Férias y mucho más

It seems like everyday here keeps getting better and better. The past few days have all been fun and exciting in their own ways. Thursday night took me to the Férias de Salamanca, which is basically a big carnival with rides, cotton candy, churros con chocolate (mmmmmm gooood), and annoying pitchmen trying to get you to play their rigged games. We were about a group of 10 strong, wondering through a strange atmosphere that somehow felt like home. No matter what language it's in, the carnival is always the same crazy atmosphere. However, I don' think our carnivals back home can get away with the violations of copyrights that this one had. Around every corner, there was a "Disney" themed ride with obscure murals of Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto. In addition, there were Looney Tunes characters mixed in with Walt Disney's characters to add more fun to the ride, etc. It was as if Six Flags and Disney World collided, but then morphed all of the characters ever so slightly so they don't exactly look like themselves.

We only went on one ride that night, but it was more than enough. It was called "Giga Canguro", which translates to giant kangaroo, which rode exactly how it sounds. We were bounced up and down, spinning backwards and forwards for almost 15 minutes. I'm glad we chose to do tapas instead of a full dinner or I would have seen it come back up! However, in that moment I was perhaps the happiest I had been since I arrived in Spain, simply taking in the whole experience so far. The carnival was exactly what I needed: a break from the hectic fiestas and returning to my inner child trying to win a giant teddy bear and taking silly pictures!

Last night started off with a concert by the group RevolveR, a rock group from Valenica. I've been trying to think which Stateside band I could compare them to and the Rolling Stones seemed to fit nicely. Not exactly my type of music, but they played an amazing show and rocked the Plaza Mayor like Pitingo had a few nights earlier. The night began to move fast, jumping from cafe to bar to discoteca, but ending in some peaceful time taken to myself.

Every once in a while we need to find peace and serenity. Living in Salamanca, where there are more people out at 4am than 4pm, I truly needed some time to myself to appreciate the city. I went to a park when the night was coming to a close and just watched the stars. Then it hit me that I hadn't seen the stars since I left Colorado. It was a beautiful sight even if there were only about 30 stars visible. The park sits on the edge of the original walls of the city, overlooking the puente romano and the rest of the city.

I love this city.

-Adam

Fiestas de Salamanca

Since my last post, so much has been going on. I got a bit homesick and felt out of place for the first time. It's hard to adjust to a city, even one as beautiful as Salamanca, that you'll be living in for four months. It felt like I didn't belong, but slowly I started to realize I was more at home than I could have imagined. If it weren't for the internet and the support from everybody, I don't think this experience would be so amazing. The fiestas have officially started and the casetas are at full force, serving various "pincho de ferias" (a beer or wine and a signature tapa). It's the perfect after dinner snack because the night last so much longer here. Every time I've come in before 3am, Milagros makes a funny comment about how I haven't adjusted to the student nightlife just yet. Monday night was the exception to the rule, keeping me out to see the sun rise. Beautiful, but only because I was able to sleep all day.
Monday night started with a firework show from Italy. If you've ever seen a 4th of July show, I can guarantee this one was better. The last minute and a half would have blown any US firework show out of the water. The view and the pyrotechnics combined created one of the most beautiful shows I've ever had the privilege of watching (for free, mind you).
Next was the concert, which started promptly at 11pm. The main and only act of the night was Pitingo, a Spaniard who has become famous performing famous American songs with a flamenco twist. My favorite was "Killing Me Softly", a song made famous in my day by the Fugees. He also sang remixes of "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "Turn the Beat Around". Pitingo is an energetic performer, very stylish, and a perfect representation of the Spanish music industry. After bouncing around the concert with various groups of people, I met up with my main friends and we headed to a few bars.
I haven't met many Spaniards since arriving in Salamanca, which will likely change once classes start. However, at Cafe Puccini we met four Spaniards all studying at the University of Salamanca. We all chatted for an hour or two before heading to a club to dance. When the night came to a close, it was already 5am. The same night would have only kept me out until about 2:30am, but since Spaniards like to start the night so late, it's only right that we don't go home until the sun comes up.
The rest of the week has been much more low key, although starting Thursday it will start all over again. I'm excited to see how the next few days turn out, seeing as I have nothing planned thus far.

Until next time folks,

Adam

p.s. I found the rana, although I had a bit of unwanted help from a postcard. I still think I'll be ok ;)

Encontrando la rana

At the University of Salamanca, there are two ways to pass your classes. The first is to find the "rana" on the side of the university wall. A rana is a frog, which is cleverly hidden in the detail of the ancient university building, amongst angels, shields, and all types of carvings. The second way is to study. My classes don't start until the 14th, which was recently relayed to me by the directors of ISA. If Spaniards don't want to start on a certain day, they just change it. No questions asked. I wouldn't be surprised if it was illegal to do this in the US.

I will be taking a total of four classes: one about the spanish novela, where we will read classics from Don Quijote to Lazarillo de Tormes and learn how the style came to Spain. Next, a class about Spanish cinema, which is a fairly new topic to me. Most Spanish directors move to Mexico, such as Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, to pursue new challenges. However, this class will deal with cinema from the Second Republic to Franco's reign to modern day film. This class will be a nice change from American cinema and Hollywood movies which are loosely based on a bad plot and CGI animation. Thirdly, I will be picking back up my Italian minor so that I can take intermediate Italian. I figure learning Italian in Spanish is much easier than learning it in English, as I have at the University of Denver. My last class is about the European Union and the political systems of each country and how they compare and contrast. Also, the class looks at the United States as well to contrast the European political model. I'm assuming I'm gonna have a lot to add to this class in the sense that I'll be forced to back up my country to educated European students.

I hope to find the rana soon, hoping that some tourist doesn't bring a laser pointer to show all of his friends where it is . This is considered back luck if you don't find it on your own. Here's to hoping! pictures soon!

Milagros

Milagros and I were meant for each other. It seems weird to say after just to days but I couldn’t have picked a better host mom myself. First off, she is exciting, talks too much, and I can’t stop hanging on her every word to learn more. Milagros is from Spain, but she has traveled everywhere from Madrid to New York City. She is the proudest Spaniard I have ever met, always referring to fútbol and Spanish cinema. Milagros is from the era of Franco, where she lived a censored life until his death in 1975. She never saw all of Casablanca because about half of it was censored. I couldn’t imagine watching Transformers or Titanic and not being able to see it in its entirety because of a pompous dictator who “wanted the best for his country”. So when I told her I attended mass at the same place where Franco was buried, she almost kicked me out of her house. Obviously it wasn’t my fault for visiting Valle de los Caídos, which was led by ISA, but it would be like a visit to Hitler’s grave for a German, which would never happen. The mass made me want to practice Catholicism again, especially when all of the lights turned off and light from a hole in the ceiling shone down on the alter. The crucifixion was lit up along with the deep green of the deacon’s robes and for the first time in my life, I felt truly connected to God. When I tried to relay this to Milagros, all she could focus on was the location of the mass and nothing else, although she is quite the opposite of a typical Spanish Catholic. This didn’t bother me because I realized that growing up under one of the most notorious dictators would not be easy.

Her daughter is in Santa Fe, teaching Spanish at St. Michaels. What a small world we live in. I can’t wait until she comes to visit in the spring! My homestay is everything I could have ever wanted. More updates soon.

Travel and España

Well, I had quite a hectic trip to get to Madrid. I left at 11am on thusday and got to Mardid at 4pm on friday! Quite a day, but I survived! Eating airplane food was terrible, but it was bettered by the fact that I was so hungry it didn´t matter. I kept thinking back to my last Spanish trip and how I didn´t sleep on the plane, so it was miserable the next day. I was determined to get some shut eye, however I wasn´t able to being in the middle seat by two armchair hoggers. I had Carlsberg and Carlings for the first time, which were both delicious! I went two days without sleep, but after my first night´s rest and a siesta today I feel great! Also, visited the Museo del Prado and El Palacio Real! ¡Que divertido! However, no cameras were allowed this time! I will be in Toledo tomorrow, which I believe is the most beautiful city i´ve ever seen! I´ll try to upload some pictures asap! Off to grab un Amstel cerveza and watch Real Madrid! Take it easy!

-AMB

What's the difference between me and you?

A book is and will never be the same as a movie.

Coming to terms with this statement is extremely difficult, especially when the movie industry can create such amazing images that books could only dream of. However, no movie will ever be able to replace the magic and excitement that a book brings whilst frantically flipping through page after page.
When I read a book that I really enjoy, I find myself putting it down quite often. This isn't because I don't want to read it for its context, but I am so intrigued with it that I don't want it to end. So was the case with the Harry Potter series. Five times, after the invigorating night filled with Harry Potter trivia, costume contests, think tanks, and raffles, I would find myself reading the first few chapters at 2 a.m., but quickly putting down the book before I read too far. I wanted the heavy read to last as long as possible, like I was experiencing Harry's journeys and adventures right along side him. I even took Goblet of Fire to Hawaii with me and read it in the hotel room while everyone else was at the beach. Sounds lame, but I was having just as much fun with Harry as they were having playing in the ocean. No book has ever captivated me like this series did throughout my childhood and early adulthood. I use to read it to my young cousin's while I babysat them, even though it was likely my third time reading it. They were suckers for the different voices that came with reading aloud. Snape was very cold and obnoxiousm whereas Dumbeldore was mellow and sage-like.
Tonight I watched "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", which I found both intriguing and repulsive. It set the stage perfectly for the next two movies, which will surely be action-packed and bring closure, just as the book did. However, it left out so much crucial info that it hardly satisfied what I or any fan of the books would have liked to have seen. Where was the scene about the ring? How about the funeral?
I had to take a step back from this experience and remember; a movie can never be what a book has been and will always be. The true experience lies in the adventure. There is no time to put down the movie and wonder what will happen next. Instead, it forces you on a ride that you aren't ready to take. There is seldom a series of books that can equate to that of Harry Potter, but if given the chance, read the books and stay away from the movies. You will just be disappointed (except for Star Wars, I couldn't get past pg. 15 of Revenge of the Sith). Cheers and have a good night.

Details, Details

Surfing on Cardboard comes from a distinct memory from middle school which anybody who attended Albuquerque Academy would remember. 6th grade is all about getting aquatinted with the school and making new friends, but 7th grade takes you in a completely new direction. Torn between two pods, Red Chile and Green Chile, students have completely different memories of that year. For me, I was in the Red Chile pod. My friendships from 6th grade slowly faded away as we were separated by pod, which meant we didn't have any classes together, the root of middle school friendships.

The most distinct memory I have comes from the Red Chile pod camp-out on the Academy campus. I can still smell the Mac & Cheese we cooked on Dane's mini stove and the hot dogs we roasted on the George Foreman grill. That night, we all brought cardboard boxes to make forts out of to sleep on the soccer field, under strict supervision of course. About 8 of us guys tried to make the best fort, which yielded some meaningless prize, but our fort just fell to pieces and we just slept under the stars. The night was filled with sophomoric crushes, truth or dare, and other adolescent games that involved both sexes. However, the picture that still hangs on my wall today is a memory I won't soon forget. While the girls of the pod spent their time gossiping, we boys were messing around with spare cardboard pieces, riding them down hills as if they were a new skateboard or the grass hills were the Pacific Ocean. Mr. Peknik, our science teacher, was messing around with a new camera lens and snapped a photo of all of us in mid-air, cardboard under our feet. That night, we were kings of the mountain and this picture proves it, as we fly higher than the Sandias in the background.