I Share My Art With You

I want to share my art with you. As I spend several hours every day working on my art, I am constantly producing something. Below I have included two sketches done with charcoal. I drew each compostition while observing the subjects. The one on white was my first ever (aside from a charcoal drawing I did of an empty box in 8th grade) and the one on green paper was my next one. The assignment was to draw the objects using only lines -no blending. I was instructed to use the tones of the paper in conjunction with the while and black.




Below: The view from our kitchen one lovely morning!

On the bottom: This is the sybol of my life:

Philosophy Test and Friends!

I just had my first philosophy test today! I know, this may sound daunting to some, but it was actually an incredible experience. Ok, so the test itself was a load of work, including massive translating, mind stretching, and laborous writing, but the studying was the fun part! During the two hours of art class before philosophy, our artsy group sat discussing Descartes and his method of reaching the truth. We discussed god and perfection and understanding, and my goodness! I had a lot to share! Being the knowledge-lover that I am, delving into these discussions, albeit in Spanish, was oodles of fun. My French friend, Jon Michelle, claims that even though he is perfectly fluent in Spanish, he thinks I will score higher on the exam! I´m not sure if I believe that, but it goes to show what a sweetie he is. He and I enjoy singing Kelly Clarkson and Christina Augilera pop songs together as we sketch our bodegones (still-life scenes) with charcoal in hand. He is a fabulous artist. Among my other friends is Juan Antoinio (or JuanAn for short) who loves breakdancing but has yet to show me this mad talent (no worries, he has promised me this pleasure tomorrow!) and Paz who has the most original sense of fashion in the entire school (tights, short shorts, bright colors, etcetera).

Outside of school, I am performing a juggling act with my schedule: rock climbing, dance class, aerobics, acting class, Castellano...what do I want to do and when do I want to do it?! Well, we´ll see! So many opportunities arrise that I have to contain myself in order to maintain a healthy schedule! It all comes down to a few basic things: learning Spanish, getting exercise, sleep, and sustenance, and following my passions. Aye, there´s the rub! I have so many passions! Well, I´m sure everything will turn out fine.

I defninitely just got asked out on a date for this Friday, but I´m a little speechless in that department. He is a friend of a friend of my host family who I don´t even know, so we´ll see how that goes! They say he´s a good kid. *shrugs* :-)

Well, I guess that´s it for now!

Love,

Jocelyn

Love like crazy!

Love the children
Laugh like crazy
And don't forget
To pick that daisy.

Thanks MJ!

:-)

two friends and lights - photos!

1st place in Spain for the under 18 categori.
Meet Ignasio. :-) A very good friend.
My movil! Note: the spanish flag does not actually have a bull on it! lol!
I love this photo. I call it "Two Friends and Lights" -taken by myself in downtown alicante. :-)

love of my life, photos!...

Rosa (my coordinator!) and me! (I love this woman!)
Crazy climber!
And yes, this is his garage and a huge rockclimbing wall!
And these are his trophies. (this picture is for you, dad!)

¡amore! photographs

Ok, I wanna see everybody tilt their heads sideways to look at these lovely pictures! Me with my face photocopied in my art classroom. Fun times! Beauty at its greatest several times over in the sunrise of Alicante. Expect many of these, because it is my morning greeting! The other two are from Barcelona: Goudi. Good stuff!

From me to you! (a little something!)

Sittin on the top of a mountain
living in the light of the lime
singing with friends
dancing transcends
the life that is brilliant before
me

living at the top of a mountain
loving from the purest of hearts
kissing in the sunshine of morning
and dancing hearts

From me to you!

¡With amor!

When Inspiration Stikes! (And some ideas on Holidays and Culture)

Often inspiration strikes at the most unexpected moment. You´re bumbling on along in the normal little life you lead when BAM! You realize your potential! You realize your power, your being, your essense, yourself! It´s an incredible experience, and it feels better than you can ever imagine.

Friday night: Me. Bawling over my seemingly stressfull and entangled existence.

Saturday morning: I feel as fresh and new as someone reborn.

And how? Let me tell you. I watched this movie called "The Secret." If you want to realize how easily attainable happness is, give this a chance. Look up www.thesecret.tv. The concepts in this movie are something that I would not have been able to accept three years ago or even three weeks or three days ago. It is the concept that your thoughts have power in and of themselves. Think about this: your thoughts have power. You create your reality through your thoughts. If you focus on the negative, the law of attraction states that that is exactly what you will attract: negativity. But, if you focus on the positive, if you focus on how beautiful that rose is, how much you love your mother´s smile, then the spilt-coffee day and the enraging arguement with your mom will all fall away and be replaced by contentedness. It is such a foreign thought that your mind might automatically reject it, but then you know that maybe now is not the time for you to receive this information. Maybe you´ll stumble upon this epiphany later in life, and everything will click. The pieces of the puzzle will all come together, and you will know that your true work, the fun work, has just begun. You are begining to change your mind, break out of old unhealthy habits, and embrace what you know is true. It´s frightening, but it´s also exhilirating! I trully hope that you will watch this documentary "The Secret" because regardless of how plausible these ideas sound now, they will be made clear by this intruging film. If nothing else, it has cool special effects! I hope it changes your life!

All right! Next order of business! Last night I went to a celebration called Carnival, which is something akin to Halloween. Walking through the downtown plaza late at night, I see children dressed as Little Red Riding Hoods, TinkerBells, and goblins, alongside multitudes of men dressed as women and women dressed as anything imaginable! My favorite part being, of course, the excess of crossdressing men - and even one in a mini skirt and glitter pushing his kid in a stroller! On TV last week there were continuous programs showing the Drag Queen competitions from Barcelona and around the country where men strut and dance in all sorts of sequiny garments - garments that are often incredibly revealing but fabulously extravagant! (Imagine 3ft platform shoes and ploomed head-dresses as tall as the men themselves!) We strolled through the crowds -crowds that would multiply as the hour got later- and smiled at little Zorros and Princesses spraying Silly String or Shaving cream at each other! All in all, Carnival consists of dressing up, parades, shows, dancing in the streets, and a jolly good time. Later at night there is general drinking and fiestas for those who enjoy that sort f thing. Carnival is one of the most important celebrations here in Alicante, and most of Spain, alongside Christmas, Mother´s Day, Father´s Day, Semana Santa (Saints´week), Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings, celebrated in January), and the day their Constituton was signed. And no, we did not celebrate Valentines Day (*sigh*) and they don´t pay much attention to Easter or any other holiday´s we are accustomed to.

But as a culture, they are more relaxed! They love having a good time and don´t strain over the little things. Some examples, they leave out folding chairs in some major walkways for the elderly to rest upon; they don´t care if they are stollen and nobody bothers steals them! Some people don´t pay much attention to clocks! Just have an idea of what time you want to meet the person and get there within a half hour of that time and you´re on time!

Anything you want me to elaborate on, feel free to ask! Your curiosity gives me more material to write about, and it gets me thinking, too!

In case you´re wondering, I intend to blog once or twice a week, and usually on the weekends. I know, MJ, that you´re sitting at your computer night and day just waiting for my fabulous updates! *grins* Just kidding! I love you MJ!

And remember: Carpe Diem. Live in the moment!

Love,

Jocelyn

PS More pictures later!

Paella and Stereotypes.

Let it be known that culture shock is real and very potent. I will not go into the gory details of how difficult it is to be understood or how frustrating it is to watch as joke after joke goes flying over your head while you just sit there smiling, but understand that life as an exchange student is not all fun and games.

That said, I have a lot to share. Yesterday was Madelin´s Birthday, and this was not necessarily the easiest Birthday she´s ever had considering that is she is an exchange student, like myself, and has only resided here in Spain for as long as I have. Since she has not had time to make friends, my local coordinator, her host mom, some neighbors, and I all held a celebration for her. The most notable aspect of her Birthday celebration was the paella (pah-eya) that one of her neighbors made. Imagine: a large frying pan full of fragrant rice, steaming seafood, legs of chicken, garlic, and onions sizzling over a flame that is tended by a Spanish chef who obviously knows what he is doing. Served with a carved lime and sprig of cilantro atop, it is the picture of deliciousness before me on the table. Yes folks, this is the dish of España! Needless to say, I downed my entire plate in reccord time, but still managed to save enough room for a square of cake. Paella can be made in almost anyway (without chicken, with various spices, etcetera) but the rice is it´s base; it isn´t a Paella without the rice. Now, when you think of Spain, you can think of bullfighting and Paella!

Ok, here´s an interesting tidbit. I happened to glance over at the TV program that we were watching over dinner the other night when I noticed that the melodramatic series had introduced a new character: an American exchange student! I found this very interesting because, although you cannot trust these over-exagerated shows to actually reflect the beliefs or thoughts of every Spaniard, you can find indications of the American stereotypes that are pervasive in any culture. So, the goofy spanish guy is running around in a cowboy hat and with a toy gun, talking excitedly about how they are going to have an American there! "What fun! *bang, bang!*" The classic Spanish mom hits him upside the head lightly when the doorbell rings and everyone runs to the door. Upon seeing a young man of asian descent at the door, the goofy spaniard tells the "china man" to leave because the don´t want any flowers and slams the door. The mom chastises the goofy guy, saying that the young guy at the door is the American exchange student! (go figure; America is known for its diversity!) And the mom invites the young man in. The each character then begins to introduce themselves, but speaking painfully loudly and slowly. Even after the exchange student nods yes, that he does speak Spanish, the characters still treat him like he´s hard of hearing! (my god can I relate to that! one of my teachers speaks at a deathly pace everytime we talk one on one!) At the end of the bit, one of the guys asks the exchange student if he wants to go out clubbing. She exchange student vigorously nods yes! The spanish guy asks if he has money to pay. The exchange student whips out his wallet. The other guy takes his wallet and opens it. Everyone else gathers around to look at what must be a heck of a lot of dollars, because the Spanish guy then exclaims, "Drinks are on me tonight!" And everyone cheers.

My conclusion: We Americans are stereotyped as a very wealthy, diverse people who are generally associated with cowboys and (drawing on my own experience now) Hollywood. The other day I got the classic "Have you ever met a famous person" question. I laughed out loud when they asked me that. I´ve also gotten the "Do you surf" one and "Don´t you live on the beach?" The other thing that always draws a smile to my face is seeing two guys kissing each other´s cheeks and beeing all touchy-feely. :-) It´s so normal here, but it never fails to make me giggle a little bit in my soul.
To the left, an imitation bull-fighting ring at the mall! A few aquaintances holding on for dear life! Above on top: two aquaintances, my host sister Janire, myself, and a friend in a park. Above on bottom: Janire, me, and a friend. And below: Janire, and two other friends.

Ok, I´ll have you guys know that I´ve foregone taking a shower in order to write this. You had better appreciate it! jk. But really, aside from MJ, Emily Jo, and my mom, I really have no idea who reads this. Comment and let me know what you think. I´d love to hear your response. Love, Jocelyn.

The Average Day: Philosophy, Seafood, and a Multitude of Classes

Imagine spending an hour attempting to decipher philosophy...in Spanish. Yes, this is my life friends! Here in Spain, I have a multitude of classes: three art classes, Castellano, Valenciano, English, Spanish History, History of Art, and philosophy. And yes, this is a normal course load in Spain. My average day: awaken at 7am. Grab a quick bite of toast or cereal (which is unusual because most Spaniards don´t bother with breakfast) before a whisk out the door with my host sister and dad to catch the tram. The tram runs parallel to the coast so that I can see the shore and the sunrise the entire way. My classes are each 50 minutes or so and I receive two recess´: one of 25 minutes and the other of 15. I get back to our apartment by three, greeted by a great waft of air that signals the most important meal of the day: lunch! A lot of fish, a little rice, a little pasta. Seafood is popular here, but when they serve it to you with the head and extremities still attached, it isn´t quite so appealing! Overall, the food is good, but they like to fry everything. I have learned that I am not partial to oisters or pickled anchovies, but that fried anchovies aren´t so bad. Desert is fruit (tangerines, pears...), yogurt, or icecream. After lunch, I might spend a half hour being tutored in spanish grammar alongside my eight-year-old host sister (yes, that is the level of my grammar in Spanish!) or I might also go on the computer, watch a movie, etcetera. Dinner is at 9:00pm and then promptly to bed.

You may wonder why I have so many art classes. That is because after 10th grade, students must decide which track they want to follow: Science, Math, Humanities, Art... And I have chosen the art track for this semester. My favorite class is Art History, where we are currently studying Gothic design. I love seeing all the beautiful cathedrals from France and Spain! It´s especially nice since I have already seen some of these places and note how the pictures hardly do them justice. English is incredibly easy, but also funny; I enjoy hearing the heavy Spanish accents over English. I´ve also been helping my peers with their english homework. Castellano is essentially a Spanish grammar and literature class, but it is at the level of a native Spanish speaker, so I don´t understand much. Valenciano is a local language that I don´t even bother to try to understand. Today I spent the entire hour of that class bored out of my mind, but unable to do homework from other classes because my head felt like it was ready to explode after the previous hour of philosophy.

The people here are very nice. I am making friends, but I still don´t fit in. I´m just grateful that I can speak as much Spanish as I do.

Well, I guess that´s it for now.

Besos,

Jocelyn

Barcelona, exchange students, and Octopus.

After thirteen hours of flying and the usual airport drama, I arrived in Barcelona on February 2nd. For the past few days, I have been staying in university dorms with the other group of exchange students who, over the next few hours, are being dispersed accross Spain by train and plane for the experience of a lifetime. Out of the thirty or more students, only two came from some place other than the United States: a girl from Germany and another from Brazil. One might expect these culturally zealous students to jump right into speaking Spanish, but no. Everyone, including the Brazilian and German, speak english. Being the nerd that I am, I spend half my time talking with the adults in Spanish, most of whom are native Spaniards. From speaking with Jorge, Ismael, José, and the others, I have learned that "pecador" means sinner ( :-) ) and that the word gaudy does not derive from the incredible Spanish architect Gaudí, although his structures are very ornate! One of my favorite architects, I had the wonderful opportunity to see his whimsical cathedral and other monuments in person. On the left is one view of his cathedral, La Sagrada Família, although it hardly does it justice and fails to show the other sides that follow completely different architectural styles. The cathedral was started 125 years ago and is still a work in progress because it lacked funding in its earlier years, until it became a tourist destination. They estimate that it will be completed in the next 20 to 40 years. On the left is a building that he designed for a garden housing complex called Park Güell. The whole garden area reminded me of a combination between Peter Pan, Hansel and Grettle, and the top of Mt. Olympus.

The meals have been ok, consisting so far of more seafood than usual, most notably the unidentifiable squishy thing that turned out to be octopus. We always have fish, sometimes pork, and frequently pasta. The people are very agreeable and the weather is pleasant, although a little chilly. It resembles Sacramento weather closely.

Today I will take a train down to Alicante to meet my host family. I am nervous, but it must be worse for the other students who don't speak as much Spanish as me.

Let me know if there is something about Barcelona, Spain, or exchange students that you'd like to know that I have not already covered!

Besos,

Jocelyn