Well, life in Spain? A whirlwind lately. Nothing seems to go smoothly around here for more than a month at a time. Despite my usual vigilance, a pickpocket got the best of me in Barcelona in March. Sneaky bastard. I’m still waiting for my duplicate Spanish resident card after a month. As I work towards completing my final ESOL course online, I’ve endured a bit more stress than I anticipated. Our global connection via Internet isn’t quite seamless after all. Still, I see the light at the end of the ESOL tunnel! I look forward to having my endorsement when I return to teaching this year!
Stresses aside, let’s move onto exciting things! I now live in an apartment with an American colleague, Heather, from Arkansas and a Spaniard, Jorge, from the Canary Islands. I enjoy their company and the additional Spanish practice (although Jorge LOVES English). I live 20 minutes closer to the train station, which means a shorter commute to work and MORE SLEEP!
I started dancing flamenco two months ago and found out only recently (when reading a book about Madrid) that I actually dance in the most famous flamenco school in the world! This, however, does not imply that I have talent OR skill; so don’t get any ideas about personal recitals. Flamenco demands strength and form from your whole body in every “golpe” and “tacon” often making me believe my knees will crack or my eardrums will burst with one more strike of my heel. In reality, I’m much more likely to fall over due to a lack of coordination. However, I thoroughly enjoy its music, rhythm, and choreography. I recently saw the theater production of Carmen by director Sara Baras and realized in myself a more profound appreciation for the art of flamenco as I watched the dancers.
At the end of February, I attended the Fulbright Commission’s mid-year meeting in Andorra (a diminutive country in the Pyrenees mountains). The workshops produced meaningful dialogue while the presentations were interesting and informative. I met the current U.S. Ambassador to Spain, and a former U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Ambler Moss. Ambler spoke of his personal experiences as a friend of Senator William J. Fulbright! The Senator’s friendship continues to benefit Ambler as he now works in Barcelona supported by his own Fulbright Fellowship! In true Spanish style, the Commission fed us well and saturated us with wine. After the conference, I stayed an extra day with friends to ski in the magnificent Pyrenees.
Equally spoiled with visitors in the second half of my fellowship, I had the delight of welcoming my uncle and cousin from Oklahoma in March. I do love to play tour guide around Madrid. We ventured southeast to Valencia for the culmination of Las Fallas – they ignite (and let burn) two and three-story, paper mache masterpieces. We relished in the festival all night (who needs a hotel?) and took a train to Barcelona at five in the morning where I had the fortune of marveling at Gaudi’s architectural anomalies for a second time.
Only two weeks later, I greeted my mom, dad, and brother in Madrid. I showed my brother the city nightlife, and we booked it for Salamanca early the next morning. I took particular excitement in showing my parents Salamanca, where I studied with my sister for two months in 2003. From Salamanca we took day-trips to Avila, a walled city, and Zamora – a religious town known for its elaborate Semana Santa processions. I have to commend my parents for allowing my brother and I to coax them into a Segway tour in Avila, but my mom terrified us all when she hit a parking barrier and toppled off her Segway. At least we weren’t atop the wall.
My brother returned to work in Miami while my parents stayed to play for the remainder of my spring break. We traveled to Zaragoza; Bilbao and San Sebastian in the Basque Country; and Santander. In Zaragoza, we watched a powerful procession for Holy Week – hooded men and women marched solemnly banging colossal drums and carrying massive “floats.” I failed to mention earlier that during a chilly, evening procession in Salamanca, some of the hooded men and women marched bare footed dragging chains linked to their ankles.
My parents had the misfortune of a mechanical issue during their flight, and after 2.5 hours and mid-Atlantic, they returned to Madrid. I, however, had the benefit of meeting with them for another evening. They returned safely to Miami the next morning, and I miss them already!
That brings us up to speed! I have three to four months left in Spain (I still haven’t determined my date of departure). I hope to spend a long weekend in May to visit Galicia and another in June to reach Asturias. After school lets out, I will spend two weeks traveling along the southern coast, and I will finally see the impressive Alhambra in Granada before returning stateside.
The Fulbright Fellowship has enabled me to live a dream that began nearly 14 years ago. It has afforded me a wealth of irreplaceable and invaluable experiences. I encourage and implore you to explore the opportunities available through this program. Check out the website www.fulbrightonline.org.
