Mi Familia Española

Sunday morning, Emily and I rose early enough to go to church with Maria. Her church is just a two minute walk from our home, and started at noon. The church that Maria attends is just as ornate and exquisite as the cathedrals that we have visited in Spain! Built in the thirteenth century, it has high ceilings and stone arches and walls decorated with famous paintings. Most of the paintings and statues around the church have had to be restored since their original placement in the church, but they are still just as vibrant and meaningful as they were when originally painted. Maria assured us however that not all churches are like this- there are some modern ones around Spain, but she was still extremely surprised when I told her that my church at home has a gym! I've attended Catholic services in the United States only once or twice, so I don't really have anything to compare the service to except my own church services back in Lightstreet. Overall, the average age of the congregation was about ten-fifteen years older than the average age of my congregation at home. It was much more formal- you sure didn't see any blue jeans! The mass however was surprisingly short- only about 45 minutes total, and the actual sermon was comparatively short as well. After the mass, Maria gave Emily and I a small tour of the church, explaining various aspects of it to us. Her oldest son, Lorenzo, was married in that church, and her husband's ashes are buried there. Maria explained that is why she sits in the pew that she does, so that she is closer to the place where he is buried. Maria told us that there is no Sunday School here, but she does have a Bible study that meets Wednesday mornings.

After church, we walked home with Maria, her brother, and her sister-in-law. Emily and I talked with her brother, who it turns out lives just two buildings down from our home. He is a writer and a poet, and after I told him that I want to find a novel to read that is written in Spanish while here he offered to have us over to his personal library sometime soon. Maria's sister-in-law repeated this offer, with the added enticement of her supposedly delicious apple tarts. Continuing with the theme of learning more about Maria's family, after dinner we were shown by her an album of photos from Lorenzo's wedding. The album was put together by Lorenzo and his wife, Marta, and contained as many pictures as possible with Maria's husband in them. He died suddenly just seven months after the wedding. After the wedding album Maria showed us an album of photos of her two grandchildren, Lorenzo and Adriana. While writing this I am sitting in our living room after class while Adriana takes a siesta on her father's chest, and Lorenzo naps in a stroller beside the other two. Looking at their pictures, and being here with them made me realize how important family really is, especially here in Spain. Maria takes so much joy in every little action of her grandkids- from their smiles to their laughs to seeing them play. Every thing that they do makes her smile even wider. Even when her older children come to visit she greets them with so much contagious enthusiasm that I fall instantly in love with them because it's as if I'm seeing them through Maria's eyes.

Over lunch on Sunday, Maria asked us with a bit of a smile about our preferences when it comes to boys. We told her our preferences, and then she told us why exactly she fell in love with her husband. She said that he was nice and funny and together they laughed more than anything, but the most important thing to her was the way that he treated everyone else. She said that he was a good person, and liked by almost everyone who met him. She impressed upon us the importance of finding someone who makes you want to be something better than what you already are- happier, funnier, kinder. Of course she couldn't let the conversation be finished without also throwing in that "cuerpos atleticos" or literally "athletic bodies" are important too.

Monday was one of the most beautiful days that we've had while in Sevilla thus far. Finally taking a break from the rain, which my cultures professor assures us will only last at most a couple more weeks, the cloudless blue skies and brilliant white sunshine were perfect for taking photos of the breathtaking park I walk through each morning on my way to class.

 This is the magnificent Plaza de España, which was built in 1929 when Sevilla hosted the World's Fair. Now it houses mainly government buildings but is also a popular spot for tourists on beautiful days! Locals set up portable stands selling fans, scarves, and other goods. Heladerias, or ice cream stands, also crop up on warm days and provide a wonderful snack for tourists departing from horse-drawn carriage rides through the park. Again, this is one thing that is on my Sevilla bucket list.




El Parque Maria Luisa stands between the main street that runs parallel to the river in Sevilla and the Plaza de España. From the picture below you can see the view down the main street that runs down the center of the park and ends at the Plaza.

El Parque Maria Luisa is my favorite place to run to- it's about 1.75 miles from my house one way, so it's the perfect distance to run. I take the cobbled path along the river and then cross the street and run through the park until I get tired, which usually takes kind of a while because being in a place this beautiful somehow gives me more energy the father I go. 

This weekend was our last in Sevilla for a while, so I'm glad that I was able to make the most of it by getting to know Maria better, despite the not-so-great weather. Next weekend Emily, some of the other girls, and I will travel to Barcelona for three days, and the weekend after that I will be able to add another stamp to my passport as we go to Lisbon, Portugal with our program!