Spain is So Much More than Bullfights, Flamenco, Tortillas and Siestas

     As I sit in my room on our last day in Sevilla, I find it incredibly hard to believe six weeks have came and gone. The saying "Time flies when you're having fun" has never rang so true. It is strange to think it was almost seven weeks ago we were boarding the plane to Madrid, yet it seems like we have been in Sevilla for months. This place truly feels like home now, and I am extremely sad to say goodbye. Our host family has been wonderful and Matilde treated us as one of her own. The people are so kind, the teachers were so helpful, and the city is just beyond beautiful. I am going to miss everything about Sevilla, from Sangria to Siestas, from Bullfights to Botellon, and from Churros to Catedrals. But if I have learned anything on this trip so far, it is that Spain is so much more than all of these things. It is a lifestyle and a mindset far different from our own.
       One of the greatest things about Spain is the importance of family. Everywhere you look you see families getting helado together or playing in the park. You see grandparents pushing their grandchildren down the street in strollers or dropping them off at school. Here, it is not common to move away from your family unless you absolutely must. Extended families are extremely close, related by blood or not. In class, our professor Fernando told us he was asked once by a student why he didn't teach in Madrid since he would make more money. His response - my family, my daughter, my friends and my city are not in Madrid and those are much more important to me than money. I feel like at times in the US we tend to lose sight of what's important as we chase careers that will bring in the highest salaries.
     Material things are also of much less importance in Spain. With a few exceptions, you generally do not see large, luxury cars (as Fernando said, there is no where to put them) or expensive fancy houses. You have what is necessary, nothing more. That is not to say they live in poor housing with very little assets, its just they don't feel you need a million dollar home to be happy.
     Spain also has an extremely no rush attitude. When you're at a restaurant you are never given the check until it is asked for. It is completely acceptable to sit around the table for hours sharing a bottle of wine and chatting with one another. At home, I don't think I have ever been to dinner with family without someone looking at their watch as soon as the last person finishes their plate. They have little respect for time here, as you often see families enjoying dinner or tapas late into the evening. Midnight or one am is not late here. It's definitely going to take a bit of getting used to back in the states that it is not normal to eat dinner at 10 and stay out until 3.
      Although 6 weeks is not a long time, I can honestly consider Sevilla a second home. I truly hope I am able to come back here one day, and stay longer. I cannot wait to bring some traditions back to the states, like paella, tortillas, a higher appreciation for family and the ability to enjoy the company of others with a disregard for time. And I most definitely going to miss the siestas every day.  If you ever get the chance to come to Sevilla, or Spain for that matter, take it. I do believe I will always consider it one of my favorite places and some of my very best memories. I'm about to eat my last lunch with our Senora and her family with a bit of sad heart, and I really do not want to say goodbye. But luckily I still have 3 weeks of traveling ahead of me, starting with Barcelona in the morning. I'll keep you posted as we make our way through 7 countries in 21 days, suitcases and all. But until then..
¡Adios mis amigos!