The arrival of spring, creating freely, and soaking up the sunshine

Every time I think I'm going to publish blog posts in a timely manner, life passes by quicker than a blink of an eye. How is it March? I'm in shock. Let's rewind back to late January...

I spent the last two weeks of the rainy month reading, studying, and visiting some museums! On the 24th, I visited an art exhibit at a non-profit foundation near the public library, which highlighted contemporary perspectives of Art Brut. This particular exhibit showcased works by artists with disabilities. My friends and I also went to a science museum, Casa de la Ciencia, that same day. We checked out the museum's current exposition, "Cerebro(s)," which displays etchings, installations, and neurological research (some from the United States), all related to the science of the brain. My favorite piece in the collection was an installation featuring dozens of notes on a wall, each text containing recounts of participants' first ever memories.

Other miscellaneous moments include attending a jazz show at Gallo Rojo, reading Demon Copperhead for my family book club, buying a Spanish newspaper subscription, and breaking (wounding, because they were fixed) two umbrellas in my attempts to attend class during the rainstorms.

The oldest, C (the 11-year-old), has officially recruited me to be her personal sketch artist; she loves coloring but doesn't like to draw. I've been sketching Mario Bros characters, her favorite Spanish singer Aitana, little comics for birthday cards... you name it.

Cerebro(s) exposition

Almazuela exhibit

February

The sun finally returned after its hibernation. January was a struggle in some ways: sporting events were canceled week after week (there weren't enough indoor spaces to hold all the overlapping events), few people were on the streets, the kids were stir-crazy... Spain has historically been the sunniest country in Europe, so neither the people nor the buildings were prepared for the influx of rain. Everyone living in Andalusia was reminded to cherish the outdoor spaces whenever possible; that was apparent about halfway through February when public parks and courts filled up as soon as the first ray of sun appeared.

A few friends and I painted pottery at a ceramics studio + café earlier in the month as a casual birthday celebration for our friend Ayla. We had an afternoon of coffee, quality time, and painting, also known as three of my favorite things ever.

On Valentine's Day, my friends and I took a bus an hour and a half south of Seville to Cádiz. Two weekends a year, the city holds their Carnaval celebration, a huge street festival where people dress up in costume and groups called "chirigotas" perform satirical skits. My friends and I showed up as a ladybug, a sailor, a mime, and some cowgirls (very much last minute, budget-friendly energy). It was roughly a 12-hour trip, including the bus ride there and back, since we left at 3pm and arrived back in Seville around 3am.

Cádiz was quite beautiful and quite cold. The buses parked super far from the city center, so my friends and I spent almost an hour walking to reach the main area. I remember thinking, "we need to give ourselves enough time to walk back or we'll miss the buses." Well, funny story, Regina and I ended up mapping the wrong meeting spot and running two miles (!) to attempt to catch the bus on time. Folks, we made it.

I started looking for a flamenco dress for Feria, which is Seville's event of the year. It's a fair that starts two weeks after Semana Santa (Holy Week). Almost all the women wear "trajes de flamenca" (traditional flamenco dresses) and "mantoncillos," or shawls with embroidered flowers. They top off the outfit with espadrilles and an updo with a flower in their hair.

The flamenco dresses add to the elegance and movement of Sevillanas, which is danced with a partner in the casetas throughout the week. For that reason, my dance teacher has stressed the importance of wearing a dress! I was shocked to learn how much they cost; nice flamenco dresses can cost over 300 euros. For a while, I debated buying one at all. However, I decided to start looking at some second-hand shops to see if I could find anything.

My friends and I went to Electrolunch again and basked in the sublime weather. We sat in the grass, chatted, and danced! The following week, I signed up for a DELE exam prep course at my school. I originally had a few sessions with an online tutor but was craving a more structured class with deadlines to keep me on track.

I also finished the Spanish version of one of my favorite books, I'll Give You the Sun. I was reading it at the same time as Demon Copperhead but needed to finish the latter earlier for a book club. I am no stranger to reading two books at a time (in fact I love it), but reading one book in Spanish and the other in English was much more challenging.

Cádiz

The kids and I have been taking advantage of the warmer weather and clear skies whenever possible. We've frequented the park much more often and I recently had a picnic with the youngest while the other kids were at practice. She and I went cloud gazing, ate our mid-day snack, and played tag.

That afternoon, I felt very fortunate for the simple things: laying on a tablecloth, eating a sandwich, listening to M tell me all the things she was seeing in those clouds! From dinosaurs to Princess Peach to Mary (as in Jesus's mother Mary), her imagination runs wild. Once, she told me, "The moon is following us! That's because it lives in our apartment!"

Since October, I've been rediscovering what it feels like to create and imagine without expectations. It's so much fun to think up stories, draw, sing with the kids without having to be "good" or produce a profitable output. How lovely is it to do things simply because you enjoy them? Through this au pair experience, I've continued to shift my past mindset of "How can I make this a good use of my time?" and "I need to be great at this" to rather, "How am I feeling in this moment?"

Another example is my dance class. I know I'm not the best in the world at it but I'm immensely enjoying myself, getting to know Spaniards, and moving my body. That is enough for me :) If you had asked me a year or two ago, I would've been upset about not having mastered the dance by now. Instead, I feel content knowing that I'm experiencing this beautiful part of Andalusian culture in a very authentic way, and I don't care that I'm not "acing" the class. No one is grading my life!

Other random February highlights include homemade banana pancakes, reading Disney bedtime stories to the kids, lovely runs, and some good conversations at language exchanges.

March

I read El Alquimista (The Alchemist)! I was super excited to pick this one up since it was originally written in Portuguese, which is quite similar to Spanish. Although it wasn't initially published in Spanish, I can imagine it was one of the first languages the book was translated into. Moving forward, I'm shifting away from translated books and focusing on original works written in Spanish so I can get to know more Hispanic authors and make the most of reading in my target language.

It was J's birthday and he turned 10! I drew a

sketch of him as a player for El Betis, his favorite soccer team. He celebrated a a combined birthday party at a public soccer field with 29 other boys and plenty of snacks. The following day, the youngest had her birthday party (also combined with other kids' celebrations).

I've done a lot of singing and examining song lyrics with the kids this month. They often ask about songs they hear while out and about, since English music is popular at school and in random social settings. Honorable song mentions include R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" and Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven." The latter is a little explicit so I've made up a few lyrics, oops!

The kiddos have also showed me quite a few Spanish songs, many of which are stuck in my head day-to-day because of how much they are played or sung in the house. Aitana's newest album, "Cuarto Azul," has been on repeat for a good while; I've also gotten to know a few newer songs by Alvaro Soler, Manuel Carrasco, and a lot of Disney music in Spanish. In fact, I have now perfected Aladdin's lines in "Un Mundo Ideal" (A Whole New World) so that M and I can sing a duo together.

I found a flamenco dress at a second-hand store in the city center for 40 euros! It doesn't have sleeves but I absolutely love it. I figure it'll be scorching hot during the day in April anyway, so it's better sleeveless. It's purple with polka dots and I have purple espadrilles, so I'd call that a win! Now I just need my mantoncillo.

March has also consisted of more Electrolunch (this time with face painting), short-sleeve weather, and a trip to Copenhagen to visit my friend Mira! Stay tuned for a separate post on that, it'll be out within the next few days.

With love,