An Alumni Story: Fighting Windmills

When I think back to my time with Acento, one of my favorite memories that comes to mind is our trip to Toledo. Or rather, a brief stop we made while on the way to Toledo. Partway through the journey, we stopped in la Mancha, to see the famous windmills of Don Quixote.

Let me explain a bit, in case you aren’t familiar with the story of Don Quixote. Don Quixote is about a delusional old man who thinks that he is a knight, in an age long after knights were actually around. Probably the most famous scene from it is when he is riding on his horse and spots several windmills in the distance. Being the delusional person that he is, he immediately thinks that they are monsters and begins to attack them.

During the first week of class, I had heard from one of the professors that we would be visiting the windmills. I immediately became very excited and started planning for the trip right away. I went to one of the local stores a found a styrofoam sword. I got a few weird looks carrying it back to my apartment, but it was well worth it in the end.

The day of the trip, I brought the sword with me. When we arrived at the windmills, I had my roommate take several photos of me fighting the “monsters.” It wasn’t long before some of the other students realized what I was doing and started asking to have their pictures taken with “the gallant warrior.” I quickly became the most popular person on that particular trip. When we stopped in Toledo, I was able to purchase a real sword. I never got a chance to use the real one against the windmills (I doubt that much epicness could have been packed into one trip), but I still keep it in my room, as a reminder of that trip.

-Brett Meyer, Fall 2009, Northwestern College

Student Profile: Katie Waldner

Living in a European, Spanish-speaking city is about as far from normal as I could have gone. I attend Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN, where I major in Linguistics and Spanish, so I have some city experience, but my rural South Dakotan unbringing presents a pretty stark contrast to a place like Sevilla. However, I’ve found this city, its people and this program to be a wonderful place to learn, change, and stretch myself. I hope to work as an interpreter when I graduate this coming spring, and when I leave Sevilla in just under two months, I will have prepared myself for more than just a job.
I’d been preparing myself to go to Spain for over a year, trying to imagine what kinds of challenges I’d encounter, what sorts of places I’d see, and especially what kind of people I’d live and work with. Now that I’m here there’s so much to talk about (even though my time’s only half done), so I’ll try to share just a few of the key highlights.
I knew studying abroad would be hard, though full of great experiences, too. Everyone I talked to before I left was full of admiration, telling me how smart I was for planning this while I’m still young, how brave I was for being willing to live overseas, and how lucky I was to have such an opportunity. As the time got closer, however, I felt the opposite, because I was the one actually going. And then I got on the plane. I was right; studying abroad is hard. The highlight in all of that is that the staff, professors, and host families are willing to do so much to share that burden of difficulty. Yes, it’s hard to change cultures, but they offer themselves in order to lighten our loads, enabling us to better appreciate the great experiences. And no, I’m not trying to get brownie points. It’s true. A friend and I got stuck in Paris during the strike. Even though most of what went wrong was our fault, we had people at school making calls, asking questions that we couldn’t, and finding out what options we had. The staff is also always available to talk about anything that’s going on, whether it’s homesickness, school troubles, or anything else. They are always there to listen to help in any way they can. We are well taken care of. Without them, this program would be lacking.
Another big highlight for me has been just living in a city like Sevilla. The pace of life here is wonderful, so tranquil and relaxed. It drove me crazy for about a day, and then I decided to enjoy it. Since then, it’s been heaven. How often in my life will I have a scheduled naptime? Probably never again. The city itself is also full of history and great things to see and take in. I’ve been here over two months, and I’m still excited to keep learning more about where I live, to find the places that we learn about in class. And although we have to watch our backs for pickpockets, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this safe in a city. For as big as it is, it has a great small-town feeling that I don’t think many cities this size can boast. And personally, I think my neighborhood, Triana, is one of the best in Sevilla.
Finally, I’ve learned something important that has become a highlight for me. Like most new experiences, there’s a choice involved in living here: you can accept the changes and decide to like them, or you can fight them and settle for being miserable. It’s a good life lesson, and Sevilla gives everyone who visits the option to face it. Philippians 4:12-13, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Toledo!

Toledo is always one of the favorite excursions for the students. It is the only two day excursion that the school takes each semester. Toledo's location, being near Madrid, would not make sense as a one day trip from Sevilla, so it is always exciting for the group to be able to explore a city for two days together.

We headed out from the school early in the morning to get a good start on the day, stopping on the way at Los Molinos of Don Quijote fame for some quick pictures and explorations.

The windmills are not operating anymore but have been pretty well preserved. The sky and clouds always seem to make for some great pictures.

After settling in at the hotel we met at the Church of Santo Tomé to view El Greco's most famous painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz. Pictures are not allowed but there are many pictures online of the masterpiece. The professors always do a great job at

Next we walked to the Monastery San Juan de los Reyes, which was founded by the famous King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

The King and Queen built it with the idea that they would be buried there, but this idea changed after they conquered Granada and decided that they would rather be buried in the cathedral there.

Carmen let the tour for the art class focusing on the the artist and the terms used to explain the certain architectural aspects.

Salva led the tour for the rest of the students giving a history of the building and its different areas.

After the tour there was free time to explore they city, and for some, do some shopping. The central part of Toledo still feels very much like a medieval city with its winding cobblestone streets.

The next morning we met at the Cathedral of Toledo for another tour given by the professors. We spent some time outside studying the outside structure and details. One of the most interesting features is the statues of the Lord's supper over the main door.

After the cathedral the students were given some more free time. Some of us decided to look for some good views of the city.

Many students continued on their way to Madrid and other destinations, but those who headed back to Sevilla on the bus got to stop for some pictures from one of the best views of the city at its famous mirador on the other side of the river.

Abanicos, El Parque, and Columbus

It's hard to believe that the students have now been here for over a month! As the weather is finally showing signs of Fall, the students find the time quickly passing.

Even though the heat is just starting end, the students had the opportunity to paint their very own Spanish abanicos. The fans are very popular in the summertime and can prove themselves a very useful accessory in hot weather.

The money they bought the fans with will go to buy Christmas presents for the kids from a local convent. Some fans looked so good they could have been resold in the market!

To take advantage of the weather before it becomes too cold, we had our weekly Encuentro meeting in the Parque de María Luisa. After a game of Ultimate Frisbee and a funny game of Cats and Mice, we settled down for a time of sharing and worship.

A couple days later we were back in the park for the Fiesta de Intercambios. This was an opportunity for the students to meet Spaniards who wanted to practice their English. The idea is to get together with one of them throughout the semester and talk one language the first half, then the other the second. Intercambios have proven to be one of the best ways to become comfortable with a language.

On Saturday we went on excursion to the nearby town of Huelva. The first stop was the Monastery La Rabida, where Columbus spent much of his time with the Franciscan monks waiting for the funding for his excursions.

This is the conference room where many of the plans where made. Our guide told us much about the history and about how Columbus spent his time in the Monastery. It was very surreal to be walking on the same floor that Columbus walked on.

Then we headed down the hill to the water where Columbus' three ships can be found. They are not original unfortunately, but they these ships were built to be the same exact size and have been made out of the same exact materials as the original. Many students where surprised how small the ships are and how difficult it is to maneuver around them up and down the ladders. I can't imagine spending 5 weeks on one without being able to set foot on land!

Here we go!

Last week was an exciting week for the students as the Monday night flamenco class kicked off under the instruction of Sylvia Santoro. The students will be learning Sevillanas, which is a type of flamenco dancing dance with a partner and includes 4 different parts. The dance can be found today at any fiesta or feria in Sevilla, and even in some of the night clubs. Everyone that is born in Sevilla or have lived here long enough will most likely know the dance. Near the end of the semester the class will put on a performance for the the rest of the students and the old men at La Caridad.

On Thursday a group of students came along to play Bingo with the men at La Caridad. The men always looking forward to playing and they always make it a great time. Their are even prizes for the winners. The school tries to organize a group to go play every few weeks.

The men love to take pictures (especially with the girls)

Then on friday the week ended with a excursion to the city of Cordoba. When Cordoba was a major capital of Islam in the middle ages it was one of the most largely populated city in Europe. The first stop for the students was the Great Mosque, which actually isn't used as a mosque today but actually holds the cathedral of Cordoba inside. It is one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in Spain and shows the contrast between muslim and gothic architecture.

The weather was nice and the students had a great time exploring the city and learning about it's history. In the background you can see the old Roman bridge and the Torre de la Calahorra.

1st week of class

The first week of class is over and things are really moving now!

We got the students together in Parque de los Principes for some pizza and frisbee and some time to get to know each other better. The park is near to where many students live during the semester, in between the Los Remedios and Triana neighborhoods. It is a great place to spend siesta time or to get some homework done in the afternoon.

The next day we challenged the students to complete a photo scavenger hunt to get them acquainted with more of the city.

Andrea, Tasha and Jason stand in front of the statue of Curro Romera near the Plaza de Toros. This photo scored them two points.

Bergen (from the winning team) stands between columns in La Alameda de Hércules that were 4 points.

Kori (the other half of the winning team) shows the clock on the city hall building for 1 point.

The girls fight over Jimmy in front of one of the many bridal shops around Plaza del Salvador for 3 points.

The doves and pigeons in Plaza de América were 3 points.

These students displayed one of the many tile mosaics in Plaza de España for 1 point.

These girls display the fruit from one of the fruterías in the local market for 4 points.

Shannon and Katie stand in front of the weird structures under construction that the locals call las setas (or the mushrooms) in Plaza Encarnación for 3 points.

After the second day of class the girls got together for a Noche de Chicas to hang out together, eat fruit and chocolate, and go paddle boating in the Guadalquivir River. The Triana neighborhood makes a perfect background for photos.

A couple nights later the guys got together to play some wii at the school and go out to eat at 100Montaditos.

Montaditos are little sandwiches and 100Montaditos is a restaurant where you pick between 100 different ingredients for your sandwich including different kind of cheeses, meat, salmon, and even chocolate. The guys split 34 sandwiches between the 8 of them. SIS students Jason says that his favorite was the salmon montadito.

This friday we head to Cordoba!

Orientation

Last thursday the staff and students headed over to Hotel Zenit for the Orientation of the Semester in Spain program. Burt Rozema, the Director of Off-Campus Programs at Trinity Christian College, started off the meeting by challenging the students to make the most of their time here and really challenged them to do their part in changing the world for the better.

Students went around the room to introduce themselves and ask each other random fun questions.

Leslie, the school Director, began telling the students everything that they have an opportunity to be a part of this semester. Each of the professors also came up to introduce themselves and give some information about the school and the excursions they will get to go on together.

After taking a placement test (and just before the students hit information overload)

it was time for a coffee break.

That afternoon everyone met back at the school for a city tour given by local Spaniards. The greatest part about Sevilla is that all of the major landmarks can be reached by walking around. Students learned random facts about how the World Expo of 1929 changed much of the city and also that the Plaza de España was used in Star Wars Episode 2.

The students appeared excited and slightly overwhelmed by all the Sevilla has to offer but soon they will come to know the city in and out.

Fall 2010 is here!

The Fall 2010 semester has just begun!

Most of the students arrived this morning together on the group flight

Students were dropped off throughout Seville at their host family´s houses.

They quickly learned how Spaniards greet one another with dos besos (two kisses)

The señoras (aka host moms) are always really excited to meet their new students every semester. We drop off the students knowing that they are in good hands!

Tomorrow begins with orientation where the students will meet the staff and learn about the culture and practical things they should know in their time in Spain. Later in the day they will go on a tour of the city that they will come to know and love in the next few months.

The SIS staff is excited to get things started!