Life is beautiful: Climbing, Castles, and the Tram.

Parchessi!

Yes, those little men are the playing pieces!

Food, Glorious food!

Paz, Andy and me!

Life is beautiful.

Arching slabs of limestone majestically overlook rolling hills of a rosy-brown hue with splotches of dark green where pines reside above orchards of oranges, avocados, and almonds. The peaked hills give way to a shinning, tan city and then the glimmering ocean of bright, mediterranean blue. The ragged coast softens before the city, becoming a comfortable crescent where tourists speaking anything from German to Ukrainian to Chinese laze, play soccer, juggle, build sandcastles, or anything else imaginable. But above all, they sunbathe –many topless because this is, after all, Europe! The beach is relaxed and yet full of energy, with eager children and athletic youth. People of every age can be seen playing volleyball, soccer, and, a particular favorite, ping-pong. There is something to be said about the Spanish and their ball games. Soccer is huge here, and this is reflected in the sheer number of games that are being played at any given time: the men on the beach, the boys at school with their wads of aluminum foil –leftover from the usual bocadillo, or sandwich.

Today I went rock climbing in Benadorm, an area close to Alicante. The limestone has the texture of stucco and leaves interesting patterns on my callused hands. We climbed some four routes, mostly 6a and 6b level. I don’t know how to convert this to the American number system, but I would guesstimate around 5.10a/b. It was so refreshing to be out in the clean air again, soaking in the sun (through my thick layer of sunscreen, of course!) and reuniting with the pattern of climbing. I love how climbing is a psychological game as well as a physical challenge. I have to let all fear go in order to truly commit to my next move, and when I make it to that hold, it’s exhilarating. Ignacio led all the routes before me (except one) and so I did all the cleaning. That way, I was pretty much top-roping it, so I was pretty much always protected. The weather was perfect for climbing! Unfortunately, the pictures of me climbing are on Ignacio’s camera, so I will have to include them in a later post.

We returned from climbing just in time for lunch. Lunch, beautiful lunch! Ok, so I cannot adequately express how wonderful this food was. In order to compensate for this inadequacy, I have included pictures! I had a puree of different vegetables, which my host mom already knows is one of my favorites, along with an assortment of appetizers: cute little quail eggs with brown speckles and the perfect size for popping them in your mouth whole; a crispy ball of some foreign fish; shrimp; kabobs of pickled veggies; tarts of imitation crab, miniature shrimp, and a white sauce that apparently comes from the claw of some sea creature; and squid of an absolutely frightening, black-purple appearance, but with a mild fishy taste and spongy consistency that wasn’t half bad! My favorite was the tarts…Mmmmmm!

On Friday, I went to a tea house with my friend Paz from school. She introduced me to a few of her friends who turned out to be wonderful. The most notable of these is Andy. After our tea -some fruity, other flowery, and mine strange because it was a treatment for my sore throat- and banana-chocolate crepe, Andy and I played a quick game of parchessi on this awesome clay board that has colorful little clay men for playing pieces! (I had to take a picture to show you guys!) After some wonderful chatting in the dim mood lighting of the artsy tea house, we decided that a trip up to the castle on the hill would be a great way to spend the next day. So, we planned to meet at noon to start our lovely treck (on foot) up through the older parts of the city to the muslim Castillo de San Barbara. I had been admiring this castle from day one, so now that I had found the right friends to go with, I leapt at the opportunity to see more of the city. Frolicking through narrow alleys and winding stairways, we discovered little pockets of hidden beauty within this modernized city. We saw old houses with tiny balconies overflowing with flowers and laundry in turn. The narrowness of the streets combined with the flowers reminded me distinctly of Italy! Coming out of the residential district, we wound our way up flights of stairs, stopping spontaneously to admire the view. We happened upon an art gallery that I found very interesting. A Spanish artist by the name of Salvador Gómez was inspired by the diversity of New York and decided to paint a series of portraits as a result. His unique technique drew my attention; he used large splotches of color within the faces of portraits, like a sort of mild impressionism. The expressiveness and individuality of each piece captivated me before we continued up the multiple flights of stairs. After more than an hour of walking, we triumphantly reached the castle and breathed in the clean, afternoon air. After a bit of meandering and exploring on my part (discovering more art and history) and some scenery viewing on the part of my tired friends, the three of us sat down to lunch. Andy made me laugh my whipping out the entire makings of a gourmet salad –bottle of oil and can of tuna included! I had my bocadillo and we all lounged, overlooking the entire city and the Sierra Nevadas beyond. We talked of god and love and beauty, sharing experiences and laughing over mispronunciations. We bonded over common experiences and compared favorite movies. It was a perfect day. Absolutely perfect. Andy smokes, but she wants to stop. My friends respect how healthy I am –how I avoid cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and the late-night parties that go hand-in-hand with the affore mentioned substances. They are open, artsy, intellectual, and fun! I couldn’t ask for anything more!

Speaking of intellectual and fun, that reminds me of someone who I met on the tram Friday night on the way home from the tetería (the tea house). First off, you must understand that the tram is an adventure in and of itself! Every time I take the tram, I meet someone new, like the Ukrainian woman who randomly decided to move to Spain, alone and without knowing Spanish or a single person who lives here. Or the Spanish poet who lived in France 20 years ago and still retains a mild French accent over his native Spanish. Or the college girl who randomly approached me and said in Spanish, “Hi! Can you do me a favor? I have to do this for my mom. She wants me to introduce a girl to my brother. Can you come over and meet him?” They turned out to be from Argentina, and the brother turned out to be 27-years-old. Apparently the girl thought I was much older than I am! Or the English couple with the lovely accents: one from Kent and the other from London. They’re currently living in Spain and they love it. There’s also Jorge. We made accidental eye contact so many times that I finally asked him if I could see the photos on his camera, we decided that we want to hang out sometime, and we exchanged numbers. And finally, there’s Alberto. Alberto saw me flipping through my newly-bought “Spanish for Foreigners” books and he asked me in English, “Where are you from?” My automatic response was, “Yo vengo de California, pero estoy estudiando aqui en Alicante!¨ Oops! But it was ok, because he turned out to be Spanish! I ended up getting into a long conversation about Spain, culture, and all sorts of random things with him, his brother, and a nice elderly couple who were sitting across the way. Oh, how friendly everyone is! Alberto is 18, studying to be a lawyer and was just coming back from a political gathering in the city, as were the other 50-billion people on the tram that evening! Apparently, some terrorist was put on trial and condemned to many years in prison, but he went on a hunger strike against his sentence and the government agreed to reduce his sentence. The outraged Spanish population is gathering in peaceful protest across the nation, and this was one of those gatherings. It turns out that Alberto and his brother live right across the way from me, so we’ll hang out later tonight. I look forward to good conversation!

On another note, I will be singing in a benefit concert on the 25^th of March! Since my host family hears me singing around the house all the time, my host mom recommended me to a friend of hers who is involved in this benefit concert where all the proceeds go to children in Africa. I will sing “I will Always love you” by Whitney Houston (if I can get the music sorted out) and Mamma Mia! Unfortunately, I had a bad cold all this week, so I haven’t been able to practice for real yet.

Well, I congratulate you for making it through this lengthy blog! Lol! I have not even begun to scratch the surface of all the beauty, history, art, culture, and nuances of this incredible place and my experiences within it. Here there are plazas with ancient statues and walkways with beautiful inlaid tile mosaics. Old men gather in these plazas and walkways to talk and wink kindly at passing girls on warm weekends. Huge trees with roots that grow from their branches stand in stark contrast with the multitude of palm trees that line every walkway. The people are open and cariñoso. They hug, they touch, and they show what they feel. The birds sing and the sun rises, like anywhere else, but the people are unique. I can’t wait to get on the next tram so that I can meet more exciting strangers!

Love to everyone.

Truly yours,

Jocelyn