This is the street where I live.
As most of you know, I have been living in a homestay in Sevilla. I live with a couple in their mid-40s/early-50s, Carmen and Jesus, and three cats, Chulo, Curo and Neo. Although there are many similarities, there are also a number of differences between the homes in Sevilla and those in the United States.
Homes here are generally small apartments in buildings with 2-4 floors. Many have a rooftop terrace, and most open onto a central courtyard, where laundry can be hung between the walls. Unlike in the US, homes are not made for entertaining. In fact, it is rare for sevillanos to have guests over to their house, especially if that guest is not a relative. When you want to see a friend, you go out to a cafe, restaurant, or tapas bar and meet them there.
The houses and apartments in Sevilla typically have no central heat or air conditioning. To keep cool in the summer, the floors are made of tile and there are many windows. To stay warm during the winter, space heaters are kept in the bedrooms and a very interesting item called a brasero is used in the living room. The brasero is a heater that is located under the table, and the table is covered with a heavy cloth. When you sit on the couch or in a chair in the living room, you put your legs under the table and lay the cloth on top of you like a blanket. This serves to keep everyone warm when they are sitting at the table, rather than heat the whole room. It feels nice, but makes it hard to get up from the table! Sometimes, I will be very cold inside the house, and then go outside to find it is much warmer outdoors.
Electricity and water are both used very economically here. Our program leaders told us that we must take very short showers and never leave lights on or things plugged in, as it may offend our host family. My host family seems a little more relaxed about this, but it is an interesting comparison.
Living in this style of apartment takes some getting used to compared to what I am used to in the US but I do enjoy it!
Sitting by the river in my neighborhood, Triana:
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