Well, that whole "I'm going to write every week" thing lasted all of... um... one week...
Anyhow, life is good in Granada!
The weather is starting to turn cool (cold, at night), and we've had a fair amount of rain lately, but it's still pretty nice during the day.As I write this, I'm sitting on the third-floor patio of my friend Jennifer's house... it has a direct view to the Alhambra (and is super close to the base of the fortress) - can't complain about that! At times it's unreal to me that I live here. I got a job giving guided visits through the Albaicin (the historically Muslim neighborhood of Granada) and I've been doing some research in preparation. It's fascinating to read something in a book like "the original wall around San Nicolas dates to the ninth century and is based upon a pre-existing Roman wall that may also have connections with the neolithic artifacts in the area" - and then realize that that's the wall you pass every morning on your way to the grocery store!
Lately I've been keeping pretty busy by giving private and small group classes in dulcimer, piano, and English. I have about 9 students right now, ages 3, 4, 4, 5, 9, 10, 10, 11, and 39-ish. The 3 year-old is by far the hardest. I'm supposed to "teach" her English, but she's pretty wiggly and usually doesn't want to pay any attention to me. Yesterday she told me "shut up and go away, Laura. You smell bad. Goodbye, ugly." so that's always awesome. The music groups are also still going on.
Wadih got a job playing every night at a flamenco tablao called "Los Tarantos" - it's pretty famous in Granada. So that's been exciting! It's also RIGHT next to our house (well, not RIGHT next door) so that's an added bonus, for sure.
I wish that the leaves were changing colors here, but they're not (and they're not going to). I'm excited for Halloween, though! Jennifer is having an ex-pat, American-style Halloween party next week, so that will be FABulous!
Happy Halloween!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Granada, Ramadan, and the end of summer
So I made it back to Spain! Not that I thought that I wouldn´t...
Things here are going great (for the first week, anyhow). Already I feel much better about my time here - lots of people have said, "Oh, we missed you!" which is, of course, a great feeling.
After being back in the US for a month (the first time in an entire year), I´ve been able to really "feel" a lot of the differences between Granada and PA. Being back in Lancaster made me appreciate even more the beauty of the green, rolling farm lands - something that you don´t find in Andalucia. I was appalled/overwhelmed/surprised by the amount of SPACE there is, however. In the course of my one month in the US I was in Lancaster, California, Vermont, Washington D.C., and southern Virginia; in all of those places, only D.C. seemed to be not so overwhelmingly open. Living in Granada, I´ve begun to take for granted the fact that I can walk to the grocery store, visit a cafe until midnight, and live with the natural elements that surround us. Since most places don´t have airconditioning here, when it´s hot it´s hot and when it´s cold it´s cold. Here, you get to know the intimate details of your neighbors´lives and of those who pass by on the street. Nothing is private in a place where the buildings are impossibly close together, windows are open at all hours of the night and day, and daily activities frequently relocate to open-air public spaces. It´s not uncommon, for example, for a family to leave the house doors open (especially in the heat of summer) and engage in a fluid in-out-in-out of activity that overflows the house boundaries and spreads into the sidewalk, the street, or the local plaza. I felt disconnected from people in Pennsylvania; I had to drive to get anywhere, and since I didn´t have a car it was almost impossible to do things on my own (not that my parents wouldn´t have driven me if I had asked). Why does there need to be so much space between things? Is it because we Americans are so much private-oriented? Is it a geographical and climatological construct? Maybe, but San Diego is very much like Granada in terms of climate, and even there I was taken aback by the number of sprawling strip malls.
There were, of course, many things in the US that were a joy to return to. Beyond the obvious pleasure of seeing friends and family, I certainly enjoyed free refills, drinks with ice, grocery stores with actual selection, American coffee to go (not that I don´t love my cafe con leche!), un-dubbed movies, and lots and lots of green (nature-wise, that is).
But enough of that!
When I got back to Granada, Wadih threw me a surprise birthday dinner with a few friends, which was really lovely. I was pretty exhausted after my 33 hours of traveling, but we had a great time. For a gift, Wadih gave me a beautiful little bird (yes, it´s real!) that we´ve named Rainbow on account of her polychromatic appearance. She´s still a little frightened of humans, but the sweetest thing is that she sings whenever Wadih begins to play guitar or I play piano. A lovely birthday present :)
Since then, I´ve been trying to figure out the whole job situation. It seems that NObody has work here... there´s lots of talk about how people in the area are having a hard time getting even the most basic of jobs (like waitressing, cleaning, being a secretary, etc.). Still working on it!
I´ve been observing Ramadan with Wadih, which has been a new challenge for me. I don´t mind the lack of food during the day but it´s difficult to go without drinking at least a glass of water. Still, it makes me understand better what Wadih feels and goes through (last Ramadan I ate while he fasted and it actually caused a fair amount of stress between us... I didn´t get why he was so grumpy, and he didn´t want to be around if there was a lot of food being eaten). This time, we´re making an effort to not be grumpy and to thoroughly enjoy the food when it comes time for eating. The fast certainly does make you appreciate food even more! In fact, it makes you appreciate basic things... like the fact that you HAVE the option to walk out and get a drink of clean water or eat a snack whenever you want. Many people in the world live with this "fasting" as a regular course of daily life. If only everyone would take the time and the sacrifice to understand what it really feels like to go hungry and thirsty (and even then with the knowledge that a wonderful feast is awaiting at the day´s end!)
Things here are going great (for the first week, anyhow). Already I feel much better about my time here - lots of people have said, "Oh, we missed you!" which is, of course, a great feeling.
After being back in the US for a month (the first time in an entire year), I´ve been able to really "feel" a lot of the differences between Granada and PA. Being back in Lancaster made me appreciate even more the beauty of the green, rolling farm lands - something that you don´t find in Andalucia. I was appalled/overwhelmed/surprised by the amount of SPACE there is, however. In the course of my one month in the US I was in Lancaster, California, Vermont, Washington D.C., and southern Virginia; in all of those places, only D.C. seemed to be not so overwhelmingly open. Living in Granada, I´ve begun to take for granted the fact that I can walk to the grocery store, visit a cafe until midnight, and live with the natural elements that surround us. Since most places don´t have airconditioning here, when it´s hot it´s hot and when it´s cold it´s cold. Here, you get to know the intimate details of your neighbors´lives and of those who pass by on the street. Nothing is private in a place where the buildings are impossibly close together, windows are open at all hours of the night and day, and daily activities frequently relocate to open-air public spaces. It´s not uncommon, for example, for a family to leave the house doors open (especially in the heat of summer) and engage in a fluid in-out-in-out of activity that overflows the house boundaries and spreads into the sidewalk, the street, or the local plaza. I felt disconnected from people in Pennsylvania; I had to drive to get anywhere, and since I didn´t have a car it was almost impossible to do things on my own (not that my parents wouldn´t have driven me if I had asked). Why does there need to be so much space between things? Is it because we Americans are so much private-oriented? Is it a geographical and climatological construct? Maybe, but San Diego is very much like Granada in terms of climate, and even there I was taken aback by the number of sprawling strip malls.
There were, of course, many things in the US that were a joy to return to. Beyond the obvious pleasure of seeing friends and family, I certainly enjoyed free refills, drinks with ice, grocery stores with actual selection, American coffee to go (not that I don´t love my cafe con leche!), un-dubbed movies, and lots and lots of green (nature-wise, that is).
But enough of that!
When I got back to Granada, Wadih threw me a surprise birthday dinner with a few friends, which was really lovely. I was pretty exhausted after my 33 hours of traveling, but we had a great time. For a gift, Wadih gave me a beautiful little bird (yes, it´s real!) that we´ve named Rainbow on account of her polychromatic appearance. She´s still a little frightened of humans, but the sweetest thing is that she sings whenever Wadih begins to play guitar or I play piano. A lovely birthday present :)
Since then, I´ve been trying to figure out the whole job situation. It seems that NObody has work here... there´s lots of talk about how people in the area are having a hard time getting even the most basic of jobs (like waitressing, cleaning, being a secretary, etc.). Still working on it!
I´ve been observing Ramadan with Wadih, which has been a new challenge for me. I don´t mind the lack of food during the day but it´s difficult to go without drinking at least a glass of water. Still, it makes me understand better what Wadih feels and goes through (last Ramadan I ate while he fasted and it actually caused a fair amount of stress between us... I didn´t get why he was so grumpy, and he didn´t want to be around if there was a lot of food being eaten). This time, we´re making an effort to not be grumpy and to thoroughly enjoy the food when it comes time for eating. The fast certainly does make you appreciate food even more! In fact, it makes you appreciate basic things... like the fact that you HAVE the option to walk out and get a drink of clean water or eat a snack whenever you want. Many people in the world live with this "fasting" as a regular course of daily life. If only everyone would take the time and the sacrifice to understand what it really feels like to go hungry and thirsty (and even then with the knowledge that a wonderful feast is awaiting at the day´s end!)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Address change
In case anybody's interested, my new address in Spain (as of July 1, 2008) is:
Laura Smith
Cuesta del Chapiz 17, bajo-dcha
18010 Granada
SPAIN
I always love to get mail :)
Laura Smith
Cuesta del Chapiz 17, bajo-dcha
18010 Granada
SPAIN
I always love to get mail :)
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
P.S.
I just realized that my earlier blogs (from January and February) left some loose threads, so I wanted to clean them up...
Unfortunately, the second little chihuahua pup I was raising didn't make it either. He died at 6 weeks of a massive ringworm infestation that he probably got through his mother. We gave Toby back because of his agression, but Ramsis is still with us and as chipper as ever!
I moved to a new apartment in July - it's still in Granada but in a much more convenient location (i.e. not on the highest hill in the entire city). For the month before I came back to the US I was working as an English conversation assistant through a Spanish scholarship program for Spanish college students. I spent a week in August with my college roommates in San Diego, and we had tons of fun hanging out and reliving crazy times.
My mom and dad are doing great with their second service dog puppy, Midge, and my brother just started his junior year at the University of Vermont.
That's the abridged version of the past few months :)
Unfortunately, the second little chihuahua pup I was raising didn't make it either. He died at 6 weeks of a massive ringworm infestation that he probably got through his mother. We gave Toby back because of his agression, but Ramsis is still with us and as chipper as ever!
I moved to a new apartment in July - it's still in Granada but in a much more convenient location (i.e. not on the highest hill in the entire city). For the month before I came back to the US I was working as an English conversation assistant through a Spanish scholarship program for Spanish college students. I spent a week in August with my college roommates in San Diego, and we had tons of fun hanging out and reliving crazy times.
My mom and dad are doing great with their second service dog puppy, Midge, and my brother just started his junior year at the University of Vermont.
That's the abridged version of the past few months :)
Back in gear
Well, it's been a while since my last post, to say the least. If you're still reading, I'm impressed, honestly. This is why I last about two days when doing a diary... I never seem to follow through on my entries.
So I guess that this post is part promise and part explanation. The promise is that I will do my best to post on a weekly basis (ha, we'll see if I can actually do this!) and the explanation is to tell why I've decided to stay in Spain for a second year.
I went to Spain last September with the assumption that I would return saying, "That was the best year of my life." Well, it certainly wasn't the best year ever. In fact, there were times when I felt like saying that it was the worst year of my life. In terms of personal growth, on the other hand, it was a very good year. I look at the person I was at my college graduation and feel that I've grown immensely. Not only have I faced the "real world," but I've done it in a foreign language and in a foreign country. I've been able to put into perspective many of the wonderful attributes of the US as well as some of the ways in which the "American way" is not the way for me. Having visited the emergency room three times this year, for example, (only once was to actually be treated - i.e. when I put my finger in the blender and accidentally turned it on...) has really made me appreciate the Spanish medical system. Talk about universal healthcare! But I digress...
The beginning of my Fulbright experience was great but quickly went downhill. When I moved to Granada my project never truly recovered from the blow that it had taken in Toledo. Anyone who has spent significant time in Spain will understand why I say that mid-November is not a good time to try to re-energize an academic project! Although I tried to be very objective and professional in my earlier post explaining my move from Toledo, the fact of the matter is that I felt hurt and betrayed by people I had believed to be my friends. I haven't had the courage to return to Toledo since last October, and I'm not sure how long it will take me to be willing to go back. In the myopic lens of my memory, Toledo holds nothing but pain and disappointment. It's a shame, too, because it's a beautiful city, and I went with such high hopes and expectations.
For most of the winter, even after I had left Toledo, I was pretty depressed; I felt like I had no friends, and my self-confidence was low as I tried to sort out what I wanted to "do" with my life. After being a "somebody" at William and Mary, I felt like a "nobody" in Spain. I also felt guilty and sad about being so far from family. Financially-speaking, I didn't handle my year very well and was stretched and worried by the end of my stipend. Granada also has a way of swallowing you whole, of taking you away without letting you realize that you're gone. It's a funny city in that sense... I love it terribly but there have been times when I felt like I'd lost the real Laura Smith.
By the beginning of summer, however, things had gotten much better. I felt like I belonged, had friends, and knew some purpose and direction for my future.
I'm not sure exactly what changed... several things changed, I guess. I made friends, joined, groups, started practicing piano like I should have for years, decided to apply for a master's program for the fall of 2009, and got into a regular schedule that helped me organize my days. My brother came over for two weeks in May and we took a fabulous backpacking trip through the Pyrenees and across Mallorca (see the photos on my webshots site!). Being outdoors and feeling connected to the earth again was wonderful - my brother and I had the best time with each other that we've ever had in our entire lives.
Another huge factor has been the wonderful support of my boyfriend, Wadih. Throughout the year we have worked through the challenges and difficulties inherent in an inter-racial, inter-cultural, inter-linguistic (you'd be surprised at what an important factor that is!), and inter-religious relationship, but I have learned, in the process, so much about honesty, loyalty, values, and of course, love (cue cheesy Hallmark commercial music).
So to make a long story short, I'm going back.
I decided to spend another year in Spain because I didn't want my 2007-2008 year to be my only experience of Spain. Although I've had a great time, it hasn't been fabulous, and I want to come away from my time abroad feeling positive, productive, and confident. I started several projects - namely the recording of a CD - that I want to go back and complete in order to have something to show for my Fulbright experience. My three musical groups - Sin Fronteras, Gospel Molotov, and Hootenanny - are under way and doing well, and I want to see where they can take me this coming year. I want to be with Wadih, who has commitments in Spain for another year, and I want to continue to make friends and acquaintences. I'd like to keep working on my Spanish and maybe on my Arabic this time as well. I want the challenge of "making it work" in a foreign country, though a different culture, and with a different language. And I want to do it knowing who I am and trusting in that certainty.
My current plans, as of this posting, are to remain in Spain (or a combination of Spain and Morocco) until next summer, after which I'd like to return to the States for my master's degree. It's a pretty fluid situation, but we'll see how it goes :)
All right, well if you're still reading, you've suffered through my entire sappy, cheesy, over-emotional, and lengthy monologue. I don't say all of this to look for pity or to place myself on any sort of pedestal, but rather to say what's actually been going on in my life these past months. It's been hard being home and answering the inevitable, "so how's Spain?" question. Here's the answer in full. It hasn't always been good but it's getting better and I'm looking forward to going back.
Keep posted to see how this next year shapes up!
Thanks for sticking with me...
So I guess that this post is part promise and part explanation. The promise is that I will do my best to post on a weekly basis (ha, we'll see if I can actually do this!) and the explanation is to tell why I've decided to stay in Spain for a second year.
I went to Spain last September with the assumption that I would return saying, "That was the best year of my life." Well, it certainly wasn't the best year ever. In fact, there were times when I felt like saying that it was the worst year of my life. In terms of personal growth, on the other hand, it was a very good year. I look at the person I was at my college graduation and feel that I've grown immensely. Not only have I faced the "real world," but I've done it in a foreign language and in a foreign country. I've been able to put into perspective many of the wonderful attributes of the US as well as some of the ways in which the "American way" is not the way for me. Having visited the emergency room three times this year, for example, (only once was to actually be treated - i.e. when I put my finger in the blender and accidentally turned it on...) has really made me appreciate the Spanish medical system. Talk about universal healthcare! But I digress...
The beginning of my Fulbright experience was great but quickly went downhill. When I moved to Granada my project never truly recovered from the blow that it had taken in Toledo. Anyone who has spent significant time in Spain will understand why I say that mid-November is not a good time to try to re-energize an academic project! Although I tried to be very objective and professional in my earlier post explaining my move from Toledo, the fact of the matter is that I felt hurt and betrayed by people I had believed to be my friends. I haven't had the courage to return to Toledo since last October, and I'm not sure how long it will take me to be willing to go back. In the myopic lens of my memory, Toledo holds nothing but pain and disappointment. It's a shame, too, because it's a beautiful city, and I went with such high hopes and expectations.
For most of the winter, even after I had left Toledo, I was pretty depressed; I felt like I had no friends, and my self-confidence was low as I tried to sort out what I wanted to "do" with my life. After being a "somebody" at William and Mary, I felt like a "nobody" in Spain. I also felt guilty and sad about being so far from family. Financially-speaking, I didn't handle my year very well and was stretched and worried by the end of my stipend. Granada also has a way of swallowing you whole, of taking you away without letting you realize that you're gone. It's a funny city in that sense... I love it terribly but there have been times when I felt like I'd lost the real Laura Smith.
By the beginning of summer, however, things had gotten much better. I felt like I belonged, had friends, and knew some purpose and direction for my future.
I'm not sure exactly what changed... several things changed, I guess. I made friends, joined, groups, started practicing piano like I should have for years, decided to apply for a master's program for the fall of 2009, and got into a regular schedule that helped me organize my days. My brother came over for two weeks in May and we took a fabulous backpacking trip through the Pyrenees and across Mallorca (see the photos on my webshots site!). Being outdoors and feeling connected to the earth again was wonderful - my brother and I had the best time with each other that we've ever had in our entire lives.
Another huge factor has been the wonderful support of my boyfriend, Wadih. Throughout the year we have worked through the challenges and difficulties inherent in an inter-racial, inter-cultural, inter-linguistic (you'd be surprised at what an important factor that is!), and inter-religious relationship, but I have learned, in the process, so much about honesty, loyalty, values, and of course, love (cue cheesy Hallmark commercial music).
So to make a long story short, I'm going back.
I decided to spend another year in Spain because I didn't want my 2007-2008 year to be my only experience of Spain. Although I've had a great time, it hasn't been fabulous, and I want to come away from my time abroad feeling positive, productive, and confident. I started several projects - namely the recording of a CD - that I want to go back and complete in order to have something to show for my Fulbright experience. My three musical groups - Sin Fronteras, Gospel Molotov, and Hootenanny - are under way and doing well, and I want to see where they can take me this coming year. I want to be with Wadih, who has commitments in Spain for another year, and I want to continue to make friends and acquaintences. I'd like to keep working on my Spanish and maybe on my Arabic this time as well. I want the challenge of "making it work" in a foreign country, though a different culture, and with a different language. And I want to do it knowing who I am and trusting in that certainty.
My current plans, as of this posting, are to remain in Spain (or a combination of Spain and Morocco) until next summer, after which I'd like to return to the States for my master's degree. It's a pretty fluid situation, but we'll see how it goes :)
All right, well if you're still reading, you've suffered through my entire sappy, cheesy, over-emotional, and lengthy monologue. I don't say all of this to look for pity or to place myself on any sort of pedestal, but rather to say what's actually been going on in my life these past months. It's been hard being home and answering the inevitable, "so how's Spain?" question. Here's the answer in full. It hasn't always been good but it's getting better and I'm looking forward to going back.
Keep posted to see how this next year shapes up!
Thanks for sticking with me...
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Rain in Spain
The past few days have been rainy here in Granada, but considering that we haven't had precipitation in over a month, it's not so bad.
Some sad news: on Valentine's Day I woke up and found that one of the little puppies had died over night. Poor little guy - but at least he had a fighting chance. On the bright side, his brother - now dubbed Polo (short for Polaris, the north star, because he has a white "star" on his forehead. And because I'm a nerd like that) - is doing well and has even started to walk a little bit. He's been transferred from the oven to underneath the radiator, and so far so good :)
I had my first concert singing with "Gospel Molotov" on Thursday... lots of fun. The group is a strange mix of Americans, Brits, and Spaniards, but the music comes out pretty well. Wadih and I have been working hard on writing, arranging, and transcribing some of his songs; we're hoping to start recording some ideas for the CD this week.
Other than that, things are going well here. This morning the Granada Fulbrighters had a brunch at one of the women's house. It was great to see people and chat... even though we're all here together, we're rarely all in the same place at the same time. We'll all be heading to Valencia in a few weeks for our mid-year Fulbright reunion. Should be fun!
Some sad news: on Valentine's Day I woke up and found that one of the little puppies had died over night. Poor little guy - but at least he had a fighting chance. On the bright side, his brother - now dubbed Polo (short for Polaris, the north star, because he has a white "star" on his forehead. And because I'm a nerd like that) - is doing well and has even started to walk a little bit. He's been transferred from the oven to underneath the radiator, and so far so good :)
I had my first concert singing with "Gospel Molotov" on Thursday... lots of fun. The group is a strange mix of Americans, Brits, and Spaniards, but the music comes out pretty well. Wadih and I have been working hard on writing, arranging, and transcribing some of his songs; we're hoping to start recording some ideas for the CD this week.
Other than that, things are going well here. This morning the Granada Fulbrighters had a brunch at one of the women's house. It was great to see people and chat... even though we're all here together, we're rarely all in the same place at the same time. We'll all be heading to Valencia in a few weeks for our mid-year Fulbright reunion. Should be fun!
Monday, February 11, 2008
And Then There Were 6...
The theme of 2008 is...
puppies.
I think I mentioned in my previous entries that we have a little black puppy named Ramsis. At the end of January we decided to adopt another puppy from the animal shelter as a playmate for Ramsis, and we ended up with Toby, who is a small brown 3 month-old mix. Only a few days later, I found two puppies in the trash can near my house... at the time they were only a day or two old. So now there are six of us - Me, Wadih, Ramsis, Toby, pup1 and pup2. The past week has been somewhat crazy since the little babies have to be fed "Puppy Replacement Milk" out of a bottle every couple of hours. Their eyes still haven't opened yet but I think that by tomorrow they might be!
But really... who throws newborn puppies in the trash???
I think the man at the animal shelter told me that there are around 150,000 cats and dogs living "on the street" in Granada
Unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately considering that we have a one bedroom apartment) I'll be giving the pups away as soon as they're old enough to eat solid food, and Toby may not end up staying with us due to some aggression issues.
My parents also have a new puppy for those of you who don't know -
Rossi is now their "pet" (although still trained as a demo dog) and Midge is the new baby in training.
What can I say - the Smiths are running zoos on two different continents!
I'll put pictures of the dogs up soon :)
puppies.
I think I mentioned in my previous entries that we have a little black puppy named Ramsis. At the end of January we decided to adopt another puppy from the animal shelter as a playmate for Ramsis, and we ended up with Toby, who is a small brown 3 month-old mix. Only a few days later, I found two puppies in the trash can near my house... at the time they were only a day or two old. So now there are six of us - Me, Wadih, Ramsis, Toby, pup1 and pup2. The past week has been somewhat crazy since the little babies have to be fed "Puppy Replacement Milk" out of a bottle every couple of hours. Their eyes still haven't opened yet but I think that by tomorrow they might be!
But really... who throws newborn puppies in the trash???
I think the man at the animal shelter told me that there are around 150,000 cats and dogs living "on the street" in Granada
Unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately considering that we have a one bedroom apartment) I'll be giving the pups away as soon as they're old enough to eat solid food, and Toby may not end up staying with us due to some aggression issues.
My parents also have a new puppy for those of you who don't know -
Rossi is now their "pet" (although still trained as a demo dog) and Midge is the new baby in training.
What can I say - the Smiths are running zoos on two different continents!
I'll put pictures of the dogs up soon :)
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