Ein Prosit

Well, Oktoberfest came and went and I'm still living. I had an unbelievable time with some of my best friends from DU. Where to start....

I started Thursday waking up at 6am, ready to get the beer flowing as soon as possible. While walking to the bus station, I saw a papelera (recycle bin for paper) on fire, with a few cops standing around. However, the firemen hadn't arrived at the scene of the crime so the papelera basically burned to the ground. I took this as a sign from the man upstairs and knew this week would be amazing! After long layovers and trouble with the Munich train ticket machine, I arrived at my first destination: the floor of a hotel.

Finally..........Downtown Munich! It was 11am and I had never been more excited to drink copious amounts of beer, so as soon as we gathered the troops we were on the way to the d'Weisn, the german name for Oktoberfest because it is located at the Theresienweise grounds. Friday was an enigma, as there were thousands of people on the grounds, but all the tents were open and we walked right in and began to walk around.

Finally, after a day and a half of traveling...BEER! We found a table next to some Danish bros and the Maß's were brought to us within five minutes of sitting down. No need to stand in a long line at the bar because everyone knows what you are there to do. We stayed in the Paulaner tent, specifically Armbrustschützenzelt, for about three hours. We then moseyed over to Hofbraü-Festzelt, where the party was just as crazy. The only difference was the quality of beer, much better in my opinion, and the placement of the band, which was right justified instead of front and center. This is the mecca of beer drinking and I can't even put into words what 7,000 people holding up their steins singing Ein Prosit or Hey Baby by Bruce Channel. However, the most important song is a song of my generation. Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes, but only the bass line is sung. The reason this is so popular is, according to our Bavarian buddies from the second day, it can be sung whether one is intoxicated or sober. I took this as it was and continued to sing along.

Saturday was so much more crowed then Friday, but luckily we arrived at HB by 7:30am to snag a spot at the front of the mob. When the tape broke to let in said mob, I was almost crushed and separated from my group in a matter of seconds. I got yelled at my an unfriendly German rent-a-cop and he threatened (I think) to basically nightstick my face off if I didn't back up immediately, although there were thousands of people behind me pushing me forward. Upon entering, the much needed beer arrived at our table by 9:15am and the day officially had begun. We took this day a bit slower, seeing how fast the beer can go along with the money (Maß were running at about 10 euro a piece).

We decided to step outside and get some food, but we were in for much more that a schnitzel and bratwurst. We decided on riding a roller coaster, since Oktoberfest is much more than beer tents. It's also a giant amusement park so there are tons of children at d'Weisn as well. Our most exciting adventure, however, did not happen in the amusement park, but outside of one of the tents. By this time in the day, which was about 2pm, people were lined up outside the tents trying to just get through the main doors. It was like the morning, but it lasts all day instead of just the first rush. We went around to the side to try to get into the patio, where the atmosphere was worse but the beer was all the same. However, no dice. The security guard wasn't letting anybody in to try and clear the already overcrowded patio. We decided we would take destiny into our own hands and, when he wasn't looking, sneak under the tape into beer land. By the end, I was the last to go (since I had been caught on my first attempt) and finally made it across! What a rush it was!

Overall, Oktoberfest is an amazing experience that is meant to be shared with friends and loved one's. I was luckily enough to experience it this way and I would like to say thanks to everyone who made the trip so epic! And for all of you who didn't make it this year, there's always next year! See you in Munich!

-Adam

Sebastian y Corrida de Toros

This week has been more than exciting, with the only down point being my current state: sick. I have the commonest of colds and it's been a bit bothersome, so I've been keeping myself at home reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I had to download it from the internet and am now reading 500 pdf pages, which almost ruins the fun of holding a book and taking it to the park to read. However, the events of the past few days more than make up for the recent illness.

Thursday began the weekend, since my classes are all on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Lucky, I know! We decided to go out on Thursday night to a bar named La Fabrica, but planned to call it a night after a liter or so. However, deep into a fun new game called Land Mines, we decided to chat up one of the bar tenders. He happened to have an interesting story, starting from his home town in the Dominican Republic and ending up in Salamanca. I don't exactly remember how he arrived in Spain, but we plan to reconvene over drinks soon so I'll get back to you all on that one. Next, he introduced us to the big man on campus, Sebastian, who happens to be the owner of said bar and another named Café Puccini. Considering these two bars are often packed with University students, he seems to be pretty well off. His proof of living the high life was his BMW M6, a high end car that costs 6 figures, American. He promised us some free drinks when he's there and we gladly took him up on his offer the next night. A nice man and hopefully a friend that we'll have so I can start saving some money!

The other highlight of my weekend was the Corrida de Toros, or bullfight, that we saw on Friday afternoon. This wasn't my first bullfight; I attended a bullfight in Puerto Vallarta during Spring Break of this year, but it didn't measure up to the grandeur of this event. Thousands attend the bullfights in Salamanca during the festivals and Friday night's fight was easily a sold out crowd. The first bull raced out and the brave torero watched him carefully as he stampeded around the bull ring. His first moved proved to be the most disastrous, as he got on his knees in an effort to appease the crowd. On his first pass, the bull hit the torero and hooked him through the back of his gold-studded jacket. The bull proceeded to flail him around for 30 seconds before his team was able to free him from the bull's horns. The now shoe-less, jacket-less torero ran to the side more angry and embarrassed than anything. After reality set in and the torero has regained his confidence, he put on the most magnificent display of bullfighting I have ever witnessed. Perfect passes of the bull, the banderillas were on point, and the final kill was flawless. If it weren't for the first incident, this would have merited a the ultimate "trofeo": two ears and the tail of the slain bull. However, thought the crowd tried their hardest to plea for the highest honor, the bullfighter received two ears and was quite proud of his achievements. Most impressive of all was he was the lowest ranked bullfighter of the three, although he outperformed both of them put together.

Each torero has two bulls and we had to sit through 4 bad bullfights until we got to see our favorite torero again. His second fight was just as thrilling as the first fight and he executed his knee-pass perfectly, with the pink and yellow cape spinning around his head as the bull came within inches of him. Two ears once again, though I waved my white hat hoping he would get the tail for his flawless day in the ring. I was in full Spanish mode at the corrida de toros, cheering on the torero and loving the atmosphere. It's so controversial and quite gruesome at time, but it was like watching pure art in motion (for one of the toreros. for the others, it was almost like watching your football team getting pulverized and wanting to get up and leave before the second half started.)

For now, I'm still in recovery mode and will have myself another cup of tea before dinner. Cheers!

-Adam

Back to school...

Going back to school is always tough, fresh off the warmth of summer and no obligations. Ever since I have been in Salamanca, I've had no need to wake up before noon, so I naturally slept as long as possible every morning. However, I'm back in the swing of things, getting up at 930 and performing the morning routine before I go strain my brain (in a good way). I had my first classes Monday, which my group of friends called "Día sin Inglés", to ensure we were prepared to sit in lectures and have full-on discussions in pure Castellano. I was very nervous, but as it turns out the first day of class for Spaniards is extremely laid back and hardly anybody shows up. Most students aren't even back in Salamanca yet since they aren't used to starting school so early. In about three weeks, my professor said, our classes will about double in size.

I really enjoyed my first days of classes so far and found them all to be a perfect balance between challenging and exciting. Moreover, all of my professors seem to be willing to help the foreign students. I may be changing my class about Spanish cinema, not because the content is try, but because the professor mumbles and talks extremely soft. When trying to take college-level notes in a foreign language, having a professor who you can barely hear makes succeeding in this class very unlikely. I'll weigh my options and get back to you all on this groundbreaking decision :)

With the start of classes come more fiestas, celebrations, and something I am quite new to: intitiating new members in the residencias. Residencias are like dorms but without RA's and roommates. They are special residencias that students can live in that resemble the Greek system in the United States. However, since there are no affiliation with a national chapter and as long as it's safe, the "veteranos' dress up the "novatos" in ridiculous outfits, makeup everywhere, and parade their new members around the city. I watched for almost two hours while girls were running around chanting and guys were raving in the plaza mayor in dresses.

Sounds like a good time to me! Although, not so much for the novatos...I've already paid my debt as I was once a new member. In two weeks, the rest of the ISA group will arrive. Maybe we'll give them their own initiation ceremony for their welcome to Salamanca! ;)

-Adam

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.