Obviously there are some big differences between Spain and the U.S- the most notable things being the language, the food, the siesta, etc. But there are also many little differences as well, and I want to share a few random observations with you:
- in Spain, when you to go a tapas bar, you stand up and eat at the bar. also, feel free to throw all your napkins on the floor. you know if a locale is extra good if there are lots of napkins scattered on ground.
- from what i have gathered, Spainards generally do not recycle aluminum cans.
-Diet Coke is expensive. Seriously. Expect to pay up to 1.50 euros at a bar (they still come in tiny glass bottles here) or 44 euro cents per can in the supermarket. that's around $2.20 for a small glass of Diet Coke in a bar (no free refills) or about $.60 per can at the supermarket.
- in women's public restooms, the seat is always left up. as to why, i have no idea. this still puzzles me.
-when watching a television show, instead of having several short commerical breaks, they will have one extra long commerical break, of about 10 minutes. this way, you can get up and go get something to eat or whatever. Most movie theatres have intermissions as well.
-Spain continues to be a smoker's paradise. people light up just about everywhere. this morning i visited a medical laboratory to have some blood drawn. in the tiny waiting room i counted 6 ashtrays.
-hoping you'll have a clothes dryer in your apartment? think again. most don't, which require you to hang your wash on the rooftop of your apt. building (recommended) or hang them on your balcony (not recommended)
more to come....
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
El Chiki Chiki- Spanish phenomenon
Check this video out for the Chiki Chiki dance.....a silly guy who made this hilarious song that is wildly popular right now.
The dance is actually pretty funny.
Four steps:
1. el Brekindance (Break dance)
2. el Crusadito (Cross step)
3. el Maquelyakson (Michael Jackson)
4. el Robocop (Robot dance)
The guy's hair cracks me up!
The dance is actually pretty funny.
Four steps:
1. el Brekindance (Break dance)
2. el Crusadito (Cross step)
3. el Maquelyakson (Michael Jackson)
4. el Robocop (Robot dance)
The guy's hair cracks me up!
Semana Santa in Seville
hey everyone!
i'm writing this entry to you on a lazy, late monday morning. yes, that's right, i got to sleep in today because it's Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Spain and I get the entire week off. paid. and it just so happens that Holy Week in Seville is the most extravagent and amazing festival of its kind in the world!
Most Sevillians prefer to leave the city during this week, and I can understand- there are crowds and tourists everywhere. if you live in the city center, as i do, it can be very difficult to navigate your own streets. but since i have never experienced Holy Week before, I am determined to brave the crowds and enjoy the processions.
So what is Semana Santa in Seville? Basically it is a week of elaborate processions of intricate "floats" (well, they aren't really floats, they are heavy at about 4000 lbs. at least and are carried throughout the town by about 40 men who are hidden underneath the float). The "floats" (I really don't like using that word but i can't think of another one) depict Jesus and Mary and are very intricately decorated with velvet, gold, flowers and lots of candles. every float is preceeded and followed by nazarenos, people cloaked in a traditional costume of repentence (it bears quite a resemblance to the KKK). there are also priests that swing incense everywhere, and a band in front of the float that plays music. there are 60 processions of this during Holy Week, one for almost every church in the city (i believe). You need to obtain a guide (found at any kiosk or supermarket) to know which procession is where and when, etc. All processions leave from their church, make their way through the downtown and towards the cathedral, then go back to their church. a procession ends with them placing the float down in it's place at their church where it won't be touched until the next year. Some churches that are far away from the downtown so their processions can last up to 12 hours. those poor men underneath the floats!
i saw my first procession last night. i didn't go seeking one out though, it came to me! i was with my friend marion at a bodega near my home, and one passed by. marion and i started snapping pictures like crazy, but unfortunately i can't show you any pics until the end of the week, when i will be able to convert everything to a disc.
anyway it is a very moving experience and some of the processions are en silenco, so you can hear a pin drop as they pass by. others are most joyful. you will hear people crying out "guapa! guapa!" (which means "beautiful") to the Virgen Mary.
Living in Seville, it is interesting to see the work that goes into preparing for Holy Week. I have witnessed many times the bands practicing their music in the street, or the men carrying a "practice float".
Some people are real Semana Santa- afecionados. I had to chuckle to myself in the weeks prior to Holy Week because in supermarkets they would play music from the bands and have big offers on Holy Week DVDs. One sweeping store promotion said "Special set! 8 DVDs plus 4 CDs of band music!" As to why someone would want to watch 8 DVDs of processions is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, the processions are interesting, but 8 DVDs and 4 CDs worth of it? come on!
Spring in Seville really has sprung, at it is amazing at the very least. The orange trees have blossomed, and the flowers, called azahar, smell amazing. and the entire city smells of this. also there are jasmine trees that have blossomed and they smell so good. in some parts of seville and in brenes, there are lemon trees. have you ever smelled a fresh lemon blossom before? absolutely amazing.
combine those smells with the smell of incense and candle wax, and its pretty magical.
anyway i will keep you updated on what i see this week. i look forward to having a week with nothing to do but hang out and wander about in my own city.
Hasta ahora!
i'm writing this entry to you on a lazy, late monday morning. yes, that's right, i got to sleep in today because it's Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Spain and I get the entire week off. paid. and it just so happens that Holy Week in Seville is the most extravagent and amazing festival of its kind in the world!
Most Sevillians prefer to leave the city during this week, and I can understand- there are crowds and tourists everywhere. if you live in the city center, as i do, it can be very difficult to navigate your own streets. but since i have never experienced Holy Week before, I am determined to brave the crowds and enjoy the processions.
So what is Semana Santa in Seville? Basically it is a week of elaborate processions of intricate "floats" (well, they aren't really floats, they are heavy at about 4000 lbs. at least and are carried throughout the town by about 40 men who are hidden underneath the float). The "floats" (I really don't like using that word but i can't think of another one) depict Jesus and Mary and are very intricately decorated with velvet, gold, flowers and lots of candles. every float is preceeded and followed by nazarenos, people cloaked in a traditional costume of repentence (it bears quite a resemblance to the KKK). there are also priests that swing incense everywhere, and a band in front of the float that plays music. there are 60 processions of this during Holy Week, one for almost every church in the city (i believe). You need to obtain a guide (found at any kiosk or supermarket) to know which procession is where and when, etc. All processions leave from their church, make their way through the downtown and towards the cathedral, then go back to their church. a procession ends with them placing the float down in it's place at their church where it won't be touched until the next year. Some churches that are far away from the downtown so their processions can last up to 12 hours. those poor men underneath the floats!
i saw my first procession last night. i didn't go seeking one out though, it came to me! i was with my friend marion at a bodega near my home, and one passed by. marion and i started snapping pictures like crazy, but unfortunately i can't show you any pics until the end of the week, when i will be able to convert everything to a disc.
anyway it is a very moving experience and some of the processions are en silenco, so you can hear a pin drop as they pass by. others are most joyful. you will hear people crying out "guapa! guapa!" (which means "beautiful") to the Virgen Mary.
Living in Seville, it is interesting to see the work that goes into preparing for Holy Week. I have witnessed many times the bands practicing their music in the street, or the men carrying a "practice float".
Some people are real Semana Santa- afecionados. I had to chuckle to myself in the weeks prior to Holy Week because in supermarkets they would play music from the bands and have big offers on Holy Week DVDs. One sweeping store promotion said "Special set! 8 DVDs plus 4 CDs of band music!" As to why someone would want to watch 8 DVDs of processions is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, the processions are interesting, but 8 DVDs and 4 CDs worth of it? come on!
Spring in Seville really has sprung, at it is amazing at the very least. The orange trees have blossomed, and the flowers, called azahar, smell amazing. and the entire city smells of this. also there are jasmine trees that have blossomed and they smell so good. in some parts of seville and in brenes, there are lemon trees. have you ever smelled a fresh lemon blossom before? absolutely amazing.
combine those smells with the smell of incense and candle wax, and its pretty magical.
anyway i will keep you updated on what i see this week. i look forward to having a week with nothing to do but hang out and wander about in my own city.
Hasta ahora!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Amazing Extremadura
Let me tell you a little about my trip this past weekend......
Early Thursday morning Lola (Spanish coworker), Diana (American coworker) and I hopped in Lola's car and took off for Extremadura. The countryside was beautiful- green and mountainous. We stopped in some tiny towns on the way, some with as little as 500 inhabitants. We took a walk through some of the countryside and stopped at the medieval town of Trujillo. I really enjoyed this city. It was a hilltown, with the castle of Trujillo at the highest point. I definetely recommend visiting this city if you ever get the chance.
Finally we reached our destination- a small mountain town of 2000 inhabitants called Aldeanueva de la Vera. It is an amazing little town surrounded by mountain streams and waterfalls. That evening we had dinner at one of the few village restaurants with some friends of Lola. I got to try some Extremaduran specialities- magro (pork in a sauce with fried peppers.....DELICIOUS!) and migas (little fried pieces of bread mixed with egg....I would compare it to dry stuffing).
Afterwards we went bar hopping and I got to know some of Lola's friends. I was particularly fond of two of her friends that were brothers- Jesus and Dani. They were so hilarious and energetic and they spoke excellent English (both have spent extended time in the US). Dani owns a tobacco farm in the area and seems to be well off. He also seemed to have a bit of power in the village....he was able to convince a bar to reopen at 2am just for us, etc. Diana and I started calling him "The Godfather", but he thought that sounded like a name for an older person (he's 33) so we called him "The Godcousin". He got a kick out of that.
We (about 10 of us) ended up all going back to Dani's house and dancing around until 5:30am!
The next day Diana went to Salamanca, a city a few hours north of us, but I stayed with Lola at her apartment. Lola's apartment was amazing! The view from the balcony was breathtaking....a picture-perfect view of the mountains.
We spent the day walking around the Aldeanueva de la Vera...we went to the highest point of the village and it was beautiful! There were lavender bushes everywhere, and cherry and almond trees were blossoming.....it was magical.
On Saturday I saw an amazing sight-a traditional village wedding that seemed to be right out of the movie "The Godfather"....the entire wedding party marching through the village with a band in tow. Lola told me that the groom and his mother (followed by friends, family and the band) march to the house of the family of the bride. They are basically picking her up to go the the church. It was a sight, I tell ya.
Since its such a small town, I was definetely the only foreigner there. In fact, it got around that I was there because on my last night in town I met a villager who said "so you are the American visitor they (the townspeople) have been talking about".
Yesterday, before we went back home to Seville, Lola took me around to see some of the other mountain towns. The towns Garganta de la Olla and Guijo were especially impressive and when I walked through the streets, I felt like I was in another century.
All in all it was an amazing trip and it was nice to get out of the city and breathe some fresh mountain air for a few days. I look forward to visiting that precious (and relatively unknown) area of Spain again soon!
Elections in Spain are happening this weekend so there is a ton of PP and PSOE propaganda EVERYWHERE. There is a debate between Zapatero (PSOE- the left party-currently in power) and Rajoy (PP-the right party) tonight. I may watch it, although the debates here aren't as interesting as the ones in the US. If you are unfamiliar with Spanish politics, there is a great article that was published by Newsweek about it that you can read here.
Early Thursday morning Lola (Spanish coworker), Diana (American coworker) and I hopped in Lola's car and took off for Extremadura. The countryside was beautiful- green and mountainous. We stopped in some tiny towns on the way, some with as little as 500 inhabitants. We took a walk through some of the countryside and stopped at the medieval town of Trujillo. I really enjoyed this city. It was a hilltown, with the castle of Trujillo at the highest point. I definetely recommend visiting this city if you ever get the chance.
Finally we reached our destination- a small mountain town of 2000 inhabitants called Aldeanueva de la Vera. It is an amazing little town surrounded by mountain streams and waterfalls. That evening we had dinner at one of the few village restaurants with some friends of Lola. I got to try some Extremaduran specialities- magro (pork in a sauce with fried peppers.....DELICIOUS!) and migas (little fried pieces of bread mixed with egg....I would compare it to dry stuffing).
Afterwards we went bar hopping and I got to know some of Lola's friends. I was particularly fond of two of her friends that were brothers- Jesus and Dani. They were so hilarious and energetic and they spoke excellent English (both have spent extended time in the US). Dani owns a tobacco farm in the area and seems to be well off. He also seemed to have a bit of power in the village....he was able to convince a bar to reopen at 2am just for us, etc. Diana and I started calling him "The Godfather", but he thought that sounded like a name for an older person (he's 33) so we called him "The Godcousin". He got a kick out of that.
We (about 10 of us) ended up all going back to Dani's house and dancing around until 5:30am!
The next day Diana went to Salamanca, a city a few hours north of us, but I stayed with Lola at her apartment. Lola's apartment was amazing! The view from the balcony was breathtaking....a picture-perfect view of the mountains.
We spent the day walking around the Aldeanueva de la Vera...we went to the highest point of the village and it was beautiful! There were lavender bushes everywhere, and cherry and almond trees were blossoming.....it was magical.
On Saturday I saw an amazing sight-a traditional village wedding that seemed to be right out of the movie "The Godfather"....the entire wedding party marching through the village with a band in tow. Lola told me that the groom and his mother (followed by friends, family and the band) march to the house of the family of the bride. They are basically picking her up to go the the church. It was a sight, I tell ya.
Since its such a small town, I was definetely the only foreigner there. In fact, it got around that I was there because on my last night in town I met a villager who said "so you are the American visitor they (the townspeople) have been talking about".
Yesterday, before we went back home to Seville, Lola took me around to see some of the other mountain towns. The towns Garganta de la Olla and Guijo were especially impressive and when I walked through the streets, I felt like I was in another century.
All in all it was an amazing trip and it was nice to get out of the city and breathe some fresh mountain air for a few days. I look forward to visiting that precious (and relatively unknown) area of Spain again soon!
Elections in Spain are happening this weekend so there is a ton of PP and PSOE propaganda EVERYWHERE. There is a debate between Zapatero (PSOE- the left party-currently in power) and Rajoy (PP-the right party) tonight. I may watch it, although the debates here aren't as interesting as the ones in the US. If you are unfamiliar with Spanish politics, there is a great article that was published by Newsweek about it that you can read here.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Going on a trip this weekend....
Hey everyone!
I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was kinda bland.....I didn´t really do anything and it was rainy outside, so it made me want to stay inside. But now I am so sick of being inside!
The good news is that this week we have a puente! For those of you that don´t know, the Day of Andalucia is this Thursday, and it is an official holiday in the south of Spain. When a holiday falls on a Thursday, the Spanish government makes the following day a holiday as well, connecting the holiday to the weekend. So a puente (¨bridge¨ in English) is essentially a long weekend. I think this is the 3rd or 4th puente that has occurred in 5 months!
One of my coworkers, Lola, has invited me to go to her village during the puente in Extremadura. Extremadura is an autonomous community above Andalucia. The distance is about 400 km from Seville. I am very excited to see her village and the area, as Extremadura is known for its beautiful nature. We will also be stopping in the town of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town is very old and has been inhabited since 25 BC. I have included some pictures of Cáceres and Extremadura so you can get an idea of what I will be visiting this upcoming weekend.
I hope to take lots of pictures, though I am waiting for a memory card to come in the mail.....and P.S. Aunt Dottie, I plan on taking Stanley so I will have some pictures for you soon.....IF i get that memory card from my Mom, that is......
Anyway I´m at school right now.....the bell is going to ring soon.
I´ll write more later!
P.S. Shoutout to my bro-in-law, Frank. Happy (belated) birthday!!!!
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Varias fotos
(above) sunset view from my apartment's roof
(below) My friends James (from England) and Yair (from Israel) in their most serious poses
(below) James and his signature pose
(below) a night view from the roof of my apartment. See La Giralda lit up?
(below) a church courtyard in my neighborhood. gotta love those orange trees!
(below) my street, calle Imperial.
*shout out to Janneke Jegen....these are the pics she took when she visited me last month.
Friday, February 22, 2008
This made my day....
On Wednesday morning one of my 11 year-old students came up to me and handed me a handmade, belated birthday card. On the inside she wrote:
Hello!!!
Happy birthday already you are one year more old woman!
I hope that you like this small detail, and that give you many things.
That you are very nice and I wait to be the year that comes again with you.
My group of friends calls "Lollipops".
I love you very much as friend in!
Many kisses of candy.
Signed:
Soraya
I'm not exactly sure what the Lollipops thing is about, though I'm assuming that's what her group of friends calls themselves. Nonetheless, I was incredibly touched by it. I hung it up on my wall and look at it everyday and smile.
P.S. One of my favorite classes, 3-B, sang me happy birthday really loudly, first in English, then in Spanish. Then they all patted me on the back and started chanting my name really loud. And pounding the table. Then they started doing the wave, while still yelling. It was pretty hilarious.
Hello!!!
Happy birthday already you are one year more old woman!
I hope that you like this small detail, and that give you many things.
That you are very nice and I wait to be the year that comes again with you.
My group of friends calls "Lollipops".
I love you very much as friend in!
Many kisses of candy.
Signed:
Soraya
I'm not exactly sure what the Lollipops thing is about, though I'm assuming that's what her group of friends calls themselves. Nonetheless, I was incredibly touched by it. I hung it up on my wall and look at it everyday and smile.
P.S. One of my favorite classes, 3-B, sang me happy birthday really loudly, first in English, then in Spanish. Then they all patted me on the back and started chanting my name really loud. And pounding the table. Then they started doing the wave, while still yelling. It was pretty hilarious.
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