Because I cannot sum up my experience and thoughts of Spain so eloquently I chose a passage from Laurie Lee's- A Rose for Winter.
"Perched in this southern town, one's thoughts already moving towards home, one felt intensely the great square weight of Spain stretching away north behind one; felt all there was to leave, from these palm-fringed tropic shores to the misty hills of Bilbao; the plains of la Mancha, Sierras of pine and snow, the golden villages perched on their gorges, wine smells of noon and sweet wood smoke of evening, the strings of mules crawling through huge brown landscapes, the rarity of grass, the wood ploughs scratching the dusty fields, and the families at evening sitting down to their plates of beans. One heard the silences of the sierras, the cracking of sun-burnt rocks, the sharp jungle voices of the women, the tavern-murmur of the men, the love songs of the girls rising at dawn, the sobbing of asses and whine of hungry dogs. Spain of cathedrals, palaces, caves and hovels; of blood-stained bull-rings and prison-yards; of weeping Virgins, tortured Christs, acid humour and incomparable song- all this lay anchored between the great troughs of its mountains, locked in its local dialects, bound by its own sad pride.
Spain is but Spain, and belongs nowhere but where it is. It is neither Catholic nor European but a structure of its own, forged from an African-Iberian past which exists in its own austere reality and rejects all short-cuts to a smoother life. Let the dollars come, the atom-bomb air-bases blast their way through the white-walled towns, the people, I feel, will remain unawed, their lips unstained by chemical juices, their girls unslakced, and their music unswung. For they posses a natural resistance to civilization's more superficial seductions, based partly on the power of their own poetry, and partly on their incorruptible sense of humour and dignity."
Friday, December 17, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
1938- advice given to women- Is this for real?
The 1938 version of a Cosmo Magazine advice article? At least in 1938 you could spot the blatant degradation of women instead of the subtle degradation in today's media! Mmm right thank god it's not 1938.
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| Do your dressing in your boudoir to keep your allure. Be ready to go when your date arrives; don't keep him waiting. Greet him with a smile! |
Monday, December 6, 2010
Spanish Culture
This trip to Europe is my first experience with extended immersion in a different culture. Although I might argue that some places in the US have given me more of a culture shock then Europe has. Maybe that's because I knew what to expect here. You don't always know what to expect in rural America. I digress. I mainly just want to point out some things I find unique about the Spanish culture.
1. These are some proud people. Especially proud of their region. I've traveled to 8-9 cities within Spain and they are all so drastically different. Different tongues, foods, traditions. There are 17 autonomous regions.
2. Schedule:
3.They eat a tiny breakfast in the morning. For example cereal in a cup or a small pastry maybe a piece of fruit and coffee.
4. Then they don't eat until 2! I still haven't figured out how they go that long off a small breakfast. The lunch is always huge though. Being in Cantabria I eat fish for almost every lunch and dinner. They serve a lot of veggies, soups, rice, and always patatas (french fries). The only dressing you'll find is oil and vinegar. They also love their white bread. A baguette is served with everything.
5. Siesta is an after lunch nap. Almost all shops are closed. Everyone gets some down time.
6. Living here has been the slowest place and most relaxing three moths. People enjoy, covet food and sleep. They enjoy everything to the fullest. If there is ever an excuse for a Fiesta they'll take it.
7. My favorite is Tapas for dinner starting at 10! My favorite food here is the Spanish tortilla. I'm determined to learn how to make it back in the states.
8. In the cafeteria at school all of the Spanish kids eat together and they all get up to leave at the same time. If someone leaves before everyone is done they tap their glasses and cuss at that person. A little intense but I love that the meal time is still about community, about being together, about socializing. In the states everyone is on their own rushed schedule.
9. There are strikes in Spain Monthly.
10. It's common place to see the old men taking a strolls and hear them singing old songs. This is by far my favorite thing about Spain!
11. People don't go out on the town until 12. They don't make it home until 4am or later. Again I'm still trying to figure out how they wake up in a timely fashion.
12. Men and women Do not make much physical contact when dancing, unlike the full on grind dance of Americans. We learned this the embarrassing way our first night in Madrid.
13. Everything is on a smaller scale like doorways, ceilings, archways. It's not even like everyone is short here though. hmm.
14. The men are really into their looks.
15. It's normal to live with your parents until you are in your 30's.
16. PDA is a way of life (probably because everyone lives with their parents)
17. It's rare to be invited into the house of a Spaniard. Meeting places are all in the plazas and streets.
18. They listen to a lot of American music.
19. There are dead hams hanging everywhere.
20. Yesterday I was at a sandwich place, and their "vegetable" sandwich had Ham in it. It's impossible to be a vegetarian here.
21. All the showers are hand held.
I'll keep adding to the list as I think of things!
1. These are some proud people. Especially proud of their region. I've traveled to 8-9 cities within Spain and they are all so drastically different. Different tongues, foods, traditions. There are 17 autonomous regions.
2. Schedule:
3.They eat a tiny breakfast in the morning. For example cereal in a cup or a small pastry maybe a piece of fruit and coffee.
4. Then they don't eat until 2! I still haven't figured out how they go that long off a small breakfast. The lunch is always huge though. Being in Cantabria I eat fish for almost every lunch and dinner. They serve a lot of veggies, soups, rice, and always patatas (french fries). The only dressing you'll find is oil and vinegar. They also love their white bread. A baguette is served with everything.
5. Siesta is an after lunch nap. Almost all shops are closed. Everyone gets some down time.
6. Living here has been the slowest place and most relaxing three moths. People enjoy, covet food and sleep. They enjoy everything to the fullest. If there is ever an excuse for a Fiesta they'll take it.
7. My favorite is Tapas for dinner starting at 10! My favorite food here is the Spanish tortilla. I'm determined to learn how to make it back in the states.
 | |
| It's like an omelet with potatoes |
9. There are strikes in Spain Monthly.
10. It's common place to see the old men taking a strolls and hear them singing old songs. This is by far my favorite thing about Spain!
11. People don't go out on the town until 12. They don't make it home until 4am or later. Again I'm still trying to figure out how they wake up in a timely fashion.
12. Men and women Do not make much physical contact when dancing, unlike the full on grind dance of Americans. We learned this the embarrassing way our first night in Madrid.
13. Everything is on a smaller scale like doorways, ceilings, archways. It's not even like everyone is short here though. hmm.
14. The men are really into their looks.
15. It's normal to live with your parents until you are in your 30's.
16. PDA is a way of life (probably because everyone lives with their parents)
17. It's rare to be invited into the house of a Spaniard. Meeting places are all in the plazas and streets.
18. They listen to a lot of American music.
19. There are dead hams hanging everywhere.
20. Yesterday I was at a sandwich place, and their "vegetable" sandwich had Ham in it. It's impossible to be a vegetarian here.
21. All the showers are hand held.
I'll keep adding to the list as I think of things!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Eat, Pray, Love
“A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then leave. A soul mate’s purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, and make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life.”
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