You know the feeling. Heart beating, palms sweating, face reddening, speech stuttering…you’re embarrassed! Yes, I can laugh about all of these stories NOW, but back when they were happening, I wanted to shrivel up and hide! Enjoy a laugh on my expense by reading my top five embarrassing stories that happened while I was studying abroad in Seville, Spain:
ONE
Stroll back in time with me to late March 2010…Two American girls (affectionately known as gringas :)), were walking down an old cobblestone road around 2 AM in La Macarena neighborhood of Seville, Spain. One a rubia (blonde) and the other a brunette, a bit giggly and tired from their night out dancing and sipping tinto de verano. These chicas were almost home when they heard a large rumbling in the distance. As the noise grew louder, the brunette started to fumble in her purse to try to find pepper spray. Then, from around the corner came a group of 25-30 men wearing turbans, chanting and carrying a large throne. The girls did not know what to do, so they moved to the side and prayed that they wouldn’t get taken. (You know the movie!) Once the group of men passed them, they sprinted the rest of the way home. PHEW!
- So what was really happening? The next week was Semana Santa (Holy Week) and our barrio’s church group was practicing carrying their platform for Jesus and Mary statues that they would hold while walking in the Easter parade. THE EASTER PARADE. Who knew that they would practice this at 2 AM?! {Insert face palm here, plus an ugly American sticker.} Thank God I have shaky fingers and couldn’t get my pepper spray out quick enough!
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TWO
While living in Seville, I walked everywhere. I did have a bus and bike pass, but I preferred to stroll (or hastily walk quickly because I tend to run late) instead…better for sightseeing, plus exercise! One afternoon, I returned home after a very long jaunt around the city and declared to my host mom, “Estoy caliente!” She proceeded to let out a belly laugh and told me to never say that to the men in the streets. While I was trying to tell her that I was hot (from all the walking), I instead told her that I was…ahem…hot in another way. Ay. Dios. Mio.
L to R: My mom (she visited me!), me and my host mom
THREE
My first few days in Spain, I was feeling a LOT of emotions: excitement, happiness, uncertainty and a lot of… FEAR. I was scared! If you’ve ever been in a place where everyone else was speaking another language that you really couldn’t comprehend, you understand. Add in the fact that I am pretty terrible at directions and you’ll begin to understand the embarrassment of this story. The second day in Seville, I had to find my way to the university where I was going to take classes. My host mom encouraged me to take the bus, so of course I heeded her advice. (Please note: This is BEFORE smartphones were popular…aka no Google Maps to give me step-by-step directions.) I sheepishly got to the bus stop, waited in line with the morning commuters, gripped my lifeline (aka my map of the city), and attempted to board the bus. As I extended my hand to pay the driver with my coins, he just looked at me and said, “No. No acepta.”
Uh oh. Why wasn’t he taking my money??? As my face continued to get redder and redder and the line of angry people behind me continued to get louder and louder, I had NO IDEA what to do. “Um…ummmm….¿Por qué? (Why?)” Visualize a very frustrated bus driver, honking horns, and a crowded bus. Then, an angel appeared and swiped his bus pass to pay for me. (Thank you, sweet Spanish man for having mercy on me!) I later realized that I was trying to pay for my bus fare in POUNDS instead of EUROS. (I had been in London with my aunt the week prior.)
- What I Learned: Be kind to foreigners! I am forever grateful for that man who paid for my fare. Also, maybe I should just stick to walking.
FOUR
Twas an unseasonably cold, somewhat rainy week during my orientation in Seville. I was with a group of about 50 other American students from across the U.S. touring our new city via bike. It was rather difficult to keep 50 kids via bicycle all together while exploring a busy city, so this experience was kind of stressful. As I was pedaling fast to keep up with the group, I didn’t see a HUGE puddle 10 feet in front of me. Slamming onto my brakes to avoid smashing into this water ultimately failed and I proceeded to fall off my bike, collide with the pavement and literally dive into the muddy puddle. I stood up, shocked, a bit scraped and a whole lot embarrassed. All my new “friends” were not sure what to do. Could they laugh at someone that they just met? She didn’t seem hurt. I declared, “I’M OKAY!” and hastily got back on my bike. Enjoy this picture I took once I had gotten home. Woof.
FIVE
Last, but certainly not least, is my 5th most embarrassing travel story while living in Seville. I’m going to back up here a second. Since I studied with a group (API), they had pre-planned group excursions for us. They were so nice to have because on the other weekends, I was staying in hostels and mainly eating baguettes. On these fancy trips, we had tour guides, stayed in nice hotels and ate full, hot meals. You did NOT want to miss these trips. Fast forward to the night before one of these said trips. I decided I was too tired to pack and was going to wake up early to do so. JOKES. Who did I think I was?! I am not a morning person…I do not “wake up early”. Instead, I woke up the next morning AT THE TIME I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BOARDING THE BUS and freaked out. Immediately I called my adviser and he told me if I could get to the bus in 15 minutes, they wouldn’t leave without me. I threw who knows what into my bag, attempted to lock up our apartment correctly (it was one of those tricky old key holes) and ran out the door.
I hailed a cab and jumped inside. OF COURSE, there was so much traffic that day. I lasted about 10 minutes and decided it would be quicker to run. (Please note: It took me usually about 30-35 minutes to walk to our university, which is where the bus was departing from.) With my luggage in hand and absolutely no grace, I wove through Sevillanos sipping their cafes, walking their dogs and smoking their morning cigs. I was in decent shape but had to stop multiple times to catch my breath. I reached the university and saw that the bus was still there. PRAISE JESUS! I boarded the fully loaded bus and proceeded to get reamed by our program director. With tears in my eyes, I sat down and my friend comforted me. I hate getting yelled at and disappointing people but I was even more embarrassed. Ugh.
- What I Learned: Always, ALWAYS pack the night before. Also, set multiple alarms. Come on, Leah!
Question for you: What’s your most embarrassing travel story?
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