Feria - Day 2

I went again yesterday. This time with my friends from the fundacion. We got into the Mayor's caseta (those are the little houses that house the parties.) We danced Sevillanas over and over to live music & ate and drank free food and drinks (somehow I ended up in the BEST place!) I didn't dress up again but Saturday I will - I promise!

Mathilde, Einat, Michael & me - dancers & a guitarist

We were so happy with our flowers & peinetas!

Somehow I ended up with 4 drinks

Then we joined up with more friends and went to another caseta!

the gift that keeps giving

4 months in and I'm still using the map Amanda got me as a Christmas present last year.

Great gift Amanda - gracias mi prima prima!

Here's me last Saturday finding my way to Plaza San Marcos.

Feria!

1st Day of Feria

My real report card

I never did mention my real grades for the last term. I got an 8.3 in Milagros' class, a 5.25 in Raphael's (the dance I love!) and a 7-something in Luisa's - for an overall grade of 7 for the trimester. I received the lowest grade in the WHOLE intermediate class...but I'm not the worst, I SWEAR! (OR AM I? Jajaja!)

Whether I am or not - because I'm already comfortable with my teachers and more comfortable speaking spanish - I'm less afraid and more aggressive starting this new term so I'm going to make it my goal to get better grades this trimester. I want to be better than at least...um...let's say 4 of 5 other students. Not to be competitive because I really like everyone I dance with, but I want some tangible way to show improvement. Although I do think my footwork is totally kicking ass these days (AND NOW IF I COULD ADD MY DAMN ARMS!)

Whatever happens, dancing feels so good! Someone took this photo of me as soon as I finished my Solea final - it was so fun!

I heart Ruben!

I am having so much fun in my classes!!! My new teacher Ruben looks like the actor from Spiceworld, Alan Cumming, & I love him so much!!!! There's a feeling of controlled chaos that I get sometimes when I dance that is so exhilarating (an artistic NUT-RUN, if you please, which I LOVE!) and my new classes are producing it every class. After dancing I feel like exploding - I burst! And I don't think Ruben thinks I'm crazy - I think he loves that I love it - WHICH MAKES ME LOVE HIM MORE!!!! He so great. And his steps are really creative and challenging.

WHOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO!!!

Not just him though - my new trimester is kicking my butt in the best way!!

Ursula is teaching the technique class this time and I try to be in the front every class because her corrections have been so eye-opening for me. Milagros' dance is with a manton this time and it is going to blow Aida away!!! And the guitarist & singer for this dance are playing the most beautiful song - it alone is captivating.

I thought this trimester was going to be depressing because Ruben is teaching a Seguiriya and Milagros is teaching a Peteneras - both sad dances - but I was wrong. This last week was a dream come true. I feel like I grew more this week than the last 3 months.

GET OVER HERE ANAHI!!!

the forecast

I woke up and it's pouring rain!! It rained yesterday so I checked the forecast and now look what I have to look forward to:

-Ferria starts on Tuesday, I hope it clears up.

WTF?!

It's raining here again...I can't believe it.

La Fundacion

My 2nd trimester has started and I have new teachers to mention so I figure now's also a good time to post the few photos of the school that I have.

This is the entrance to the dance studio where my classes are held - those two people are both singers.

The studio I dance in every day.

Here are two of my friends in our locker room - a french girl & a swiss girl.

And my two new teachers are Ruben Olmo & Ursula Lopez (also I still have Milagros.)

Both have begun teaching very intense classes - both really good though.

Here's Ruben dancing:

And here's Ursula:

Passion Victim

While BJ visited Spain, Spain was celebrating Holy Week - and Semana Santa is a really big deal, specifically in the south. Each city we visited, we found ourselves in the middle of a procession, unable to pass & unable to escape. At first it was really exotic and interesting - una maravilla - but by the 3rd day, we were sick of it.

For those of you who don't know, Sevilla is super special for Semana Santa:

"Seville has been holding its Easter week celebrations since the 16th century, and they have become universally famous. Some 50,000 people put on traditional robes to parade in the 58 organised processions, while the "costaleros" carry the pasos (religious statues) on their shoulders. There are processions in the evening and at night every day. Each brotherhood sets out from its church and has an established route, although they must all pass the so-called “official section”, which starts in Calle Campana Street and finishes passing through the Cathedral. Once each procession has left the Cathedral, it returns to its church on a different route to that followed on the way out. Thesaetas are very emotional moments of the processions: these are flamenco songs, recited a cappella from the balconies in honour of the statues."

Granada was the 1st place we experienced it. 1st we were in the streets but then we moved to a restaurant with a better view and fewer people. I captured video of two of the floats as they went by, and I enjoyed seeing them more than I expected; they were more beautiful than I imagined. This video is good because you can see the 'Mary' float at night with all the candles lit. (I love that the Catholics revere Mary almost as much as Jesus.)

Granada

The next day, after drinking all day long with our new amiga mejor in Granada, Fina, we went to Sevilla. We arrived just late enough, and just drunk enough, that we just enjoyed the party with Josh & mis companeros. We didn't pay a lot of attention to the sacred ritual going on all around us; it was too exciting for me to introduce BJ to Josh. Still I tried to get video of a float but, like I said, I was so busy drinking, talking & laughing that I barely caught anything - but here it is.

Sevilla in the nighttime

And we had lots of days to get better footage so I didn't worry about it...little did I know. The next day we were tested by the lord. At first we enjoyed more processions. And this video is probably the best to see a good example of the whole experience: the crowds of people, the enormity of the floats, the feet of the people carrying the floats, the music when the men lift the floats, the glorious beauty of it all and the incredible amount of chaos.

Sevilla in the daytime

But after this experience we searched the city for a hotel for BJ and couldn't find one. John Carrillo (bj's bf) even suggested we call a nunnery and ask for help but that didn't work out either. We were literally trapped for 3 hours in the center of the city after already being in it for 2. At first it was fun getting swept away but after the same float passed us for the 5th time, and the 5th street we tried to use was blocked off - we felt like blowing off the whole thing. So we packed our bags and went back to Madrid...where we ended up in gigantic masses of people again.

Madrid

We also saw these guys in Madrid.

RENEE, AURORA, SYNA, SARAH! Your people are with ME!

Mariachis at Plaza Espana

Photos from California in March

Plaids vs. Stripes

Got my report card

In Madrid I was graded on various aspects of my language progress so far.

Looks like I excel in certain areas and still need more work in others.

Thank you Senor Sanchez.

Reunited in Madrid

With Teresa, Chusman & BJ !!!

El Corte Pelo

Before/Antes

During/Durante

After/Despues

Alone on the train...but not really

Bj left today. We parted ways in Madrid.

After being with Bj for a week her departure left me feeling sort of lonely. I have a good routine and lifestyle here in Spain but having her here (talking like I used to, sharing stories of home & hearing her laugh) has left me feeling a little empty.

Luckily, while on the train, I was reading a book that helped me to not be sad (thanks Verity). Basically it talks about the feeling 'fear' - and what I was feeling was very similar. I was dreading going back to Sevilla and living in my little bubble that is so far away from the life - including the people - I used to love daily. But my book says 'fear' is just energy that can be used to do our best in uncomfortable situations...so I got up & went for a snack.

At the snack bar there was a lady behind the counter & a woman, probably in her late 80's, dressed in a beautiful green suit with sparkly jewelry on and her hair done - she came up to my shoulder (but with her hair-do she stood at my chin.) She wasn't a fashionista despite being in her best clothes. She was drinking red wine and eating olives out of a cup with a toothpick all by herself, barely aware of me and looking very content despite having trouble stabbing her olives because she didn't have a free hand to hold the olive cup still - her other hand was holding her purse.

I stood next to her, drinking my beer & waiting for my panini pizza, staring out the windows watching the landscape go by. I thought about whether or not my conversation in spanish had just gone smoothly. I wondered if I should talk to the older woman. I wondered when I was going to feel at ease.

Then a really young little girl showed up and literally froze when the woman behind the bar asked her "Que querrias?" She took in a deep breath, we heard a little wheeze come out of her as she stared at the menu, and then she stood still! The bar-woman finally said very sweetly in English, "Take your time." The little girl was probably 13 or 14. She had on big baggy pants, a huge t-shirt & super messy hair. She was so scared to order (even though she was speaking English) but she kept going forward and eventually she got her questions answered (and her coke & pizza panini arrived too.) I was proud of the little girl as she silently enjoyed her pizza alone.

Eventually the little old lady asked us, in Spanish, about our panini pizzas. She'd never heard of them but thought they looked good. She was so impressed she wrote the word down on a napkin and put it in her purse.

The three of us, each in our own little way, were so beautiful & funny. All sort of aware of things and still totally clueless of ourselves.

The older lady had put a lot of effort into her appearance and was totally comfortable being who she wanted to be, AND completely unconscious of me watching her as she fumbled & enjoyed her snacks. Her helplessness didn't make her uneasy & she openly questioned us about things she didn't know.

The little girl was totally aware of me & the old lady listening to her, she was so nervous about not being able to speak spanish. AND she was completely unaware of the food on her face or how messy she looked! Or for that matter how cute she was.

And I was totally in the middle feeling slightly jaded and yet still really anxious for something to happen, as if I didn't exist. I was as uncomfortable as the little girl but more competent at hiding it. And I look forward to being as comfortable as the older woman was at revealing her lack of competency or knowledge. I was really impressed by their vulnerability.

I was proud of all of us - even the bar woman was so loving. The bar lady held the olive glass for the older woman so she wouldn't have to let go of her purse, she smiled the whole time she showed patience to the little girl, and she gave me a wink as the little old lady drilled me about whether or not I liked my panini. She was the world that wasn't against us. All in our own way, she was there to help us. It felt like love.

It was such a nice moment. It reminded me the whole world is here to support me. I have nothing to be afraid of and we're all the same. I'm the old lady - I'm the little girl - and they're me - and they're the bar lady.

---------

And so I'm back in Sevilla. I've cleaned my room, I've gone grocery shopping and now I'm typing my blog as I wait for Josh to come over. Tomorrow, after a week of traveling, I will go practice my flamenco. Tomorrow Bj will be back in California. It is as it's supposed to be.

(I love you all.)