CARNAVALES

AHHHHHHHH.


Where do I even begin? How can I find the words to describe what was the first night of these wonderful festivities?

My evening started at 6:45 pm, when Jose Antonio (Mila´s nephew) called me to tell me that we were going to leave in an hour. I had just woken up from a nice nap and was on my way out the door to find a costume. I had a mini-panic attack because I didn´t really understand what Jose Antonio had told me and there wasn´t enough time to purchase a costume. I quickly ran down-stairs to the Hiper Euro, a Chinese "dollar-store" type place, to see if there was anything I could wear. I had originally wanted to go as a cow, but couldn´t find any cow costume that I liked and was now thinking to go as a pregnant princess. I found a 12€ princess dress but I just couldn´t bring myself to buy it. I ended up running around the large expanse of the tiny apartment, finding an old, silly hat, a tie, and some fake mustashes.

The Spanish don´t enjoy being on time, so at 8:30, Jose Antonio, Maria (his girlfriend), and his brother, Joaquin roll up and we are on our way. But not really. After a three hour getting ready and dinner session at their house, we finally geot a ride in Cádiz.

When we first entered the city, there was only a few spattering of people, lugging beer bottles and wearing funny costumes. We got dropped off far away from the center of the city because it there were just too many cars and walking would be a lot faster. We got out of the car and ended up joining a large train of people all walking towards Plaza España.

Oh the costumes! A delightful array of men dressed up as women, people in chicken costumes, and a lot of pretend police men (which got confusing). Amy Winehouse made some apearences as did a few giant penises.

We made our way towards the center and met up with more cousins. I opted out of meeting up with other exchange students, I just thought it would be better if I spent the whole night speaking the Spanish tounge with the native people.

Plaza España is located at the very beginning of Old Cádiz, next to the bus station and the port, with a large statue in the middle. I have never seen so many people. Never in my whole entire life. People swinging off of the statue, hopping over fences, standing in the middle of the road, doing whatever thing that you are not allowed to do when it is not Carnival.

00:45 am

I met up with some friends of Maria. They were really nice and when they found out that I was from San Francisco, I made a lot of new best friends. Every one wanted to speak English with me but I did not mind at all. We chatted and talked about random things.

1:45 am

I had to pee. Really bad. I went around to the people who I knew to announce that I had to pee. Maria was the only one who gathered up people to go. We hopped the fence and made our way to a line of parked cars. My large mustache caused a ruckus, so I had to stop and chat to people about my facial hair. Squatting behind a car was not fun. I ended up having to pee two more times that night.

3:00 am

I went to go get water with a group of 4 people. That was insane. Walking into the city was insane. There were more than 450,000 people partying in the streets. The voice in my head was my father´s. "If you are ever in a very crowded place, stay close to the outside and look for an exit strategy. Kids like you can get easily trampled if they are not alert and aware at all times." That little talk was about two years ago, after a death at a night club. With those words in my head, I looked about the crowded streets and laughed. There was no exit strategy. It was not possible to make a quick escape.

4:00 am

We made back to where everyone else was, but not after pushing and shoving to get back. I wish I could describe the scene better but there really aren´t words. I had a lot of fun hanging with these Spaniards. They were all really impressed that I could speak Spanish with such "ease" even though I have only been here for 5 months. That, I think, was the best part of the whole night. Getting affirmation that my hard work was paying off and impressing people is an indescribable feeling.

6:00 am

People are starting to trickle out. I make a guess that I will be home in two hours. I begin to make the journey to the bus stop, which is in a different spot than normal, in New Cádiz.

6:45 am

I arrive at the bus stop, only to find the two accordion buses leaving for Chiclana.

7:05 am
After a short but cold 20 minutes until the next two buses arrive. Getting on the bus was the scariest part of the whole night. Jose Antonio had warned me that getting on the bus would be terrible. I would really have to push and shove. He was not kidding. At all. About 50 people all tried to get on the bus at the same time. I was smushed in the middle, not even on my feet, but getting pushed upwards by so many people. This was not the right way to get on the bus. I got out of the mosh pit and decided to weasle my way on. I walked around to the side of the bus, reached my hand around and grabbed onto the inside of the door. I then, don´t know how, managed to get one foot inside the bus and then, with a final shove, I was on! And I got a window seat. I wasn´t feeling too hot and I did not start to feel better when the people sitting around me began to smoke. On the bus.

8:00 am.

HOME! I drink some water and home into bed.

13:00 pm.

I awake to an empty house with an empty stomache. I spend the rest of the day sleeping and eating and watching movies in English.



An amazing night. A lot of fun! More to come later!

Jerez, Judías y dos Jesúses.

Today was a beautiful (finally!) Sunday afternoon with a slight breeze and the whole fam decided to go to Jerez to meet up with some friends of Mila´s. These friends were so much fun! A gay couple who happened to both be named Jesus. Jesus number one is studying to be a sign language interpreter and Jesus number two is an artist. They have a lovely flat in Jerez, where we dined on fancy cheeses and discussed life. It was a lot of fun. I felt very classy and kind of like I was in a movie of some sort. After a bit, we decided to go walk around Jerez.

Jerez is really cool. It is a lot bigger than Chiclana, or Cádiz for that matter. We went to an outdoor flea market type thing that is every weekend. Gyspys tried to sell me old dresses and watches while their children tried to steal my money out of my pockets.

Just walking around the city was a lot of fun. Jesús number one taught me various sign-languange signs (for example, hijo de puta y tú puta madre)....you know, things that will come in handy when I have a run in with a deaf Spanish person. I had a lot of fun and I felt like I was a functional person, speaking Spanish without making too big of an ass out of myself, feeling classy and sassy all at once. I had only slept 5 hours the night before (came home at 3:30 and then had to get up at 9:00 am to eat breakfast with los abuelos) and besides a melt down when I got home, it was a very good day.

I will now to segue into breakfast here in lovely old Spain. Back in the U.S, my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. I love cereal, vegan muffins, vegan pancakes, oatmeal, and tofu scramble. If I had the choice, I would eat breakfast items at all hours of the day. Here, breakfast is very different, with a much less emphasis on food than on coffee and waking up.

At least a few times a month, we go out to breakfast with Joaquin and Pepa. When I was first informed that we would be going to eat breakfast out at 9 am, I was excited...finally I could get that pancake fix. Well, we roll up to an old, little bar/restaurant and I immediately knew that there were not going to be any waffles in sight. The walls of the Venta Florentina are decorated with pictures torros and torreros, Spanish flags, and CruzCampo posters. An old waiter takes our coffee orders and then brings a large tray. This large tray is an vegan´s nightmare. On it are 4 large mugs of various breakfast spreads. One is manteca, manteca colorado (colorOW), and two other meat type paste. Manteca is pig fat. There are no other ways to describe it because it is simply the fat that comes from the pig. The waiter then returns with one peice of thick toast for everyone. Joaquin was telling me about when he was a young boy and sold flowers on his motor scooter to buy manteca for his family and Pepa (at the same time) is telling me how she use to eat 4 peices of this bread with various things for breakfast everyday.

After explaining to family that I don´t eat lard (for breakfast for that matter) I was given the option of jam and butter or olive oil and tomatoes. I went for the olive oil and tomatoes because it is a million times better than jam. I still really like going out to eat breakfast, and although I did a bad job of explaining what it is like, it is a lot of fun and sometimes I don an old hat of Joaquins and feel especially nifty.


Sorry that it has been so long since I have written, I am just very lazy.

I have officially made the half way point which seems unreal. Honestly just unreal.

I remember what I wanted to say! Here, a type of white bean are called Judías. I find that quite amusing, especially when reading a recipe of Judía soup with garlic bread. I just see a lot of old, tiny Jews dancing in a bowl of soup and jumping over crotons.

tee hee

much love

Violetaaaaaaaaaaaa

The Exchange Student

Many times during the day, I stop and think " This is my life as an exchange student. I AM an exchange student. I am one of those people who left to go live abroad and I am making memories right now that I will only remember a little bit when I am 45 but look upon them and think ´that was my life in Spain when I was 16´" It is a very strange and long train of thought that usually happens when I make my cold, 20 minute walk to school in the mornings.

Oh school. Each day is a new experience. Let me just say that the kids in my class are so FRESHMAN. When the class ends and the teacher leaves, they immediately start throwing chalk at each other. Girl's pencil's cases get thrown into the trash-can and so on and so forth. The classes themselves aren't much better. I have learned most of the material already and the teachers either ignore me or pay a lot of special attention to me. My biology teacher, Begoña, is my favorite. She is sassy with a capital S, meaning that she loves 5 inch heels and whipping her curly red hair around. I don´t often participate in class, but one day, I decided to go write my work on the board. It was all pretty much correct, except for a few grammitcal errors. Begoña was even sassier than ever. She made the class applaud me for and then announced how proud of me she was. 

In history, we are learning about revolutions and it was interesting to listen to someone teach about the Independence of the U.S. who isn't American.  I spent hours last year learning about the French Revolution and am not looking forward to revisiting the subject. My history teacher is (as the students in my class put it)- "Un conazo de tia" and it is very true. She explains things to me so slowly, screeching my name so I truly understand. I guess I don't like her because I had such an amazing history teacher last year. Nothing can replace Mr. Andres. 

And there are the times when I feel like such a cliché abroad student. I am at the age where I often compare myself to people. Whether it be a complete stranger on the bus or my friends, I seem always to be measuring myself against other people. I often wonder about myself as an exchange student and compare myself to Mai-Mai. Mai-Mai was an exchange student from China who was at Tam last year. Everyone knew who she was and was well liked by everyone. I saw her as an exchange student and I know how people see foreigners. It is strange to think that next year, the people who are in my class now are going to say "Remember that American girl? She was vegetarian and said Oh My God a lot." Just as I do about Mai-Mai. 

If you are wondering why my writing seems to be getting shittier it is because I am honestley having a hard time writing in English. It seems to cost me a lot of energy due to the fact that I use it less and less. It is the strangest sensation to try to write to or to speak in a language that I have known all of my life but now suddenly having a hard time articulating what I want to say. Spanish also seems to be creeping into my mind. I find that when I am falling asleep, I am thinking in Spanish. This by NO means signifies that I am fluent. Oh my dear friends, not at all. It is getting easier but I still make a fool out of myself every time I say something in Spanish. 

I did have a "break-through"  last week. I figured out how the sentence structures work and why nos. comemos means we eat each other and not we are eating and why te querio means I love you. Me dijo means he/she told me and le dije means I told him/her. It was just cool to suddenly understand something so basic in this language. 

Well, I am sorry that this post is so boring. But all I have been doing for the past two weeks have been school work. I mean really. Teachers assign a lot of homework and that means it takes me double the time to complete a simple assignment, which is not fun at all. 

So yes, that is what I have been doing with my time, studying, not sleeping that much, and trying not to worry. 

Peace....

Violeta

2008.

Well well well. Look what we have here.....it is 2009, sneaking up on us like a lion stalking its prey.

For my family, two thousand and eight was an emotional and life-changing year. We lost two members of our family, I got my license, Gideon was Bar-Mitzvahed, Ruby has been on this earth for a decade, and of course, I moved to Spain.

My New Year celebration here was not very interesting. I ate the 12 grapes in 12 seconds and then kissed about 50 people on the cheek in less than 2 minutes. I was then invited to a "party" thrown by Mila´s 14 year old niece. The party consisted of 7 people at her parent´s house in a shed/bedroom that was not attacted to the house. When the Nintendo didn´t work, the 7 guests began to question me about California. It was a flashback to Hannah Feldman´s middle school parties. No illegal substances, a half-assed game of spin the bottle that ends on the first spin, but mostly just feeling like an adult.

Christmas was more fun. After everyone ate large amounts of turkey and I had eaten my salad, the music began. The whole family sitting in a circle playing guitars, singing, and dancing. That lasted until 6:00 am.

One would think that the holidays here are done, but that is not true. There is still the 6th of January, which is more like American Christmas. The three kings bring presents in the morning and the festivities last for two days. One of Mila´s nieces (age 7) asked me which king was my favorite. I had NO idea what she was talking about, and answered "King Felipe V of Spain". She looked at me blankly.


What else? Oh yea! I went to Granada for 3 days. It was awesome. The Alhambra is amazing and I had enought luck to be able see everything. I remember two years ago, in a Spanish class at Tam, my Spanish teacher showed pictures of Granada and we spent about a week learning about it. Little did I know that in two short years, I would be over looking the whole city as cold rain made the castle steps slippery.

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy 2009!

Violetaaaa

p.s. check out photos below

Pictorials

Posing in Granada


Mila, Mary Ma y yo at the Alhambra.

Pepa with some yummy fried things covered in honey

The infamous ham leg.

Baking yummies.

Action shot.

¡¡Look Reba, another blog post!!

I didn´t have school Monday because of something relating to Christ and instead, spent the day at the "campo", with my host grandparents. Mila and I got there around 11 am and studied until lunch time, at around 2. Lunch was filled with potatoes, more potatoes, and a fried egg. After lunch, people just started to drift in, one after another, and after about an hour or so, I got up from sitting next to the fire and the house was FULL of people. 6 of Mila´s 12 siblings were there, and then throw in some nieces, nephews, and in-laws, and there you go. People were playing dominoes and every few minuets shushing the people around them.
Suddenly, all of the women (95% of the people there), went into the kitchen to make something sweet relating to Christmas. I, as usual, had no idea what we were going to make, and even though 5 people told me at the same time, I was still in for a surprise. Well, it wasn´t really a surprise. We ended up making little doughnut type things.
Let me paint a picture for you. About 10 Spanish women surrounding a table, rolling dough, with a large ham leg in the center of the table, propped up on this special metal contraption made especially for this ham product, and the smell of the frying dough and sugar covering everything. But first, this ham leg. Oh man. Where to begin? Well, for starters, it is not an uncommon sight here in Cadiz. They are sold in every bar and grocery store, and look like someone cut off the leg of a pig, dipped it in wax, and hung it up to dry. They all have hoof and this particular one had some hair still attached. Imagine my surprise walking into the equivalent to Safeway for the first time to buy bread and coming face to face with what used to be a whole farm of pigs. So, one of these legs was sitting in the middle of table, the hoof sticking up, greeting me in the face, and the rest covered with a cloth.
Everyone is rolling little circles of dough, all talking and laughing at once, breaking into various songs about silly things, and one time, no joke, someone started singing flamenco while everyone else clapped along. But, if there is one thing that Joaquin (host grandpa) won't miss out on is a bunch of women, singing and making fried food. He came into the kitchen, leaned against the table, and watched us all with such contentment in his eyes. Because he has blood sugar problems, he couldn't have the doughnuts covered in sugar, so he got plan ones right out of the fryer. They were at first to hot, and I kid you not, he put the hot doughnut around the hoof of the pig leg to cool. I honestly had to stop what I was going and take a moment so I wouldn't laugh. He looked at me across the table, and with a HUGE toothless smile, pointed to the circular doughnut that was resting, glistening with grease, on top of the hoof. It was too much. At that very moment, I felt oh so very happy to be in a small house, in the countryside, in Cadiz, in Andalucia, in Spain, in Europe, on this Earth.

More to come later!

Violeta

December

I can't believe that it is already December!

Last night, I was watching a video diary I made the first week I got here and it goes a lot like this (now remember, I alone in my room, talking to my computer) "All-sob-I-sob-want-sob-is for it to be December." and more tears. I can't believe how unhappy I was for those first three weeks. I cried more than 3 times every single day. I am not saying that now everyday is amazing and I never get homesick or lonely. I am saying that I have come so far from September that it is a bit scary. I just wish my Spanish was better. Maybe I will post the video when I feel ready to have my puffy, red, and tear-filled face and sobs up on the world wide web. 

Life in Chiclana is crazy. Chiclana is crazy. It is SO unlike any place I have ever been and I think the exact polar opposite than Marin. For example, I was explaining to class-mate that I was vegan back in California, and naturally she asked what I ate if I didn't consume animal products and I said a lot of soy products. And she asked me what soy was. I was a bit shocked, considering all of the girls at Tam High School sip Starbucks Soy Chai Lattes during lunch. This classmate had no idea why a person would want to drink milk that comes from bean instead of the perfectly normal milk that comes from a cows teet. Speaking of not being dairy products, I actually really miss being vegan. I had a week or so when I couldn't get enough cheese (which ended badly) but now, honestly, I would rather be vegan. I DID feel healthier and overall, the vegan lifestyle is something I miss. Oh well. 

Let me just describe Chiclana in a little more detail. I live exactly in the center (called El Pajaro), which is really handy, considering I know a lot people who live in the countryside and it is a huge hassle to get to the city. Chiclana is divided by a man-made river which often reeks of shit and never really has any water. There are many bridges decorating the muddy banks. The streets are small, cobble-stoned, lined with trash and stray animals, and a lot of homemade motor scooters, which are the worst things in the world. They are loud and smelly, and often driven by teenager boys in tracksuits, face-piercings, rings, and mullets.  I think one of the strangest things about living in the middle of a city, is the noise. Now, let me clarify that Chiclana is not that noisy. But the apartment right next to my room is home a newborn baby, which is AWESOME. I hear every cry that little Spaniard makes. It is not that bad.  Worse for the parents. 

What else is there to say? I still don't really have any friends my age. I sometimes go out with a mix of Spanish kids and International kids, but honestly it is not that fun. I actually spend a lot of time with Mila and her friends. Yep. I feel bad that I keep tagging along, but I have fun and they don't seem to mind me. I think it is a good sign that Mila still invites me out with her. Mila's family is so cool. Every Friday, her nieces come over for English class. Manuela is 7 and her twin sisters are 4. They are SO CUTE. I can't even begin to explain how funny they are. Lucia and Carlota often announce their bathroom habits to everyone, so I taught them to say "I'm POOOOOOPING!" whenever in the bathroom. It is really funny. 

Oh! Here is something that gave me a bit of a shock In school, we had a speaker come in and talk about Domestic Violence (which is a big issue here) and at the end, invited kids to share experiences if they felt comfortable.  One girl said that her dad used to hit her mom, and but now he has a job. But, to say that he was truly sorry, he got a tattoo of his wife's face on his forearm. When the class heard that, people started clapping and nodding their heads. I guess things like that are not so uncommon. 

Well that is about it. I am going to try to post more often and actually function better. 

Today is World AIDS Day. A moment of silence for those who have been affected by AIDS or HIV.