Today, continuing with the momentum of this high energy trip, we engaged in a variety of activities that where presented to us. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the backbone to this entire trip, our families. My family is comprised of only a mother and father, and they have taken great care of me. What hasn’t my mother done for me? She not only cooks my meals (which are delicious and of which I recommend the pasta de camarones) and washes my cloths, she has given me plenty of tips and tricks concerning Cádiz and reminded me every day to grab my keys. When I told her I had a sunburn on my neck, she immediately grabbed some type of cream and applied it with the gentle hand that every mother possesses. Without using my entire blog post as a thank you to my parents who have supported and put up with me for a little more than a week now, I wanted to share a tidbit of how caring, and important they really are.
Now to provide insight on the busy and fun day we had. To start we met at the plaza de San Antonio at 930 am. We almost had perfect attendance, expect for a few of the usual suspects…James…(my tone carries a gentle jest) but once assembled we marched on to a museum. The museum not only held art and artifacts from the 13th century but held the Maqueta, a scale model of Cádiz built in the years 1777-1779. It is made of bone, wood and ivory. We filled out a worksheet that asked about differences between the model and Cádiz today. This question was honestly difficult because Cádiz has changed very little in the last 300 years or so!!! Hopefully the attached image conveys the impressive impression we all got. Above it hang a painting that depicted the people of Cádiz holding a meeting to produce the first constitution of Spain. The reason that painting has significance is because it acts as a perfect Segway to the building depicted in the painting, only a few blocks away. The building functions as a church. Sadly we could not take photos, but imagine sitting, surrounded by 6 beautifully ornamented stations.
After learning about the church, its significance and its role in creating the first constitution of Spain we moved on to market. We were grouped then tasked to buy food for our cooking lesson later that day. The food was fresh, each stall was manned by friendly locals, but sadly I couldn’t read a single ingredient on our list. Taking full advantage of the kind gaditanos, we went to some fruit stalls and started figuring out what we needed to buy using our, somewhat shaky but improving, Spanish. We traveled from stall to stall, often asking for food that they clearly didn’t sell. Through the adversity, we strove to victory, purchasing every item on our shopping list, even finishing before the other groups. Then I dropped a bag with a glass bottle of olive oil (I could have sworn there was only one bag in my left hand). Carson “cochehijo” and I stood speechless, he picked up the bag and nothing had broken. We laughed it off and passed in our food.
After the adventure through the busy market we were given free time. A third of us went to give back to Cádiz by working with young children. I have yet to take part in the service project so I don’t know very much, but I was told a story about it later that day. I was told by Tyler, who participated in the service, that he and the other RL boys were playing catch in a parking lot with the young children after their lesson. One small boy, 6 years old, threw the ball and accidentally hit a man walking by. The man supposedly became extremely angry and threatened to call the police. Thankfully our trusty and amiable guide Vicky came and saved the day, no lawsuits required. Other than that side story, I’m looking forward to working with young children to help with their English studies!
Finally, we all met to cook. Peeling shrimp, cutting vegetables, and cleaning fish was our major contribution. We also stirred some pots (Most of us don’t seem very cooking oriented)!!! I was extremely lucky and found that the fish I was cutting up and cleaning was in the process of eating another smaller fish when he got caught. The two for one deal became what Spanish people call, a tapa.
The best part of the day though, was gathering on the roof, listening to Juanes, and enjoying each others company. Though eating with my family proves fruitful, I miss sitting down with my RL brothers and sharing a meal. When that meal includes music and lots of open space, we produce some of Andrew Steinberg’s smoothest dance moves and Evan Lim’s famous beat boxing. It was such a good time, it’s hard to describe. There was hand sumo, a strange game that I made up with my little brother years ago and lots of laughter. If there is a lesson to be learned here, it is that eating dinner on a rooftop in Cádiz is amazing, but doing it with your closest friends makes it a moment never to be forgotten.
There was a lot going on today, and I went quickly, but to us this experience is moving just as fast. Thankfully we are given just enough time to appreciate and eternalize this great opportunity.
-Elson Ortiz
Roxbury Latin Abroad 2016: Cadiz, Spain 