I am writing this as I sit in Lio’s, one of my favorite spots, and drinking sangria to escape the beaming sun. I am starting to feel comfortable in my new home and have been gaining confidence in my ability to navigate a foreign city. I believe that volunteering, working, and travelling by myself for the first time in a foreign country all contribute to this personal growth. And to think, I started doing all of these things in just the past week! I experienced what a typical Sunday is like for my host family. It includes visiting the little boys’ great aunt, eating lunch, and taking a siesta for however long you want (mine was three hours… oops). Before starting to volunteer at the soup kitchen and clothe donation closet, I was very nervous and unsure of what to expect. I am working there with my friend, Tim, and we have been making the most of it. I do enjoy working at the soup kitchen, but the donation closet is proving to be a little more difficult to enjoy. The soup kitchen is nice because it is in a bright, big space, with a good mood, and there is an instant gratification from seeing the hungry people be fed and treated well. However, the donation closet is hard to work in because it is in a small, dark, hot room that gets very loud and stuffy. It is also very confusing to know what clothes they want to keep and what clothes they don’t, or where they want to put the clothes that we are keeping. With that being said, both the donation closet and soup kitchen are very impressive. I have worked in a few soup kitchens before, and none of them compare to the one I'm working in now. This is because the food is prepared by the hospital’s kitchen, just like their patient’s food. In all other soup kitchens, the food is prepared by the people who are volunteering their time to serve the food and clean up, as well. I feel like this takes a lot of pressure off the volunteers and ensures that the people being served are fed good, healthy food. The donation closet is also incredible. I would have never thought that that many clothes would be donated day after day. It takes more than two hours with ten people sorting through the clothes for the huge mountain to be “neatly” sorted and stacked on the shelves lining the room. I am glad I get the opportunity to contribute my time to the Caritas program and get an understanding of the caring community that I am spending the month in. Side note: I have moved to a pastry shop closer to my house because Alexi is craving cheesecake. It was delicious and I am currently okay with the fact I spent my money for the week all on Monday.
On Wednesday, I was very excited to start my internship at the afterschool sports program. This is something I have a passion about and I was certain that my passions would be the same even though it would be harder for me to communicate with the children. Children have a special way about them that makes them more approachable and I feel like they are less judgmental than adults. With this in mind, I walked in to the dirty, smelly, run-down district with confidence and excitement about the days and weeks to come. The children were immediately friendly and genuinely happy that Tim and I were there. The girls in the program were especially drawn to me and practiced some of the English they had learned in school. Miguelo, our supervisor, told Tim and I that for the first day we could just sit and watch how they trained. But I wanted to participate with the kids and experience their day-to-day workout regime. As Tim and I started running the laps with the kids I could tell they were surprised that we were joining them in the workout. By the end of the 45 minute workout, I was beat! Miguelo has great exercises that are fun, stimulating, and intense for the children, but not impossible. After we work out, we come together and stretch. As we were stretching a young boy commented and said I was “muy fuerte,” or “very strong.” I appreciated that comment a lot and was pleasantly surprised that a young man could express that a girl has the capability of being strong. After the stretch, the kids usually practice soccer drills and then play soccer, or they just go straight to playing the game they love. I appreciate how the program is run and how it begins with a training session that is appropriate for the age level and ability, then progresses to stretching, practicing drills, and playing a game. This is how I liked practice to be run as a kid, and I think the children in the program are satisfied with how it, as well (of course, they do just wish they could play soccer the whole time, but that’s just not how to get better). Although the children are great and so is Miguelo, there are some things that I would do differently if I was in charge. Most of it involves the kids’ behaviors. But, Miguelo is probably walking a fine line between keeping it fun so that children come back, or keeping it too serious and driving the kids away from the program. I understand that this program is purposely set up to get impressionable children off the streets for a few hours. It is supposed to give them an outlet and something they can look forward to everyday. I have to remember that these kids might not have the kind of role models that I did when I was young and that Miguelo might just have to pick his battles when it comes to disciplining them. It is completely up to the kids to come back to the program and the only thing driving them there is the love of sports and the drive to become better. So, although I would require the kids to be more serious when running my practices, I can understand why it has to be so laid-back, as well. Miguelo gave us a tour of the small school that is also run by the church. It is basically an afternoon tutoring center for the kids to get extra help with their school work. It was apparent that the teachers and staff who worked there were passionate about their job and their goal was to help the children as much as possible. This school is for kids from the ages of 5-17 and there are about 70 children and teenagers that are involved. This made me aware that if I ever open up a sport program in the inner city, I could provide extra help with school work and provide other programs, as well. These programs are very comprehensive and that is something totally different than anything I have experienced growing up. It incorporates sport, school, and life skills all in one organization. I think this is a great and different approach that more programs should offer. On Friday, I did not train with the kids because trimester evaluations were being conducted. I was involved and got to see first hand how these evaluations are run. I also met a man who helps Miguelo with the program. This man was trying to learn English and was very excited that he could practice with Tim and I. Again, this program is a wonderful idea, but it is apparent the kids are hard to handle and do not have the best listening and attention skills. The main premise of these programs is to give the children a place to get together and form a group of support for one another instead of strictly following a program. Of course, this is an important goal, but I would also say it shouldn't be the only goal. I do think that the program is helping the kids in a positive way and since this program just started a couple of years ago, I can see it becoming very successful. I look forward to going and interacting with the kids on those afternoons, and providing them someone new to look up to. Now, I promise my time hasn't been all work and no play! I went on many wonderful adventures this weekend that have added to my appreciation of Granada, the people of Spain, and the beauty that different parts of Spain have to offer. I explored the Granada Charterhouse, which used to be a Carthusian monastery. It was absolutely stunning. The dome of the tabernacle was what impressed me the most. I have always wanted to see a mural on a domed-ceiling, but in my previous travels have not come across one.
This being my first, it didn't let me down! I also enjoyed the gold work and attention to detail the monks put in to every part of the monastery.
Saturday we went for a hike at Rio Monachil. It was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on. It included suspended rope bridges, swimming under waterfalls, massive cliffs over head, beautiful views, and challenging spots where crawling was necessary. I love to be in nature and this was such a great way to experience the natural beauty Spain has. It was definitely different than the views that I am used to experiencing in Maine. Although it was more touristy than I usually like, I totally understand why that trail is so popular. We did not have time to do the whole trail, so maybe one day I'll have to come back and do it all. Another thing that I loved about the hike, besides the views, was the people who hiked with me. We all helped each other out and acted as a team. It was a very challenging hike and everyone was able to complete it.
To cap off my weekend, I flipped from nature to a new city. It's been amazing how I can experience a good balance of both on this trip. One day I'm in the middle of the Sierra Nevada, the next I'm on a 4 hour bus ride by myself in a foreign country on my way to Seville to meet up with some others in the group that had left the night before. I never thought I'd be able to have the best of both worlds on this trip! I was nervous traveling by myself. It is the first time I've ever been truly by myself traveling in a foreign country, or at all for the most part. Since the bus left so early, I had to take a taxi to the bus station. Thankfully my host mom was able to help me and called it in the night before. When I walked out of the house four minutes early, the taxi was already there waiting for me. After the smooth taxi ride and finding my bus fairly easily, I felt a new sense of confidence in myself and my ability to navigate. I arrived in Seville at 11:30 and walked the 30 minutes to the Plaza De Espana to meet the other girls. The Plaza was ginormous. It was literally a massive building with a moat around it equipped with colorful and brilliantly designed bridges to cross over. One of the things that was apparent from the beginning was Seville's love of color and impressive tile work. I really enjoyed all of the different colors that were splattered throughout the buildings we visited. The theme was prevalent in the Real Alcazar de Seville with it's bright yellow and orange walls, tile covered walls, and lush flower gardens. Even the buildings that lined the river were colorful and bright and set an uplifting mood. We then visited the largest gothic cathedral in the world, Seville Cathedral. Since it is gothic in style, it did not incorporate the bright colors that the other places we visited did. Instead, it was dark and held very realistic art styles. This is also the resting place of Christopher Columbus, so that is pretty cool. The monstrosity of this building was amazing and the size of the pillars alone were enough to make my jaw drop. I was only in Seville for 8.5 hours, but I definitely feel like I made the most of it! It was over 100 degrees and we still hit three important sites and still had time for dinner, gelato, and water breaks. Not only was it worth it for the fact that I had the opportunity to visit a different city, but also because it gave me experience and confidence traveling by myself in a foreign country. I truly feel like in the past week I have learned so much about Spain and myself. I feel very proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and not letting fear hold me back. I feel more mature and like I will be able to be more independent when I return home. Like I said though, I also learned more about Spain, so I will leave you with that. 1. Toasters don't really exist, they use flat, panini like hot pans to toast their bread. 2. Toilet paper holders are not common, and neither are toilet seats. 3. The milk is not kept refrigerated unless it is open. (I haven't tried the milk, yet) 4. They love to eat carbs... for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Meg Nadeau
