So I have fantastic news: we have finally found a German bar that offers good German beer near our apartment that we were able to enjoy tonight. I've (Greg) been looking for a good German bar quite often because, for those that know me, I drink beer to enjoy the taste. It is for this reason that I have become transfixed on German and Belgium brews. However, the bad news is that the owner of this beautiful German restaurant just sold it to a non-German individual and will no longer own it after Sunday. :( ::tear::
By the way, Chan, the best beer we tasted tonight (believe me, I'll be there every night until Sunday) was Erdinger Dunkel. Absolutely fantastic.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween! (Updated)
...and to all a good night? If you can't tell from context (read over-used parenthesis and lame jokes), this is Greg.
Okay, okay. So, I realize that it's been a full-fledged week that we haven't posted anything. Word on the streets is that... well, there is no word. Word does not exist. Actually, Suzy was waiting on me to post something but I didn't have anything worth mentioning so we'll just recap the week.
We have a puente / day off on Thursday and Friday because Spanish tradition is that everyone goes to the gravesites of their dead relatives the day after Halloween to pay their respects, which is tomorrow. Then they are just taking Friday off b/c most people travel to other cities, so we have a four day weekend! Sweet! However, we were hoping to go to Seville and Cordoba during this time off but all the hostals are booked. Then we looked into visiting a bunch of the close villages here (Seville and Cordoba is a good 4 hours' drive) but the hostals in those villages are booked too. Balls. I'm not entirely sure where we are going to now. There was talk about visiting a different little village but I leave the planning up to Marijke and Suzy. All I want to make sure we visit is England, France, northern Spain and the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada, Germany, and Italy, if possible. "Holy crap, Greg!" you say? "Why don't you just travel all over Europe?" you ask? That sounds like a fantastic idea.
School is good. During our lunch break, both the teachers and the students eat outside together. I suppose it's a way to keep the teachers working and looking after the kids while conniving them into working unpaid for a half hour and the students to burn some energy (which doesn't have any tiring effect anyways). All the little ones swarm around me and last Monday, we played Cops and Londoners (funny how they use Londoners instead of Robbers ::smirk::).
So, you know how in the States we smash jack-o-lanterns and tp people's houses just for mischief and devilry? They don't have pumpkins here so no one can smash them, and the whole tp concept eludes them. What the kids apparently do here on all hallow's eve is egg people's houses, people's cars, ...people. Just like in the States, the kids go out trick-or-treating earlier due to the dark nature of night and return around 9:30, 10-ish. But those that are still out, either still trick-or-treating or bar hopping on the port or what not are not guaranteed a safe passage without yolk on the face. Hrm.. it will make for an interesting night tonight.
Finally, a couple of observations I've noticed is:
-First, 2nd languages can be stressful and it really takes the edge off when the person learning has got (I threw this British terminology in just for Rob :D) a drink in his or her hand.
-Second, cous-cous sounds strange in any language.
-Third, Spaniards have an uncanny ability to attract flies. This doesn't mean they smell bad, because they don't, but the flies come anyways. Which brings us to...
-Fourth, Spaniards also have an uncanny tolerance towards flies (which is possibly why the flies bug them...). In the States, most people will swat at a fly if it is flying anywhere within the vortex of personal space... usually within 3 or 4 feet. Here, I have seen a fly crawl on an individual's face for 3, 4, 5 seconds before leaving on it's own command. I have seen a fly crawl almost into someone's nose before being shooed away. Now, again, I will repeat that this does not mean that Spaniards smell or are disgusting but it's an interesting difference between the two cultures.
We heard that the Halloween parties were over the last weekend. From what we heard, they sounded like they were another fantastic success. Hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween and, when the clock strikes 3 there in Missouri, I hope you all think of Suzy and I and whisper a few Hail Mary's to deter the evil spirits of chicken eggs.
Okay, okay. So, I realize that it's been a full-fledged week that we haven't posted anything. Word on the streets is that... well, there is no word. Word does not exist. Actually, Suzy was waiting on me to post something but I didn't have anything worth mentioning so we'll just recap the week.
We have a puente / day off on Thursday and Friday because Spanish tradition is that everyone goes to the gravesites of their dead relatives the day after Halloween to pay their respects, which is tomorrow. Then they are just taking Friday off b/c most people travel to other cities, so we have a four day weekend! Sweet! However, we were hoping to go to Seville and Cordoba during this time off but all the hostals are booked. Then we looked into visiting a bunch of the close villages here (Seville and Cordoba is a good 4 hours' drive) but the hostals in those villages are booked too. Balls. I'm not entirely sure where we are going to now. There was talk about visiting a different little village but I leave the planning up to Marijke and Suzy. All I want to make sure we visit is England, France, northern Spain and the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada, Germany, and Italy, if possible. "Holy crap, Greg!" you say? "Why don't you just travel all over Europe?" you ask? That sounds like a fantastic idea.
School is good. During our lunch break, both the teachers and the students eat outside together. I suppose it's a way to keep the teachers working and looking after the kids while conniving them into working unpaid for a half hour and the students to burn some energy (which doesn't have any tiring effect anyways). All the little ones swarm around me and last Monday, we played Cops and Londoners (funny how they use Londoners instead of Robbers ::smirk::).
So, you know how in the States we smash jack-o-lanterns and tp people's houses just for mischief and devilry? They don't have pumpkins here so no one can smash them, and the whole tp concept eludes them. What the kids apparently do here on all hallow's eve is egg people's houses, people's cars, ...people. Just like in the States, the kids go out trick-or-treating earlier due to the dark nature of night and return around 9:30, 10-ish. But those that are still out, either still trick-or-treating or bar hopping on the port or what not are not guaranteed a safe passage without yolk on the face. Hrm.. it will make for an interesting night tonight.
Finally, a couple of observations I've noticed is:
-First, 2nd languages can be stressful and it really takes the edge off when the person learning has got (I threw this British terminology in just for Rob :D) a drink in his or her hand.
-Second, cous-cous sounds strange in any language.
-Third, Spaniards have an uncanny ability to attract flies. This doesn't mean they smell bad, because they don't, but the flies come anyways. Which brings us to...
-Fourth, Spaniards also have an uncanny tolerance towards flies (which is possibly why the flies bug them...). In the States, most people will swat at a fly if it is flying anywhere within the vortex of personal space... usually within 3 or 4 feet. Here, I have seen a fly crawl on an individual's face for 3, 4, 5 seconds before leaving on it's own command. I have seen a fly crawl almost into someone's nose before being shooed away. Now, again, I will repeat that this does not mean that Spaniards smell or are disgusting but it's an interesting difference between the two cultures.
We heard that the Halloween parties were over the last weekend. From what we heard, they sounded like they were another fantastic success. Hope everyone has a fantastic Halloween and, when the clock strikes 3 there in Missouri, I hope you all think of Suzy and I and whisper a few Hail Mary's to deter the evil spirits of chicken eggs.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Bullfighting
Suzy:
I came across this post from the last time we were in Spain and I thought that it should belong on this site instead. Just for the record, I haven't been back to a bullfight. So here you go:
Monday, June 21, 2004
Submitted by Suzy
So, the bullfight. Let´s talk about that. For being a person with certain convictions about animals (who doesn´t eat red meat for example), I can honestly say that the bullfight two weekends ago was... amazing. I won´t say that I´m a fan, nor that I´m against it, simply that it...affected me. Deeply. Especially the last fight. There were six bulls in all that day, with three Toreros (Matadors), each Torero killing two bulls: one two three and one two three (in order). I think that it affected quite a few of us, but my experience especially was one of deep respect, admiration, and appreciation of the rhythms and profound culture of the event. During the whole time, I was a bit squeemish and unsure whether to walk out or stay seated. They killed all five, first driving barbs into the extremely tough flesh at the back of the neck to soften the meat, then toro-ing the bull until it was exhausted. Finally after about fifteen minutes of this dance, the Torero brought out his long sword and drove it in the heart through the shoulderblades. However, with the first five (I guess this is common), the bull was not finished off by this ´´final blow,´´ and was stabbed with a palm-length dagger quicky at the base of the skull, behind the horns, after the bull was so tired it fell to the ground. The blood quite literally bubbled out of the flesh, glinting almost metallic red on the black skin of the creature. However, during the last fight, the whole rhythm changed. The Torero fell and was trampled, which is extremely dangerous. He got up, toroed, posing dramatically with the bull pawing and snorting, later to fall again, this time on the bull. The dance between the two was intoxicating. In the middle of so much violence and what has been called barbary, there was so much honor and beauty, like you could feel centuries of history thickening the air. The whole stadium waved white handkerchiefs in respect for the bull, and the Torero drew the final blow. The bull took a few steps back, side to side, and fell, the only one that died from the final blow, a great honor to both parties. Even in memory the event brings a sort of ache as I am writing. It was so filled with every kind of emotion, of ancient and new, and blood and violence and history and perfume, of rhythm and art and dance, of symbolism and metaphor. It´s one of those things that really strikes a person, and I wouldn´t give up the experience for anything.
I came across this post from the last time we were in Spain and I thought that it should belong on this site instead. Just for the record, I haven't been back to a bullfight. So here you go:
Monday, June 21, 2004
Submitted by Suzy
So, the bullfight. Let´s talk about that. For being a person with certain convictions about animals (who doesn´t eat red meat for example), I can honestly say that the bullfight two weekends ago was... amazing. I won´t say that I´m a fan, nor that I´m against it, simply that it...affected me. Deeply. Especially the last fight. There were six bulls in all that day, with three Toreros (Matadors), each Torero killing two bulls: one two three and one two three (in order). I think that it affected quite a few of us, but my experience especially was one of deep respect, admiration, and appreciation of the rhythms and profound culture of the event. During the whole time, I was a bit squeemish and unsure whether to walk out or stay seated. They killed all five, first driving barbs into the extremely tough flesh at the back of the neck to soften the meat, then toro-ing the bull until it was exhausted. Finally after about fifteen minutes of this dance, the Torero brought out his long sword and drove it in the heart through the shoulderblades. However, with the first five (I guess this is common), the bull was not finished off by this ´´final blow,´´ and was stabbed with a palm-length dagger quicky at the base of the skull, behind the horns, after the bull was so tired it fell to the ground. The blood quite literally bubbled out of the flesh, glinting almost metallic red on the black skin of the creature. However, during the last fight, the whole rhythm changed. The Torero fell and was trampled, which is extremely dangerous. He got up, toroed, posing dramatically with the bull pawing and snorting, later to fall again, this time on the bull. The dance between the two was intoxicating. In the middle of so much violence and what has been called barbary, there was so much honor and beauty, like you could feel centuries of history thickening the air. The whole stadium waved white handkerchiefs in respect for the bull, and the Torero drew the final blow. The bull took a few steps back, side to side, and fell, the only one that died from the final blow, a great honor to both parties. Even in memory the event brings a sort of ache as I am writing. It was so filled with every kind of emotion, of ancient and new, and blood and violence and history and perfume, of rhythm and art and dance, of symbolism and metaphor. It´s one of those things that really strikes a person, and I wouldn´t give up the experience for anything.
A Song I've Fallen In Love With
Suzy:
(Thanks for the video, Neil)
Laura Lopez Castro
Añadir a mi perfil | Más Videos
Here are the lyrics so you can understand:
coro: /chorus:
No es por ser ni por estar /It’s not for existing nor being here
es por dejarme /it's for leaving me
es por quererme /it's for loving me
por aguantar /for bearing
por resistir /for resisting
y también por /and also for
calmar mi hambre /calming the hunger
que tengo por vivir. /that I have for life.
Por eso voy dejando atrás /That's why I'm leaving behind
tiempos pasados /past times
sin olvidarme /without forgetting
de quién es soy, /who I am,
y por la vida /and for my life
siempre contigo a mi lado /with you always by my side
porque tú eres mi calmamar. /because you are my "sea calmer."
Con pasos pequeños /With small steps
pero con el camino marcado /but with a marked path
por caminando hacia mi destino. /for walking toward my destiny.
coro /chorus
trumpet interlude /trumpet interlude
Con pasos pequeños /With small steps
pero con el camino marcado /but with a marked path
por caminando hacia mi destino. /for walking toward my destiny.
(repite 2 veces) /(repeat 2 times)
coro /chorus
Por todo lo que ahora soy /For all that I am now
yo te agradezco /I thank you
un casería /for my own invention
que ahora soy. /that I now am.
Me diste paz /You gave me peace
y también me diste la vida. /and you also gave me life.
Gracias por ser mi calmamar. /Thank you for being my "sea calmer."
Con pasos pequeños /With small steps
pero con el camino marcado /but with a marked path
por caminando hacia mi destino. /for walking toward my destiny.
(repite 2 veces) /(repeat 2 times)
No es por ser /It's not for existing
ni por estar. (2 veces) /nor for being. (twice)
(Thanks for the video, Neil)
Laura Lopez Castro
Añadir a mi perfil | Más Videos
Here are the lyrics so you can understand:
coro: /chorus:
No es por ser ni por estar /It’s not for existing nor being here
es por dejarme /it's for leaving me
es por quererme /it's for loving me
por aguantar /for bearing
por resistir /for resisting
y también por /and also for
calmar mi hambre /calming the hunger
que tengo por vivir. /that I have for life.
Por eso voy dejando atrás /That's why I'm leaving behind
tiempos pasados /past times
sin olvidarme /without forgetting
de quién es soy, /who I am,
y por la vida /and for my life
siempre contigo a mi lado /with you always by my side
porque tú eres mi calmamar. /because you are my "sea calmer."
Con pasos pequeños /With small steps
pero con el camino marcado /but with a marked path
por caminando hacia mi destino. /for walking toward my destiny.
coro /chorus
trumpet interlude /trumpet interlude
Con pasos pequeños /With small steps
pero con el camino marcado /but with a marked path
por caminando hacia mi destino. /for walking toward my destiny.
(repite 2 veces) /(repeat 2 times)
coro /chorus
Por todo lo que ahora soy /For all that I am now
yo te agradezco /I thank you
un casería /for my own invention
que ahora soy. /that I now am.
Me diste paz /You gave me peace
y también me diste la vida. /and you also gave me life.
Gracias por ser mi calmamar. /Thank you for being my "sea calmer."
Con pasos pequeños /With small steps
pero con el camino marcado /but with a marked path
por caminando hacia mi destino. /for walking toward my destiny.
(repite 2 veces) /(repeat 2 times)
No es por ser /It's not for existing
ni por estar. (2 veces) /nor for being. (twice)
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Today's Spanish Lesson
Suzy:
estar como sopa = "to be like soup" = to look like a drowned rat. Especially useful for describing how one looks after walking around looking for a flamenco show in the rain for about 30 minutes, even with an umbrella. The funniest part isn't the expression; it's that Spaniards in Andalucía are so unaccustomed to the rain (evidently it never rains here) that life suddenly stops when it happens. Read: no flamenco show. Balls! Now we are like soup. Oh well... at least we had some good wine and tapas at the "Museum of Oils" before going home.
tapa = "tapa" = tapa. Sorry; some things just don't translate. Here in Andalucía, it is typical to order a beer or wine and they bring you a tapa to the table for free (in northern Spain the tapas are charged separately). Tapas are like a variety of appetizers that can be all kinds of things, and vary from bar to bar. Last night the roomies and Greg and I all went with one of my colleagues, Miguel Ángel (yes, like Michelangelo but all Spanish-y). He is from Almería, so he showed us around a few bars. One of them was like a specialty tapas bar and had all kinds of neat-sounding ones (look at the wall for the menu in the picture). I tried the "croquetas" (Greg is holding one in the pic) which are fried balls of flour with serrano ham bits mixed inside (think the consistency of mashed potatoes flavored with bacon pieces and then fried so the outside is crunchy but the inside is fluffy). I've had "croquetas" a few places and they are probably my faves, but at this place they were served with a pear aioli. D-lish!
se me fue el santo al cielo = "the saint went to heaven on me" = I lost my train of thought. Especially useful after the third or fourth (okay, fifth or sixth ;) )tapas bar.
tío / tía = "uncle / aunt" = buddy, pal, guy, man, woman, etc. When we first came it was hard to figure out who was related to who here because they were all calling each other uncle and aunt. Turns out, it's slang (in Spain) for any of the various terms that we use in English to address our friends. Hence, "Hey, what's up, girl?" would be, "Oye, ¿qué pasa, tía?"
That's all for now, kids.
{As a side note, if any of you have Halloween pics that you could send me via email, my students at school would love to see them. It's hard to explain the tradition without pictures. Especially you, parents, who have embarrassing photos of Greg and me as little ones in costume. Let's see 'em!}
estar como sopa = "to be like soup" = to look like a drowned rat. Especially useful for describing how one looks after walking around looking for a flamenco show in the rain for about 30 minutes, even with an umbrella. The funniest part isn't the expression; it's that Spaniards in Andalucía are so unaccustomed to the rain (evidently it never rains here) that life suddenly stops when it happens. Read: no flamenco show. Balls! Now we are like soup. Oh well... at least we had some good wine and tapas at the "Museum of Oils" before going home.
tapa = "tapa" = tapa. Sorry; some things just don't translate. Here in Andalucía, it is typical to order a beer or wine and they bring you a tapa to the table for free (in northern Spain the tapas are charged separately). Tapas are like a variety of appetizers that can be all kinds of things, and vary from bar to bar. Last night the roomies and Greg and I all went with one of my colleagues, Miguel Ángel (yes, like Michelangelo but all Spanish-y). He is from Almería, so he showed us around a few bars. One of them was like a specialty tapas bar and had all kinds of neat-sounding ones (look at the wall for the menu in the picture). I tried the "croquetas" (Greg is holding one in the pic) which are fried balls of flour with serrano ham bits mixed inside (think the consistency of mashed potatoes flavored with bacon pieces and then fried so the outside is crunchy but the inside is fluffy). I've had "croquetas" a few places and they are probably my faves, but at this place they were served with a pear aioli. D-lish!
se me fue el santo al cielo = "the saint went to heaven on me" = I lost my train of thought. Especially useful after the third or fourth (okay, fifth or sixth ;) )tapas bar.
tío / tía = "uncle / aunt" = buddy, pal, guy, man, woman, etc. When we first came it was hard to figure out who was related to who here because they were all calling each other uncle and aunt. Turns out, it's slang (in Spain) for any of the various terms that we use in English to address our friends. Hence, "Hey, what's up, girl?" would be, "Oye, ¿qué pasa, tía?"
That's all for now, kids.
{As a side note, if any of you have Halloween pics that you could send me via email, my students at school would love to see them. It's hard to explain the tradition without pictures. Especially you, parents, who have embarrassing photos of Greg and me as little ones in costume. Let's see 'em!}
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Workin' on the mix tape
<Greg>
I just got back from exploring more of the city. Suzy had left with Marijke to a small town about 15 minutes west of here called El Ejido to see if they have any Arabic classes open so I took the time to seek adventure. After we had slain some thieving pirates and bundled their booty, I found that this little city seems to be much bigger than I had originally thought.
Anyways, the reason I went on my expedition was because I had checked out Kade and Caitlin's blog (Adam and Eve from that one Halloween for those that need the help) and they had a pretty sweet vid they posted showing off their town. Well, I thought to myself "Hrmm. That's a pretty sweet vid." Then I thought to myself "Kade is trying to call me out with all these pretty sweet vids he's creating." So... I went around and started Phase I of Pretty Sweet Vid: Aguadulce Version. So, Kade, hats off to your production skills but feel the heat because it's on!
Rob seemed to like the idea of me sending him our google maps area so I figured I'd post our general area here too.
</Greg>
I just got back from exploring more of the city. Suzy had left with Marijke to a small town about 15 minutes west of here called El Ejido to see if they have any Arabic classes open so I took the time to seek adventure. After we had slain some thieving pirates and bundled their booty, I found that this little city seems to be much bigger than I had originally thought.
Anyways, the reason I went on my expedition was because I had checked out Kade and Caitlin's blog (Adam and Eve from that one Halloween for those that need the help) and they had a pretty sweet vid they posted showing off their town. Well, I thought to myself "Hrmm. That's a pretty sweet vid." Then I thought to myself "Kade is trying to call me out with all these pretty sweet vids he's creating." So... I went around and started Phase I of Pretty Sweet Vid: Aguadulce Version. So, Kade, hats off to your production skills but feel the heat because it's on!
Rob seemed to like the idea of me sending him our google maps area so I figured I'd post our general area here too.
</Greg>
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Observations
(Rob requested that we clarify who is speaking. I insisted that he should be able to tell by context because he knows us so well. But he said, 'please,'... so....)
Suzy:
Suzy:
- Even if you're not in a particularly smiley mood, when you walk in the sea and get splashed by a bellybutton-high wave that you didn't see coming, the only thing for you to do is laugh really loud and open your eyes and mouth really big. And it feels like you're six again.
- You know all the songs they sang in the '60s about seeing animals and shapes leaping in the surf / sea foam and you thought it was just an acid trip? Nope, it's all true.
- The sea is way more interesting than most people you'll ever meet. Especially girls. Think about it.
- "Undertow" may be a cool name for a Tool album, but that's nuthin'. Just wait until the sea is angry enough to push you on your face while trying to steal your toes at the same time.
- You can't call yourself a real stone-skipper until you've launched one (in a single bounce!) over a 4 1/2 ft. wave.
- If you draw a spiral in the sand and the sea comes and washes away half of it, you're left with perfect concentric circles, but you can only see half of them. Which is a better metaphor for what you were thinking about anyway.
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