i had a nice weekend. here in Sevilla. so i thought i´d write about it and give a bit more of a taste of everyday life rather than the more adventurous/abstract posts of late... or of recent... i´m not quite sure how you´re meant to use that phrase!
Anyways. Saturday day time was spent studying as I am still in the middle of exam period, although mountain trips may suggest otherwise. "study break" i call it. I have had 2 exams and have 3 more to go, all of them quite different as all authority is held by the professor so it´s up to them how the exams are administered, what language the foreign students can write in, whether we´re allowed to use our notes... etc. Hopefully i´ll pass them all, well, i Need to. so. yeh.
Saturday evening i went to the Brasilian church that i frequented last year, but had not returned to yet in 2008. I´m not sure why i hadn´t, because i was reminded again how much i like it; how comfortable i feel among the people there (despite them all speaking portuguese, which i can vaguely understand but definitely not speak!) and how i enjoy being there. So saturday night was good, and the pastor said a lot of things that i know... but had forgotten... and it was good to be reminded of truth to hold on to when other things in life don´t feel so clear.
Afterwards we celebrated Carmen (a friend from the church) ´s birthday by going bowling. It was a lot of fun, more because of the big characters of some of the Brasilians, and because other good friends came to join, than an actual passion for bowling. I´ve only been 3 times in my life (this being the third), and it is not a strong point of mine. "i throw like a girl". I got 51 points (second last by one point!). I don´t think thats so good. I either seemed to get 9 down, or more frequently, none. and the bowling ball made my thumb bleed. rude.
Anyways, good times good times... I felt more like myself than i have done in aaaaaages, so that was cool. don´t ask me why, just did! Afterwards i hung out at a friends house on the otherside of town and so slept there till sunday...
SUNDAY was a proper rest day. lie - in, then meandered down to a cafe on the Alameda with 2 friends. where between us we consumed hot chocolate, coffee, beer and orange juice and took photos of the random decoration and read and wrote our diaries. or journals. never sure what to call them. There was a random mixture of people there at 1pm on a sunday in the smoke filled dimly lit bar. the three british girls in the corner with notebooks and bibles out on the table. couples smoking and drinking red wine. dreadlocks and suits. transvestites and children.
Which kind of sums up the Alameda, a large rectangular square... if that makes sense. An area that used to have the reputation of being quite deprived but is now becoming a popular social gathering place. An area surrounded by bars and cafes, community buildings and a police station (not so popular!), tatoo parlours and night clubs. where homeless people hang out with their dogs and drink beer, kids play football, art exhibitions are held, squatters protest, students enjoy the sun and drink coffee.. everything and anything. i like it.
Later i cycled all the way along the river to clear my head of the smoke and the thoughts and when i got home i actually read a book in bed, which i can´t even remember when i did last. ('Punk Monk' by Andy Freeman and Pete Greig). It´s getting me thinking...
No comments:
Post a Comment