JUDIOS en SEVILLA

My Senora! Isabel Vasquez

10 Septiembre 2007, Lunes

Phew! El dia paso muy rapido…me parece que me despierte algunos minutos pasados. (Today flew by! It seems like I woke up a few minutes ago). Today en la clase de conversacion, we talked about food. Celeste, the teacher, mentioned something called Jamon York, which I ate the other day. Now, “jamon” means ham, and we all know that I do not eat ham, so when Senora told me I was eating “jamon york,” I instantly reminded her about my religious obligations, but she insisted that although it had “jamon” in its name, and the color of the meat was darker ham york was actually turkey. So adamant was she, that I ate it happily and complimented her on the taste. WELL…today, we learned that jamon york….is jamon. Muchas gracias Senora! I told her, and she still insists that its turkey, but promised me I never have to eat anything with the name “jamon” in it again.

After class, Natalia and I began our dubious search for plane tickets…we still don’t have a plan of where we want to go, but have decided that Barcelona shall be our first destination. It’s difficult because I have traveled so much with my family, and Europe seems to be getting smaller because everyone here seems to want to go to…Paris, London, Prague, Barcelona, etc. all of which I have been to. But I’m sure it will be different going with people my own age, and we plan on going to some new places like Frankfurt, Sofia, Morocco, and who knows where else.

Speaking of Morocco, I’m trying to decide whether I want to go on this program called Morocco Exchange…it costs 320 Euros, but you live with an actual Moroccan family and it’s a program that is designed for over privileged American college students to see what the actual world is like, and is supposed to be quite safe and life changing. Although the idea of schlepping all over Africa without showering does not appeal to me directly, I have a strong drive to actually see what I have learned so much about in developing countries. Especially, I desire to talk to the women and see what it’s like going through the hardships that is womanhood in a developing country.

I lunched with Senora, Maria Jose, Juan, and Marion. Today, Juan came in carrying a huge parcel wrapped in newspaper that was apparently a gift for Maria Jose from one of her students. Well, as we unwrapped it, it turned out to be a statue of a little naked boy holding out his hands….one of the weirdest, creepiest things I have seen. Senora insisted it was “Jesusito” (little baby Jesus) but she also insisted that they should clothe him before they put him up for the purpose of decency…because when I say naked…I mean NAKED…poor little Jesus…

After a little siesta, I watched “Orguillo y Prejuicio” (Pride and Prejudice…the Keira Knightley version) in Spanish with my Senora. It was soooooooo hard to understand, I didn’t understand most of it because they speak so fast. Since it was dubbed, the Spanish had to match the lips of the English speakers, so it was double fast…or so it seemed.

I met up for coffee with a chico that I met named Omar, which was really, really interesting. He is a student at the Universidad de Sevilla, but is Moroccan. We talked about everything from politics, to music (I tried to explain country music to him…it didn’t work) to government, to religion. He was telling me that as a student from Morocco, he encounters lots of prejudices. The other international students have the legal right to work in order to support themselves financially, but Moroccan students do not. So businesses exploit the young Moroccan students mercilessly; the last job he had, he would work 8 hours for 30 Euros! He also told me about one of his roommates, an Argentinean Jewish girl whose parents emigrated from Russia. I’m probably going to meet her Wednesday for Rosh Hashanah.

Bueno…that’s about it for today…

To the right: Cafe con Leche...aka heaven...

11 Septiembre 2007, Tuesday

Very chill day. Senora made potatoes ailoli today, a verrrry typical Spanish dish, also a tapa, made with potatoes and mayonnaise.

Expression of the day: vacas flacas literally-flabby cow

figuratively- economic recession

This afternoon I explored my barrio (neighborhood) of Nervion. I went to the Sevilla Football Club stadium, minutes away from my house, which is where one of the world’s best futbol teams plays. (futbol=soccer) I also did a bit of shopping in Plaza Nervion, the nicest shopping center in the city, which is also conveniently located just minutes away from my house. More interesting though, was wandering around the streets and going into random shops. There are so many zapaterias around here! (shoe stores) It is a wonder and all of the shoes are pretty cheap. There are these shoes that all of the Sevillanas wear…all of them! They are so ugly, like espadrilles with a funny colored cloth that just looks ridiculous. I think it would be equivalent to the obsession with Uggs which are sooooo ugly but insanely comfortable. I want the Sevillana shoes. I want them sooo bad…but I cannot find a pair that fits. I just want to go up to a Sevillana and ask her where she got her damn shoes.

I also sat down and had a leisurely coffee at a café and did a bit of solitary people watching which was fantastic. Tomorrow I will explore another beautiful barrio en Sevilla…

Since it’s September 11, I want to recognize the date and talk about terrorism as it relates to Spain. All of the news today were the videorecordings and what not of the attack, and Spain really feels for the U.S. because of their own experience with terrorism on March 11 in Madrid. However, the sympathy doesn’t go far because of the war in Iraq. So far I haven’t met anybody who really hated America, it seems the people here idolize American culture (which can seems to be a bit of an oxymoron at times). The music, movies, celebrities, etc. are everywhere! The main problem Spaniards have with terrorism comes from ETA, a terrorist group from the separatist Pais Vasco region in Spain which hopes to become independent. This has been going on for more than 30 years, since the time of Franco’s fascist rule.

12 Septiembre 2007, Wednesday, Rosh Hashanah

There is nothing more amazing than a leisurely café con leche taken in the late afternoon with a newspaper and Sevilla all around you. There is nothing more confusing and astounding than the craziness that is El Corte Ingles when you enter. El Corte Ingles is kind of like an American department store except it has EVERYTHING that you could ever want. Some things you can buy there: a car, shampoo, your honeymoon vacation, tomatoes, furniture, books, shoes, helado, ANYTHING. It’s like a frickin’ country all by itself, and they are everywhere!

Today was Rosh Hashanah and it was amazing to celebrate it here, in a city surrounded by Jewish influence from centuries back, in a country that expelled some of its most prosperous citizens. Apparently, there are only 20 Jewish families in Sevilla today; around 90 people in a city of more than a million. It is mind blowing to think about. Though there is no functioning synagogue here, the Jewish community rents out a little piso (apartment) that is fully furnished like a little synagogue. We weren’t sure if the service would be Sephardic or Ashkenazi, I’m still not sure because it went by in a blur. The piso was so difficult to find….it was in one of the windiest of windy streets…the only way we knew we had arrived was because there was a Chasidic Jew standing outside, so we were like OK…this must be it. The woman had to sit behind the men, something I have never, EVER had to do, and made me uncomfortable in a place where I felt very at home. There was a bimah in the center, very Sephardic, and the ark was on the opposite wall. On the walls were menorahs, lots of Hebrew inscriptions, and general Jewish stuff. The service began as the rabbi began chanting as fast as he could (which he proceeded to do throughout). As in any synagogue, all of the men (the women did not join in) chanted at their own pace creating a sort of hubbub around the room, which many people to advantage of to chat and catch up with the people around them. The funny part was that the majority of the people present were American female college students. The service lasted for about 30 minutes and then the funniest thing happened. We stood up, we sat down…we stood up again and chanted. Then in the midst of chanting everyone was like “Shanah Tovah!!!” and started kissing each other’s cheeks. It was over as suddenly as it began. As I sat there listen to the chanting, I could not help but wonder how it would have been oh so long ago, when Spain had so much Jewish culture. I felt so at home in this place, knowing I had friends among strangers…or just a bond with some people who lived in a completely different world than my own. (or the rest of the JAPs) When I got home, I ate apples and honey to make sure my new year is sweet. I have major plans for this next year, so it’s going to be the

best year yet…

Natalia and I also bought our tickets for Barcelona for the first weekend in October. Plannin

g the traveling is so stressful and frustrating. I bought my tickets 1 minute before Natalia, and the price went up 12 euros in that time! The Barcelona tickets cost about $70 roundtrip, and the hostel where we plan to stay will cost about $22 a night meaning 3 days in Barcelona….(not counting food)….$140. Impressed?

Spain information: EVERYTHING here has one of a few names, combined, or just variations on the same idea…

Maria, Jose, Jesus, Immaculada, Incarnation, Isabel, Fernando, Cristo, Juan, etc.

I’m really not joking. Since coming here I have met soo many Maria Jose’s (like my sister) or Jose Maria’s. And the sneezing thing…have I talked about that? If not, here goes…

In Spain, when someone sneezes you do not say bless you, or “salud” like they teach you in Spanish class. You say “Jesus!” (hay-SUS) then, if they continue sneezing, you say “Maria Jose!” or if your sneeze is particularly loud you might get “Jesus Maria Jose!!!”

And if a little baby sneezes, it’s “Jesusito!” It is sooooooo funnnnyyyy….