Tahnee

I'm going to post a list of quite a few things I've learned so far here in this Southern Spanish city. Here you go.

• ·         PDA is MUCH more commonplace and accepted than in the states
• ·         Asians speaking Spanish...it just doesn’t make sense in my head
• ·         No one drives big cars. I’ve seen maybe 2 trucks.
• ·         They have an obsession with American music from like 6 months to a year ago
• ·         If you don’t have a dog sitting with you at the restaurant outside, you’re not cool
• ·         Wine, beer, alcohol in general is EVERYWHERE. For lunch and for dinner.
• ·         Kids speaking Spanish is also very hard for me to get used to
• ·         English is spoken here about as much as Spanish is spoken in Tennessee. Nada.
• ·         Their Coca Cola is different
• ·         I miss sweet tea more than I thought I would
• ·         There’s an overall greater appreciation for history and the past in Europe
• ·         Speaking of history, everything in this city is something historical
• ·         Getting lost is by far the best thing to do here
• ·         Taxis are nicer...like, relatively new model cars
• ·         El Corte Ingles, which is like Macy’s, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy had a baby that only speaks Spanish, is one of the best places on earth
• ·         When they go on strike, they mean it. Garbage is everywhere.
• ·         Coffee is a little baby cup
• ·         Customer service (rapid customer service, rather) isn’t a thing
• ·         Tip? No. It’s included. Don’t tip any more.
• ·         Wine is often cheaper than getting water. Like I said, alcohol is king.
• ·         Speaking of king, some scandal is going on with the Princess of Spain. They’re just as dramatic as the British.
• ·         WiFi is like crack. If you want your restaurant to succeed, have Wifi.
• ·         Sangria is actually not common in Sevilla. All Tinto Verano. Which is a lot like sangria, just carbonated.
• ·         Their 2-liters are weird.
• ·         They sell water in 1.5L containers like crazy.
• ·         Forget the accent you ever learned and all the Spanish you’ve ever done. You’re about to not understand a dang thing.
• ·         They don’t smile. In America, we smile at strangers. Here? No. Not that they’re being mean or cold, they just don’t. They are generally very friendly though.
• ·         Americans are EXTREMELY easy to pick out on the street.
• ·         You must wear shoes in the house. They think you’ll catch death if you don’t. I’m not even making this up.
• ·         No ice. Room temperature everything.
• ·         No dryers. My clothes are hanging on the line as we speak.
• ·         Dishwashers are a thing but they don’t like to use the electricity to use them.
• ·         If it can be eaten, it can be eaten “con pan”. With bread. They eat SOOOO much bread. With everything.
• ·         Fashion is number 1. Everyone, and I mean everyone, dresses well here. The homeless people dress better than I do. Quite frankly, though, I don’t care.
• ·         Everyone wears either cologne or perfume. You walk down the street and it hits you. It’s quite good right now since the garbage is smelling up the whole city.
• ·         Everything is such a communal activity. They all do the same thing just out in the streets.
• ·         The last fact is...you should come here.

Yes, I’ve been here 2 weeks. Yes, it sounds dramatic when I say it’s already changed my life. But I’m telling you guys, it has. It feels like I’ve been here for months already. It’s been a whirlwind, yet, it seems as if it’s gone by relatively slowly. In just two weeks, I’ve been able to define Nicholas Tanner Beck from Lawrenceburg, TN in a more...pure...fashion. I don’t know how to describe it without seeming dramatic and playing on overused terms so I’ll just say it - I’m “finding myself”. I’m finding myself through the magic of Europe. Some people find magic and entertainment in night clubs, staying out until the wee hours of the morning, and just having a party. That’s fine. I’m so glad people can have fun through that. I can’t find that “magic” I referenced through that. The magic is found in the little things. It’s in the way I hear my host mom say “Tah-nee” because she can’t pronounce Tanner. It’s in the sound of the boat going under me as I walk across the Guadalquivir River on my way to class. It’s the finding the small bar with the excellent sangria as you overlook the largest cathedral in Spain. It’s the finding the small hidden little church in the middle of my neighborhood with the poem written on the side in mosaic tile. It’s the child singing a song in Spanish with his mother on the way to school in the morning. It’s being told I’m a “funny American” in a taxi. It’s hearing Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Spanish version coming on in the living room. It’s listening to my host mom explain her family dynamic. It’s finding the Roman ruins, 30 minutes away, built before my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was even born. It’s seeing the timid teenagers going on what is clearly their first day walking down the tiny alley. It’s the little things. That’s what it is. It’s the things you can’t read about in travel magazines. It’s the things no one can explain to you until you experience them.  It’s the things you dream about experiencing. It’s...Europe. So, for Tah-nee, at least, it’s already life-changing. I hope I can learn more about this Tah-nee creature while I’m over here. I leave three months from tomorrow. I simply cannot wait to see what this enchanting city has in store for me.

                                                                                                         Sincerely,

                                                                                                                         Tahnee