Howdy,

with only 100 DAYS LEFT, I thought I would fill you in on everything that’s been going on with my NEW host fam!

We have a pueblo about 30 minutes away from us, in which my entire host extended family lives. Named “Olivares,” it is the perfect pueblo, because it gives the feel of a small town without actually being one. We tend to go about once every 2 weeks to visit our grandparents, old nannies, cousins, and of course to eat the DELICIOUS food of Olivares. The food is much richer than one can find in the actual city of Sevilla, probably because they are old family recipes with more food to table ingredients. One Saturday, we had lunch with one of our cousins, and they showed me everything about Semana Santa, when I actually found out that carrying the giant floats on one’s shoulders for Easter is actually quite common, and not just for adults. They even showed me how they dressed to carry it. Here are some photos of the floats that are carried by 30 men.

and the headgear they wear to not put strain on their necks.

They then showed me their garage, which was entirely filled of SAILING MERCH!

and they were excited to point out that some of it was even from Miami!

I absolutely love getting to know my host family and their friends and family because it makes me feel like I actually belong. One of my favorite things to hear is “mi hija” when my host mom is explaining who I am to people, because calling me her “daughter” makes me feel like I really am.

me and Carlota matching at the Sevilla aquarium. 🙂

A few weeks ago was Carnaval, a time when Spain all dresses up and goes out into the streets. Performers will dance and sing politically charged songs, or will make comedic jokes, while the teenagers all take it as an excuse to get in halloween costumes and socialize. Carlota, our friend Ana, and I all made matching unicorn costumes for carnaval, and my host mom drove us out to Gines, a small pueblo about a half an hour away. Although it was fun getting to know more Spaniards, I was exhausted, and my host mom came back to pick me up, while Carlota stayed out until 7:30 the next morning.

Some of my favorite nights however, are going out and spending time at my mom’s restaurant at night. Flamenco music is played and I get the opportunity to meet my whole host family. It really reminds me that I’m in Spain when no one speaks English and are all singing songs about old Sevilla.

On International Women’s Day, I attended the women’s march in Sevilla! This was so exciting for me because I had previously thought that feminism in Spain was almost nonexistent. To my surprise, people from all walks of life showed up, giving spirit, chanting in Spanish, and raising posters. As I haven’t felt interest in diversity in my school community, this was incredibly refreshing for me, and I left rejuvenated.

And I FINALLY got my visa! That means that I’m officially a Spain resident that can stay until the end of June!

In early March, I got to go to Lisbon, Portugal with CIEE, another one of the group trips that we take. We went on several tours to see the main sites of Lisbon, ate delicious food, and got the chance to explore the city.

The pillars are the only things left of the palace that a Lisbon king built a long time ago. The palace was supposed to last forever, and here it still stays.

an amazing view of the city. 🙂

this building has a rhinoceros sculpture on the bottom of the posts because when it was built, this used to be a port in Lisbon and a rhino was actually transported all the way from Africa. As the people had never seen anything like it, they put it on their buildings as a sign of power.

it was so amazing to see a women’s march in Portugal! Even though I couldn’t understand what they were saying, the energy and passion could be felt through the language barrier.

apparently this is the most Portuguese photo you can find.

This was actually a dream of a palace that King Ferdinand created for his Queen, who was also the only queen of Portugal who wasn’t from Europe.

Portugal was so amazing and is one of the best parts of this experience. The opportunity to see new places with people who have grown into my family is so incredible. And I still have another trip with them all!

The following weekend, I went to Barcelona with my family. Unfortunately, another CIEE kid lost my phone in the hostel in Lisbon, and I had to leave it behind. Because of this, I was unable to take photos. But it was so great to see them, even if it was only for a few days. We visited the main sites of Barcelona such as the Sagrada Familia, a house designed by Goudi, and walked the historic districts. I had so much fun, and as much as I didn’t want to leave them at the end of the week, I actually found myself missing my host family, which is such a great feeling, because it shows how much they mean to me.

At the end of the second trimester, I got my grades back:

Bio: 8

PE: 7

Physics: 9

French: 6

History: 7

English: 7 (CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “I’M GOING TO BAKE A CAKE” AND “I WILL BAKE A CAKE”??)

Lengua: 6

Math: 10

Religion: 9

Technology: 7

So in other words, the second trimester has been SO much better than the first. Between getting a new host family, learning more Spanish so I can almost fully communicate, and strengthening my relationships with everyone around me, I am loving Spain. It is so sad that I only have 80 days left, but coming up is Semana Santa and Féria, the two most important weeks in Sevilla! I am SO excited and I will keep you updated!

Can’t wait for more!

Peace,

~Parker Grove