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. 

Las Palmas!

Don´t really know how to start this blog post. But here I go---

So I have kind of, unofficially, have been to Africa! That is right, I spent last weekend in the Canary Islands. We left Thursday morning, took a train to Sevilla, and then took a plane to Las Palmas. We happened to be on the same plane as Maria del Mar, Mila´s sister, which was cool.

Everyday of the 4 day trip was basically the same. Very relaxing, a lot of food, a lot of walking, and then a free world music festival at night. The music festival was called WOMAD and featured musicians from all over the world, but specifically Africa. There was this one older woman from the Sahara Desert who had a lot of henna and could sing/yodel like no other. There was a mountain of hippies and little hippie shop type things.

Now the food. Where to begin??
Well, I ate my weight in papas arrugada, queso frito, and gofio (I am talking gofio ice cream, gofio mousse, and just plain gofio.) Gofio is a corn type paste and those potatoes, oh man. Little potatoes boiled with salt and eaten with a spicy tomato mojo. YUMMY.

The beaches were really cool too. The sand is black because the island was formed from a volcano. The water was cold and there was always a slight breeze. I promise to post photos on this blog later.

Mila´s other sister, Nieve, lives on the island and has a HUGE house, over looking (what felt like) the whole island. From her house you could see the huge banana and tomato plantations and the many little different colored houses perched upon jagged hillsides. She and husband had just gotten back from Cambodia and Vietnam and showed us some awesome pictures.

I am so lucky that I got to go! And being there, for only four days made me want to live on an island, for at least 6 months. Cadiz is technically an island, but I want to live some place tropical.
And let me tell you, Cadiz is not tropical. It is cold. Very cold. Thank god there is some sun this week or else I think my hands would freeze off. It is actually not that cold and will get a lot colder, but shit man, compared to Marin County, I am in the Arctic. I do recall a certain Intrax coordinator telling me that is always warm in Cadiz and not to bring warm clothes. Oh well. Mila lets me wear her old jackets and boots from Minnesota, so I am all set.

That is all for now! Thanks for reading and look for photos ASPAP!

much love,
Violetita

One Month

Hello hello hello

It has been a long time since I have posted, and lot of that has to do with me being very busy, having internet at sporadic times of the day, and being a little bit lazy. 

  The past couple weeks have been good. Kind of uneventful, but good. I went to Sevilla last weekend, which was very fun. We (Juan, Mila, and myself) stayed with Mila's nephews, a pair of triplets who have lived together in Sevilla for 4 years. Joaquin, Salvador, and Angel, are crazy and so much fun! They all speak very quickly and all kind of look alike, so that was a challenge on its own. We were in Sevilla because a friend of Juan's wrote a book about post war Yugoslavia and was presenting it in an old abandoned hat factory. Sevilla is beautiful, even though it rained the whole weekend.

School is ok. I am in the equivalent of a freshman class, which is kind of lame, but the classes are easier and it was the only room they had at the school. I am the oldest person in the class by almost 2 years, but whatever. My classmates are all AMAZED that I am from San Francisco. They huddle around me and ask me questions almost all of the time. And almost all of the students want to practice their "English" as well. This is how the conversation usually goes.   

"I can espeik englis."

"Vale, pero, solo espanol porque yo quiero aprendir espanol." 

"Yeees, but I can espeik englis. luk--do you, do you, ummmm, how do you say...."

And so on and so forth. But its all in good fun. All of my teachers are very nice and understanding, except for one, my Chemistry teacher. The first time I turned in my homework, she gave it back to me and said "Madre mia! You need help, what you have here is not Spanish, and it is not expectable." I was kind of in shock but honestly, who cares that much. Of COURSE I can't do Chemistry homework in SPANISH in a way that makes sense. I have been here for one month. So suck it. 

I think the strangest thing about school is the half hour break we have at 11. If you are over 18, you can get a pass to leave campus. I don't know how, but I got one, which is quite nice. So, the first time I went off campus (meaning outside of the green gate that locks the students in), I was SO surprised to see my teachers smoking. It was the strangest thing ever, coming from Marin, where teachers have posters hanging in their room about the dangers of smoking. 

What else? If you want a letter, please send me your address......

But yes, things are going really well for me at this point in time, but I still can't wrap my head around the idea that I am going to be living here for 8 more months!

OH YEA! Here is a funny story. Many classmates have asked me if I believe in G-D, and I just say yes so I don' t have to explain myself any further. The question that follows is "are you catholic, Protestant....." And I then say, No, I am a Jew. But I say Jew like huee, in Spanish accent, and STILL get looks of confusion. And when they still don't understand, I say hannukah, candles, killers of Jesus (just kidding). But, once they finally understand, the usual response is " I have never met a huee before." and then a long awkward silence. 

hahahaa

xoxo. 

10,000 Leagues Under the Sea...or something.

Last night was crazy. Why? Pull up a chair and let me tell you.

Mila, Juan, and I decided to have dinner (and then spend the night) at Mila´s parents ¨campo¨(a large piece of land with many houses, animals, people, gardens), so we brought two large pizzas at around 10:00 pm for dinner. Mila has 12 other brothers and sisters, and every weekend, they all take turns spending the night to be with their parents. This weekend, it was Pili´s turn, and we joined in the fun. It had been raining off and on all day, and the wind had been VERY strong. As we drove over the the campo, we saw lightening in the distance, but didn´t think twice about it. Dinner was something in itself. Mila´s dad, Joaquin, is missing all of his teeth, speaks very quickly, often with food in his mouth, and likes to tell jokes. He also couldn´t understand why I am a vegetarian. So, mix all of that together, and you get me, very confused and a little bit concerned. But, basically as dinner ended, at around midnight, Joaquin told me that tomorrow I would be eating ham. I think not.

So, off we go to bed. Mila, Juan, Violeta, Pili, and Thomas (a nephew visiting from Greece). As we walk to the house we will be staying at, the wind picks up, and oh man-- it is so so so strong. The house we are staying in is quite nice and cozy. Pili gets one bedroom, Mila and Juan get the other, Thomas gets the couch, and I get a mattress on the floor with a mountain of blankets. We all stayed up and talked for a while, and turn off the lights at around 1:00. As soon as the lights go out, holy mother of god, the storm began.

First it was the lightening, flashing very two minutes, then the thunder (a great rumbling roar that shook the house), and the wind, whipping away at the olive tree outside the windows. Then, suddenly, the rain. Oh man. It was CRAZY. This lasted for a long time, and I would drift off to sleep and SUDDENLY a bang would wake me up. The power of nature is amazing. At around 5:00, I heard water dripping, but I didn´t think twice about it. Not at all. At 5:30, I saw a figure creep toward me, and in a FLASH of lightening, I saw it was Mila. I used my cellphone as a flashlight and we tried to turn on the lights, but guess what....yep, the electricity went out. So we searched for a lighter (luckily Thomas is a smoker) and lit a candle. There was water. Inside the house. Dripping from doorframes. Getting the tips of my blankets wet. I stood up, and followed Mila to the door, where she ran outside, with a plastic cover over her head to grab the mop.

So, yes. I held the candle as Mila mopped up the house. This is, once again, at 5:30 am. Thomas and Pili stayed asleep. How, I really don´t know. After placing dishes under the leaking doorframes, we blew out the candle and went to sleep. The storm was still raging. At around 6:30, there was total silence. It just ended. And I then slept until about 9:00 am.

As I went outside to survey the damage (not much, luckily) I saw Mila´s mom collecting snails in a large bucket. She grabbed my arm and explained that these snails would be cooked with rice. Not for you, she exclaimed, but for me. I eat meat. You don´t.

After breakfast (we went out) Mila´s mother told me with a huge smile "at my house, we always have fun. always"

Oh wait! I forgot to mention that as we unlocked the car to go to the restaurant, the half of the car was flooded as well.

lots of love,
violeta