Birthday presents and a new spanish princess, among other things!

What a beautiful birthday celebration. Some of the most important people in my life in Spain surrounded me today, and over chocolate cake and champagne they all became acquainted. Ignacio, Amelia, Juan Agustine, Rosa, Madelin, Piri, Amachu, and Janire. These are the people who have given me the most during my stay here –a place to climb, friendly advice, support and rejuvenation, an open ear, a roof over my head, and food! And today! Oh, today Ignacio and his parents gave me the most amazing material present! They gave me a climbing backpack!!! It includes the rope bag and everything and, let me tell you, I hugged them all ecstatically before storing it in my room, where I silently leapt and whooped for joy! Madelin gave me a Frisbee from her home state, Wisconsin, among other things. All the gifts I received from everyone were so thoughtful and meaningful. What luck I have to be surrounded by loving and giving people wherever I go. Even when find myself in an emotional state where I tear up most anytime anyone mentions the word “home” or “boyfriend,” there are people who give me something to smile at.
I would like to mention the freedom that words give; I share more through this blog than I usually do with my friends back home. Feel privileged as the audience of my usually cloaked mind.
So where shall I begin today?! Should I start with the adventures of the climbing gym? Or should hop on along to talk about how I feel like I have a good set of hang-out friends at school? Or maybe I should mention that I GOT A PASSING GRADE ON MY ART HISTORY TEST!!! (a 6 out of 10!) Yes, this grade is based on the same standards as my peers, and yes, this means that I have the ability to pass a class in Spanish and upon entering it half way through! *suavely brushes invisible dust off of chest* Thank you, thank you very much! But how about those friends? Well, I went browsing through hippy shops with one girl-friend on Friday and plan on going to the beach with her and another this next Wednesday (and we’ll be bringing a volleyball!). Granted, life isn’t all peaches and cream, but who needs too much cream when you’ve got fun people to hang out with!
And then there’s the climbing gym. Well, we could call Tuesday “The Americas Night” at the gym, cause Chili, Brazil, and the US were all in attendance! I, of course, was the outstanding representative from the US, with two other young men climbing from their respective countries. (Ironically, the man from Chili goes by the name of Argentina!) It was the best gym night in a while since I finally had people who climbed closer to my level and we were able to work stuff together.
Earlier that same day, I took an hour out of one of my art classes to go and talk with an eighth grade English class. In case you’re wondering, the girls think Brad Pitt is hot, and at least one of the guys has an affinity for Julia Roberts! We talk about the important things, of course! Nah, they prepared questions for me about my life (like what sports do I like, do I have siblings, where do I live, what is my favorite Spanish food, etc.) I shared photos, asked them about their general interests, and did all…of…this…speaking…veeery…slowwly. Have you ever tried to cut down your rate of speech to half speed? It is very taxing! But besides the jaw workout, the entire experience was very fun. And you wanna know what? I never would have known they were 8th graders by their behavior! I love how there are interesting people in every age category. I grieve for the person who is “above” talking to kids or younger teens, or the teen who looks at an 80-year-old man and only sees “some old person” instead of a wealth of knowledge and experience that can be tapped into with only a few kind words and open ears.
Well, a few Spanish nuances/facts for you to relish:
1. The Spanish greeting is a kiss on each cheek, starting with right cheeks together. (This takes the place of hand shakes. I really like this different way of greeting people because it immediately breaks the personal bubble and contributes to a more physically intimate society.)
2. Hardly anyone has a dryer. They go for the good-old-fashioned clothes lines. Unfortunately, this seems to call for a lot of ironing afterwards to counter the lovely creases that form.)
3. Due to Muslim architectural influences, most every house and apartment has an indoor “patio.” (Although, ours looks more like one more room rather than a patio. Originally, it was organized so that many families could live together with a common garden/washing area open to the air in the middle of everything.)
4. The Mediterranean diet it dying and being replaced by the convenient, fast diet that is quickly overtaking the modern world. I blame us. *shakes fist at that dead guy who invented the fast-food restaurant*
5. Princess Sophia was just born today and all the Spanish news stations are broadcasting the king´s comments while all of the comedy shows revolving their shows around baby jokes, etc.
6. Now is the time of the elections, but I´m not paying attention because there are too many political parties to keep track of, and it´s all a show anyways. Many of the soccer stars seem to have more influence than these politicians!

Lots of love!

Hugs,

Jocelyn




(Note: I wrote this on Sunday but our internet was down so I couldn´t post it until today. Just so you know!)

MY 18TH BIRTHDAY!!!

You know it’s gonna be a good day when you wake up and the first song that gets stuck in your head is “Oh, what a beautiful morning!...” And it all flows from there. Today I am eighteen, and it kinda makes me laugh and cry at the same time –because I’ve pondered over who I might be at eighteen plenty of times and, the funny thing is, I’m still pondering the same thought! The tears come in somewhere between the realization of my own individualism and the knowledge that I am really so dependent on others, and not only my loving parents who are paying my way through college, but also the love of others.
Which brings me to the most important topic of conversation: Have I told you how incredible all of you are?!?!?!?! When that package of letters came on Tuesday with the bright stickers embellishing it I was so exuberant and content that I cannot even express in words the state of my happiness! I, with the help of my (almost) equally excited eight-year-old host sister, opened it up right away and got to the fourth wonderful card before my brain caught up with my hands and I realized that it wasn’t yet my Birthday!!! So I stored the rest without looking at them and, every day, stuck my hand inside the mystery envelope to whip out the next surprise of the week. Let me tell you, every card was a glowing moment in my day. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It was the best gift I could possible have received: the love of friends. I might add that they now adorn my wardrobe and make me smile each morning. :-)
Well, a quick recap on the day: I went to Terra Mitica with three other exchange students and my local coordinator to enjoy roller-coasters, spinning rides, belly dancers, a Pirate adventure show with buff, shirtless guys and fun fight choreography included, and even a haunted house that was exceedingly fun (a fact that will surprise many of you who know me and my inability to handle even parodies of scary movies!). The park is organized into different “worlds:” Greece, Rome, Egypt, etc. Each section is decorated and themed around this world, such as the hieroglyphics, sphinxes, and pyramids of Egypt or the Trojan horse and Roman fighters from Rome. A highlight of the day was the water rides; we bought crummy plastic ponchos to keep as dry as possible. Needless to say, the multiple holes that quickly formed beneath each sleeve and at the neck didn’t contribute to my dryness, but they certainly served for a roaring good time as all of us huddled together, knocked into each other, compared states of wetness, and, finally, braved the water and went full out with arms up-stretched and hair drenched! We were falling all over ourselves after the third time round on our favorite one. (Thank goodness everyone thought it was gonna rain today, because we didn’t have to wait through a single line!)
Back at home after a full-day’s fun, I had a lovely 50 minute phone conversation with mom, dad, and MaryEllen -a weekly tradition. I dinned, and then the movie Matilda came on the TV and I suddenly knew how I was going to spend the rest of my evening! Man, I love that movie! The scene where she sends everything flying and dances around the room… :-) It makes me happy!

Well, anyhow, tomorrow I will have my Birthday lunch with my host family, coordinator and Madelin –a fellow exchange student. We will be joined after lunch by Ignacio (the climbing friend) and his parents for cake afterwards, which is all sure to include 18 ear-pullings for me since that is their equivalent of the birthday spankings that we have in America. *sigh* I will be strong and survive the ear tugging! After that haunted house, that I braved head on at the front of the group and without a single scream, I can tackle anything! I take that motto to heart: do one thing every day that scares you. Today’s project was the haunted house; next Sunday’s will be a climbing competition! More on that later. Anyhow, I’m off to bed. I’ll write more about my week in another entry tomorrow.

Thank you for being my friend! It is a childish statement, but children often speak truths that we should admire. When I grow up, I want to be just like those children. Wait. Technically, I am grown up! … Nah!

Love and best wishes,

The Queen of Haunted Houses and 18-year-old Goddess
Aka
Jocelyn

Fire-Arms in America

What do you think about the fire-arm laws that we have in America? Do you believe that guns should be so easily bought by the general public? Do you think they should be a little more easy to come by? Or, perhaps, banned alltogether? Why?

I ask because, after the Virginia incident, I have been asked these same questions by at least ten different people, always starting with the question, "Have you heard about what happened in your country?"

In Spain, fire-arms are banned amonsgt the general public unless you pursue a special liscence, which is very hard to come by. Spaniards cannot understand why we would allow guns so freely in the States. In Spain, they never have this sort of traumatic shooting, and even their own terrorist group has killed no more than thirty people in one car-bombing or attack. For them, this is obvious proof that the availability of guns causes an increase in deaths. So why do we allow guns? (and this is not a rhetorical question, either.)

Today´s Adventure: Teatro Delusio

It all started when I got up out of bed this morning and thought to myself, “Jocelyn, you need to do something today.” After nearly three weeks of vacation with only two beautifully busy days of school to relieve me from the days that were more empty than full, I knew that staying inside was not an option. Breakfast, and then multiple calls to friends from school: “Do you want to go out this evening?” “Oh, sorry, I have a family event tonight! But will next weekend work?” “Please leave your message for…-Madelin-…after the tone.” “Oh, I can’t! I have to study for those upcoming tests. How about next weekend?” Next weekend, next weekend, next weekend. At this rate, I’m going to be booked up to my eyebrows for next weekend!
So, today is not my day for an accompanied outing. Well, I do need to buy stamps. That is as good an excuse as any to hop onto the train and ride into Campello for a little fresh air and leg-stretching! Strolling down to the tobacco shop where I will purchase my international sellas, I pass an interesting looking newspaper shop. Always up for a little worldly news, I stop for a visit on my way back, and there it is! On a side wall, surrounded by little notices calling for house cleaners or someone to care for an elderly friend, a poster catches my eye: Teatro Delusio. I don’t know what this is, but I know that teatro translates to theater! And is that today’s date printed at the bottom?! What luck! I’m off to the theater tonight!
Six hours, a little homework, and a lot of dawdling later, I find myself back in the same theater where I sang a little Whitney Houston some time ago. Only this time, the stage is set so that it looks like backstage. It turns out to be a show based on marionettes and masks, done entirely with physical comedy, mime, and music. Three men from a company based in Germany realize an array of unique and captivating characters, from the snobby primadonna to the fearful, book-wormish techie. From eerie moments with the backstage phantom girl to tears of laughter when the clumsy techie gets flipped entirely upside down after wedging himself accidentally between rungs of a ladder, this production moved seamlessly from one moment and emotion to another. I am a critical spectator and I don’t often give a standing ovation, but I stood at the end of this performance! I give you one word: delightful.
Thinking over the nuances of the play, I managed to get myself a little lost and missed my tram. So, instead of sit for nearly half an hour next to that strange looking man with the black hat and stubble, I headed to the cheerily lit Trainside Café for a look around at the delicious pastries. The bar-tender immediately came over and started conversation, describing the tiramisu and mousse. I picked up some new vocabulary, tried a new pastry with a tuna, tomato, and egg filling, and had some amiable conversation with the Argentinean tender before hoping back on the tram and heading home for the night to describe the says happenings to my host mom.
And the moral of the story is, go out and buy those stamps –or tic-tacs, or whatever! Those errands are not chores but adventures, because you never know what will happen, where you’ll end up, or what sort of spectacle will come your way.

Bull-fighting: Pros and Cons

The Spanish bull-fighter was once a well respected figure, renowned for his bravery and admired by the ladies for his flair and good looks. His honored role in Spanish culture has diminished significantly in the past decades as the Spanish people change opinion and begin to see bullfighting in a new light.
But what is bull-fighting? Well, the main attraction is the classically clad bull-fighter (or matadór, or torero) whisking about his red cape to provoke the bull and have it charge at the red fabric only to find that the torero has moved aside, unharmed. But the torero is always in danger, risking a gory end with those two sharpened horns charging at him time and again. This is the beauty of the fight: man controls nature by overcoming his fear of death. Ultimately, the matadór stabs his long blade directly in between the shoulder blades of the bull thereby killing it –or the bull comes out on top and the torero goes home with less blood and a lot of disgrace.
Myself, I am vehemently opposed to bull-fighting, but I believe that it is very important to understand the logic behind the opposite opinion. So, what is the argument in support of bull-fighting? First of all, it is an important part of Spanish history and a tradition that has survived the centuries and should thus be respected. Second, this tradition gives honor to the bull, showing its strength and giving it a glorious death. The meat of the respected animal is then given to the poor, and all of its remains are used in some way so that nothing goes to waste. Additionally, the entire spectacle serves as entertainment for the masses who always need to have some fun so that they can decompress after the stresses of daily life. Oh, and we can’t forget the revenues that come pouring into the Spanish economy from enthusiastic tourists!
All right, so now we can see bull-fighting in a positive light, but what’s the other side of the story? The opposition view bull-fighting not as a glorious death but as inhumane torture. Before the torero even comes into the picture, rounds of other men have already weakened the bull through various means, including by stabbing rods into his back (usually toped with decorative ribbons) that impede the bulls movement…painfully. The bull is already exhausted by endless running, so this is definitely not a fair match between man and animal.
So there you have it. Is bull-fighting a glorious tradition or animal abuse? A fair amount of Spaniards today opt for the second opinion and are taking steps toward the eventual end of this bloody spectacle, and one province has recently named bull-fighting illegal. However, Spain is decidedly split on this issue, with most of the support coming from the South of Spain and Madrid, the capital. This tradition is not so engrained in the culture of the North so the people there let it go more readily. Most Americans will voice their opinon against bull-fighting (at least in my experience this has proven to be true) but we need to keep this in mind: our own treatment of the animals we eat is not ideal. The bulls that are later sent to the fights live a long life free-range with an excellent diet and every comfort an animal could want. Our own cows live in indecently sized pens that hardly allow movement and with a diet that leaves much to want. Yes, we don’t give the animal a torturous death, but we don’t give it a comfortable life either. Just as the Spaniards are working to improve their treatment of animals, we would do well to better our own treatment. Something to mull over as you eat your steak tonight!

My friend Pol, and spanish nightlife -or the very little I know of it!

Pol:
With krinkly, smiley eyes and a friendly demeanor, Pol is one of those authentic characters who lives in a world unlike any that you have experienced. From the eighteenth story of our seaside apartment complex, he has a splendid view of the mountains, sea, and city, including what he calls his “two elements:” sunshine and water. Every morning, Paul rises with the dawn to enjoy his half-liter cup of café accompanied by homemade brown bread -complete with nuts, dried fruits, garlic, and pumpkin seeds integrated in it-, and topped with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and, again, his beloved garlic! He then whips out his hiking shoes and walks some 30 miles –even though his age more than doubles that! His house is full of crustacean fossils, cristals, fossilized shells, and interesting rocks –proof of his many expeditions along the coast and through the mountains. He speaks his Spanish with a lilting cadence that you might associate with an Italian pizza-maker (Ayy, Bam-bii-no!). His accent is due to his early life in Galicia, in the North of Spain, but looking at his extensive bookshelves, you will find more tombs, from dictionaries and encyclopedias to photographic journals of wild animal and foreign countries, written in German than in Spanish. He has spent the bulk of his life in Germany working as an investigator in a lab where they test electric appliances before releasing them to the general market. In that trend, he loves science of every kind: geology, biology, chemistry… He has a whole shelf devoted to CDs of classical music, but he also has MP3s and other modern devices, proving that he has changed with the times. He is quirky and fun, open to conversation with anyone and always up for a good laugh. While looking through his collection of white crystals that he has brought back from the mountains, he sat one up-right and said to me, “Stand back, and lets see if you can see it…a penguin!” I remark, between laugher, “Yes, a very chubby penguin!” Looking at this opaque crystal, I doubt that anyone else in the world would have connected it to those cute, arctic animals. He even has an open-air shower set up on his expansive balcony, consisting of a hose suspended from a higher part of the wall and controlled by a cord, that he can use when he fancies! Art decks his walls and wild-animal documentaries display on his TV. Everything is meticulously organized and tastefully decorated in the house who has long lived alone. He bathes in the sun, absorbed in Beethoven’s symphony with the daily newspaper draped over his lap. This is my friend Pol. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

QUESTION FROM A FRIEND: "What do you think of the night life? I’ve heard that the dinner hours are very late and everyone hits the tapas bars until midnight/1:00 a.m.ish. It seems like most of the kids that I’ve talked with that have been there/done that really like this lifestyle!"

MY THOUGHTS:

I am not an active participant in the night life, quite frankly, but I know something about it. 1:00amish is an understatement. Usually, the youth don´t get back earlier than 3:00am on the weekend, and a lot of them stay out until 7:00am before returning to sleep until lunch at 3:00pm. Yes, everything happens later here due to the workschedule that is split into halves: before lunch (8-2:30ish) and after lunch (4ish-8:00pm). Since everyone gets home later, they don´t eat unitl 9:30 at earliest, and many dine even later. You´d think that this would be compensated for by a later wake-up hour, but no; the Spanish do not lay as much value in sleep as other cultures do, so they tend to sleep less. Spanish culture places more enphasis on having fun, relaxing, and just living, contributing to this "late nights" cultural trend. The tapas bars are a good indicator of how everything is Spain takes place outside of the house. Everyone has social hour in the frequent bars, on the beach, in the plazas, and most anywhere that isn´t inside an apartment or the rare house. The youth even drink on the streets -called botellon-, which has led to a recent call to change due to the misuse of public space. (On a side note, Spain has a a big drinking problem amonst the youth that probably results from the wide acceptance of drinking among adults, returning us to the ever-popular bars.) I can see why the other young people you know would like this life-style because it is the ultimate partier´s paradise, and I myself have been a night owl most of my life (thanks to my flexible independent sutdy schedule which has allowed me to sleep-in most week days) but I don´t stay out late here because, during the week, I have to get up for school, and on the weekend, I rise with the sun to head out to the mountains for a good day´s climbing. This schedule doesn´t really lend itself to late nights partying or dancing. Plus, I don´t drink, and watching my friends get drunk gets old fast.

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This is for you, Mom:

I love you.

Thanks also to MJ for her lovely photography skills!

Last Week´s Quote:

"Break the monotony. Do something strange and extravagant." -Emerson

My College Decision!!! (drum roll, please!)

Ok, shall we torture Rhiannon a little longer or let the decision be known!

(I would gain such pleasure from torturing Rhiannon, but, alas, I am just too excited and must share, so here it is:)

I will be attending Scripps! Woohoo, me and Jenny are gonna be chillin together down in an all women´s college in SoCal near LA! Scripps is part of the Claremont consortium that also includes Pomona, Pitzer, Harvey Mudd, and some other school that I don´t remember the name of. Inyhoo, I can take classes at any of the other colleges, so it won´t be like signing into a nunnery or anything!

So there you have it.

Poem: "The Whisper of the Soul" by David Kenning

The Whisper of the Soul

To see, we sometimes
have to close our eyes,
to hear, shut our ears
and standing still, feel the bodie´s rythm.

Closing our eyes, we lose
those images that distract,
and reach the imagination,
that mirror of the heart.

To hear the whisper of the soul
shut out the daily din.
Stand still for just a moment
observe your feet, sinking in the sand.

-David Kenning


El Susurro del Alma

Ver, algunas veces
tenemos que sellar nuestros ojos,
oír, cerrar nuestras orejas
y en pie tranquilo, sentir el ritmo del cuerpo.

Cerrando nuestros ojos, perdemos
estas imágenes que distraen,
y alcanza la imaginación,
ese espejo del corazón.

Oír los susurros del alma
alejarse del estruendo cortidiano.
Párate sólo por un momento
observa tus pies, huniéndose en la arena.

-David Kenning

Photos: Random images of goodness!

This piece is an interpretation of another set of objects that we drew. We were told that we could repeat any of the objects (a tall, china par, a fat, clay jug with a handle, a normal glass cup, and white, paper boxes) as many times as we wanted. We could also mix up the textures, give everything movement, but we were required to give everything volume. I put the texture of the glass on the jug and the texture of the jug on the jar. Good times!)These lovely little climbing tools come from Juan Ignacio´s house. They take little cylindrical pieces of lead with thin loops of cable (that they make themselves in the molds seen below) and, when they are up on the mountain and can´t find any other piece of gear to fit into a strange crack, they hammer these into the shape that they need and place the gear!

A little bit of what I´ve been doing here in Spain over break: reading this cool science magazine, finishing commentaries on spanish texts for Spanish class, and using those three dictionaries to help me do it! The magazine is fun, but the commentaries get a little tedious.

A store in Malaga!:

Posters in downtown Malaga notifying about the upcoming bull fights:

Bull fights: an interesting topic that strikes up a lot of controversy in Spain right now. The youth are almost unanimously opposed to the bull fighting, but many adults still honor this tradition. It doesn´t hurt that these fights bring in a lot of cash from tourists either. I´ll devote another entry to this topic.

Photos: Dinner with the other Exchange Students

We had a little exchange student get-together last Thursday. This included Madeline from Wisconsin, Molly from Colorado, a girl from Boston, a guy from Germany, Meika from Germany, and Daniel from Switzerland.This is the dessert that the girl from Boston made, otherwise know as the chocolate dish that is the love of my life! It will live on in infamy in my memories.
Us over dinner, including our coordinator, Rosa on the far left. Then comes Meika, Molly, Daniel in the back, me, the Boston girl, and the German kid. Madeline holds the camera.

Meika with the dessert she has brought: rice with milk.

Good times laughing over photos.

We had german sausages, hashbrowns from switzerland, Spanish seafood dishes, mashed potatoes and gravy (my contribution), salad, and so on... It was all delicious!

Photos from Malaga!

My host mom and her sister-in-law Malu. I stayed in Malu´s house this weekend and it was heavenly! First off, it is a real house and not a flat. The spanish refer to this type of house, and the houses that we live in in America, as challets and only associate them with the rich. Malu prepared delicious food for us. Mmmm!My favorite cousin, Marta, is five years old. We played ball in the backyard, she taught me spanish vocabulary, and I described America to her. She had never heard of America before since she is so young and lives a sheltered life.
Lunch one day at grandma´s house. The fish was excellent and the shrimp was better than usual. The next lunch, however, of oisters and rice with clams was not something I would go for again. Too many shelly animals in one meal is not my style.
The view from the balcony of the grandparent´s house in Malaga:
The view from a different window of the grandparent´s house. This reminded me of Delhi, only cleaner. I thought you, David and Rachel, might find it interesting. I keep on noticing things here that I wish I could comment to you, Rachel. Man, I need my traveling buddy here!

Photos from ¡La Semana Santa!

The procession with the statues of Christ and weeping Mary: (carried by a bunch of poor guys who had to rest every 20 meters for a break!)
Me with my traditional Semana Santa desert called a torrija. It is prepared by soaking two-day-old bread in sugary milk and then frying in egg with cinnamon. It can then be drenched in honey, like mine, or left un-drenched, which my host mom says is better.
Personally, I prefer other Spanish desserts, such as toblerone, which is a sort of candy bar made with whipped eggs and almonds. Yes, the Spanish quizine definitely has an egg trend!

More of the procession:

The history behind these pointy hats is very complex, so go look it up on the internet if you wish, but know that it has nothing to do with the KKK.

Cultural Nuances of France - Shared by an exchange student like me.

I love this! It is a little something written by another exchange student who is currently residing in France. Enjoy!

The Wonderful World of Bread
I would like to show you all the wonderful uses bread has here in France, but seeing as I am a day away by plane, I'll just have to explain!
Bread, first and foremost, is something to eat. They put tons of butter, jam and cheese on it whenever they please. Hungry? Here, have some bread.
Second of all, bread is a sponge. Not just for the plate, mind you, but for drippings on the table, on your napkin, and on your face. In fact, bread IS a napkin! Whenever you need to get more of anything, (for your bread, of course) you first wipe off your knife on your bread. The infamous bread is also a serving utensil. Whoever gets the end of a baguette in fact also receives a spoon, a bowl, a cup for yogurt, cheese, soup, meat... whatever you put in your mouth goes in your bread. Finally, and in my humble opinion, most impressively, bread is a meteorologist. No, there were no typos; I meant what I wrote. A meteorologist. Instead of watching the weather channel, my host family will smash their bread down on the table. If it stays down, it is going to rain. However, if the bread pops up again in its original shape, the weather will be clear and sunny! Amazing. And we've been paying someone to tell us this the whole time! Isn't that marvelous? While we in the states are competing to find the best and cheapest cleaning tools, utensils, napkins, and weather channels, the French already have one thing that is all encompassing: their bread.

You can see entries and pictures from other exchange students who are traveling through my study-abroad program at http://www.intraxstudyabroad.com/life-abroad/student-stories, including a segment of an entry from my own humble blog! Check it out!

Why are the Spanish more relaxed?

Why are the Spanish more relaxed? A deceivingly simple question with complex connotations!

After Rachel raised this question over Spanish relaxation, I sat down and thought to myself, "Huh! Why are the Spanish more relaxled?!" After pondering this for a while and dallying over the begining of this blog entry, I said to myself, "What are you doing, Jocelyn? You are puzzling over this cultural question, going around in circles in your own mind without bothering to ask the people around you who are living it!" I immediately got up out of the swivelly chair and asked my host mom: Had she heard about the Spanish reputation of being more relaxed? She had, and she attributed it to the country´s siesta and fiesta-the renouned Spanish partying and napping. The Spanish admit to their love of partying openly -just ask my buddies at school- and although the siesta is not so used in today´s society, this deeply rooted traditional mid-day nap says something about Spanish history.

Juan Augustine, doctor and father of my rockclimbing friend, agrees with this reputation but notes that it is over-generalized. He imparted an interesting common phrase that reflects the Spanish disregard of tardiness: "Si vengas tarde, no pasa nada. Y si pasa, ¡saludalo!" The pun is lost in the translation, but in English it would go something like this: "If you arrive late, nothing comes to pass (ie. no problem). And if it does come to pass, greet it!" Think about our tightly-wound culture where on time is late and five minutes late is impossible. On the other hand, the Spanish don´t even tend to set predetermined times for meeting, opting for the "Anytime within that hour will do" approach. Time is something different here: less regimented and more flexible.

Maru, my "adoptive aunt" who is housing me this weekend in Malaga, attributes this relaxed lifestyle in part to the medditeranean climate, as did many of the other Spaniards I inquired. With a warm climate, the people can afford to go out in the streets, stay out late nights, and laze in the sun, whereas people in colder climates find it more difficult to travel comfortably and are restricted to house parties and other indoor activities if they don´t want to freeze their tushies or drown in the rain. But only part of Spain maintains this paradise-like climate; the north certainly has a different feel, say my confidantes. And they should know, since my entire host family comes from the El Pais Vasco near the border of France and Juan Augustine was raised in Galicia above Portugal. So they do have a bit of perspective in this department.

Juan Augustine had a few other interesting ideas on the causes of the relaxed Spanish lifestyle. Consider how Spain has been a Catholic country for the majority of the last 2000 years whereas England, France, Germany, and America are rooted more closely within the Protestant branch of Christianity. While Protestantism (pardon any spelling errors) puts emphasis on work ethic and calculable progress, Catholisism focuses more on just living. Maybe these different religious influences contribute to our different mindsets.

What do I think of all this? Well, I cannot deny that the Spanish appear more relaxed as a people. Yes, my own freedom from responsibility and the resulting relaxed state of being that I have here greatly influences my perception of the people around me -I tend to notice the people who are on my same wavelength- but I have deffinitely noticed the concrete signs of a culture more relaxed than our own (or at least different): the people sleep less and opt instead for socializing in the frequent bars and plazas, clocks are often disregarded, and "¡Tranquilla!" or "Be tranquil!" is often heard in common conversation. Additionally, the laws here are more flexible than ours in America. There is no death penalty, no one stays in jail for more than 30 years, and those who do go to jail usually get out early on good behavior. I believe that Spain´s climate and Catholic roots partially account for the relaxed mindset of the people here in the South and East. Beyond those concrete causes, I can surmise little more. The people here know that what isn´t done today can be done tomorrow and they live for good food, excellent wine, and a good time. They know that in today´s world studying is essential to future success and that work puts food on the table, but they balance this with an emphasis on family unity and living life to its fullest. There are people who don´t fill this description, who are uptight, stressed, or devoted fully to hard work, but they seem few and far between. I cannot pinpoint every cause of the relaxed Spanish mindset, but I admire their ability to see life as one fluid experience that should be enjoyed instead of a series of obstacles to be overcome. I hope I can incorporate some of this into my own life.

¡¡¡SEMANA SANTA!!!

After a two day school week, the authorities liberated the youth of Spain to two weeks of vacations. The strange part is that after our nearly twe weeks off, we will return for two days before our next vacation. ... The logic is beyond me. So why do we have this loverly break from rigorous studies? For Semana Santa! Translated to the Holy Week, La Semana Santa celebrates from Domingo de Ramos (the day that Jesus came to Jerusalem) to the Crucifiction and Resurection. Practically speaking, this means that there is a procession every day of the week (excluding Saturday, because that is the day when Christ chills in heaven before being resurected) in every city in Spain. These processions consist of a huge representation of whatever scene corresponds with the day (say, Christ on the cross with La Virgen de las dolores, or the virgen of pain, weeping at his side -usually represented with manneristic sculptures), a band of wind and percusion instruments, and many other elements that have names that are beyond me. In order to substitute my inadequacy, I have included a decent description from another web source:


"The holiday, jubilant in Seville and Andalucía and solemn elsewhere in Spain, is practically defined by its stunning processions. Each of these processions typically boasts two intensely adorned floats, one of the Virgin and the other of a scene from Christ's Passion. Take in the lavish decoration of these incredible creations as they slowly pass before you accompanied by the music of coronets and drums; its hard to do without getting chills. Underneath each float, you'll just barely be able to make out rows and rows of feet. There are up to forty men, called costaleros, who haul the float on shoulders and control the swaying motion of the float. In fact, they practice so much and are so in sync with each other that the realistic figures on top look eerily as if they were walking along to the music.Impossible to miss are the seemingly endless rows of nazarenos, or penitents, who walk along with the float.. You may even see many nazarenos walking barefoot, which is pretty impressive considering some of the processions last up to 14 hours! Oh and don't be thrown off by the resemblance between the pointy hoods and long robes of the nazarenos and those of the Ku Klux Klan; it's coincidental and completely unrelated.Don't be surprised to see how nicely the people dress to watch the processions, especially during the second half of the week. Women often dress to the nines while many men brave the sun in full suits. Of course not everybody dresses up so much, but basically if you want to fit in watching the processions, just leave the t-shirt you wore to paint your garage behind." (http://www.enforex.com/culture/semana-santa.html)

Right, so you get the idea. I´ll include pictures when I can. The heavy floats are carried by rows of men and this description says that this consists of up to 4o men. Not true: I´ve heard that in the bigger processions it gets to be up to 4000 men! Since I only saw the procession of a small town here in Malaga, the float was equally small. Here in Spain, the Holy Week along with Christmas are the two biggest holidays. I asked if they have easter eggs and it appears that they do, but they certainly don´t have egg hunts like ours. So what are we doing this Easter Sunday? Well, I woke up and had my breakfast of toast with strips of deli ham atop and colacao (otherwise known as Nestley´s hot-chocolate), followed shortly by a little tinkering on the computer. This afternoon we will go to lunch with los abuelos -the grandparents- before an afternoon of lazing or strolling through the city, like yesterday. We might take in a procession, but everybody is pretty tired of the processions after seeing them every year since forever. Maybe if we were in one of the big cities -say, Seville- there would be more hype over Semana Santa. As it is, I wouldn´t mind the egg hunt right about now.

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Enough on Semana Santa. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

On Monday I got back the results of my English test and I am happy to say that I passed with a practically perfect score! I cannot espress my relief at this improvement in my performance -yes, improvement. On their grading scale from 1-10, with anything below a 5 being fail, I came off with a 6.7 on my first test. A fair share of my classmates even took away better scorew than me! I attribute this to a) the sections where I had to translate from spanish to english or vice-versa, and b) the fact that I actually don´t know so much about the english tenses as I thought I did. After getting that aweful score, I started studying in my English class, and I am happy to say that my vocabulary section, where I translate between English and Spanish, was perfect. Thank you Janire for studying with me! Well, now that I have my lovely 10 in English class, I can chillax over break. lol! What a sad life I lead!

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ROCK CLIMBING WITHDRAWALS!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCKKK!

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More thoughts later.

Love,

Jocelyn

Note to Readers

Note to my lovely audience:

The Semana Santa is upon us, and this means that I have two weeks off from school and time to vacation. Thus, I will be taking a trip down to Malaga this weekend from Friday to Monday. We will stay in the house of some family and help care for the kids while their parents are away dealing with a family crisis. I do not know if I will have computer access during this time, so don´t count on my weekly update coming on its usual Sunday morning!

Photos: Saioa and my room

My eight-year-old host sister (with her breakfast cereal in hand!) Saioa.The room that I share with my host sister Janire:

That closet part over there is my little enclave of stuff:

This is our lovely bultein board, including our favorites of my photos, my art, remnants of love from my family, a reminder to me about my upcoming trip to Paris (!), my sister´s daily schedule, and so on...

My host sister just got back from nearly a week in Italy! She has had her schedule for this trip posted on our buletin board since February and she was so excited to go. This trip marks her first time traveling outside of Spain. The darling brought me back some white chocolate that is to die for! (dad, you and I will have to pick up some of this european white chocolate when you come. You´ll love it!) She also brought back t-shirts for herself and her sister and pasta for her mom, among other things.

Poem: Peter Pan

You can see me flying, can´t you?
I soar, I bound, I leap!
I take off from the rooftop
And in a fleeting second,
I´m gone.

I am enveloped in the clouds now
My eyelids draped in starlight.
Invisible in the night´s folds,
I am the most brilliant star.

Twisting, turning, swirling
My arms spread open wide.
Both Superman and Peter Pan,
I grin and embrace the morning.

Heart rosier by the moment
Body lifting through the air
Faster, higher, lighter!
I imagine it
And I´m there

Photos: Climbing Buddies, the Supermarket, and the City

My climbing buds from this weekend:
One morning waiting for the bus (a few weeks back):
Scenery on one saturday morning bikeride:
The seafood section of the supermarket: (they´re way into their fish here!)