A few days ago I attempted to plug in my special contact lens disinfection unit. What can I say, I'm a delicate flower with sensitive eyes. The device magically lit up for about 20 seconds, made a horrible popping noise, and the entire apartment went black. Damn you, Dr. Azman, and your faulty voltage! My senora was in the hall talking to a neighbor, so I frantically hid the evidence and tried to fan away the horrible burning smell. When she came back in, I told her that the power stopped working, and I realized my inferior knowledge of Spanish when I couldn't explain at all what had happened. Since I don't know the words for fuse, outlet, and plug, I mostly made hand movements and shrugged. She asked me what I was doing and why it smelled like smoke, but how could I explain my sensitive eyes in Spanish? I just gave up and said I didn't know. Maybe if I keep blowing fuses I'll get transferred to another family.
The Emory group visited Segovia and Avila last weekend, where we encountered the Wake Forest group. Our program director was explaining the history of a beautiful church when we started being heckled by loud Americans. It turns out the Wake Forest group was also visiting the two cities on the same day. Great minds think alike. Segovia was absolutely beautiful; narrow streets, Roman aqueducts, Arab embellishments on the exteriors of buildings, and a castle that Walt Disney copied in Sleeping Beauty. It's good to know that Americans started ripping off European ideas long before the reality television craze. Below are some photos of the town:
We climbed to the top of the castle and viewed a magnificent portrait of the city and surrounding countryside. The funny thing about Castilla-Leon is that these wonderful towns pop up out of nowhere. There will be thirty minutes of bland farm land that resembles the hills of the Bay Area, and all of a sudden an ancient town appears. For the most part, the cities of this region are built around the rivers, but it still seems quite random.
My program director and professor, Maica, is one of the best and most knowledgeable tour guides I've ever had. She knows so much historical info about every painting, castle, monument, church, and site we visit. While in Segovia, we passed by the entrance the the former Jewish ghetto, marked by a building called Corpus Christi. It used to be a synagogue (like 700 years ago), but it now houses a church. While explaining the period of the Inquisition and the rise of Ferdinand and Isabel, Maica said that the expulsion of the Jews from Spain was not done out of anti-semitism. The rulers of Spain simply wanted to unify the country under one religion, and that meant expelling all those who were not Catholic. Ok, it's a decent explanation, but if there was no Jew-hating involved, was it really necessary to burn/execute those Jews who wouldn't convert? That's like saying that the colonization movement of the early 19th century, where we tried to get rid of a bunch of African-Americans by shipping them off to Africa, was done to bring them back to their homeland and make them more comfortable. Yeah, it was that, and maybe because our country was incredibly racist and wanted blacks as slaves or not at all. It was interesting to hear a Spaniard's perspective on the lack of Jews in Spain due to royal policy. I obviously don't agree with this view, but at least Maica is attempting to maintain national pride.
After lunch in Segovia, we got back on the bus and headed to Avila, which is famous for its muralla, a huge stone wall that surrounds and protects the city. We were all pretty exhausted by this time, so the bitching commenced. As we were climbing stairs to get to the top of the muralla, a couple girls started complaining about how they just wanted to get back on the bus. Ah Emory, you bring us students full of privilege and angst. What did these people think this program was going to be like? A leisurely ride in a private car through the country? Look, we all know how much I love to exercise, hike, or basically get off my ass and walk anywhere, but I honored my aching limbs as proof of my increased knowledge of Spain. If I'm not kvetching, then no one else should be. Here is a picture of the famous muralla. The best part of the wall is the fact that the Spaniards ripped up a Roman graveyard and used all of the headstones in the construction of the wall. It's like an authentic Indian burial ground without the Indians. You can still see some of the inscriptions on the tombstones embedded in the wall.
I bit the bullet and purchased the latest episode of Top Chef on Itunes. I can't be expected to stop watching in the middle of the season! At least I was able to watch the now-infamous video of Brit Brit crashing and burning on the VMA's. I wouldn't pay for it, but I'll totally enjoy that shit for free. The other day I was checking Perez Hilton for the latest gossip, and when I went to eat lunch, my senora was watching an entertainment program with the same celebrity fodder I had just read. At least I understood what they were saying.
Finally, I was walking home from my friend's apartment the other day with lovely Tara, and this middle-aged man started following us. He kept asking us where we lived, where we were going, and if we would give him a kiss. As we sped up, so did he. Hey, I guess persistence is key here. I told him I was a lesbian to avoid the kiss, but apparently he didn't believe me. It's funny; in a major US city, someone will generally step in if a man is obviously pestering a woman who doesn't want the attention. However, we were surrounded by people in this scenario, and no one said a word. I think being harassed repeatedly is relatively normal here. Como se dice "get the fuck away from me" en Espanol?
No foreign friends yet, but I'm working on it. I don't start class with non-Emory students until October, so it is taking a little while. I got a working microphone, so I'm now able to communicate on Skype. L'shana tova tomorrow for all my Jewish peeps! I'll make sure to wish my senora a happy new year.
Halley
3 comments:
My dearest! I miss your wit and intellect and deliciously funny commentary on life; i'm glad all these wonderful qualities on translated onto your blog. I'm sorry about the homestay fam :( and the other roomie situations. Glad to hear that you're having a good time in terms of cultural stuff at least. don't get drunk too often. miss you miss you (sheesh I've been on the Internet a lot, it's because I have a paper due tomorrow on reconciling women's roles in present and past ghana. women's issues follow me wherever I go. I think I'm going to stop shaving my legs because of this...kidding kind of) let me know how thestudies and stuff are, keep the emails coming, it's so supreme to hear from you!! xoxox bejinos fofos
regretfully, the homeowner's association here denied our building a retaining wall with stones from the presbyterian graveyard just up the street. and the stones there were absolutely the proper shade of faded gray. perhaps we'll use the photo you posted for our appeal.
haven't you watched enough episodes of america's top model to predict what happens when you put a group of women onto a bus for a field trip that involves historical reflection AND walking up stairs?
may spain be unified in wishing you a happy new year.
Love the photos. Your commentary is as fresh and colorful as ever! I'll look for you on Skype.
Of all of the potential electric devices you could have used to knock out power and annoy your senora, I'm amused that it was a "special contact lens disinfection unit." Even I have never heard of such a device. It just underscores the culture clash.
P.S. By "foreign friends" do you mean Spaniards or non-Spaniards?
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