My recent visits to Seville
O.K. my heading was a teaser. I haven't been in Seville, so my visits have been virtual.
Ann and Mary went to Seville as is their wont most years. But now they are there they can't get home. So they are in their tiny rental apartment, living with the strict Spanish isolation rules.
Mary, an elegant writer, has been posting on Face Book some wonderful observations of life in Seville during the pandemic. Her Face Book friends look forward to her postings. They take us into another world, another culture, another experience of difficulty and joy.
Mary looks, but she also sees.
Mary sees, but she also perceives.
Here is her account of the evening balcony wave in Seville.
----------------------------------------------------
Wave
When we first started going our on the balcony at 8 pm to applaud health professionals and all those who are working to keep us safe and the country running, it felt a bit awkward. Just applauding into the square was weird in itself, but seeing the neighbors notice us was also a little uncomfortable.
We’re not permanent residents of the square, but visitors, albeit long term, and strangers to everyone else who lives here. We wondered what they made of us, who appeared out of nowhere to join the nightly ritual. We had no chance of meeting up to explain our situation. Hardly anyone ever emerged from their apartment buildings at times we were out as well, and it seemed a bit forward to shout across the plaza to explain who we are and what we’re doing here.
Nobody made much eye contact in those early days, in any case--even with the known commodities. We all just came out, applauded, waited for the cathedral bells to finish tolling, and went back in.
As the days have gone by, though, we’ve warmed up. It began when the two kids (chicos, maybe 7 and 10) who live on the third floor of the building to our left showed up a minute or so late one night. They burst through the doors and bounded out onto their balcony as if afraid they’d missed the moment, and waved to us. It was like they were saying, “Don’t worry, we haven’t gone anywhere, we’re still here, we’re with you— and aren’t you glad to see us!?”
I’m probably reading a lot into that first wave, but there’ve been many more since. The lone old guy in the building on the far corner to our right returned one of ours for the first time last week, and now he looks for it before he ducks back in. The middle-aged pair who live next door to the kids don't wait for us to wave first any more. They give us a smile and their best Queen Elizabeth wrist wave before retiring. The young woman who inhabits the alcove on the roof above them can't get her hand out the window to wave, but she acknowledges us with a wave-y sort of expression before she backs out of that tiny space.
It’s getting to be a regular salutation fest in the Plaza de La Contratación. Not a word has been exchanged, but we’ve gotten used to each other. And now we also expect each other.
To expect each other. I suppose that will preach.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------
 |
| Their apartment building in Seville |
 |
| The Revd. Anne Minton in a classic pose on the balcony. |
 |
| The Revd. J. Mary Luti (older photo' taken in the U.S.A) |
Comments
Post a Comment