NO8DO

My friend Fran (Hola!) informed me this was more of a legend of Seville, rather than fact.

NO8DO is a symbol one sees everywhere in Sevilla. The number 8 represents a skein or coil of yarn or a “madeja”. If you say out loud No Madeja Do, it translates to the saying “No me ha dejado” or “It (Sevilla) has not left me”. These first four days have reminded me of a lot the people, places and habits that have not left me. Illinois and my wonderful, close-knit family has not left me. 
The morning walks with my dad and dog, Delilah, have not left me. Oregon has not left me. Nor have all the amazing friends I have, or the experiences I had there, have left me. Every so often, I remember I am here for ten months, and the thought makes my stomach flip. I also remember that after these ten months I will have made new friends, whom I have shared new experiences with. I will have lived in a new home for ten months and I am sure that in the future I will firmly represent NO8DO. This week has been a combination of exhilaration and frustration. Exhilaration because I have the opportunity to live abroad for a year in a beautiful, ancient city. Frustration because, though I have been studying Spanish since 8th grade, I can understand only about eighty percent of what is spoken to me and convey about fourty to fifty percent of what I want to articulate. I have hope. I know that if I keep on speaking Spanish and am studious with my classes I can reach fluency.  This week I have gained knowledge of the city on foot. It is amazing how new surroundings, a new culture, and the high probability of getting lost makes the blocks fly by. I live about thirthy-five to fourty-five minutes away from the school I attend, about a 1.5-2 mile walk. I have currently walked this route about 3-6 times everyday. Coming from an American culture that is car-based, especially in Bloomington, it is refreshing to enter a culture where walking, biking and public transportation supercede the car within this dense city. Some of my friends and other students have been complaining about all the walking, and I won’t say I have not thought longly of my Honda Civic, but the things one miss while driving is amazing. I treasure all the little interactions I see between people on the street, the near collisions I have with mopeds (sort of) and generally the feeling of well-used muscles. I currently live in Triana which is a neighborhood south of the Río Guadalquivir that passes through Sevilla. My host mother, Maria, and my host father, Antonio, are really lovelly people who welcomed me into their home. Maria makes amazing food that she is always urging me to eat more of, though I know no amount of walking will allow me to eat that much food, though I may want to. Yesterday, Maria made a tradational Spanish tortilla for me for dinner which consisted of eggs, cheese, ham and potatos all cooked to perfection on top of the stove. Antonio usually sits and watches TV during the day, programs that consist of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, soccer games, and badly dubbed Walker, Texas Ranger. Yes, you did read correctly, Walker, Texas Ranger (insert Ricky Bobby quote…). As if I could not take Chuck Norris seriously in the past, now I get to watch it with a dubbed over Spanish-version. I love it! It is hilarious! Today I did a bit of exploring, also known as, purposely getting myself lost in order to better acquaint myself with the irregular streets of Sevilla. It really is astounding how quick you can familiarize yourself with a city just by walking and taking the time to survey your surrounding, and of course grabbing a scoop of mango gelato to boost your spirits. Tomorrow my group is going on a three hour walking tour of Sevilla. Anyone know a handy cool weather dance that I could perfect and perform before tomorrow morning?