It has now been just a few short months since I left the States, and my impending return to the Mid-West is beginning to hit home. In just a matter of weeks, it has been amazing to see the niche you can carve for yourself in a community. Though Sevilla boasts a population of around 1 million, I see familiar faces on my morning walk to school each day, the cashiers at our local SuperSol supermarket know me by name, and I’ve developed strong preferences regarding which Spanish TV shows I will sit through or not. (“Frank de la Jungla,”, essentially the Spanish crocodile hunter- Awesome. “Barco,” more or less a rip-off of “Lost,” but takes place on a boat- Even worse than “Lost.”) Heading for Spain in September, I at least knew I would eventually see my “niche” in Michigan again. Now, saying goodbye to Sevilla will certainly leave a bittersweet taste
in my mouth, as I don’t know when I’ll be seeing this “Second Home” again. As I had hoped, learning chunks of the Spanish language has been an integral part of my daily routine. It has allowed me to meet new people, interact with my surroundings, find myself in new situations, and have the ability to B.S. my way out of them- just in case. I’ve always enjoyed picking up the language, but not to say I don’t have a few bones to pick…

An Open Letter to Spanish Homonyms: I’m not excusing the English language, but you really should explain yourself. Some examples… “Pica” means: an itch, for food to rot, to sting, a spade, to be spicy, or to nose-dive? “Cola” means: a tail, glue, Coca Cola, or a queue you wait in? As if irregularly- conjugated verbs weren’t bad enough, you go and drop this on me? However, it is admittedly cool that there are some very unique and bizarre situations that I can sum up by essentially repeating the same word. An Open Letter to False Cognates: Sometimes, you make me look stupid. Perfect Example: During my second week here, I was telling a new Sevillan friend about my recent internship in a craft brewery. Hops, grain, yeast…all that good stuff. When asked why the brewery did not ship far from its home in Indianapolis, I explained the appeal of local beer, freshness, and the product’s lack of preservatives. “Preservatives”? How do you say that again…? On a whim, let’s assume, “preservativos.” Oh? That means “condoms”… Yeah, the beer doesn’t use that either.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a complete experience abroad without bringing home a part of what I’ve learned. Of course, there will be stories, experiences, and some new know-how, but it’s really the little things that tie it all together. Be more expressive with friends and family. Here, it’s one big love fest of back-patting and cheek-kissing. I think showing a bit more warmth would really take the edge off of a Michigan winter. Stay out later. We are wusses in Michigan. I won’t be staying up until 8 a.m. with friends too often, but 3 or 4 is the new baseline for a good night. Pilsner and olives. Who knew? It even makes Spain’s Cruzcampo brand of beer taste good. Hopefully, these little changes, amongst others, will follow me back to the States and still be there for whenever I feel a little second-home sick.

lakerlife@lanthorn.com