10 Ways in Which Spanish Culture Differs from Ours (And my week)

10 Ways in Which Spanish Culture Differs from Ours:

1) Political campaigning is far more in your face here: their posters are not just the names and slogans of the candidates, but a big head-shot of them plastered across the walls over and over again. During election times, you walk down the street receiving creepy grins from the same ten men and women a million times over. Additionally, they inform you of upcoming rallies over loudspeakers mounted on the top of cars that inch along the roads and blast their message to you, accompanied by music, ten times a day.

2) Recycling is big here. If you don’t recycle, then you are an exception. Every street boasts a line of huge bins for glass, paper, and every type of plastic.

3) Water is a precious commodity here, since we are essentially living in the middle of a desert. Most people know that they need to use their water wisely, so we all turn off the shower while lathering our bodies or brushing our teeth. And not just for money reasons either, but also for environmental reasons.

4) Here they have language schools where you can go for a month or two every day and study a language. At the end of that time, they test and certify you in that language and this opens up job opportunities. These schools are private, but very common.

5) The people here drive so fast that it is unnerving. However, they are also some of the best drivers around because they have to go through a lot of work to get their licenses. But I still wouldn’t want to drive on the same roads as them!

6) Personal hygiene is not as emphasized here: showering is not necessarily a daily thing, and certainly not something you do more than once a day. They don’t always wash their hands before eating, and it appears that they don’t always do so before leaving the bathroom either. Of course, this is a generalization as I don’t follow every Spaniard into the bathroom to check up on their washing habits, but it is clear that they are not as germaphobic as we are.

7) Pharmacies, glasses shops, and a few other specialty shops use universal signs to mark their entrances. For example, for a pharmacy, you will always find it marked by a fluorescent green cross and a glasses shop will be easy to find because you only need to keep an eye out for a lit sign shaped like a pair of pink glasses sticking out of the building. Yes, this is very logical, but any American business would immediately think, “But I don’t want to have the same sign as every other pharmacy! I want to stand out as different.”

8) Graffiti is everywhere. The teens hardly consider it refutable and the city has crews who regularly circle the city to repaint the benches and walls. (This is rather unfortunate when you come to the tram stop only to find that all your benches have recently painted and you have no place to sit for the twenty-minute wait.)

9) School buses are huge in a tall way. They look more like our tourist buses than school buses. One friend asked me, “Are your school buses in America really yellow like they show them in the movies?!” They thought it was a pretty funny idea.

10) The standard size paper is taller, the envelopes are not as wide, their binders all have four holes instead of three, and they hardly ever write on lined paper opting instead for plain white paper or graff.

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Well, things are certainly slowing down here. Well, in my life at any rate. The truth is that things are just getting started in Alicante with all the tourists flocking in from everywhere and shops opening up to receive them. But for me, last week was the last week of school. I took a few tests, which I’m sure I did pretty well on even though I didn’t study, and got results back for some of my tests. Guess what?! I GOT A 9 ON MY LAST PHILOSOPHY TEST!!! I was so surprised when I found out because I didn’t even study for the test, but I essentially got an A on it! Maybe I should just stop caring about my grades and scores more often if I come out with grades like these! Just kidding.

Anyways, I tried that drink horchata made out of the juice from the groundnut and it was really good! It is served cold and is very sweet. I cannot describe the taste, but it reminds a little of coconut and chai tea.

Well, what have I been doing this week aside from the minimal testing? I’ve gone to the beach a few times, and a friend commented that ya’ll aren’t gonna recognize me with this tan! I dunno, I’m still white as cream compared to most everyone here. I’ve also hung out with a few friends on different occasions down in Alicante, browsing shops, going to tea houses, eating kabobs and falafels, and talking.

On Sunday I went out climbing with Ignacio and his dad at a place called Crevillentes. T’was good. It was all displome, “overhanging,” which is my favorite. I only climbed four short routes , but the last one was a fun challenge with a funky crux up toward the end where I had to go up to an under-hanging pocket, clip, and use the side of a ledge to get up to the good holds above. I have to admit that I have not been climbing as much here, so I am definitely not up to my usual level. *sigh* Good thing dad is coming here for a few weeks to get me back in shape before I get back! Man, since I went to Paris, my hands got all soft and shed, so now my climbing time is determined by how long my hands can hold out before I turn in, blowing on my raw red digits. But I will get those calluses back!

Well, I have about two and a half weeks here until my exchange is officially over. During that time, I will go to the graduation ceremony and party, chill with friends, go to the beach, climb, paint, go to an ancient archeological museum exhibit, and hopefully go to a few shows. All in all, I have too much time on my hands. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do some volunteer work, but who knows if that will pull through. Well, feel free to write me and ask all sorts of lengthy questions to keep me occupied for the long summer hours ahead!

Love,

Jocelyn

Last Week´s Quote:

"Don´t let your dreams be dreams." -Jack Johnson

Nisperos and Chufas

Marvelous discoveries await you in whichever wrinkle of the world that you decide to snuggle into. For me, some of these fabulous novelties include nisperos and chufas –otherwise known as persimmons and groundnuts.
This delicious, plumb-sized fruit is of a lovely apricot color and includes two shinny seeds inside that hug each other to form a perfect circle. First, you take your nispero in one hand and a knife in the other. Cut the little top stem part off of the nispero using this as a starting point to peel the entire fruit. From top to bottom, using the knife, strip away its skin to find a deceivingly ready looking orange fruit, but don’t forget to cut it open and take out the seeds! At last, you are ready to devour it! Putting it in your mouth, you cannot pin-point exactly what this nispero reminds you of, but you are certain that there is no other fruit quite like it. It is tangy but sweet, with a creamy taste, if that is possible, and a consistency akin to that of a wet peach –only better. It is reminiscent of a nectarine or an apricot, but it lives in a flavor all its own.
Chufas are quite distinct as well, and I fell in love with them instantly! They, as their English name implies, are a sort of nut, but a nut that has a milky juice inside that can be squeezed out and made into a traditional Spanish drink called horchata. (I have not yet tasted this but I’ll let you know how it is when I do.) The dried nut that remains is hard to chew at first, but softens steadily and releases a lovely, soft taste that is something like coconut. It might also remind you a little bit of hazelnut or almond, but, like nisperos, they are unique.
These delicious products of the earth are resent additions to an international list of favorites that I have been amounting. They go on right after custard apples and sugar cane from India and pomegranates and apples from home. French onion soup from France is another recent and wonderful discovery of mine; who could imagine that onion soup topped by bread and melted cheese would be so delightful?!
At any rate, I’m sorry if I’ve made you hungry! Fortunately for you, our preservatives and fast transportation make available many foreign fruits, so you might be able to find all of these foods at you local supermarket! Bon appetite! Or, as the Spanish say, ¡Que aproveche!

Photos: Trip to Paris with wonderful people

Ok, from top to bottom: Half of our group in front of the Notre Dame. And, yes, I always look funny in pictures and, yes, I cracked up when I noticed that one of the other girls in the picture is laughing at me. :-) Next comes me enjoying my freshly backed French bread. Third down is the picture that best captures the essence of our trip: the click, click, flash of the cameras was constant and made you feel like a movie star! This is followed by our groups´ "thinking" shot, which I iniciated. We are all admiring the landscape thoughtfully... Note Will, to the right of me, with his excellent choice of facial expressions. And at the bottom, us with the Mexican guys. Martha, the other girl, raved about them for the rest of the trip, dwelling eternally on their hotness, etc. And yes, the cute one is a soccer player, and yes: we have his email.

Photos: Paris!!!

The Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame, the Louvre, and me with Blaire, Priscila, and Chelsea attop the Eiffel. :-D I love these people!

Beautiful París

What is Paris? The city of romance? The capital of France? That one place where they have that cool tower? The international city? Or all of the above? My experiences fit into all of these categories and more.
I’m guessing the first thing that pops into your head is, “The city of romance? What hot French guy did Jocelyn run into this week?!?!” Well, to tell you the truth Caitlin, I did run into Pierre! However, he was a middle-aged college professor with an excellent English accent who helped us get around the city and in no way created a romantic atmosphere! The crepe man, on the other hand, was workin’ it! So, a few friends and I were in dire need of some crepes on our last night in Paris and, so, stopped at one of the many crepe stands to splurge. One of the other girls ordered first, and the first sign of our evening’s entertainment came when the man spreading out the batter for her crepe asked her if she would like extra chocolate. The next question, however, had us doubled over laughing. The seemingly sensitive crepe man looked at her in all seriousness and asked: “Have you ever had a French kiss?” She turned bright red, looked at the crepe she has just bitten into and says, “This is a really good crepe!” Him: “But have you?” Her (to me): “Isn’t this a really good crepe?” Him (in all exasperation): “You haven’t answered my question!” Her (to the only boy in the group, under her breath): “Will, will you pretend to be my boyfriend please?!” Meanwhile, the rest of us just gasped for air mid-laughter. :-D In the end, she gave him a kiss on the cheek goodbye and we made off with the best crepes ever!
Aside from its ever-romantic air, Paris is certainly diverse. It has a huge black population and many Asians, which contrasts notably with the comparably homogenous population of Spain. But the tourists also make for a diverse, interesting city. Friday night, Martha, Maurício, and I –two Americans and a Brazilian- find ourselves accompanying a group of Mexican guys around the city and comparing the Spanish and Mexican eating schedules, among other things. An hour later, I find an Indian family, strike up a conversation, and discover that I was just in their hometown of Bangalore this Christmas! The Korean artisan cut out my profile in paper, the French man served us dinner, and the rest of the exchange students from the Philippines, Australia, and America joined us shortly thereafter. Can you imagine the amazingly interesting conversation that springs from such a varied group?! Over dinner on the first night, we got to hear all about Veggymite –the Australian equivalent of our peanut butter which is immensely popular, eaten on bread, apparently made up of vitamins, and of an unappealing grey appearance! Needless to say, peanut butter sounded better to most of us compared to that unidentifiable grey substance. Note to self: taste Veggymite when in Australia.
So what did I do while I was in Paris? Well, I certainly walked a lot, so that might have worked off the calories from the crepes and French pastries, but I doubt it! I ate this delicious raspberry tart on the second day which was indescribable, but lets not get too far off topic here! We were talking about the walking. Walking and the metro made up our major means of transportation and got us everywhere from the Louvre, the Picasso museum, the Rodin museum, the Arco de Triunfo, the Notre Dame, and, of course, the Eiffle Tower. The highlights were, of course, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Eiffle Tower, although I only went to the second platform of the tower and not the top. Incredibly enough, we spent less than two hours in the Louvre, which is a great treachery in my opinion. We saw the Venus de Milo and Monalisa as a group before we were set loose in that immense museum to more or less fend for ourselves. I had just enough time to seek out a favorite statue of mine called Eros and Psyche before I hit up the gift shop for a minute and met the group again. *sigh* I think I’ll need to go back for longer with my dad over the summer. The Notre Dame is most interesting from the outside and when admiring its splendid stained-glass windows. And just in case everyone is wondering, I have an affinity for Renoir and Van Gogh out of all the impressionist and post-impressionist painters. I´m not a huge fan of the painting from the Renaissance, but I love Michael Angelo´s sculptures –the most perfect being his David- and Tiziano uses some beautiful colors. How about you guys? Who do you prefer?
Our first introduction to the French people was our waiter on the first night. A loose, handsome man with flourishy mannerisms and aloof posture, an eruption of giggles sprung from our table of girls shortly after he walked away for the first time. When I get back, ask for my impression of him because it is beautiful. Everyone else was admiring his blonde hair, jaw line, or forearms, but I was just amused by the way he carelessly organized the straws in the used cups. When a friend pulled out a camera so that she could show some of us pictures, he even said, “Oh, you want a picture? I can pose nude!” I dunno; all these Paris guys certainly have their one-liners!
All in all, I really enjoyed spending time with the other exchange students and sharing our experiences. Some of them have not been as lucky as me and others seem to be even better off. For example, one girl feels isolated from her haughty classmates and has no one to go out with on the weekends. She feels that her entire opinion of the Spanish and their culture has been ruined by this experience. On the other hand, another guy went on a trip to Scotland with his family, has a great group of friends, and gets along well with his host brothers. The reasons why everybody decided to come to Spain was as equally varied as what they got out of their experience. Everyone comes to learn Spanish, but some come for a change of scenery while others come to escape bad situations at home. Others come to find themselves and still others just want to have fun or discover the culture. Most everyone loves travel, but that is the extent of our shared interests. Some like theater, others do sports. A couple girls realized their shared interest in Arabic whereas another few recounted experiences from their rock bands. You just can’t categorize exchange students. Ultimately, all of us end up being outgoing, but we don’t all start out that way. The need for survival quickly draws out a more forthcoming person in each of us. Everyone is friendly and no one went home without a new list of emails or myspace names. Yes, we do speak English among ourselves, but it was refreshing to whip out those classy vocabulary words after a few months of sitting there collecting dust on the back shelves of my mind. All of us were tripping over our English for the first few days, and I kept on saying Gracias to the French store clerks. Worse still, I almost used Merci on the panadería woman this morning! Oy ve!
At any rate, Paris is a beautiful city, just as everyone has told you before. The river bridged by ancient stone majesties, the avenues lined by lovely tall trees, and the French baroque style buildings standing strong in proud symmetry all blend into one astounding landscape peaked by far-off sky-scrapers and towers. It is one of the most beautiful cityscapes I have ever seen, second only to Granada with its alit Alhambra at night. Paris is reminiscent of Barcelona, but the people and the ambiance is very different; Barcelona is more relaxed. But compared to New York, Paris is as relaxed as peaches! New York certainly symbolizes the work, work, work mindset of Americans. The French have flair and fashion, the Spanish feel laid-back, and the Americans have their progress. Well, that and our reputation of being big in every respect –big buildings, big cars, big country, big everything! Paris is great and all, but Granada takes the prize in my opinion, and Barcelona, New York City, and San Francisco all stand out along side Paris. I guess I should also see Paris when there isn’t so much rain and cold weather.
At any rate, I could go on and on about the daily schedules, which included getting up way too early, getting back to the hotel rather late, sleeping very little, and playing the “hurry and wait” game since it is so difficult to travel with such a large group. Let me know what you want to hear more about and I´ll be sure to rant about it to the saturation point.

Well, much love and thanks for reading! You have no idea how much you increase my feelings of self worth by taking the time to catch up on my life!

Besos,

Jocelyn

Photos: Multi-Pitch route in Calte

This route consisted of six pitches (all 6a or 6b minus the last pitch which was a 6c) amounting to 200 meters. The first two pitches are uneventful, but then you get half way up and the rock gets interesting, with huge pockets and all sorts of goodies just waiting to be found. But, if you don´t have the endurance to hang out there looking for hidden pockets then it´s difficult. I fell twice on the last pitch and came away from the entire experience with a mild sunburn. But it was worth it for the view! My climbing parter was Ricardo.







A little interesting fact: The Spanish have many phrases and terms that are rather beautiful. For example, instead of saying "I got to the top of that climbing route," they´ll say Yo llegé at reunion translated as "I reached the reunion." I kinda like that! Instead of triumphing over the rock, you are reuniting with it!
Another phrase that I like is, instead of saying "Awkward silence" when a room full of people suddenly find themselves in a hush, they´ll say "An angel has just passed through." :-)

Mediterranean Paradise, the Spanish SAT, and Deliciousness

The aquamarine water is so clear and blue that you can see your toes wriggling in the sand four feet below you. The waves are mild and they buoy you up from time to time, pushing you toward the bright, sandy shore where some of the first sun-bathers of the year are already going from tan to milk-chocolate brown. You shut you eyes and submerge under the salty water, as if to say, “Sun, lets play hide-and-go-seek!” You only open you eyes when you can feel the sand on your fingertips and the water warming in the shallow waves of the shore. Thank goodness the sun has finally decided to pay its tribute to the Mediterranean coast! True to the beach-dweller’s tradition, you will lay on your towel long enough to dry and bake before returning to the water and then back to the tanning in an everlasting cycle that could last all day and all summer. This is the way life was meant to be!
But this is not how the beaches here have always been. Sixteen years ago, the Alicante city council decided that it was time to increase revenues, and so, they hauled in a whole lot of sub-ocean sand onto the once rocky shore and created –load by load- a tourists paradise. They planted palm trees in symmetrical lines and provided benches, showers, and foot-paths at every convenient interval. The product is lovely and successful, but one wonders what was lost in that massive coastal transformation.
As I walked along the beach, further from my apartment building than I had ever gone before, I suddenly found myself on an undeveloped part of the coast where fishermen reigned –along with little crabs, snails, and an abundance of little sea creatures with spikes and shells that I cannot name. And instead of sand, it was all lightly colored, rounded stones that served as homes and hiding places for the afore mentioned habitants. Some of these rocks had such a maze of tunnels winding through them that I could imagine a world inside each one, like Whoville. As I stooped every foot or so to uncover some new treasure, I noticed something very unusual about one particular length of rocky beach: the waves receding down the sloping rocks created an acoustic waterfall, akin to the sound of a rain-stick. It was so beautiful and relaxing just sitting and listening to the water shift the rounded rocks in a series of soft clicks and clacks. Mmmmm! I think those three meters of beach are some of my favorite in the world! Oh, what I would give to have completely undeveloped, wild beaches open to my curious exploration!
In case everyone is wondering, all the seniors in high school are currently studying for the last tests of the year, which come during these next two weeks. I can’t be bothered to study, what with the re-appearance of my beloved sun. I might open up my philosophy and art history books, but that is only because I enjoy reading about the thoughts of Nietzsche and the portraits of Goya. After these two weeks of testing, and while everyone else is still in school for three more weeks, the seniors will turn to studying for the highly important college entrance tests. These tests are crucial because your grade determines what colleges you can go to and what majors you can study. For example, lets say you average a six out of ten on the test. Well, sorry but you can’t be a lawyer. However, you can still study to be a teacher! Additionally, these tests are not multiple choice. Each section, based on the courses you have recently completed, calls for several detailed essay question responses which are then evaluated and graded by a group of judges. Thus, the test is much more subjective than the SAT. Also, it determines wholly your college opportunities, so lets hope you didn’t get off the wrong side of the bed that morning. But if you get the grade you were hoping for on the test, then you essentially get to go to college where you want without the whole nerve-wracking application process. Most Spaniards choose to go to college in their hometown, or the nearest city, so that they can continue living with their parents. In fact, most young adults won’t move out of their parent’s house until they get married, which currently averages around 28-years-old and is going up every year. The housing here is so expensive that the youth just can’t afford to live on their own, and so they stay dependent on their parents until a later age. Some people who don’t marry live with their parents all their lives, and this is not socially frowned upon like it usually is in America.
On Thursday there was a strike at my school. Actually, it was a strike amongst all the high schools in this part of the country (in the community of Valencia). Nobody was really sure what they were striking against, but when they hear the word huelga (“strike”), they treat it as a day off from school. My host sister and just about everybody else went to the beach. Me and, ironically, my usually slacking classmates were all at school all day like the good little students that we are or pretend to be.
Well, I am very excited because on Tuesday I will take a train up to Barcelona where I will meet up with the other exchange students before we head up to Paris! Yay! I have never set foot in France, so I can’t wait to see the Louvre and the infamous Eiffel Tower. My friend and fellow exchange student Molly is looking forward to the crapes! I’ll be sure to let you know how they are. And if the airport security doesn’t notice the chocolate and whipped cream oozing from my luggage, I’ll smuggle some back for you too!
Ooh! I almost forgot! Did you know that Spain has chocolate shops. Let me specify: did you know that Spain has shops where you sit down and be served a cup of melted chocolate with churros to dip in it and any array of other delicious tidbits of chocolate. Need I say heaven?!

Well, oodles of love!

Besos,

Jocelyn

PS I re-dyed my hair again and it is faaabulous daaarling!

Climbing competition, Voice-overs, and Degrees Celsius

Guess what! I placed first in my category in the Spanish Cup climbing competition this Sunday. The only drawback? I was the only competitor in my category! Regardless of the lack of competition, they awarded me the lovely first-place trophy which I am seriously considering using as a vase. (I can imagine those lovely irises complementing the tonalities of the undulating glass nicely!) Nah, but really, I would have come in tied for fourth behind a few girls in the under 18 category. The competitions here are very different from those I have experienced at our rocknasium. There is no evening of climbing routes, collecting points, and, at the end, turning in your points sheet to see if you’ve made it to the finals. No, in these competitions you stay in the enclosed climbers’ area until they let you out to inspect your route for a few minutes and then, one by one, each climber has a go at it. The eight climbers who get the highest go on to the finals. Of course, you don’t get to see anyone else do the route before you since you stay in the climbers’ area, and you don’t climb more than two routes for the whole competition, unless there is a tie-breaker. I climbed the same routes as the younger girls’ age category and most everyone finished the first one because it was fairly easy. On the second one, I fell sooner than I should have, but it was a nice route. I was the first one to climb the first route, which means that I got to see everybody climb that one, but I was the last one to climb on the second route, so I didn’t get to see anybody else climb it. The other climbers come from all over the country, including a group from the Canary Islands, and they are usually the same group of teens and kids at all the competitions. The indoor climbing scene is not so big here as it is in America; the gyms are small and scarce and the competitions are relatively small. I don’t mean to say that people don’t climb here; they do. But if they’re going to climb they’re going to do it outdoors. At any rate, the competition was fun (even though I only climbed for all of ten minutes collectively), but I opt for a day out on the mountain over a competition any day.
Speaking of days out on the mountain, you might have already guessed from the afore posted pictures that I went out climbing on Tuesday (it was Labor Day so there was no work or school). T’was a good day, albeit windy. I had to back down half way through one route when the wind got so chilly that I just couldn’t work its delicate moves with my stiffening back and neck. (I later found out that it was, in fact, a whopping 7b!) It was so good to be out climbing again. Lately, I’ve found that climbing is my greatest relief from the stresses of the week. Like last night after a long day at school, I went to the gym and forgot all else as I made up problems and just appreciated the release of adrenaline. It didn’t hurt that my little invented sequences became the problems of the evening! Funny enough, aside from me, the only other climber who finished my crimpy, overhanging problem was also the only other woman climbing that evening! Good times! The guys felt that we had stripped them of their manliness! We just snickered and started working on new problems. :-D
Another happening of the week included an outing on Saturday to see the movie Premonition in theaters with my friend Alberto. We had intended to see Spiderman III, but we got there late. Its never quite the same watching a movie when the voices you know are replaced by other voices that can’t possibly live up to the vocal interpretation of the originals. The only Spanish voice-over man that has ever impressed me is Robin Williams’. That guy is good! And yes, there is one person who does all of Robin Williams’ voice-overs, and the same with all the other famous movie-stars. Well, minus Antonio Banderez who does his own voice-overs!
Well, the weather has finally gotten over its rainy trend and has bounded to the other extreme with burning heat. They say it will only last this week before dipping down again. In case you didn’t already know, they use degrees Celsius here. They also use kilometers instead of miles, kilograms instead of pounds, and military time instead of am and pm. All of this drove me crazy for the first months, but I’m getting used to it now. I still start when I notice the speedometer in the car every-so-often (We’re going 120mph in the city?!?! Oh, yeah, kilometers. Riiiight!) and I always take a second longer to do the math and figure out that when the clock reads 18’23, it really means 6:23pm, but at least I know that 18 degrees Celsius calls for a sweater and 25 means that I need to whip out the shorts.

At any rate, I hope that life has you feeling good!

Much love,

Jocelyn

Video: Good times in Barcelona

Well, since I´ve finally realized that I can post video clips, here is a little something from when I was in Barcelona in January. Yep, this is how cool we are! We exchange students make good use of our time and gain great cultural understanding by discovering new tire-swing things at a local park! Enjoy!

PS Thanks Brett!

Last Week´s Quote:

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -Marcel Proust

Photos: Climbing in Sella and the English Presentation

I call this one Zebra Hands:


And this photo is from the english presentation (otherwise known as friendly chat) that I gave for an 8th grade English class:

Photo Sequence: Climbing in Sella