Finally, with Jessica's help, I've learned how to download and then upload an image. DO NOT LAUGH. I know I'm 10 years behind the times, but hey, I've got Campers.
Note: the high heeled pair are "twins" and fraternal at that.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Finally, Introducing the Campers
Finally, with Jessica's help, I've learned how to download and then upload an image. DO NOT LAUGH. I know I'm 10 years behind the times, but hey, I've got Campers.
Note: the high heeled pair are "twins" and fraternal at that.
Monday, May 21, 2007
the academic's son
Gatito's second cousin arrives with a jumbo size bag of M&Ms (which I'm allowed to eat, but ONLY IF I ASK PERMISSION).
Gatito opens the bag and spills some onto the table in front of us. They roll, spin, twirl and stop. I grab a yellow (where did light brown go?).
Gatito pops one in his mouth and says: I'm going to write a grant to the government to do some research and start making m&ms.
(I sense something good is coming, or is it a didactic monologue like The Don provides from time-to-time? I'm unsure and so I do an un-scorpion-tail-thing and keep quiet).
I'm going to get a grant to make new m&ms. M&Ms with caramel inside, and good ones too. With ham and cheese, with (he glances at me) with WINE, with all kinds of stuff.
Now you tell me. What is more amazing? An 8 year old already thinking of getting grants from the government or the making of M&M with wine?
(hope it's red wine)
Gatito opens the bag and spills some onto the table in front of us. They roll, spin, twirl and stop. I grab a yellow (where did light brown go?).
Gatito pops one in his mouth and says: I'm going to write a grant to the government to do some research and start making m&ms.
(I sense something good is coming, or is it a didactic monologue like The Don provides from time-to-time? I'm unsure and so I do an un-scorpion-tail-thing and keep quiet).
I'm going to get a grant to make new m&ms. M&Ms with caramel inside, and good ones too. With ham and cheese, with (he glances at me) with WINE, with all kinds of stuff.
Now you tell me. What is more amazing? An 8 year old already thinking of getting grants from the government or the making of M&M with wine?
(hope it's red wine)
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Three Hams
So we're walking down Reyes Catolicos on our way to Musgo to look for summer dresses (didn't find any without gold or silver sparkles), when Gatito has another one of his "good ideas" (this is what he calls them).
"I know what you can do for a job!" (poor thing has internalized my need for work). "You can open a Spanish bar in Salt Lake!"
Laughter.
"Seriously. We'll buy three hams and hang two of them up. The third one we'll cut and use to serve people. El Don knows how to cook gambas alajillo and espinacas con garbanzos and all our friends will come to eat. You'll make lots of money."
But there forms the idea for a fall party....All our friends...El Don cooking our Spanish favorites, perhaps a few paper mache hams hanging above. Maybe we can even make jamon-shaped pinatas and the kids can beat them to death.
"I know what you can do for a job!" (poor thing has internalized my need for work). "You can open a Spanish bar in Salt Lake!"
Laughter.
"Seriously. We'll buy three hams and hang two of them up. The third one we'll cut and use to serve people. El Don knows how to cook gambas alajillo and espinacas con garbanzos and all our friends will come to eat. You'll make lots of money."
But there forms the idea for a fall party....All our friends...El Don cooking our Spanish favorites, perhaps a few paper mache hams hanging above. Maybe we can even make jamon-shaped pinatas and the kids can beat them to death.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
NO EXISTE
The up-side of sending gatito off to the field with El Don for two days where he got to stay in El Palacio and collect dead ants and video tape dung beetles rolling horse manure into little balls was the time to write and think and of course, the excitement he showed upon return and the amazing things I know he's seeing and experiencing (like calling me to describe what every bird species looks like and I'm supposed to look them up in the bird guide (which I unfortunately left in Salt Lake City) and tell him what they're called.
The downside??? the exhaustion he obviously feels on return and of course, it's taken out on ME. The MOTHER. Who else? I got one: "Sylvia, you've used up all my patience." (Now where did he hear THAT?). The throwing away of my mother's day presents (shells from the beach), the writing of NO EXISTE! on the Feliz Dia del Madre card.
What more can I say? It's mother's day in Spain, which I find to be an "intellectually interesting coincidence: with Labor Day.......
But then again, NO EXISTE!!!!!!
The downside??? the exhaustion he obviously feels on return and of course, it's taken out on ME. The MOTHER. Who else? I got one: "Sylvia, you've used up all my patience." (Now where did he hear THAT?). The throwing away of my mother's day presents (shells from the beach), the writing of NO EXISTE! on the Feliz Dia del Madre card.
What more can I say? It's mother's day in Spain, which I find to be an "intellectually interesting coincidence: with Labor Day.......
But then again, NO EXISTE!!!!!!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Feria
Religious pageantry now behind us, it's time for the Feria! Gatito has Wed-Friday off of school and before the beach on Thurs, we need to see what this is all about.
As Ms. Bell says...what makes grown women put on polka dots and ruffly dresses and parade around town accompanied by men with pants so tight they must unzip to sit...?
To help answer that question, I've invited two friends from Paris...so far we've had late nights, shopping days and I have 2 (not 1, but 2!) new pairs of Camper shoes..both fancy, high heels. As Alexandra said, "We NEED good shoes for our balance." Upon returning home and modeling these beauties, the Don kindly chose to remain mute rather than take the opportunity to remind me of the shitty exchange rate for the dollar.
So back to Feria, got the shoes, got the visitors, got temps in the high 70s, but it's sort of like a private party where people have "casitas" and you have to have an invitation to enter. This is where gatito comes in. We've got an invite from one of his school friends today, so tonight we'll be heading to the Feria at the outskirts of town and my biggest problem is that besides great shoes, I have NOTHING TO WEAR!!! (=?more shopping?)
As Ms. Bell says...what makes grown women put on polka dots and ruffly dresses and parade around town accompanied by men with pants so tight they must unzip to sit...?
To help answer that question, I've invited two friends from Paris...so far we've had late nights, shopping days and I have 2 (not 1, but 2!) new pairs of Camper shoes..both fancy, high heels. As Alexandra said, "We NEED good shoes for our balance." Upon returning home and modeling these beauties, the Don kindly chose to remain mute rather than take the opportunity to remind me of the shitty exchange rate for the dollar.
So back to Feria, got the shoes, got the visitors, got temps in the high 70s, but it's sort of like a private party where people have "casitas" and you have to have an invitation to enter. This is where gatito comes in. We've got an invite from one of his school friends today, so tonight we'll be heading to the Feria at the outskirts of town and my biggest problem is that besides great shoes, I have NOTHING TO WEAR!!! (=?more shopping?)
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Semana Santa II
Last night we met up with parents of gatito's friends at 8:30pm. That was "right!"
(The wrong: me wearing faded jeans, hiking shoes and a black fleece.....their family looks like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. Gatito's friend in shorts, colored boy stockings, matching shoes and a little Berber-like coat. My family steps out of grunge.)
Attire aside, they led us through the crowd to a side street along the procession route where we could almost breath. We stood with thousands of others and watched the hundreds of nazarinths pass. Our children are pushed to the front so they can see (but where we can't see them). A man from the front calls back to us: "I've got one hand on each child's shoulder". Then he tells them that when the nazarinths give them candies, he wants a cut! They entertain themselves asking for candy, little cards with pictures of virgins and Jesus on them and then wax from the candles carried by the same nazarinths (the candle is turned on its side, the melted wax is collected onto a ball of paper that grows in color and size with dripping wax through all the days and years of processions). When the SECOND procession passes (11:00pm), and the Jesus float stops right in front of us, a woman from a balcony above begins to sing. Everyone hushes to listen to her beautiful, plaintive song. I had goosebumps.
THIS was my idea of Semana Santa. People not just drinking to drunkeness, eating and talking on cell phones with intermittent glances at the procession, but a mass of people actually engaged with the spirituality. Even if I don't feel the religion, I loved the moment of people coming together in good spirit and mood. Quite beautiful.
After that, they led us to a tapa bar where we elbowed our way inside to eat and drink. The Don returned home at that point (it being 12:30am) because he had to do early morning field work, but gatito and I stayed on for 2 more processions, finally "leaving the friends early" and walking home (the streets were PACKED PACKED PACKED with people). It was 2:30am.
I'm rather trashed today...all that excitement meant I didn't sleep until 4:30am. Gatito's first words upon waking. "Anoche fue muy divertido." I agreed.
And then he reminded me that the Esperanza de Triana, who is around the corner from our house, is coming out at 3:00am tonight/tomorrow. His ball of wax must grow!
(The wrong: me wearing faded jeans, hiking shoes and a black fleece.....their family looks like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. Gatito's friend in shorts, colored boy stockings, matching shoes and a little Berber-like coat. My family steps out of grunge.)
Attire aside, they led us through the crowd to a side street along the procession route where we could almost breath. We stood with thousands of others and watched the hundreds of nazarinths pass. Our children are pushed to the front so they can see (but where we can't see them). A man from the front calls back to us: "I've got one hand on each child's shoulder". Then he tells them that when the nazarinths give them candies, he wants a cut! They entertain themselves asking for candy, little cards with pictures of virgins and Jesus on them and then wax from the candles carried by the same nazarinths (the candle is turned on its side, the melted wax is collected onto a ball of paper that grows in color and size with dripping wax through all the days and years of processions). When the SECOND procession passes (11:00pm), and the Jesus float stops right in front of us, a woman from a balcony above begins to sing. Everyone hushes to listen to her beautiful, plaintive song. I had goosebumps.
THIS was my idea of Semana Santa. People not just drinking to drunkeness, eating and talking on cell phones with intermittent glances at the procession, but a mass of people actually engaged with the spirituality. Even if I don't feel the religion, I loved the moment of people coming together in good spirit and mood. Quite beautiful.
After that, they led us to a tapa bar where we elbowed our way inside to eat and drink. The Don returned home at that point (it being 12:30am) because he had to do early morning field work, but gatito and I stayed on for 2 more processions, finally "leaving the friends early" and walking home (the streets were PACKED PACKED PACKED with people). It was 2:30am.
I'm rather trashed today...all that excitement meant I didn't sleep until 4:30am. Gatito's first words upon waking. "Anoche fue muy divertido." I agreed.
And then he reminded me that the Esperanza de Triana, who is around the corner from our house, is coming out at 3:00am tonight/tomorrow. His ball of wax must grow!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Semana Santa
I knew it was big, but I didn't realize HOW big until I got the 20 page booklet (complete with advertisements and bacalao recipies) with the entire SEMANA SANTA schedule.
There are 8-10 processions per day. Each procession consists of 2 floats: first Jesus with cross and then the virgin. Each virgin or Jesus has been carved and painted (many dating back to the 17oo and 1800s); the floats are painted shiny gold or silver and all include flowers and huge candles. Each float is carried by about 20 men who switch out with other-twenty-men during the course of the procession. These floats are followed by about 50 'nazarenths' who, people dressed bizarrely like KKK. Incense is burned and it's all followed up by a screeching brass band and drums so loud you understand why everyone in Spain screams when they talk.
The booklet also has the mapped-out route for each procession...from the church where the stay during the year, past the enormous cathedral and then back again. Some processions START at 2am; some END at 2am. This goes on for 6 days. All hours of all days.
The second most popular virgin of Sevilla is here in Triana: La Esperanza. She'll be out on Friday, the biggest day. People push their way in to get near her, to brush their fingers to the silver. They cry. They faint. They feel a passion for idols that I cannot comprehend.
The most bizarre part is the fact that right now, it's 1:32 am and my street is FULL of Americans and Germans who have come for the festivities...all drunk and very loud (hence: me awake now).
This being the beginning, I don't know what to think.
Update to follow....
There are 8-10 processions per day. Each procession consists of 2 floats: first Jesus with cross and then the virgin. Each virgin or Jesus has been carved and painted (many dating back to the 17oo and 1800s); the floats are painted shiny gold or silver and all include flowers and huge candles. Each float is carried by about 20 men who switch out with other-twenty-men during the course of the procession. These floats are followed by about 50 'nazarenths' who, people dressed bizarrely like KKK. Incense is burned and it's all followed up by a screeching brass band and drums so loud you understand why everyone in Spain screams when they talk.
The booklet also has the mapped-out route for each procession...from the church where the stay during the year, past the enormous cathedral and then back again. Some processions START at 2am; some END at 2am. This goes on for 6 days. All hours of all days.
The second most popular virgin of Sevilla is here in Triana: La Esperanza. She'll be out on Friday, the biggest day. People push their way in to get near her, to brush their fingers to the silver. They cry. They faint. They feel a passion for idols that I cannot comprehend.
The most bizarre part is the fact that right now, it's 1:32 am and my street is FULL of Americans and Germans who have come for the festivities...all drunk and very loud (hence: me awake now).
This being the beginning, I don't know what to think.
Update to follow....
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