A Post for a Special Reader

While sitting in the cafe on campus today, I couldn't help but notice an interview going on nearby. Three people were seated at a table, one asking questions, one responding, and the third signing furiously into her partner's hand. You see, the man being interviewed was blind and deaf- just like Helen Keller. It was absolutely fascinating to watch this interview take place- communication barriers notwithstanding, all three were laughing and having a nice time. I'm pretty sure the man was even able to respond audibly, even though he apparently couldn't hear. It was inspiring!

Anyway, I knew one of my (10-year old, brown haired, clarinet playing) readers would really enjoy hearing about this, because this man had his seeing eye dog with him! This particular reader loves dogs, and I can't help but think of her when I see them all over the city! In Spain the dogs are so well trained that most of them don't have leashes, even when other dogs are present. Wouldn't it be neat to train a seeing eye dog? What a wonderful thing to do for someone in need! I'm sure the beautiful golden retriever that I saw today was this man's best friend, always there to help him and keep him company!

These People Are Crazy...

Madrid may be the New York City of Spain, but to the common American, the following things are still beyond comprehension...

• My BFF, the phone dude. Americans beware, if you try to buy anything in Spain, you will be waiting a long time in line. It's part of the vita dulce that so many people love about Southern Europe- people taking time to talk to each other, not rushing, enjoying the day. Objectively, it's a much better way to live life than rush-rush-rush, but the withdrawal was sharp and unexpected. Hopefully by the time I return to the US I will be a much more patient person! :)
  

• Pedestrian bumper cars. Maybe I'm just an addict of predictability, but don't you think it's a nice social convention that drivers generally keep to one side of the road? I find even in walking this usually carries over- at the mall or on Main Street people realize that if they file along in an orderly manner, everyone gets where they need to go more quickly, and they don't have to worry about tripping over someone else and spilling their grande-mocha-chippa-latte all over their suit. Well... not so in Spain! One of the things I just can't wrap my mind around is the fact that the pedestrians here refuse to pick one side of the road and stick to it! People literally zig-zag from one side of the street to the other, and I still have not figured out the pecking order for who is supposed to defer to whom to prevent collision. This may be because many Madrilenos don't drive, or it may be because they are never in an American hurry. But still, come on... do you have any idea how many times I've nearly been taken out by a baby carriage that came out of nowhere? It's a dangerous city out there!
  

• Pushy little old ladies. Again, maybe I'm just an addict to American efficiency, but last week at Mass an old lady literally shoved me on the way to get communion! At Mass, at communion time the entire church all pushes into the center aisle and then pushes their way forward, leaving me very confused. Am I supposed to let the elderly go first? Am I supposed to be pushy, too? Why are we pushing to receive the Body of Christ?!?! These people are crazy!!!!!
  

Well, tomorrow begins another school week. However, this school week is infinitely cooler than any previous school week because I'm receiving my first visitor on Thursday! That's right Europe, look out! A Bernhardt woman is slated to arrive muy pronto!

Chao, amigos... hasta luego!

Tomb of the Kings

El Escorial, resting on the top of a hill

A little while ago, I spent my Friday at El Escorial, the tomb of a large part of the Spanish royal family. (That's right. Be jealous. No class on Fridays!) In typical Spanish style, a mere "tomb" wouldn't do, so El Esorial is actually part palace, part basilica, and part burial chamber. I had gone by myself but met up on the train by chance with a group of American students from my university, which made everything much more fun!


Let's put this in perspective, please. This is just the palace that they built to bury people in, and I'm pretty sure it's way bigger than the White House! Part of the reason Spain has so many impressive edifices is because at critical points in history (aka the Renaissance), Spain was the giddy recipient of endless amounts of riches pouring in from the Americas. A poor deal for South America, but a bonus for the average visitor!

The imposing entrance into the cathedral. Since some of the elderly monarchs came here to spend their final days, there are balconies from the royal chambers into the cathedral, so the king and queen could attend Mass from their sick beds.

As a general note, it will consistently be difficult for me to take photos inside the buildings I visit here. Both to maintain the mystery of their national treasures and to protect paintings and sculpture from the corrosive effects of camera flash, photos are strictly prohibited practically all the time. Unlike most countries, however, this rule is actually enforced here... the number of guards in every single museum is fantastic! And I'll admit it, I'm scared of them! So, sorry, but no inside photos for you!

You'll just have to take my word that it was magnificent. The stairway to the library had a fresco on the ceiling depicting heaven, and the way it was painted you would swear that the people were alive and really moving upwards into the sky! The room with the coffins of the kings was a sight, also- a small hexagonal room with green marble caskets labeled in golden Roman letters. But you know, it was really all just par for the course in terms of Spanish opulence and decoration!

By far the coolest part of the day was exiting the palace to find a rainbow!!!

The Rain in Spain...

Umbrella parade!
Working with a normal camera, it's remarkably difficult to take photos of people passing by without seeming super sketchy! I need to start carrying around more gear to make me look more official.

If you finish the above title with an enthusiastic, "stays mainly in the plain!", then we can continue being friends. If you are not accordingly well-versed in the lyrics of My Fair Lady, then please, stop reading this blog immediately and go tend to the pressing matter of your cultural education!

Ok, for those of you who are totally lost, one of Audrey Hepburn's most glorious songs in the movie My Fair Lady begins with the phrase, "the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain." As it has been raining a lot recently, that song has been running through my head practically all the time! (Mom: best Christmas present ever! That umbrella is the best!!!!)

If you look closely, you will notice that this mother, like every other mother in Madrid, has a handy dandy plastic cover she puts over her baby's stroller from November to March. The American in me shudders just a bit... has anyone ever studied the airflow rate of such contraptions?

So, I am here to answer that eternal question: why does the rain in Spain stay mainly in the plain? Why doesn't it run off into the grass, or drain into some advanced sewage system?

Here it is, the answer to all the riddles: rain in Spain has nowhere to drain! Aka, there is precious little green space anywhere at all (and I mean precious little!), and the small patches of "soil" are really just patches of clay completely impermeable to water, so the whole city turns into one big mudslide!

Or, at least, it would, if it weren't already completely covered in cement. Rain gardens, anyone? Permeable concrete? Didn't anyone listen to our first semester rainwater runoff class projects?!?!?

On a rainy day, the bus is the public transit equivalent of a knight in shining armor!
Coming to save us from the terrors of the cold and the damp!

But at any rate, this is me, checking in from Rainy Spain. I envy you, USA, with your cozy snow and your cups of hot chocolate. However, I am willing to sacrifice now for a payoff in the end... Madrid in the full bloom of spring! Some day, this too will pass!

Unlike the US, we actually go to CLASS in Spain...

Hola, beloved readers!

I apologize for the lapse in posting, but you know, unlike the snow-laden Eastern USA we actually go to class on this side of the Atlantic! (All week long you gloated, my CUA friends, but who has the last laugh now! Class on a Saturday! Ha!)

Classic Picasso, "CUA Student Upon Reading the Provost's Calendar Changes"

So, on the subject of school...

I attend class at Carlos III, which is a really sweet University. I am in a program of about 100 US students, and our classes are taught in Spanish. It's a nice compromise- the professors only speak Spanish, but they know from the glazed look in our eyes we have no idea what they're saying, so they speak more slowly than normal Madrilenos. :) I'm taking classes about the history, economics, language and culture of Spain.

I find my language class especially helpful. My professor has been teaching this class for 8 years, and it's basically a "what Americans say in Spanish" v. "what Spaniards say in Spanish" class. For instance, if you say "I'll see you tomorrow" in Spanish, most people would think you were threatening them, "I'll be watching you!!!" Instead you say something along the lines of "we see each other tomorrow," etc. Also, apparently table manners are very different here. Momma always taught me to thank the cook, but in Spain to do so puts social distance between you and the cook. Ie, if you thank your host mom for dinner, it's like saying that it's surprising that she made you dinner, which is kind of an insult, because of course she would make you dinner... etc etc etc. The class is really entertaining and super helpful! It's definitely mi favorito!

Just like most Spanish universities, Carlos III is a commuter school. It's rare for someone to travel outside of their city to get a degree here. For the record, my hat is off to you, Beth/Bobby/Maria, for any and all commuting you ever did! On Mondays and Wednesdays I have 6.5 hours of class, and the last thing I want to do is catch 2 buses to trek across the whole city! Hopefully when it gets warmer the commute won't seem so daunting. You all lied, you know. It's JUST AS COLD here as in the US!!! No balmy weather on the horizon at all! In fact, tomorrow it's supposed to be around 30'F when I leave the house. And no snowballs to throw at anyone...

Well, I'm off! Enjoy plowing out of Snopocalypse 2010! See you all soon!

A Sunday in the City of Art

Even the non-Catholics rest on Sunday in Spain... most stores are closed,
and everyone just takes some time to relax...
Painting by Sorolla, Museo de Sorolla

Ironically, despite almost a decade of studying Spanish, most American students here know practically nothing about Spain, much less Madrid. This issue mostly stems from the fact that Spanish professors in the US often come from South America, so for instance I studied immigration issues with reference to Mexico instead of the Straight of Gibraltar. Lucky, this utter incompetence is quickly being remedied... after three months here I'm sure we'll all be experts!

Hey little sister! Painting by Sorolla, Museo de Sorolla

Take for example, art. Did you know that Madrid is one of the major art meccas of the world? I had no idea! But I assure you that respect for painting and sculpture here is amazing! First of all there is the Prado Museum of Art, which is one of the most important collections of Western art in the world. It contains Velazquez, Goya, Bosch, Rubens, Durer, Rembrandt, and Raphael just to name a few, and was once the personal collection of the Royal Family of Spain. [I haven't gone yet, but don't worry, it's on my agenda... I'm just too cheap to pay, so I have to wait for a free entrance on Sunday from 5:30- 8:00 when I have the energy. :)] Aside from that the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza are also of international repute. Last Sunday, I was lucky enough to see some of these artistic wonders!

Sorolla, Museo de Sorolla

First my program visited the Museum of Joaquin Sorolla, which is actually the house of the Valencian native, converted into a museum displaying many of his most famous pieces. Sorolla was lucky enough to experience great fame in his own time, and painted subjects ranging from the Spanish Royal Family to US President Taft. He was deeply influenced by Velazquez and in the impressionist style is a great fan of light in his works. He is well-know for his beach scenes, and I have to admit they are some of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!

Sorolla, Museo de Sorolla

After the Sorolla, Kenna and I split off in search of the Reina Sofia. The RS is a museum of modern art, and as such is not really my cup of tea, but it does house Picasso's masterpiece Guernica, an abstract painting he completed in protest of the bombing of the city of Guernica
by German forces (as the request of Franco) during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. In the rooms surrounding the painting there are several displays of propaganda posters and photos of the bombings of Madrid and Guernica- truly brutal things to see. I find it interesting that WWII, something so pivotal to American international identity and our concept of Europe, practically doesn't exist here. Spain was wracked by a horrible and deadly civil war from 1936-1939, and after that remained neutral in WWII. I had just always assumed that all of Europe was involved in WWII, but I guess not... just another assumption I'm correcting about the world around me. :)

Hola!

For the Record, It Was a Pina Colada

So... in case you haven't heard, I'm 21!!! Yipee!!! (Does this mean I get to sit at the adult table at family parties? Hmmm.) Thank you to all for the many well-wishes I received- it was a wonderful day!

There we are! 21 and ready to go!!! Re: the straight hair- my host mom is a hair dresser!
How cool!

First of all, my lovely friend Lucy took me salsa dancing, and Madrid did not disappoint!!! Salsa really is a Latin American thing, but there are so many immigrants here from Latin America that the dance is alive and well. I started the evening off with a Pina Colada, and defend my choice by saying that if you had to ask for a drink in a foreign language, you would agree to the first thing the bartender said, too! Besides, it seems an appropriately Spanish thing to drink, and I am in Spain, after all. :)

Anyway, if the downside to being American tourists is that you're always getting pick-pocketed [current phone score: gypsies 2, AYA girls 11 (Shelley gets 1 for the phone and 10 for style, but that's another story)], then the upside is that people ask you to dance very quickly! So one my 21st birthday I danced with a young Columbian man, whose name I don't know... this sounds like a country song! But it really was lovely, and Lucy even danced with the super-attractive promoter... ai ai!!!

Lucy and I, all decked out and ready to SALSA!

My host family generously celebrated my big day by buying and cooking an entire half of lamb. I woke up on Saturday, and Javier (host dad) was just chillin' in the kitchen with the poor lamb next to him, legs and ribs and bones and all. But I must say it was delicious, and I felt very honored! My host mom made cheese cake with Phildelphia cream cheese for the Philadelphia girl. You know how in the US everyone associates Scranton with "The Office"? Well, here they associate Philadelphia with the cream cheese. Odd, but whatever! Marile (host mom) also made fried shrimp, and salad (a big deal... Spaniards don't eat salad) and ham and cheese and bread... so good!

Well, I'm off to go drink sangria. Be jealous, oh my under-21 year old friends... :)

The Exploration of Madrid Continues...

Street performers do some pretty tricks for cars at a red light...
and then terrifyingly walk in between the cars asking for money! Eek!

Really, everyone should study abroad, if only for the exquisite experience of learning to roll with the punches and laugh at yourself! My first Sunday in Madrid was full of such adventures... first of all, I went to church on top of a supermarket. At least, that's what I thought Marile (my host mom) said... go to the supermarket, climb the stairs all the way to the top, and there's a church. Really, it turns out, the church is next to the supermarket... but it was a funny experience, nonetheless. Then, as soon as I got home, Marile sat me down and kept saying, "eat, eat, eat! We have to get going to go to the restaurant!" Now, I know Spain is a strange place, but c'mon... eating before you go to a restaurant? But I was certain that's what she was saying! As it turns out, we were going to the "rastro", which is not slang for "restaurante" as I had inferred. But still, it's an interesting and formative experience, only understanding 50% of what's going on around you!

A booth covered in bright scarves and pretty jewelry

What is a "rastro" after all, you might be asking? Only Europe's most amazing weekly flea market! If you live in DC, think Eastern Market on steroids. If you haven't been to Eastern Market, first of all go, and then when you come back to continue reading this post, think of a street 7 city blocks long, and many of the intersecting blocks, completely closed off to cars and filled with tents and booths selling scarves, incense, handmade leather purses... so many wonderful things! As always, I was struck by the number of American things on sale... there were whole booths of Americana such as Marilyn Monroe t-shirts and James Dean posters. Nonetheless, the Rastro is the epitome of the Spanish open-air market- in Spain each neighborhood still has a similar (but much smaller!) mercadillo once a week where locals can purchase fresh produce, clothing, and other trinkets. As long as you keep a very tight hold on your valuables, there are few things more Spanish or more pleasant than strolling through La Latina on a Sunday, admiring the wares.

I tried to convey the immensity of the size of the Rastro, or the overwhelming
press of people...
but you'll just have to come see it for yourselves!

My first time through the Rastro with Marile I was too overwhelmed to buy anything, but this weekend I went again with Lucy and quickly recovered! I am proud to announce that I found an 1844 edition of L'Imitation de Jesus-Christ at one of the antique booths... so excited!!! I also greatly expanded my scarf collection (when they only cost 2 Euro, how can buy just one?), and bought a cute little purse so I can finally keep my keys and money in hand when we go out for tapas! Ah, the joys of life in the city. :) To finish the day we went to San Jines for chocolate and churros... possibly the best culinary combination in the history of man!

My lovely purchases for the day... thanks to Lucy I bargained the price of the book down!
It is both the oldest book I own and the oldest book I have ever touched!