Buh-bye Sevilla

Well, I said "Adios" to the city that has been my home for the past 4 months last Wednesday. I leave this blog off with a picture of the symbol of Sevilla.

Legend has it that King Alfonso X's son tried to usurp him back in 13th Century, but the people of Sevilla continued to remain loyal. He rewarded them by giving them the "NO8DO".

The motto is a rebus, combining the Spanish syllables (NO and DO) and a drawing in between–the figure “8.” The figure represents a skein of yarn, or in Spanish, a “madeja.” When read aloud, “No medeja do” sounds like “No me ha dejado,” which means “It [Sevilla] has not abandoned me.”

The NO8DO is all over the city, mainly on every manhole cover and other city-utilites.

I might have left the city, but it will always be there if I want to relax in the hot sun, sipping café con leche and conversing Spanish with a lisp.

Hasta luego Sevilla.

Love,corey

La Feria

Hola todos

La Feria is a week long celebration that began Monday night/Tuesday morning 12:00am with the lighting of the Portada (the gateway into the fairgrounds) and the entire fair grounds.

The party lasts until next Sunday night.

From 2pm to about 9pm is a family atmosphere with dancing, drinking of el "rebujito" and manzanilla, a sherry wine from the Andalusian region that has a flavor reminiscent of chamomile (in Español, manzanilla = chamomile). There is also a parade of the most beautiful equines you will ever see, pulling carts ladden with dressed up ladies and gentlemen.

From 9pm to 8 am, the party intensifies, and all the Spaniards head toward their families' casetas to drink and drink some more.

The casetas are mostly private tents, but there are a few public ones that us tourists can buy drinks and food in. You can't just walk into a random caseta and be welcomed; they have security guards and you have to be invited.

It is craziness, just like the rest of Sevillan life...

Love yall, and promise I'm not staying out too late :)

-corey

Lola's Tortilla

Suit of Lights

Good Afternoon,

(welcome to the last place you will see alive bull)

Yesterday night I went to a bullfight! Sort of an unnecessary form of entertainment if you ask me, but don't since this isn't my culture.


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This is copied from a website, and explains it all much better than I could:


"A Corrida starts with the paseillo, with everybody involved in the bullfight entering the ring and presenting himself to the public. Two Alguacilillos, on horse's back, direct themselves to the presidency and symbolically ask for the keys to the "puerta de los toriles". Behind that door there are the bulls.

With the door being opened and the first bull entering the ring the spectacle starts. It consists of three parts, called tercios, being separated by horn-signals. There are three toreros in each Corrida , by the way, and each will have to torear two bulls.

In the first tercio the bullfighter uses the capote, a quite large rag of purple and yellow color. Now enter two picadores, on horse's back and armed with a sort of lance.

The second part is la suerte de banderillas. Three banderilleros have to stick a pair of banderillas into the attacking bull's back.

In the final "suerte suprema" the bullfighter uses the muleta, a small red rag. He has to show his faena, his masterity to dominate the bull, and to establish an artistical symbiosis between man and beast. The Corrida ends with the torero killing the bull by his sword."

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There were six bulls and three matadors: two bulls per man, and the first ones were not that good, but the last bull (he looked like the biggest, meanest, and smartest) was. Applauding and saying "Muy bien!" or "Bueno" is how the Spaniards show their approval. Whistling means that the bull sucks, or the matador sucks.

I only heard applauding and "bueno" on the last fight, nobody whistled. And the matador (only 25 years old-which is usual) won an ear.

Winning an ear or two from the bull is the same as "winning" a bullfight. In the Sevillan ring, it is extremely hard to do this because my city tends to ask a lot from the fighters. But the guy won one and I was happy I stayed for the last fight.

hasta pronto, corey

The horse and the picadores. The horse is blindfolded and padded because the bull rams into its side. Poor horse. But at least it is padded now; before the 40s or 50s, the horses were usually disembowled at this point. Stupid.

This was the last bull. The best by far. And the matador was so smooth.


Blindfolded mules carrying away the carcass. And the clean-up crew...



A picadores, the bull, and a banderillero. The bull has to stand inside the inner red ring, and the picadore and his horse stand on the outside of the outter ring. When the bull is positioned just so by the banderillero, the picadore gets the bull's attention and the bull rams the horse and the picadore stabs the bull.


The Colombian matador and the bull. Notice the sword in his hand. He is about to win his ear.


Victory lap with his ear.

Missent to Jamaica

Hola todas,




Funny stories:
-->One of my best friends, Amy, tried to send me a Valentine's Day card back at the end of January. It never made it to me, and we were both upset because she had put a lot of information into the card. And besides that, I have loved getting mail (thanks mom,dad,gran,alex, and kristen!).


When I got back from Italy, my roommates hand me a letter--it was Amy's!
Stamped in blurry blue was "MISSENT TO JAMAICA". I laughed for about an hour. The best part was that after I leave Spain, the school will not forward any recieved mail to me, so it came in perfect timing.




-->A couple of months ago, I'm not really sure when, me and one of my roommates Jennifer were walking to class as usual. All of a sudden, I look over and there is a crash/thud in the middle of the street. Some guy on his motorbike had stopped at the red light and FELL OVER! hahahaha
Me and Jen started laughing our butts off and pointing; I think the dude was embarrased...It had to be the funniest thing I had ever saw. I mean really, who's bike falls over?

-->Yesterday I was gift shopping and in the Centro (the biggest shopping district in Sevilla) there was a booth set up in the street. I'm used to seeing the weirdo street performers, the beggars, and the gypsies, but not this. The banners hanging on thebooth said
"¡Comer carne es cruel!" and "¡El futuro es vegetariano!" --translating to , eating meat is cruel and the future is vegetarian...bwhahaha, in Seville?? Just shows you Dad.






OK, the last story wasn't that funny, but it's something I want to remember, so I am posting it on cyberspace, therefore making it permanent.



have a wonderful Sunday, corey

If you need cigs or a beer, we have vending machines for such sins. I heart Spain.