I just realized hhow sad my life is. The main point of this post is to tell you about how we created our own dessert at Vips and it was amazinggg!!!!!!!!
ALSO!! I just did something reallyy reallly exciting today, but I can't tell you yet because Jano doesn't know about it! shhh..
ALSO! I thought it might be fun if you guys wanted to figure out abbreviations! That's always fun right~
pte.
Co.
Ftd.
Hnos.
Ctra.
Bo.
C/
Gta.
puente
camino
facultad
hermanos
carretera
barrio
calle
glorieta
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Ashley- Apartment pics
Living Room
Our awesome blue-tiled kitchen
All the tile and ceramic in the bathroom is lavender...
For now, the spare bedroom...hopefully we can find another roommate soon.
My room!
Yeah, we've got a balcony. Here are some pics taken from it:
I was trying to remember whether this was taken at sunrise or sunset, which was silly because a) it's facing the west
b) I'm never awake at sunrise unless it is from the night before.
I knew I had forgotten a lot of stuff the other day...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Ashley- Health, hippies, and heartbreak
Some random things:
I had my first experience with health care in Argentina today. Of course right after I received an e-mail warning about the spread of Dengue Fever in the area, I started to get sick. I've been waking up in the middle of the night with a really bad fever and have had inflammation in my throat/neck that has prevented me from turning my head without turning my torso accompanied but the sorest of sore throats... Well, I went to the hospital today and was amazed at the ease of use and efficiency of health care here. For starters, it only cost around US$30 for treatment with absolutely no insurance coverage. Furthermore, I registered, paid, sat in the waiting room, saw the doctor, and walked out of the hospital, prescriptions in hand within 35 minutes! (I thought it was a little strange that even the doctor gives the customary cheek kiss to germ-ridden patients). Then at the pharmacy, they didn't need any of my personal information; upon presenting the scripts, the pharmacist just pulled the corresponding medicine off the shelf and I was on my way. Anyway, it turned out to be a nasty little bacterial infection, but at least that means antibiotics will get rid of it.
On a happier note, Deanna got to Buenos Aires this morning! It's great fun having someone to show around the city. We didn't get around too much today, but we spent a little time in el centro and then she came to my classes with me this evening. I get the feeling that my university is very different from the school she's attending in Quito. She commented on how political it is; the sea of colored butcher paper with propaganda for various political parties and student affiliates is pretty unique. She also reminded me that it's pretty unusual for kids to come into classrooms trying to sell things for small change...during class. She also noted that a lot of people dress like hippies here. It should be a fun week of roaming around the city and hopefully discovering more of its nooks and crannies.
I realized that I lied to a certain extent when I said that I haven't eaten any meat here. One day a couple weeks ago I was eating at one of many parillas (grills) in the city with my roommate. As I was thouroughly enjoying my baked (or grilled?) potato, I came across something of a chewy nature...too chewy for a potato. Not only had I somehow gotten a good-sized chunk of meat in my food, but it was an organ of some sort. GROSS. Even if I was a whole-hearted carnivore, I'd skip out on the unappetizing, too-tough-to-masticate innards of any animal. If that little passing wasn't enough to assure me that I can live without trying Argentina's world-renowned carne, I had another encounter to turn me off for good. I was walking home from the subte station one day and the delivery truck to the nearest carneceria (butchery) had just pulled up to the street. When I happened to be passing by, two men walked out of the truck carrying a long rack strung with cows split in half lengthwise. All of the features of a cow were identifiable (musculature, ribs, face, etc.). Nausea and sadness followed. Pobrecitas vacas.
I think that's a good image to leave you with. That's all for now, folks.
I had my first experience with health care in Argentina today. Of course right after I received an e-mail warning about the spread of Dengue Fever in the area, I started to get sick. I've been waking up in the middle of the night with a really bad fever and have had inflammation in my throat/neck that has prevented me from turning my head without turning my torso accompanied but the sorest of sore throats... Well, I went to the hospital today and was amazed at the ease of use and efficiency of health care here. For starters, it only cost around US$30 for treatment with absolutely no insurance coverage. Furthermore, I registered, paid, sat in the waiting room, saw the doctor, and walked out of the hospital, prescriptions in hand within 35 minutes! (I thought it was a little strange that even the doctor gives the customary cheek kiss to germ-ridden patients). Then at the pharmacy, they didn't need any of my personal information; upon presenting the scripts, the pharmacist just pulled the corresponding medicine off the shelf and I was on my way. Anyway, it turned out to be a nasty little bacterial infection, but at least that means antibiotics will get rid of it.
On a happier note, Deanna got to Buenos Aires this morning! It's great fun having someone to show around the city. We didn't get around too much today, but we spent a little time in el centro and then she came to my classes with me this evening. I get the feeling that my university is very different from the school she's attending in Quito. She commented on how political it is; the sea of colored butcher paper with propaganda for various political parties and student affiliates is pretty unique. She also reminded me that it's pretty unusual for kids to come into classrooms trying to sell things for small change...during class. She also noted that a lot of people dress like hippies here. It should be a fun week of roaming around the city and hopefully discovering more of its nooks and crannies.
I realized that I lied to a certain extent when I said that I haven't eaten any meat here. One day a couple weeks ago I was eating at one of many parillas (grills) in the city with my roommate. As I was thouroughly enjoying my baked (or grilled?) potato, I came across something of a chewy nature...too chewy for a potato. Not only had I somehow gotten a good-sized chunk of meat in my food, but it was an organ of some sort. GROSS. Even if I was a whole-hearted carnivore, I'd skip out on the unappetizing, too-tough-to-masticate innards of any animal. If that little passing wasn't enough to assure me that I can live without trying Argentina's world-renowned carne, I had another encounter to turn me off for good. I was walking home from the subte station one day and the delivery truck to the nearest carneceria (butchery) had just pulled up to the street. When I happened to be passing by, two men walked out of the truck carrying a long rack strung with cows split in half lengthwise. All of the features of a cow were identifiable (musculature, ribs, face, etc.). Nausea and sadness followed. Pobrecitas vacas.
I think that's a good image to leave you with. That's all for now, folks.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Ashley- Because I haven't had internet for two weeks...
Prepare yourselves for rambling, because I realize I haven't posted in a long time and a lot has happened since then! Apparently, the internet cafes here won't load www.adiosnoman.blogspot.com.
Most importantly, I finally moved into my apartment! In the past couple weeks I've gone from a hostel, to Jeff's apartment (the other student from OU), and finally to my own apartment! I live with another (female) student from Brazil named Joyce and we are getting along grandly. We were supposed to live with another girl (from Peru) as well, but she bailed on us at the last minute, so we're in the process of finding another roommate. We finally got internet yesterday, but Windows Vista is prickly and refuses to recognize the modem, so I've got to use Joyce's computer for now. I am under the impression that I just need to download some stuff (vague, I know) from Windows and upload it onto my computer, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Last night we had some people over for dinner, which was fun, but we lacked sufficient seating and dishes. However, everyone ended up full and happy, so it must have been a successful soiree! Although we are so excited to be in our apartment, it hasn't kept us from going out! We've been to several different discos in the city, which has translated into staying out until the sun is up and then sleeping all day on the weekends.
I still haven't gotten quite into the swing of things with classes because about half of mine have fallen on various holidays up to this point. I've had a TON of reading to do (and all in Spanish, of course), which has taken up more time than I would like, but it continues to become easier and easier to comprehend and read more quickly. My literature class is all about Las Vanguardias (the avante-garde movement in Latin America in the 1920's and 1930's more or less) and is pretty interesting, but it seems that history is the major of choice for all the guapos (which provides motivation to go to that class...).
Today we left the city to spend Pascuas (Easter) at Joyce's friend's mom's house in Caseros, a town about 20 kilometers outside the capital. It was nice to spend a day with friendly and intelligent women. I learned more about why there are such strong anti-government sentiments here (basically, they use power/money to force alliances). The subject came up because former President Alfonsin recently died. During his life he had less than a 20% approval rating, but has been elevated to saint-like status since his death. It's pretty interesting how people find it so much harder to talk about a person's faults after his/her death. On a tangent of this conversation, I learned more about Argentina's history. According to these women, peronism in it's true form died with Peron. Apparently he was the only one capable of running a "bipartisan" government (there are left- and right-wing peronist sectors which has resulted in a deep political divide here). Another really interesting note: these women are in their 40's or 50's and therefore were alive during the "Guerra Sucia" when pretty much anybody who did not show support for the government "disappeared," or rather was murdered by a very militant government. They actually knew some desaparecidos...I can't imagine living in such a restrictive society. It also seems like Menem was a pretty interesting president; he was able to keep the peso to dollar ration at about 1:1 and has been the only person able to do it thus far.
Besides chatting it up about the nation's leaders, past and present, we ate...a lot. They were all so worried when they found out I am vegetarian, but I don't know why. There were more different varieties of vegetable dishes and salads than I've seen in one place in a long time (how glorious)! And for any of you who might be curious, I still have not eaten meat here (I guess you really don't have to down here!). Speaking of cuisine, I feel like I've finally tried enough of the local specialties to write about them. Of course there are empanadas, a savory pastry with one of many different fillings. Most of them incorporate meat (especially ham) but there some veg-friendly options as well. My favorite so far has been humitas (a filling made of corn and some type of cream). There is also a lot of freakin' good (and CHEAP) Italian food here! Although it's hard to find a bad meal here, there is quite a lack of spicy food (of any kind). C'est la vie. On the dessert front, dulce de leche is a staple. It is incorporated into many desserts, and sometimes even eaten alone. One of the more common things to find it in is the alfajor, which is best described by two layers of something that lies between the texture of a cookie and cake, filled with dulce de leche and covered in either chocolate or meringue (So yummy!).
Perhaps more distinct than the food here are the drinks. Sparkling mineral water replaces tap water, which is nice except means always paying for your drink in a restaurant. Also, there is a drink called Terma, which is hard to explain, but here's a shot at it: a very strongly-flavored and slightly bitter non-alcoholic drink that is infused with a variety of herbs and drunk with sparkling water. Of course maté is every where, and I've become quite addicted. It's most similar to a bitter, loose-leaf tea (but it doesn't contain caffeine-it has a different chemical with similar effects but is more mild) that is drunk out of a small gourd-like cup through a metal "straw" that has several small holes in it. Argentinians are very picky about the temperature of water that is added to maté; it should be just on the verge of boiling, but not quite that hot. If it's too cold it doesn't taste right and if it's too hot it ruins the yerba maté. Another distinct drinking habit here is the (copious) consumption of fernet, an aromatic spirit that has a VERY strong and bitter flavor. It's most often mixed with Coke (and even then the drink isn't really sweet at all). I thought it was a bit too strong at first, but have since become quite the aficionada.
On a slightly less thrilling note, there have been some cases of Dengue Fever (a virus spread by mosquitoes with no vaccine) in the area outside of the city. It can take a mild form or result in deadly hemorrhages...woo-hoo. Bug repellent may not have the most feminine scent, but I think it will be a good friend for a while.
Speaking of good friends, on Tuesday Deanna is coming here from Ecuador (technically from Peru, but she is studying in Quito)! I'm excited to have a reason to do more sight-seeing in the city and surrounding area! I think I've fallen into the "I'm living here" mode and haven't been doing as much exploring as I should be doing. This should provide a good fix for that.
I know that I have forgotten to include some things, but I can't think of anything else too newsworthy at the moment. Until next time!
Most importantly, I finally moved into my apartment! In the past couple weeks I've gone from a hostel, to Jeff's apartment (the other student from OU), and finally to my own apartment! I live with another (female) student from Brazil named Joyce and we are getting along grandly. We were supposed to live with another girl (from Peru) as well, but she bailed on us at the last minute, so we're in the process of finding another roommate. We finally got internet yesterday, but Windows Vista is prickly and refuses to recognize the modem, so I've got to use Joyce's computer for now. I am under the impression that I just need to download some stuff (vague, I know) from Windows and upload it onto my computer, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Last night we had some people over for dinner, which was fun, but we lacked sufficient seating and dishes. However, everyone ended up full and happy, so it must have been a successful soiree! Although we are so excited to be in our apartment, it hasn't kept us from going out! We've been to several different discos in the city, which has translated into staying out until the sun is up and then sleeping all day on the weekends.
I still haven't gotten quite into the swing of things with classes because about half of mine have fallen on various holidays up to this point. I've had a TON of reading to do (and all in Spanish, of course), which has taken up more time than I would like, but it continues to become easier and easier to comprehend and read more quickly. My literature class is all about Las Vanguardias (the avante-garde movement in Latin America in the 1920's and 1930's more or less) and is pretty interesting, but it seems that history is the major of choice for all the guapos (which provides motivation to go to that class...).
Today we left the city to spend Pascuas (Easter) at Joyce's friend's mom's house in Caseros, a town about 20 kilometers outside the capital. It was nice to spend a day with friendly and intelligent women. I learned more about why there are such strong anti-government sentiments here (basically, they use power/money to force alliances). The subject came up because former President Alfonsin recently died. During his life he had less than a 20% approval rating, but has been elevated to saint-like status since his death. It's pretty interesting how people find it so much harder to talk about a person's faults after his/her death. On a tangent of this conversation, I learned more about Argentina's history. According to these women, peronism in it's true form died with Peron. Apparently he was the only one capable of running a "bipartisan" government (there are left- and right-wing peronist sectors which has resulted in a deep political divide here). Another really interesting note: these women are in their 40's or 50's and therefore were alive during the "Guerra Sucia" when pretty much anybody who did not show support for the government "disappeared," or rather was murdered by a very militant government. They actually knew some desaparecidos...I can't imagine living in such a restrictive society. It also seems like Menem was a pretty interesting president; he was able to keep the peso to dollar ration at about 1:1 and has been the only person able to do it thus far.
Besides chatting it up about the nation's leaders, past and present, we ate...a lot. They were all so worried when they found out I am vegetarian, but I don't know why. There were more different varieties of vegetable dishes and salads than I've seen in one place in a long time (how glorious)! And for any of you who might be curious, I still have not eaten meat here (I guess you really don't have to down here!). Speaking of cuisine, I feel like I've finally tried enough of the local specialties to write about them. Of course there are empanadas, a savory pastry with one of many different fillings. Most of them incorporate meat (especially ham) but there some veg-friendly options as well. My favorite so far has been humitas (a filling made of corn and some type of cream). There is also a lot of freakin' good (and CHEAP) Italian food here! Although it's hard to find a bad meal here, there is quite a lack of spicy food (of any kind). C'est la vie. On the dessert front, dulce de leche is a staple. It is incorporated into many desserts, and sometimes even eaten alone. One of the more common things to find it in is the alfajor, which is best described by two layers of something that lies between the texture of a cookie and cake, filled with dulce de leche and covered in either chocolate or meringue (So yummy!).
Perhaps more distinct than the food here are the drinks. Sparkling mineral water replaces tap water, which is nice except means always paying for your drink in a restaurant. Also, there is a drink called Terma, which is hard to explain, but here's a shot at it: a very strongly-flavored and slightly bitter non-alcoholic drink that is infused with a variety of herbs and drunk with sparkling water. Of course maté is every where, and I've become quite addicted. It's most similar to a bitter, loose-leaf tea (but it doesn't contain caffeine-it has a different chemical with similar effects but is more mild) that is drunk out of a small gourd-like cup through a metal "straw" that has several small holes in it. Argentinians are very picky about the temperature of water that is added to maté; it should be just on the verge of boiling, but not quite that hot. If it's too cold it doesn't taste right and if it's too hot it ruins the yerba maté. Another distinct drinking habit here is the (copious) consumption of fernet, an aromatic spirit that has a VERY strong and bitter flavor. It's most often mixed with Coke (and even then the drink isn't really sweet at all). I thought it was a bit too strong at first, but have since become quite the aficionada.
On a slightly less thrilling note, there have been some cases of Dengue Fever (a virus spread by mosquitoes with no vaccine) in the area outside of the city. It can take a mild form or result in deadly hemorrhages...woo-hoo. Bug repellent may not have the most feminine scent, but I think it will be a good friend for a while.
Speaking of good friends, on Tuesday Deanna is coming here from Ecuador (technically from Peru, but she is studying in Quito)! I'm excited to have a reason to do more sight-seeing in the city and surrounding area! I think I've fallen into the "I'm living here" mode and haven't been doing as much exploring as I should be doing. This should provide a good fix for that.
I know that I have forgotten to include some things, but I can't think of anything else too newsworthy at the moment. Until next time!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Lauren-Semana Santa
half of april has gone whizzing by!
the Friday before semana santa we didnt have class and that day we went to eat lunch at Jano's other grandma's house so that we could get the key to the house in Asturias and so that I could meet her. She's the typical grandma who says that you don't eat enough and gives you old gossip magazines to read.
Then we went to the teleferico which I'm not sure what it's called in English, like a sky tram or whatever, to see the city from above. That was cool!! Then after that we went to the Prado and we ended up getting in free on accident because from 6-8 its free! Then my contacts started being quite bothersome so we decided not to go out to dinner. :( That night we ordered pizza at home.
Then Saturday we went to Toledo and went out with his friends on Saturday night. I have introduced Cannonball and Tourettes so far and they have really taken to both of them, except they are a lot more dramatic with tourettes, taking like 5 seconds before they flip over the card.
Sunday we watched Mia Sara a Spanish movie that was kind of weird but really cute!
Monday we went to Madrid to go shopping for dresses for the wedding with Jano's cousin Paula. I ended up buying two dresses in Zara, but I'm having second thoughts about one of them and I saw one by Penelope and Monica Cruz in a store (I don't know anything about their clothes or if they're any good or not) but I liked that dress so maybe I'll buy that one instead. Who knows!?
Then Tuesday we drove to Asturias. The typical trip that should last 5 hours that lasts 7, and we were supposed to leave at 11 and we left at 1230. me and Jano were in our own car so that was fun except that his ipod cord thing is broken and we were driving through the mountains so half the time we had nothing, opera, or conservative talk shows. Asturias is so pretty though! There are snowy mountains with green pastures and valleys, and little towns where people have cows and chickens and goats that stand on like 70 degree slopes! WOW!
Then we got to the house, which has the beach right at the end of the street on the Mar Cantabrico. The whole town is really into fishing. The house, however, is meant to be used in summer and therefore does not have any heat. so we froze our little buns off until we found a little heater that we rotated from room to room. We stayed in Jano's grandma's house with Alba, Jano's sister and 4 of her friends. Tuesday we just got there and stayed up drinking and playing cards.
Wednesday we went out with Jano's parents who were staying with Jano's dad's cousin, Juan and his family. We went to a lookout to see the ocean and we took pictures! i'll show you later! then we went to a beach (the water is really cold) and then we went to a little town which is really pretty with little colored houses and fish markets in the streets and we had sidra (apple cider with alcohol in it). They have to pour it from like 2 feet above the glass the that it mixes whatever is in it when it hits the glass! I really liked it!
This week I had
clam
oysters
something else that comes in the typical seashell that comes on the beach
crab
sting ray
large shrimp
percebes (i dont know what these are in english)
2 other kinds of fish
chipirones (i dont know what this is in english either, but its like calamari)
calamari
I don't know what else!
After lunch we tried to see the Eucalypton (a really big eucalyptus tree), but we couldn't get to it because the road was blocked off due to construction. That night we went to eat dinner at Jano's dad's cousin's house. They made fish and pizza! The mom is an English teacher!
Thursday we stayed in. Jano made wonderful pasta for lunch. We watched the first half of Viva Cuba, took a nap and then studied the rest of the afternoon until dinner. We went out to dinner and ordered croquetas, chorizo a la sidra, patatas with 3 sauces (patatas cabrales is a specialty of Asturias) and calamari. Then we took a very short walk to the ocean and went home. We drank and played cards a little bit with alba and her friends but they were all tired and went to bed early (losers).
Friday we went to Juan and Alicias for lunch. Paella with a bunch of fishes and stuff. Then Jano watched Gladiator and I took a napped (we both soaked up the heat of their house before going back to our icebox) When we got home we finished Viva Cuba and then had salad for dinner. That night we drank and played cards again.
This morning we got up at 930 to pack everything up and were on the road by 1030. Jano and I stopped in Valladolid on the way home to eat lunch with a friend he has who lives there, Mario. We at pizza with him and then were off to Madrid, arriving around 530. We took a short nap at his tia sole's house then, today is her birthday, so at 8 she had the fam and friends over. We stayed to celebrate for like an hour, mostly setting out plates of food for her, then Jano went to Toledo, and I came to emi's house because I really need to hit the books tomorrow! and wash my clothes!
the Friday before semana santa we didnt have class and that day we went to eat lunch at Jano's other grandma's house so that we could get the key to the house in Asturias and so that I could meet her. She's the typical grandma who says that you don't eat enough and gives you old gossip magazines to read.
Then we went to the teleferico which I'm not sure what it's called in English, like a sky tram or whatever, to see the city from above. That was cool!! Then after that we went to the Prado and we ended up getting in free on accident because from 6-8 its free! Then my contacts started being quite bothersome so we decided not to go out to dinner. :( That night we ordered pizza at home.
Then Saturday we went to Toledo and went out with his friends on Saturday night. I have introduced Cannonball and Tourettes so far and they have really taken to both of them, except they are a lot more dramatic with tourettes, taking like 5 seconds before they flip over the card.
Sunday we watched Mia Sara a Spanish movie that was kind of weird but really cute!
Monday we went to Madrid to go shopping for dresses for the wedding with Jano's cousin Paula. I ended up buying two dresses in Zara, but I'm having second thoughts about one of them and I saw one by Penelope and Monica Cruz in a store (I don't know anything about their clothes or if they're any good or not) but I liked that dress so maybe I'll buy that one instead. Who knows!?
Then Tuesday we drove to Asturias. The typical trip that should last 5 hours that lasts 7, and we were supposed to leave at 11 and we left at 1230. me and Jano were in our own car so that was fun except that his ipod cord thing is broken and we were driving through the mountains so half the time we had nothing, opera, or conservative talk shows. Asturias is so pretty though! There are snowy mountains with green pastures and valleys, and little towns where people have cows and chickens and goats that stand on like 70 degree slopes! WOW!
Then we got to the house, which has the beach right at the end of the street on the Mar Cantabrico. The whole town is really into fishing. The house, however, is meant to be used in summer and therefore does not have any heat. so we froze our little buns off until we found a little heater that we rotated from room to room. We stayed in Jano's grandma's house with Alba, Jano's sister and 4 of her friends. Tuesday we just got there and stayed up drinking and playing cards.
Wednesday we went out with Jano's parents who were staying with Jano's dad's cousin, Juan and his family. We went to a lookout to see the ocean and we took pictures! i'll show you later! then we went to a beach (the water is really cold) and then we went to a little town which is really pretty with little colored houses and fish markets in the streets and we had sidra (apple cider with alcohol in it). They have to pour it from like 2 feet above the glass the that it mixes whatever is in it when it hits the glass! I really liked it!
This week I had
clam
oysters
something else that comes in the typical seashell that comes on the beach
crab
sting ray
large shrimp
percebes (i dont know what these are in english)
2 other kinds of fish
chipirones (i dont know what this is in english either, but its like calamari)
calamari
I don't know what else!
After lunch we tried to see the Eucalypton (a really big eucalyptus tree), but we couldn't get to it because the road was blocked off due to construction. That night we went to eat dinner at Jano's dad's cousin's house. They made fish and pizza! The mom is an English teacher!
Thursday we stayed in. Jano made wonderful pasta for lunch. We watched the first half of Viva Cuba, took a nap and then studied the rest of the afternoon until dinner. We went out to dinner and ordered croquetas, chorizo a la sidra, patatas with 3 sauces (patatas cabrales is a specialty of Asturias) and calamari. Then we took a very short walk to the ocean and went home. We drank and played cards a little bit with alba and her friends but they were all tired and went to bed early (losers).
Friday we went to Juan and Alicias for lunch. Paella with a bunch of fishes and stuff. Then Jano watched Gladiator and I took a napped (we both soaked up the heat of their house before going back to our icebox) When we got home we finished Viva Cuba and then had salad for dinner. That night we drank and played cards again.
This morning we got up at 930 to pack everything up and were on the road by 1030. Jano and I stopped in Valladolid on the way home to eat lunch with a friend he has who lives there, Mario. We at pizza with him and then were off to Madrid, arriving around 530. We took a short nap at his tia sole's house then, today is her birthday, so at 8 she had the fam and friends over. We stayed to celebrate for like an hour, mostly setting out plates of food for her, then Jano went to Toledo, and I came to emi's house because I really need to hit the books tomorrow! and wash my clothes!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Cara- I got up at 4:30 today
After going to bed at a reasonable hour, around 10, (which is unspeakably early for Spaniards) I was awoken by drums in the street. It's holy week in Spain, so everyday there are at least 5 processions around the city. Since I live downtown there's usually several in my neighborhood, so I've seen about 3 or so a day. Normally they run from about 10-1 ish, which is immediately after dinner in Spain. Usually there's a large float with a figure of Jesus in some stage of holy week (carrying the cross, receiving the crown of thorns etc) or the virgin Mary in some ridiculously inaccurate renaissance costume. The float is carried and surrounded by a large group of people wearing KKK-esque hats who all belong to the same Catholic brotherhood, the brotherhoods being up to 700 years old.
Some of them are playing drums and trumpets. That's nice during the day because it makes them easy to locate, but at 4:30 am? So I got out of bed to see what was this clatter, and this procession was a little different from the others. To start, they weren't wearing hats or covering their faces at all. Also, I was one of about 5 spectators. Normally the streets around the processions are packed with families watching, even after one. I followed for about an hour, which was a good idea because I got to see some plazas and streets around my neighborhood I didn't even realize existed. Obviously, now my plans for the days events are somewhat altered since I'm still awake at 6 am. I was thinking I'd shower, wait for my hair to dry, then go get a coffee, walk to the police station to see if anyone's turned in my card (yeah, I lost it), maybe go to a mass, buy some fish for dinner tonight (it is good friday ya know), go to the bus station and buy some tickets for Cadiz on monday, and then lunch and siesta! Should be a full day.
Some of them are playing drums and trumpets. That's nice during the day because it makes them easy to locate, but at 4:30 am? So I got out of bed to see what was this clatter, and this procession was a little different from the others. To start, they weren't wearing hats or covering their faces at all. Also, I was one of about 5 spectators. Normally the streets around the processions are packed with families watching, even after one. I followed for about an hour, which was a good idea because I got to see some plazas and streets around my neighborhood I didn't even realize existed. Obviously, now my plans for the days events are somewhat altered since I'm still awake at 6 am. I was thinking I'd shower, wait for my hair to dry, then go get a coffee, walk to the police station to see if anyone's turned in my card (yeah, I lost it), maybe go to a mass, buy some fish for dinner tonight (it is good friday ya know), go to the bus station and buy some tickets for Cadiz on monday, and then lunch and siesta! Should be a full day.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Cara- French People
As you know, I live with 3 french girls and know about 100 others. I swear there must be at least 400 french exchange students in Zaragoza. Therefore, I am qualified to write this DSM-style diagnostic check-list of signs someone is indeed French.
1. They smoke a lot. I don't think I know any french people who don't smoke, even the ones in medical school. Maybe they haven't heard. If you're not sure if someone is French or Belgian, look at their right index finger. If they are French, it will be yellow from nicotine.
2. They are all petite, brunette, and have glowy, perfect skin.
3. They sound really funny when they speak English. The consonants are generally over-articulated and the "th" sound is more like a "z".
4. They cook with lots and lots of butter.
5. All their clothes are in neutral colors. Grey, blue, brown, khaki with the occasional deep teal to keep things interesting.
6. They drink lots of wine.
7. They like this lady a lot.
I'd say exhibiting 5 of these symptoms is sufficient to conclude that someone is indeed French. Happy Diagnosing!
1. They smoke a lot. I don't think I know any french people who don't smoke, even the ones in medical school. Maybe they haven't heard. If you're not sure if someone is French or Belgian, look at their right index finger. If they are French, it will be yellow from nicotine.
2. They are all petite, brunette, and have glowy, perfect skin.
3. They sound really funny when they speak English. The consonants are generally over-articulated and the "th" sound is more like a "z".
4. They cook with lots and lots of butter.
5. All their clothes are in neutral colors. Grey, blue, brown, khaki with the occasional deep teal to keep things interesting.
6. They drink lots of wine.
7. They like this lady a lot.
I'd say exhibiting 5 of these symptoms is sufficient to conclude that someone is indeed French. Happy Diagnosing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
