It鈥檚 true. The sun does shine here in Sevilla. A聽lot. It shines until it is 100 degrees (10 second pity party- my house has no AC and no fan. Also, this is my second attempt at this post because I聽somehow messed up after writing for a solid 35 minutes…I’m all smiles right now).
The transition to a new city has been rough. We went from going to the beach everyday to avoiding the sun as much as possible; seeking any shade we possibly can.聽From spending free time together to taking advantage of siestas to recover from our exhaustion. From exploring a great little city to sticking to the streets we know.
Sevilla is the capital of Andaluc铆a (the region of spain we are visiting) and is much larger than C谩diz. Even after three weeks in C谩diz, I聽felt like there was so much I聽didn鈥檛 know about it. Coming into Sevilla, I聽knew I聽would only be here two weeks. And two weeks wouldn鈥檛 be enough time to really get to know a city this size. Regardless of all this, even the heat, Sevilla is a beautiful city,聽and it鈥檚 been a great experience.
Our days are full here. Mornings consist of either history classes and a tour or volunteering. Evenings are spent with the group. Classes are so interesting. I聽love learning about the rich history of Spain. Again classes are taught in Spanish, so I聽feel like I聽am missing a lot. But our leader translates as much as possible, and we have handouts for each lecture. After lecture we go to different areas of the city and apply what we just heard. We have been to different聽alc谩zars, city ruins, cathedrals and museums.
Two days a week we volunteer. I聽loved my volunteer placement, Hospital de la Caridad. It is a retirement-like home for elderly men. Built in 1674 by Miguel Ma帽ara, a wealthy man who was going through a difficult time in his life. He lost his wife at a young age and was struggling emotionally, physically, and spiritually. In order to find peace, he sold all of his possessions so he could help others like him. He built a church and a hospital. This hospital was for men who didn鈥檛 have a home and needed medical assistance. Both the hospital (now similar to a retirement home in my opinion) and the church are still functioning. It was great to have聽the history of such an amazing place as our foundation before we began serving the residents and staff.
We started the mornings playing memory games and bingo with the residents. Man do those men love bingo! After bingo we would go for a walk. The first day, a nurse 鈥渁ssigned鈥� each of us a chair and showed us the way out. It was overwhelming because none of us knew if the nurse would accompany us, or if we would be flying solo. Thankfully the nurse walked with us, showing us which streets to take and helping us manage the bumpy roads. Just imagine six young, American girls, each pushing a wheelchair down Sevilla鈥檚 crowded cobblestone streets. If that doesn鈥檛 make you chuckle, it should. Even as we were walking, I聽couldn鈥檛 help but smile at the sight our little caravan must have made. I聽wish we would have had more time with the men at Hospital de la Caridad.
Time is something I聽have thought a lot about on this trip. The first couple weeks went by so fast. Now, we are only a week from departing this beautiful country. 聽I often long for more time. More time to enjoy all that I聽have been given. Sevilla has been a breath of fresh air for me. Afternoons are free for us as the whole city seems to take a two hour siesta because it is so miserably hot. some days i take advantage of siesta and sleep. But others, the Lord has given me energy to dig into the Word. Something I聽have been so thankful for. There are no distractions. The city sleeps. God has been using this trip to open so many doors. Doors to friendships and great conversations. I聽pray these friendships would continue to grow as we finish our time abroad and as we return to the states. We only have a few days left in Sevilla. And then five quick days together in granada. Where did the time go鈥�
-Rachel Yoder