Sarah's Nest: January 2015

December 25, 2014- presents were opened, breakfast was feasted, bags were barely zipped, and goodbyes were said. The 5 Brovellis were on our way to London!!

We arrived at Heathrow, took the train to Queens Park, and walked through semi freezing rain to the apartment that would be our home for the next 10 days. This video documents our time across the pond. Disclaimer: I put this video together as a creative way to remember the trip, not to blow you away with my cinematic genius. I hope you enjoy watching it regardless!

Music: Ink, Coldplay. I don't have any rights to this song, but I thought it was only appropriate for the tunes to be British, just like the footage.

Brovelli Family London trip superlatives:

Carol/Mom: Most trusting, most likely to take pictures at embarrassing times, biggest champion of public transportation, and the most positive

Jimmy Bro/Dad: Most easy going, most likely to embarrass the girls with his fashion choices, warmest Brovelli

Jack: Most likely to be asleep anywhere at any time, proudest 18 year old, most likely to order a 'Budweiser' in a London pub....

Tommy: Biggest teddy bear, most likely to say 'I don't care' in response to everything, most likely to still be hungry after every meal

Sarah: Most likely to pawn her heavy camera off to gullible family members, biggest complainer about her feet being cold, most homesick Brovelli

Click directly on this picture to watch the video!

The trip was amazing, and it was the last time I would be together with the whole family unit until May 2015!

With love and London,

Sarah Belle

I have officially been living in Sevilla for 7 days, and have been away from home for a month. Wow. Cheers to breaking down the language barrier!

Orange trees line all the streets in Sevilla- but 'they are not for eating'

7 new words I have learned to sum up 7 days:

1. Calabacín (Zuccini)
My first night Pilar, my señora/mama Sevillana, asked if I wanted 'crema de calabacín" and I said yes without having a clue what I had just politely agreed to eat. Turns out it was a delicious soup, a sort of pureed zucchini with other vegetables like broccoli mixed in with it. It is now one of my favorite things, but I would have never tried such a thing if I had known the English translation before. I have since said 'Sí, gracias!' to anything Pilar asks me to try and so far I have only had to feed things to the dog under the table once.*

2. Ir/salir de marcha (to go out on the town/dancing)
"¿Vas a salir de marcha esta noche?" - Pilar.
"¿Qué haces en casa? Debe estar bailando en un discoteca!" -Pilar
"Tenemos que encontrar a un chico guapo para ti" - Pilar
You get the idea. If you don't, Google translate is your new BFF. Pilar was so proud when I came home at 4am on Friday night, and didn't wake up till 12pm the next day. But don't worry, (Mom/Dad/Grandparents listen up) this timeline is totally normal!! When I left the club at 3:30am, it was still packed with Sevillanos and extranjeros alike planning to be there till the sun came up. Everything here is on a later schedule, not just the nightlife.
From lunch at 4pm to dinner at 9pm, this new concept of time has been the biggest adjustment so far.

3. Siesta (an afternoon nap... the true meaning)
As a direct translation siesta means 'nap/afternoon nap', but the concept encompasses so much more than that. A siesta is a glorious few hours in the late afternoon where people leave work/school to come home for a well prepared and large lunch, to rest, and maybe sneak in a nap. It is amazing- except when you are new and think you can run out to do some errands between 2-5pm, or anytime on Sunday. Jokes on you because everything is closed- its a mandatory 'descanso' for all. Siesta is an every day reality that I will just have to deal with, oh woe is me.

4. Todo el mundo (everyone/everybody)
Europe in general is much more of a collectivist culture than the US, and they focus on the needs of the group above the individual. From a family setting of 3 people, to a large group of students at orientation, the phrase 'todo el mundo' is used synonymously with 'todos' which is what we were taught to use in US Spanish class. 'Todo el mundo' has such a nice ring to it, and it reaches out to include every person in that space- pronouns and hyperboles be damned.

5. Contabilidad (accounting), ordenador (computer), redacción (essay)
I have only had 3 hours of class so far, and I am already drowning in new vocabulary. We dove right into politics, the economy, and social inequality- all topics that are complicated and hard to discuss in any language. I guess they call it intensive Spanish for a reason...

Business & Economics building, University of Sevilla

6. Mantas (blankets), perchas (hangers), sábanas (sheets)
I have come to realize that there is a huge list of everyday/household words that I don't know how to say, the above being only a small portion. I now look forward to playing games like Pictionary, Catchphrase, and charades because my daily life is full of Oscar worthy attempts to act out words and phrases- only its not a game anymore. Hip hip hooray for Google translate!

7. Bol (Bowl)
Because expectations are (duh) not always reality. There is an expectation of awkwardness; not knowing what is 'normal' with a new culture, not having all the vocabulary to communicate, and consequently feeling like a 'dumb blonde' outsider who isn't fooling anyone. Que pena. However, sitting down at my first breakfast in Spain, racking my brain for the translation of bowl- I proved myself wrong. Sometimes a 'bowl' is just a 'bol'.

With love and guiri**,

Sarah Belle

*Una broma, I'm just kidding, I haven't met a food in Pilar's house that I don't like! Also Kika, the princess of the house, only likes fish and fruit anyway.

**Pilar says I am too timid, and need to be direct like a Sevillana. If anyone treats me like I am stupid or tries to take advantage of me because I am A. from the US, B. don't speak perfect Spanish, and C. blonde I am to tell them "Soy guiri, no tonta" or "I'm foreign, not stupid" with as much sass as I can muster. Here goes!