So I'm back in españa! Who would've guessed. This time, my fam joined. 

Seville is really interesting... I don't think I got a solid read on it, even still. It's very laid back-- nothing like the wild heart of Barcelona or the narrow tattooed streets of Madrid. There's this charm about Seville, though, that reminded me of the beauty in simplicity. 

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We watched while boys & grown men tried to run across a slick pole on an old fishing boat in the river-- trying to grab an old green flag before losing their balance & falling into the water below. They gained a crowd on the boardwalk above. There was something so sweet to me about such a simple joy... Literally just a bunch of guys running across a slicked down, algae- infested pole. Yet there was something within that scene that stuck with me. 

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It wasn't until our cab ride to the train station that I figured out what it was. Our cab driver was from Italy, so we were talking all about our families & food & plans & languages. My mom asked him if he missed home in Italy. He immediately said no, & I think we were all taken a bit aback. He explained, in broken English, that his joys were all in Spain now-- namely, his girlfriend. Italy was home, but his happiness was in Spain. He was a cab driver, working long hours & living in a small apartment. He explained that he left everything in Italy: his old job, his nice home to just experience something different. He said he had less in Spain-- materialistically & security-wise. Then he said seven words that put it all together for me: the deep mystery surrounding the old fishing boat games, the happiness of old men drinking cervezas near the shore, the joy of this cab driver that left everything. He said: "Now, I am happy & I am free". 

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He figured it out. 

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