ever heard before but knowing British and American history a bit he guessed where it came from. They all agreed though that it wouldn't be a particularly common quote for someone in Ireland to know.

Our conversation didn't stop there though, we talked about all sorts of things that afternoon on the beach, but one thing that somehow came up was royalty.

Why are we Americans obsessed with royalty...?
Or to put it more accurately: Why are american girls obsessed with royalty?
And someone might try and argue with me on this one, but think back to the times there has been a royal british wedding, or a royal baby, and I'm certain you'll remember seeing their faces all over TV, in our newspapers and in our magazines.

But I thought to myself, how weird is that?
America... a country that fought a WAR against Britain for their independence from a monarch, has grown to have such a fascination and/or fondness for all things royal.

I was reminded of how excited I felt when I met a duke just a couple of weeks ago. I can't exactly tell you why that was so exciting.
The conclusion I came to though was this:
Americans like royalty because we don't have our own royalty.
Royalty appeals to us more than in just the nostalgic sense of fairytale endings, or something from childhood storybooks. It is an institution that's strange and exotic to us americans. A concept that is intertwined with a history now so far removed from our own memory, that there is a magic to anything surrounding it.

PART III. The FRENCH and Belgians who speak French :)

Sophie and Malika

Sophie happened to sit next to me on the bus ride over to Portugal. She's a French grad student, who like so many of us internationals in Sevilla, is studying here for a semester or two (can't remember exactly how many now). She was very sweet and a good companion to have for our trip.

I think I briefly mentioned above that our other apartment mate, Malika is Belgian, and her native language is French. As Sophie and Malika were on the beach later talking to each other in French I was trying desperately to make out words and figure out what they were saying to each other. Even though I've never taken a single class of French, I'm always interested in learning more languages and picking up new words where I can. I started asking the two what different words were in French. Since we were at the beach I asked Malika how to say seashell. She told me it is "la coquillage." So I repeated, like a parrot.. "la coquillage" Her face looked so surprised! She told me, "That was perfect! If you just said coquillage, I would think you were French!"

I must say, a small feat but I was very pleased with myself ;)

Anyways: a question for you all...
Why is it so much easier to make friends with other internationals than actual Spaniards here?

Do you have any ideas? I've rambled more than enough for today, so I think I'll let you have a turn :)

Wishing you all a very happy start to your week!

Until next time
& to many more adventures,

xx
Gaby

Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Falls Church anymore....

It's officially been two weeks since my arrival in Sevilla.

And since I have now been here for 14 days, I think I can write with a bit of authority about some of the differences between back home and Sevilla, Spain.

Also, I thought that instead of giving you all some more obvious differences that I think you can probably read about elsewhere (e.g. siesta time, smoking, eating times, etc.), I would give you some less conventional differences.


Number 1.
I want to talk about pigeons. Or rather, I want to talk about Sevilla's lack of pigeons. The birds here are beautiful white creatures known as doves, NOT pigeons! They are all over the place and beg for food, and generally act like pigeons but they are so pretty, I can't imagine people really mind them. In fact, as far as I know, in spanish there is no word to differentiate a pigeon from a dove - they are all "palomas."

One of the usual suspects.

Number 2.
There are Catholic churches ALL over the place in Sevilla. It is not unusual to see 3 or 4 churches on the same street, all within a couple hundred yards of each other. They are kind of like 7-11's back home, you see them on every corner, the only difference is that one has been there for hundreds of years and the other hasn't, and one sells cheap food and one is a church and well... actually they're not really anything alike. But! They are both ubiquitous throughout their respective city!

La Iglesia de Santa Ana

Number 3.
This is a kind of a weird one to put after the churches, but nudity on TV is a-okay in Spain. Not complete nudity!! But I've seen a fair amount of exposed boobs and even some mens rears while watching TV with my host mom. These aren't racy TV channels either, just the basic cable channels that will play the news later on in the day. 

Number 4.
Electricity is expensive. Maybe a more obvious one but I wanted to mention exactly how different it is here from back home. I can't tell you the exact price difference but I can tell you what we do to conserve energy.

We never ever use artificial lighting during the day. We use the natural lights from the windows. The only exception to this is if you're in the bathroom or somewhere else without a window. Even during class at school we rely on the light from the windows. And its not that we don't have lights in the classroom to use, it's that we don't turn them on.

I have to say I haven't minded this at all, which I'm a little surprised by. It's made me realize just how EXTREMELY wasteful I am back home.

At home I keep my lights on all the time, and there's absolutely no reason for it.

Other things somewhat related... no dryer - just line dry our clothes. And no AC in our bedroom - just use a ceiling fan.

Number 5.

Dogs walk without leashes right next to their owners.

I was pretty confused by this at first and thought there were all these lost dogs running around with collars. I was ready to save them all from the streets and then I realized they all had owners. The dog might wander a bit, but as soon as their owner calls them, they go right back to their side.

Now, if the dog is not off their leash, the dog is probably on a super short leash.

Talk about opposites.

(Sorry for the blurry pictures! I was trying to casually take pictures of people's dogs without being creepy)

Number 6.
The street signs aren't like back home!

Oh hello Calle Duarte!

Number 7.
It is hot here! At least right now it is. There is really low humidity here too so what we end up with is a very dry heat that I had honestly never experienced.

Back in Virginia we suffer from heat and high humidity - not a fun combination. The low humidity in Sevilla means using lots of lotion and chapstick!

Along with the heat, there is not much rain and so, not much grass either. I mean I literally never see any grass at all in the city. Going to the outskirts of the city on my way to school, you will see something that looks like it may have once hoped to have been grass but it died of a heatstroke before it got there.

And finally,

Number 8.
The Spanish don't believe in hand soap, or washing their hands...

Okay that's a lie... but it's a lie that is not completely untrue. Does that make sense?

About 90% of the time that I have used a public restroom (this includes the bathrooms at school), there has been no hand soap. You might think that's because everyone is using it all up before I get to it, but nope. Normally there is not even a dispenser.

In addition to this, the few times that there actually is hand soap available, I would say that the vast majority of ladies I have seen leaving the restroom do not bother even looking at the sink.

It could be that they're all just assuming there isn't going to be any soap available but I'm not too sure.

I'll have to ask someone about this phenomenon - it's probably a cultural difference.

I simply happen to like washing my hands. I also like hand sanitizer -- something else I don't think they have here.



Because there are a lot more things I have noticed, and I'm guessing a lot more I will notice before my trip is up, I've decided that there will be a part 2 to this blog post. But this is a good start :)


Until next time
& to many more adventures,

xx
Gaby