Five Skawski's in Spain - Life at Hope College

Not wanting me to
spend Thanksgiving alone in a foreign country, my family decided to come visit
me in Sevilla! Timing it
perfectly, they arrived on Thanksgiving Day in the late afternoon (only after I
had finished my classes, of course).

Upon the program’s
recommendation, we took the subway to Nervión, to eat at TGI Friday’s, which
apparently was serving turkey for Americans wanting to celebrate our favorite
day of gluttony. Accompanying us
was Erinn Snoeyink, another Hope college student. After following Google Maps, retracing our steps, and questioning other Spanish pedestrians, we determined that either:

1. My program
had not updated their Thanksgiving recommendations from last year and TGI
Friday’s had gone out of business

2. Google Maps was wrong

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Based on my prior
experiences, I’m going to conclude it was the latter option. Either way, we ended up eating at a
typical Spanish restaurant and sharing various tapas such as fried cod and Iberian ham. Quite different from the customary turkey and mashed potatoes that we’re used to back home. Definitely a Thanksgiving that we won’t
soon forget!

Friday, we took a bus to the Rock of Gibraltar, which is actually a British territory that was seized from Spain in 1704. Shortly after passing through customs (which was almost non-existent), we were approached by a tour guide named Del, a cheery British fellow who convinced us to enlist him as our tour guide.

As we proceeded up the mountain, Del provided us with a detailed history of the landmarks, along with an impeccable British accent. There is a legend alleging that the day the ape population of Gibraltar goes extinct, the British people will leave Gibraltar. At one point during WWII, the ape population was in serious jeopardy. The good Winston Churchill, being the astute ruler he was, imported more apes to bolster the population, and with it, the morale of his people. During WWII, the mountain held 9 months worth of provisions in case of a German blockade. Now, the mountain contains an extensive collection of computer servers for those who find the security worth the rent.

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The apes are very
accustomed to tourists and many jump from car to car (whilst in motion), and
then onto unassuming tourists’ shoulders. However, if they feel threatened, they will not hesitate to bite. The taxi drivers know most of them by
name and have trained them to do various tricks, such as exchanging high fives
and giving rounds of applause—for a peanut of course!

As you would expect,
the view was magnificent, with the Mediterranean in one field of vision, and
the Atlantic in the other, with the coast of northern Africa visible in the
distance between them. At the
pinnacle, many birds were flying below
us.

On Saturday, I gave the
family the typical tour of the city, visiting La Catedral and its bell tower, the Giralda. Since Sevilla was the capital during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabel during Spain’s Golden Age, La Catedral houses the tomb of Cristobal Colón (Christopher Columbus to us). You’d think we’d at least call him by his real name, considering he has his own holiday…

We also visited Palacio Alcázar, a living testament to the strong Arab presence (that once existed) in the region. Arabs were crazy about symmetry, and this is readily apparent in Alcázar, along with the integration of nature. Of course, the Christians altered it to suit their style, after the Reconquest. These two sites are the trademark landmarks of Seville, located within 100 yards of each other.

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That night, the folks
went to a flamenco show together, while the three of us brothers attended the
Real Betis-Real Madrid game. Having been to 3 Sevilla FC games, I felt a bit out of place going to
the rival stadium. However, it
proved to be an incredible experience. A Sevillana classmate had told me that Betis fans are “catetos,” or
peasants. Now I see why. Betis fans are reckless, loud, and
vulgar. Not that I’m complaining. It was quite entertaining, and exactly how I imagined a European fútbol match.

Much to our surprise, Betis managed to score early in the match and hold on until the final whistle. After suffering a crippling 5-1 loss to rival Sevilla FC the week before, this will probably be the highlight of the season for Betis, as Real Madrid is considered an elite squad. Cristiano Ronaldo is sad, once again. Oh the joy! The fútbol gods were truly just this week.

On Sunday, we visited
Plaza España and Parque María Luisa, as well as the University of Sevilla. The average American might recognize
Plaza España as the Capital of Naboo in Star
Wars: The Phantom Menace. In
fact, it was built for the World Fair of 1928 to showcase Sevilla’s wealth and
prestige. Check out the similarities (and alterations by Mr. George Lucas) below!

We had supper with my
host family at a typical Spanish restaurant. Luckily for me (and for the conversation in general), Dani
speaks a great deal of English so we had two interpreters. Through the two of us, we were able to
conduct somewhat intelligent conversations amidst the seemingly never-ending
stream of tapas. The meal ended
with the families exchanging gifts and many hearty handshakes, hugs, and
kisses.

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It was certainly nice
to see my family again, and quite amusing to hear them attempt to pronounce
Spanish (often butchering it). Their presence helped alleviated any homesickness I felt and also
made me realize how little time I have left here, as I depart Spain the 22nd
of December, arriving in Chicago just in time for Christmas.

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¡Hasta luego!

-Steven

P.S. Stay tuned, as I
will be traveling to Rome and Switzerland the next 2 weekends!

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