Week 3: No Hair in My Chocolate, Please
- carelican
- Jun 15
- 13 min read
Updated: Jun 26
It's very important to me to be relaxed. One thing that helps me a lot with this is my family, which is why I am overjoyed they came to visit me in Seville.
Here is week 3!
A Moment for the Outfits
The Alcázar on June 9th
It was stunning. The Alcázar of Seville is home to over 170 species of plants from around the world, making it one of the most biodiverse palace gardens in Europe. Many of them, namely palm trees, orange trees, myrtles, and even pomegranate, were introduced in the Islamic period. The gardens were designed to be beautiful, of course, but also to create a micro-climate that functions like air-conditioning, cooling the air. It was stunning.
Moreover, the inside was beautiful. The intricate plaster carvings and tile designs (azulejos) in the Alcázar were created using a technique called “ataurique." Ataurique is a staple of Islamic art that uses repeating patterns of foliage, geometry, and calligraphy of the Arabic language. I had seen ataurique already in Morocco, and I tried making my own plaster carving in a class. I had one little square to do, and it took me 2 hours to finish half of it. The professionals, of course, finished theirs a little faster than I did, but it still shocked me to think about so much work being put into all of the walls in the Alcázar. As I often do, I fell behind the tour a little bit because I was continuously distracted and bewildered by these designs.
To finish off a beautiful day, I went shopping with my family, where we bought my brothers some great shirts. Fun fact: throughout the rest of this blog post, all pictures of them include a shirt we bought here in Spain.
Mama Goyé Chocolates on June 10th
The next day, we had a site visit at Mama Goyé Chocolates. The main program coordinator of the visit asked us in earnest, "Do you like hair in your chocolate?" We, of course, responded, "No!" She retorted by pulling out a box of hair nets and responding, "Good," leading to all of us laughing.
They brought me gluten-free bread for my chocolate, and I was overjoyed. My friends did not understand why I was so excited. Having people cater to my celiac disease is so rare, especially in the U.S.A. I never expect people to cater to my condition, so when they do, I am reasonably overjoyed.
Before I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I loved bread. I remember constantly announcing my love for bread and making fun of my brother Pierce for having celiac disease. Karma came quickly to put me in my place. And now, I jump for joy when I can have bread with everyone else.
We were fascinated as we watched a woman draw a cartoon character with chocolate. We all got to try some of it, and it was so delicious. We also got to make our own designs (shown above)!
Family Time
My brother Holt wanted to hang out with me, so we went to a park called Jardines del Prado de San Sebastián, and we found a playground.
While waiting in line for the bathroom at the park, I met a French woman named Aurora. She told me someone had cut ahead of her because they were about to be sick, and that same woman was still inside. Aurora was so kind and told me all about her life in Opio, France, near Cannes. She said Opio was beautiful and much overlooked by visitors. Satiating my curiosity as to what she was doing in Seville, she told me she was on a 3-week road trip with her husband. She said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but her smile seemed to falter. I thought, "Gosh, she looks exhausted. Is this related to the topic of discussion? Is their marriage struggling?" Her husband approached and she told him why she was taking so long (waiting for the sick woman). Her husband, named Nicolas, was also very kind. I got to talk to him while she was in the restroom. Men typically aren't as easily offended by blunt questions, so I decided to ask him (instead of her), "This road-trip seems like a lot of work. Does it get exhausting?" He responded, "Yes! Very much." I was a little shocked at his bluntness, but maybe it's a cultural difference. I suddenly became entranced with these people's love life. They met in a bar twelve years ago and, to quote Aurora, "One thing led to another, you know how it is. And now we're here!" It was so great to meet them, but I had to leave and meet my brother, Holt, again.
Holt and I began to meander back to his hotel, but we passed by the Plaza de España. He asked me to take a picture of him.
It was here that I saw Aurora and Nicolas again! I got to introduce them to Holt, and I saw they were taking pictures, so I asked if they wanted one together. I remembered having gone here with Hope a little while ago, and we found a great photo op. We found that one of us could run around the building to get to the balcony, then the other could stand at the bottom and take the photo.
Thus, I decided to offer my photo-taking services to Aurora and Nicolas. They said yes, and I took their phone (giving them my own as collateral) and ran to take a beautiful picture of them. It felt so great to be of help to them and to see how happy they were with the pictures. She had some military-grade camera attachment to her phone, so I figured she cared a lot about pictures.
I finally met my family at their hotel. We went to a restaurant where my brothers felt extremely jet-lagged, which was to be expected. We then went to my dorm so I could show my brothers my horrible European stove. I know it is just because I am not used to it, but I hate that stove.
After this, we journeyed through Parque de María Luisa (played on another playground until an actual child showed up), ran into my friend Scarlett, came across a fashion show, and took a great deal of pictures.
Cooking Class on June 11th
We learned to make paella! It was delicious.
It was so interesting how much oil he put into everything. My American mind says that that's a one-way ticket to unhealthiness, but Spanish people are much healthier than Americans on average. It was absolutely delicious, and again, I was overjoyed to be given gluten-free bread. And again, my friends could not understand what that meant to me, but that was okay, because I was happy.
Flamenco Show
I just had to show my mom and brothers the wonders of the flamenco show. The one we saw on the night of June 11th was stunning, showcasing the complicated nature of relationships through the mode of dance. The women performed with such zeal, it inspired me to live with more authenticity in my life. I also met another couple on vacation, Ashley and Graham. They were from Ontario in Canada. Graham bothered me, not because he told me he didn't like Spain as much as Italy, but because he said it was due to the fact that Spain was more rich in history than Italy and he preferred scenery over history. I saw his wife grimace after he said this. I don't blame her.
Directly after the flamenco show, I went straight to my dorm to get dressed and charge my phone, because June 11th is also the night that I tried out the Sevillano night life!
Night Life in Seville
Pierce, Scarlett, and I went to Uthopia, a popular nightclub in Seville. We arrived at midnight, the minute the club opened, and no one was there! We were shocked and convinced that people just didn't go out on weeknights, but after lounging for an hour in the bright red club with bass-boosted music (which I always love), people started to pour in. In the last photo, you can see quite a few people dancing to the music on the dance floor. And they were dancing. I'm not talking about the awkward swaying around that you would see in Alabama, or the even more uncomfortable, overly drunk flailing that you would see from a freshman who had too much to drink. It was beautiful dancing from everyone! It reminded me of dances my Hispanic friends have taught me, with lots of focus on hip movements.
I danced for 12 years, quitting when I was 15 years old. Thus, every time I hear music, especially if it is loud and easy beats to dance to, I have it in my muscle memory to move. This was the perfect place for that. I was very rusty, but I wasn't there to impress anyone.
In the beginning, my dancing was a little more reserved, of course. But I observed other dancers and tried what they did. My favorite dance styles were shown by African men on the dance floor, so I stuck to that one throughout the night. It involved a lot of different dance moves combined. The best way I can explain it is through a few moves in this video.
My favorite moves from the video:
Azonto
Etighi
Gweta
Jazze
^ Click here
I also found another YouTube video that shows what lots of Hispanic women were doing in the club as well. I also took a few pages out of their books.
Scarlett made some friends on the dance floor, and we all went outside to get some fresh air and meet each other without deafening music. There were three Italian men and one Croatian man, all of our age. I have a boyfriend already, so I was not interested in meeting anyone romantically, but Scarlett was getting to know one of them. They were so respectful and kept their distance, unlike most men who go to clubs in Alabama. Although I was not a professional dancer, and although I really just copied everyone else on the dance floor, our friends complimented me on my dancing, saying they were convinced I was Spanish. This was kind, but I wondered if it was a good compliment after seeing another Spanish girl dance very erratically on the dance floor. I don't believe my dancing was nearly as bad, but I will let you readers be the judge of that:
This was one of the most magical nights of the trip. While I had my frustrations with a few obstacles after we left the dance floor, I'm overjoyed to have finally experienced what a real dancing atmosphere felt like. Most excitedly, I arrived back at my dorm at the ripe hour of 7am. I felt exhausted yet satisfied. I quite literally danced all night, I had a great time, and I plan to never, ever do it again.
Bonus story + thoughts:
I was copying everyone on the dance floor, and Seckou was not excluded from this. This 26 year old man from New Guinea was, in my opinion, the best dancer in there. He was so respectful and kept a great distance, again something the Auburn men struggle with frequently, and his dancing was so fun to follow.
However, I felt strange when I was suddenly complimented on my dancing by Scarlett's newfound friends. I've heard throughout my life that several incredibly important parts of American culture came from black people. There's a trend of white people copying what black people are doing, then being applauded for it. I'm mainly thinking of Elvis Presley. Basically everything he did was copied from black people. I felt proud to have people enjoy my dancing, but I continously emphasized that I was just copying Seckou and a few others.
Seckou happened to be outside when me and my friends walked outside. I went up to him to tell him I liked his dancing, but he didn't speak English. He did, however, speak French, and since I spoke a little bit of French and wanted to practice, I started speaking to him in French. It was so fun to practice the language, and he helped me practice, but he kept correcting me, which I thought was hilarious because I just didn't expect this random man to be picky about my incorrect usage of feminine or masculine articles. He was very kind and easy to talk to, and when I was done talking to him, he was respectful and let me go back to my friends with no complaints.
This was a stark contrast from many Auburn men who go to the Auburn bars, as I've said several times already. It interests me a lot because people remind me a lot about how bars and clubs are dangerous, how men will take me, and how it will be an uncomfortable environment altogether. I wholeheartedly understand, especially having been to the night life in Auburn every now and then, but I have never felt safer than I have in Sevillano night life. It made me understand why nightlife lasts so much longer in Seville. It's genuinely much easier and safer to participate in!
June 12th: Bus Tours and Flamenco Fashion Museums
My family and I went on a bus tour, and it felt so nice, especially in the heat when we had the breeze to cool us down. I like to avoid tourist-y things when traveling (solely for the purpose of inflating my ego), but this was a great idea, and I think more people should be doing it. The tour wasn't as detailed as I would have liked, as I like to learn a lot of information about places, but it was a nice overview. In the future, I'd like to do a bus tour on the first day of each of my travels so I can know where I want to go first and what the highlights of the city are.
Doble Erre Site Visit
Alas, I had to hop off the bus to meet my class at a bus stop to go to our fashion site visit at Doble Erre. The site itself was in a rather interesting location, situated right next to an amusement park.
However, the venue was beautiful on the inside. Pink paint lined the walls of the entrance's hallway, and we were guided into a museum room.
Our guide was very fun-spirited and kind, and she told us about the history of Doble Erre as well as what they do as a company. It is a fashion, modeling, and event agency based in Seville. They famously organize glamorous events like SIMOF (Salón Internacional de la Moda Flamenca), which showcases flamenco fashion designers. The company is run by Raquel Revuelta, a former Miss Spain. It was so interesting to see the dresses and hear firsthand how the company works.
My favorite dress was this blue one. I love the shade of blue, as well as the tiered skirt. I am obsessed with tiered skirts right now.
Our guide explained to us that since denim was all the rage in the 90s, it showed up in flamencan designs as well. That is what the shade of blue is from.
Although it was so interesting to learn, Hope's and my joints started to hurt out of nowhere from standing for so long. We figured it was telepathic, and we ran out of the site visit as soon as it ended, struggled to get a cab, and in a fit of exhaustion, were finally on our way home.
Thankfully, after this site visit, it was time for me to pack my bags, because I had a bus ride with my family to a relaxing beach weekend in Cádiz!
Cádiz
Time for the bus ride to Cádiz! Pictured is a beautiful image I saw while walking to the bus stop. In these more quiet moments, I like to enjoy them by myself most of the time. This time, I was on a call with my boyfriend, which was so nice. We talked about our favorite things, and it made me feel happy to be talking to someone in my homeland.
After an imaginative bus ride, we made it to Cádiz! The streets were beautiful, dare I say, more beautiful than the Sevillano streets.
I feel that Cádiz can't be summed into a couple hundreds of words, so I will give you 32,000 words! (32 pictures = 32,000 words):
The beach in Cádiz was where I saw the most topless women. It was very interesting to wonder how that affects children's self-esteem. I saw a research article on this once, and it said that children who saw their mothers naked more often typically had higher self-esteem. It makes sense that if you see a realistic woman's body so much, you will be less expectant of your own body to look like the ones in the magazines.
Overall, I had a beautiful time in Cádiz on the beach with my family, and it was so interesting to see so many different types of people. If I ever get the privilege to return to Spain, this will be my first stop!
Cathedral and Alcázar, One Last Time
My family proceeded to head back to Seville and see the two biggest things that I felt were important for them to see: the Catedral de Sevilla and The Alcázar.
These photos were my highlights from both visits. I saw a peacock for the first time on this day! It was a sweet time to be with family, even though I am returning home on June 20th anyway. Although it was almost sickeningly hot, we managed to learn a lot, enjoy the sights, and have a great time.
He Rested on the Seventh Day
To circle back to the beginning, I was quite relaxed with my family. But sometimes, I still spend energy, even on those most dear to me. I always found it fascinating that God rested in the creation story of the Bible. If He is God, He clearly doesn't need to rest. What I took from this story was that rest is of paramount importance after any sort of creation. I spent the entire week creating memories, and I could feel myself becoming tired. Thankfully, Sunday gave me the chance to sleep in, slowly do some laundry, and lie in bed all day, reminiscing on the eventful week that came before. Although the world of public relations and maintaining business images is nonstop, humans are not, and that is why I love that we can do it all together and fill in for each other. I'm happy to be learning about Public Relations and Spain's culture on this trip, and I'm so thrilled to see what it does for me in the future.
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