video killed the telephone

I just video skyped with my family (niece and nephew included, though I think Darrion was afraid of me and hid under the table?) for an entire hour. Free, because I already have internet. And I got to watch them open presents and they "moved me around" so that I could see things. And held things up to the camera. Then later I watched my mom play (and lose...) memory with Marlea and Darrion. And I saw the house they made out of a refrigerator box. And my brother snuggling with the dog. Dad took pictures of me on the computer. And Kelcie took pictures of other people and then showed them to me on her display screen via the computer. It was all a little ridiculous and mind-boggling, if you stop to think about it. (I mostly didn't.) But I sure enjoyed being almost there. Not as good as the real thing, but a lot better than a quick phone call.
On a completely unrelated note, I've decide that Spain is the New Mexico of Europe. Among other things this means that it is a. warmer and located in the southwest b. has a little of the "wild west" still lingering around c. has cactus and lots of rocks and d. has strange colonial implications/ironies... Also, I happen to like it.

in the time of the holidays

Today I made cinnamon rolls. They are really yummy. Unfortunately I have no one with whom to share them. All my friends have officially left Granda for the holidays. The other unfortunate thing about this is that I am also leaving in two days, and cannot possibly consume a dozen sugary rolls between now and then. So, I guess I'll have to freeze the rest. Also it is not really all that unfortunate that I am leaving soon, because it means holiday in Scotland! One of my friends from Goshen (Miriam Loh) has been there for the past.. 2 years? studying at the U of Edinburgh. So we're going to hang out and probably do some festive thing over New Year's because they have a huge street party and fireworks and music and such there every year. It shall be fun. The best part is that flying round-trip plus bus tickets to and from the airport (it was cheaper from the airport 2 hours away) cost around 100 U.S. dollars. Go Europe. Anyway, Christmas was rather tranquil here. I made myself a really yummy pizza with fresh mushrooms (I mean, its not turkey, but, whatever) and went to midnight mass in the cathedral with a friend. Then we went to her house, snacked, toasted to Christmas, and went to bed. The next day we lazed around and then she packed up her bags to go to Paris. Its actually been kind of nice to have the house to myself a bit (my housemates are in their respective homes) and I've been cooking and baking a lot. Also did some art. The weather has also been lovely. Sunny and warm, just like it should be. And just to prove it to you, I'll leave you with a picture of David and I in front of a lovely orange tree. besos, and Feliz (late) Navidad to all. so.. happy Boxing day? And New Year's. and 3 Kings day. And Christmas later, if you're not on the Gregorian calendar... and... the end. :)

lost in translation

[for English version, see below]

Voy a hacer algo divertido. Escribo en castellano, y cuando termino, pongo todo dentro de una ventana en Google translator a ver qué sale. Si no crees que es importante tener una persona viva que traduce tu trabajo, pues puede ser que este va a cambiar tu opinión. A ver. Un pequeño resumen de los últimos días. El fin de semana pasado, fui a Huelva y Punta Umbría en la costa, cerca de Portugal para otro torneo de frisbee. Fue muy pero muy divertido. Estaba con amigos de antes y también personas nuevas. La mayoria de España y Portugal, como no era un torneo muy grande, pero también había personas de Alemanía y Suiza. Quizás más, pero no me acuerdo. Hizo buen tiempo con la excepcion del domingo cuando llovió y pasamos un poco de frio. Pero el sabado y lunes (como era puente, o fiesta) hizo muy buen tiempo. my bañé en el oceano, aunque era muy frio. Pero... estaba allí, y fue necesario. ;) Este semana llegó un amigo mio de la universidad a visitar una semana. (David Bontrager, para los que le conocen.) Es divertido tener alguien de Goshen aquí, pero tambien una mezcla un poco raro de mis dos mundos. :) Lllegó sin su maleta, asi que teníamos que llamar, llamar, llamar y por fin (2 días luego) quedar con el chico de AirEuropa en el centro de la ciuadad a recoger la maleta. Intenté conseguir algo de compensación para David (aunque no tuvo que comprar otras cosas, solo fue un pequeño inconveniente) pero no tuve éxito. Da igual. Bueno, entonces hoy vamos a hacer algo de turismo y tomar el sol, porque hace muy buen día. Y ahora: la traduccion!

* I'll put little comments in brackets *

I'm going to do something fun. I write in Castilian, and when finished, put everything inside a window on Google translator to see what comes out. If you do not think it is important to keep a person alive who translates your work, as it may be that this is going to change your opinion. Let's see. A short summary of recent days. Last weekend, I went to Huelva and Punta Umbria on the coast near Portugal for another tournament frisbee. But it was very fun. She [I] was with friends before and also new people. Most [people were] of Spain and Portugal, as it was not a very big tournament, but there were also people from Germany and Switzerland. Perhaps more, but I do not agree. He made good time [the weather was nice] with the exception of Sunday when it rained and we had a little cold. But the Saturday and Monday (as was the bridge, or feast [bridge is what they say when they extend a weekend holiday to a weekday. or fiesta]) did a very good time. my bathe in the ocean, but it was very cold. But ... was there, and it was necessary. ;) This week a friend of mine came from college to visit a week. (David Bontrager, for those who know him.) It's fun to have someone here from Goshen, but also a bit strange mixture of my two worlds. :) He arrived without his suitcase, so I had to draw, draw, draw [call, call, call] and finally (2 days later) left [met up] with the boy AirEuropa in the center of town to collect the bag. I tried to get something to compensate for David (though he did not have to buy other things, was only a small drawback) but I was not successful. Never mind. Well, then today we're going to do something for tourism and sunbathing, because it makes very good day. And now: the translation!

* really not as bad as I was expecting! But I also was more careful in my Spanish writing than I usually am...* :)

la otra tierra del encanto

The last two weekends I have been out in the mountains doing a university course on rock climbing. um, AWESOME. The first weekend we went up into the Sierra Nevadas. Walked through the snow to this gorgeous cliff, and set up. Climbed all day, and went back to the university-owned lodge to sleep. Also we saw a mountain goat, perfectly silhouetted on the rocks on our way back. Next day, same thing, though a different rock face. Did I mention that it was incredibly beautiful? It was. Also the group was really fun, and, as I am coming to expect now, very international. People from all over Europe. I guess its hardly "international" now... its just...Europe! Well, that could be argued either way. Anyway, I always enjoy it. Talking to Germans, Italians, Austrians, Spaniards, French people, etc. (Why do we not have a better name in English for people from France? or do we?) Next weekend we went to a place closer to Granada (Alpujarras). It looked like New Mexico. I got to do my first partner climb. The instructor climbed up first and set the rope. I followed and then another girl as well. When we all got up to the first "reunion," meeting, we tied ourselves in, pulled the ropes up and did it again. We had a total of three reuniones...And were waaaay up. It was spectacular. Then we repelled down. Three times. Sweet. So I'm learned all the knots and tools for this kind of thing. I love it. Also, I learned a lot of climbing vocab in Spanish, which was fun. My favorite is climbing shoes: pies de gato. Literally, "cat feet!" The last day we went to a place down south, near the coast. Also could have been New Mexico. More fun climbing, and afterward we drove to the beach and watched the sunset, drank a beer/coffee/tea (your choice). Played in the water, wrestled, pinky-wrestled, did gymnastics, etc. This week some of us got together at one of the guys' house for a potluck meal. Good times. I guess that can be my Thanksgiving meal. :)

more on daily life...

as per request, since I tend to write about the more exciting things I do...

a regular work day for me might go something like this:
7:30 get up, eat b-fast, etc.
8:30 30 min. walk to bus stop (often listening to music and dodging dog-poop on the sidewalks...)
9:00 bus to pueblo: Alhendín. (I've realized that I kind of use this time as "quiet time" or thinking time. I am noticeably irritated when I meet one of the other teachers and have to make small talk at the bus stop and throughout the ride. It was the same in Goshen, actually, when I met people on the trolley on the way to Elkhart. It was fun seeing people, but I actually preferred to let my mind wander...)
9:30 first class or conversation. If it is a class, it can be with any grades (high school-ish age). If it is a conversation, its with a professor who is signed up to be in the bilingual program and next year will need to give classes in his subject area in English. At least to the incoming first years. At first I thought these conversations would be very hard to sustain throughout the year... an hour of conversation was difficult at first. They've become quite interesting, however, with some of the profs. Particularly with one who is very interested in flamenco music (and plays the cajon!) He is also very well educated and passionate about history, anthropology, archaeology, etc. So really, I've started getting free lectures on these topics, and he practises the vocab, etc. in English. Good deal. Also, I learned one of the flamenco 12 beat rhythms from him the other day, and practise it while I walk places... :) On Monday I took my menno hymn. book to show to the music teacher. He really liked it and we sang a few hymns in the teacher's lounge, much to the delight (and no doubt amusement) of some of the other teachers. So I've been getting to know the other teachers in the school better, and its quite enjoyable. (Particularly the very animated Lit. teacher who calls me the Brazilian Dancer... not sure why... and is in my Wednesday evening English class-- separate from normal school stuff.) Developing relationships with the students is somewhat harder. Since I only have each class once a week (there are 2 or 3 classes in every grade), I don't see them often. This is good, because my presence is still interesting to them (I think) but bad because it makes it harder to get to know them (and learn their names! which was one of my first goals... going slowly...) I have anywhere from 2-4 classes/conversations each day. Sometimes I have an hour in between (which usually consists of having a café with one or several other teachers in the school cafeteria).
12:30/1:30 bus back to Granada
1:30/2:30 lunch time
afternoon: if sunny, read a bit in park. If cold/cloudy, siesta.
later: go running. sometimes around the university, sometimes through various streets-- a fun way to explore the city. shower, then supper.
rest of the evening probably spent on the computer.

This is "normal" day, which doesn't often happen. That is to say, there is often something going on in the evening, or I go on a walk with a friend (like tonight...went "shopping" but only bought tea. dried mint, mmm!) Or, some random friend of a friend needs a place to say and I am hostess. Also, there are a few of us here in Granada who play ultimate (and surely more, if we find them) and we are trying to organize a team. Our main problem is the lack of proper fields. i.e. grass. most of the futbol fields are dirt or cement. hmm.. But, it sure would be nice to have a group of people to play with, and something other than running to get a good work-out. Every time I go by the futbol fields I want to play. But there are only guys playing. Seriously, never seen a girl/ girls' team. Which is not normally an obstacle for me, but there is the fact that I don't actually play futbol so much... It would be fun to learn, but these guys have teams and probably aren't too keen on teaching me.

Anyway, so my schedule is quite nice, really. And its only four days a week. I never work on Fridays. (I know, I know...enjoy it while it lasts!!)

The picture is the Sierra Nevadas all beautifully covered in snow. View from the train station, early evening/sunset.

more beach ultimate for Lindsy

Last weekend was the Porró open, a hat tourney near Barcelona (now in its eleventh year). I paid way too much money and went. Had a fantastic time. European ultimate is pretty different from US...mostly in how international it is, I suppose. There were people there from Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, France, England, Germany, Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Colombia, and who knows where else. :) I love it. We mostly spoke in English, because that is the language that almost everyone speaks, but all the other languages were flying around on the side, being translated-to, etc. I just love it. And after every game, the teams get together and do high-fives/kisses and then huddle together. Someone from each team speaks about the game, playing, the sportsmanship, etc. and if there is time a silly little game is often played, as well ("Bear, Ninja, Hunter," and interactive version of "rock, paper, scissors," for example). Good times, good times. We didn't have too great of weather, and it rained every day. :( The sun did come out on Saturday, though and we had several matches in beautiful weather by the beach. Sunday morning rained and even hailed a bit and we had to cancel the first games (so we played a song & clapping game to determine winners). The semi-finals and final were played out, though, and after a full three-day weekend tournament (fiestas every night, of course) I was drained. Went back to my friend's house in Barcelona and crashed. The next morning I got up at 4 to catch my flight back to Granada, and took two buses to get straight to work. I spent all week trying (and failing) to catch up on sleep, but now that its the weekend again, I've finally accomplished it. (Only to get called by a friend in Barcelona to come play in the Liga Española!!! Spanish nationals this week... I wish I could, but I really can't afford it, and I need the rest. I guess I'll have to settle for salsa dancing.) :) foto #1: sidelines, Belgian girl and two Portuguese from my team + dog from Madrid. foto #2: blurry picture of the mountains from my bus ride to school. foto #3: my lil' school

poverty/ la pobreza

some thoughts on the subject, not clearly organized:

This morning I woke up with a bit of a sore throat, a stuffy nose and a wanna-be cough. Ick, I thought. It was dark outside, and I had no desire to get ready for work and walk to the bus station. I'll make oatmeal and drink tea for breakfast, I thought. At least its warm. When the oatmeal was ready I reached for my sugar and remembered !no brown sugar! They only white and raw here (I found this out when buying ingredients for cookies). Humph. And then I thought, that's it. I have no idea what it's like to be hungry. I'm complaining about not having sugar of the right consistency to add to my bowl of cereal. How pathetic. Pathetic in that I am so blessed and could even be annoyed at such a tontería, silly little thing. But now what? I realize I am extremely fortunate. What do I do about it? I went through a very idealistic phase in high school and part of college where I kind of thought I should give up the majority of my material possessions (to the "level of marginal utility" meaning to the point where giving more to alleviate suffering would cause me to suffer, and thus not solve any problems). I've kind of drifted from this idea, but not because I've somehow justified my life/lifestyle. I've come to realize that I should use my privilege for good somehow, not feel guilty about it and disown it, because others do not have the option. So what is left now is to do something with my privilege. Do something with my education. With my experiences in the world. So after this year of teaching English (hardly to suffering people for whom this will open a huge opportunity for work)... what will I do? And if I don't work for an organization that directly works toward reducing poverty/suffering... is that okay, too? Probably. It is probably okay to live, and love others, and do things of service in less "direct" ways. But I don't want to convince myself out of thinking its important. There is a lot of suffering in the world, and much of it needless. Maybe I will work to improve trade laws, so that small farmers in Latin America do not need to sell their land and move to a city to work in a factory. Maybe I will work with immigrants in the U.S. who must learn to speak English in order to survive in our society. Maybe I will teach in a school and work to inspire others to look beyond the simple things they see around them. For now, I will continue to think about these issues (and welcome any conversations on the topic!) and put white sugar in my oatmeal, being grateful that I have food to eat, among many, many other blessings. Have a great day, and don't pass up the opportunity to help someone out or simply take a few minutes to be grateful for what you have. Besos to you all.

afternoon arriba

Yesterday I got a text message from Mustafa, a Morracan guy I'd met while waiting in line at the Comiseria de Policia (another story altogether about how I am still trying to obtain my foreigner ID number...) He was going on a hike with his housemates (an Italian and a Canary Islander) and asked if I wanted to come. I decided I was only going to go if I could convince someone else to come with me, because I didn't know him all that well. Just so happens Maya, the girl I work with, came in to Granada for the day, and was game to go along. [While walking around with her earlier we passed the Cathedral where there were stands of spices...gorgeous! I lowered myself to "tourist" status and took pictures... it was a holiday and there were a lot of tourists about anyway, and, lets face it...I'll never look like I'm from here...] So we met up in a plaza in the afternoon and headed up the hill beside the Alhambra. Walked up a beautiful wooded path, and then crossed a bunch of parking lots and lines of people waiting to get into the Alhambra. Then across some fields (private?) And up a hill. I mean up. None of this follow-the-little-paths-to-switch-back-up... But once we got up! What a great view! Although it was very hazy and cloudy (the weather here has been very strange lately, and the air kind of dirty-- "desert winds from Africa") so the mountains weren't as clear as they normally are. Then we walked down and up again, to the next ridge (bush-wacking the whole way...) There was much more wind (and menacing clouds to the south) and the dirt was red, red. And I could see fields of olive trees and look over on the whole of Granada. And the monastary of Sacramonte. Quite a lovely time. Getting off that ridge was a rather steep descent, and reminded me of trails in New Mexico. Once we got back into the city we sat and rested on a rock wall and chatted a bit, and Mustafa invited us to go drink tea at their house. Tea to him is a very sweet, strong mint ("not mint! its different!") tea, brewed on the stove in a cute little metal pot and served in decorated glass .. vases? cups? with sweets he stuffed in his suitcase and brought from home. All made with Almonds. Quite tasty. We got rather wet on the way to their house, but enjoyed out tea and when the rain stopped, Maya and I headed out again, she to catch a bus to go home, and me to walk. (I got rained on again.) It was a fun afternoon, and hopefully only the first of my outdoor explorations/adventures.

teaching/learning

I officially started working at the school this week. There is another girl working there as well, from Belgium. Our time is split between the English classes with the students and conversations with professors of other subjects, who need to be able to give the classes in English next year, or the year after. The school entered a bilingual program and beginning next year, the students who enter from the primary school will also have been in the program. I like the classes pretty well. The kids actually seem pretty interested and attentive so far (more so than I expected). I've enjoyed rephrasing things, using hand motions, drawing pictures, etc. in order for them to understand what I'm saying. The conversations with the professors are somewhat more difficult. I think I will start working more on specialized vocabulary with them about their area of study-- History, Math, etc. There also seems to be some interest in the pueblo, with the other teachers, or with friends of people at the school who might like classes or private lessons in English. Maybe I'll do some lessons some afternoons and use the money to take Flamenco lessons or something... :)
The other night I went in search of a bar that has flamenco shows every week. After turning down a tiny street, following a graffiti-type sign around the corner and down some small steps, I found the door. It was closed, as it was early evening (siesta time), but they had information about the shows. Sunday nights they have live flamenco or jazz music. Not free, which is of course always what I look for, but I'll probably go anyway. Afterward I decided to do some exploring and walked upwards toward the mountain. (Granada is built at the edge of the mountains.) I took tiny streets, meticulously built and patterned with small stones. Up stairs, around corners. Looking into tiny yards and over tile roofs. The view got better and better, but I didn't stop until I couldn't get any higher. I sat on a wall, one leg dangling over someone's patio, 15 feet below. I could see a good portion of the city: the train station, part of the cathedral, buildings of the university, the main street that runs through the center. It was helpful for orientation. And the mountains... have I mentioned that I love mountains? The sun was just setting, and the evening light was, as always, gorgeous. I sat there for some time, just feeling the breeze and watching the sky. Then I got up and explored the plaza I could see from the wall. The bars were setting up their tables and chairs for the evening tourist crowd, and I walked to the other end, where there was a church. I was hoping it was open and I could take a peek inside, but the heavy wooden doors were shut firmly. So I stepped to the other side of the street and did a quick sketch of the entrance, doors and molded sculptures overhead. I could see that the light was turning more red, so I rushed back to my perch on the wall, now also occupied by several other people. I took a picture of a German (?) family and then turned my attention back to the sky. As soon as the sun disappeared, it got several degrees colder. I stayed a little longer, and then began my windy way down the hill toward home. These are the things I must always remember to do, I thought. Partway home I saw that people were entering a church, and decided to follow. It was evening mass, and the church smelled of candles. But the first thing I noticed was GOLD! Some of the altars built during the baroque era have a lot of gold. A little too gaudy for me, but this one... it was just overwhelming. I wasn't sure what to look at, and I had more than a little trouble with depth perception, everything all shiny and reflective. Intense. I stood in the back and listened to some of the litany, and fumbled my way through part of the Our Father. but didn't stay long. As I exited, the woman who was begging at the door I entered had switched and was now begging at the other door. I guess begging should be another entry entirely... maybe for blog action day: POVERTY. (oct. 15, thanks, Kimberly).
In other news, Maya, the Belgian girl, stayed with me last night (She lives in our pueblo, so if she wants to do anything in Granada at night, she can't get home) and we went to a small latino bar/discoteca. Danced salsa, merengue and bachata, and had a blast. I'll definitely go back. There was even a guy there trying to direct a group in the Rueda Cubana (group salsa dancing), and I recognized some of the moves from dancing with people at Goshen. There were several really good dancers there, and I loved watching them. Feet, hips, bodies, hands, and faces. Dancing, dancing, dancing.

bit o' an update

So, where to start? My last day in Barcelona was a great one-- I went to a Castellers event, at which the batteries in my camera died after two pictures. alas, I cannot show you the tower in all its glory of 7 or so levels. But, it was incredible. At the end, they send two kids (with helmets) to the very top, they (sometimes) pose for a few seconds, before starting their descent back down...practically sliding the whole way down, arms around the bodies of their fellow castellers. They also did towers of one per level. And even sent two girls up a rope to a balcony (see video, found on Youtube: http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=UWFufkeyBBI ) Anyway, quite impressive. In the evening I went to the FC Barcelona vs. Betis game at Camp Nou... awesome!! I went with they guy I was staying with, and some of his friends. Going to a futbol game was one of the things I was very sad about not doing last year when I was there, so I was pretty content. :) After the game, we went to the end of the Merce celebration fireworks, which they set off to music. In front of a huge fountain with colored lights. I went last year and was very impressed. We barely got to see the grand finale, because we were late and there were SO many people there. Incredible. The next day I flew to Granada and caught a bus into the city, where a friend of a friend picked me up. I stayed with him for 3 days, all the while looking for housing, calling numbers, looking at flats ("pisos") and continuing to live out of my suitcases. Sunday I moved in to my new home, which I share with a Spanish guy and a French girl who is here on an exchange program. Hopefully I can learn some french. I don't think there will be much common cooking, which makes me sad after sharing meals with four lovely ladies who cook very well last year... (miss ya'll!!) Its sad to buy groceries for just yourself. I've met a fair amount of people here, and gone out a few times with people, but so far don't really feel like I have "friends." I guess it's only been a week. :)
I went to my school, though, and met all the teachers and the other language assistant who will be working there (from Belgium). Should be fun. The bus to Alhendín takes only about 15-20 minutes, but the stop is about 25-30 minutes walking from my house. Which is fine. I could take a bus if need be, but, I like walking. I had thought originally that perhaps I could buy a bike to get to my school, but I see now that it would be rather dangerous...It's not just a straight rode, but has lots of roundabouts and doesn't seem too bike friendly. So I'll stick with the bus and walking. The last picture is my team, Peixets C"riminales." i.e. there were three teams from Peixets (Barcelona team) at the tournament, so we split into three groups. C became Criminales. It was a fun day. Its a good time to be 22 and living in Spain.

oranges.

So today I bought some peaches and some juice oranges from a stand on the street. they were pretty cheap, and I love fruit. When I got home, I realized that my oranges were from South Africa. South Africa?! Hm, not so great. They have to travel a long way, which means they are 1. not fresh, 2. cost of lot of money to transport, and 3. probably were not obtained for their value. i.e. bought really cheaply. So I thought, maybe next time I'll pay a little more, and buy oranges from Spain, or somewhere a little closer. But then I thought... hmm.. For a long time, Europe has had direct trade with a lot of countries in Africa and South America. Now that they've become the European Union, they've put a higher priority on goods produced within the Union. Now, thats good, because its more local, doesn't have to travel as far. And then, countries that can grow/produce things well, do that, and trade for the stuff they can't. Same idea as before, only closer proximity. In general, not a bad idea, for those of us unwilling to minimize our consumption to solely local products. However...what happens to the prior markets? The ones that invested so heavily in monoagriculture or production, because they were told, no, each should do what it can do best. i.e. you grow coffee and you grow bananas, we'll buy from you, and then sell you whatever else you want. But then... the demand goes down. (or the market drops out due to local deals.) Now what do these poor countries do? No one wants their coffee anymore. or their bananas. or their oranges. So they rot. or get sold at a huge loss. And they have nothing else to sell. And they just lost a bunch of money, so they can't invest in other things. So.. they take out loans from... yep, those same big, bad countries (in europe, the U.S.) who told them to grow those things in the first place. Maybe the loan will help. or maybe its very conditional. and is only for growing, say, corn. Which doesn't grow there. But its ok, because look how much foreign aide we sent! yay! Hm... Clearly a very complicated issue. I'll have to research European trade, particularly with Africa, because I know a lot less about it than with Latin America. What other market does South Africa have? Besides diamonds, which are all owned by a company (maybe two or three) in London... Ah, international trade.

Barcelona, take II

Have I mentioned that I love this city? I've been here 2 or 3 days, I'm not really clear on time right now.. And I've been to the beach three times, seen a peruvian documentary, been at two concerts, eaten tapas and drank claras (half beer, half lemonade), played ultimate, gone dancing, met new people (from all over-- barcelona, chile, colombia, switzerland, england...), visited my favorite cathedral in the city (Santa Maria del Mar), visited my host mom from last year, had cafe con leche and a chocolate croissant, and walked around the city a lot. Also today I borrowed the bici (bike) of the guy i'm staying with and rode around a lot. Its a good city for biking--lots of bike paths and/or wide sidewalks. At first my Spanish felt really awkward, but its getting better quickly, and I'm falling back into a Castilian/Catalan accent. Of course, I'll have to learn a new one in Granada... I'll be so mixed up in accents by the end of all this.. Oh well. Tomorrow I'm going to Tarragona to play in a beach ultimate tournament with my old team. Should be a good time, I'll try to take pictures. Unfortunately tomorrow is the day they do the Castellers (human towers) for the festival, which I won't get to see, but I guess you can't have (quite) everything... :) Anyway, I'm having a great time and looking forward to the year. I also have a few contacts in Granada, now--none that I've actually met yet--which makes it seem a lot easier. I have a place to stay while I look for housing and someone who wants to start an ultimate team in Granada. Also a friend of a friend from Georgia (the country) and some random exchange student from the U.S. whose blog I found while doing a google seach for things like "granada spain ulimate frisbee." Ah the internet. Okay, this is very rambly. But suffice it to say, I am well, and I hope all is well with you, too. I really do heart hearing from you! emails, skype, letters (once i have an address), whatever. okay, bed time. besos a todos.
p.s. photo credits go to Kelcie. She took this when visiting last Christmas.

land of enchantment

summary of my weekend:
fri: drive to South Bend, catch train to Chicago. Haul 2 rollers and 2 backpacks (one on the front: hot.) around downtown to pick up my visa for Spain. Catch public transit to Midway airport (including hauling all crap up 2 flights of stairs... do they not believe in elevators?? If you're in a wheelchair...you... take a taxi?) Fly to Denver. Meet up with sister and her boyfriend, Nate. Fly on same plane with Nate to Albuquerque, meet up with parents. Wait for Kelcie. Make Juevos Rancheros in the camper. Drive to polo field in the middle of the desert outside of Santa Fe and camp for the night.
sat: hang around while Kelcie and Nate start warming up for the tourney, throw a disc around. Some guys from a Santa Fe/Española team desperately needed women. (i.e. their 2 didn't show.) So I ended up playing in the tournament with a strange mix of people, ages 22-50. Three of the men on the team are sikhs and wear turbans. One guy (my age-ish) brought a banjo to play between games, and we all hung out and had a lot of fun. Since out team only had 2 women, we both had to play all 7 games on friday. And this tournament was called "Savage 7777777." Which means you play 7 games to 7. 7 people on the field, of course. No subs. One injury sub if needed and one time out, if needed, per game. It was pretty exhuasting. Afterward we went to the roller rink that was rented out for the tourney and ate some yummy enchiladas and watched other people rollerblade around. I didn't have the legs for that.
sun: wake up sore, go out to the fields again, play 3 more games. Hang out and watch Kelcie and Nate's last game and a half. Watch the finals. good times. And did I mention that it was beautiful weather (if a bit more wind at times than desired)? It was gorgeous. mountains.sun.warm. ah, New Mexico. Took Kelcie and Nate back to the airport in ABQ and went to stay with some family friends.
mon: do some gross shopping in ABQ, drive home. gorgeous.
tues: watch a storm roll through over the mountains. admired the parents' garden. go get books from the library. make yummy food. I should be a chef in a New Mexican restaurant, no? ;) its good to be home. I guess our self-named motto of "land of entrapment" is holding pretty true.

606

So today was my last sunday at Benton Mennonite Church, my home-at-college church. Its been quite a great place for me, and I've been realizing this summer just how much the people mean to me--and how very sad I will be to leave it behind. At least, as I promised several people today, I'll be back next August because some dear friends are getting married in Goshen then. As one last request from my Benton family (as if they haven't fed me, talked to me, given me rides, counseled me, prayed for me, and generally supported me enough already) I asked that we sing 606. I knew it would be not only my last Sunday there for a long time, but probably my last Sunday at a Mennonite church for about a year. [For those non-mennos out there, "606" is a 3-page long, 4-part harmony praise hymn elevated to quasi-holiness by our singing standards. And 606 is the number in the old Mennonite hymnal. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow."] So instead of the planned benediction, the worship leader had everyone turn toward me (a little strange at first, but very powerful, and it sounded amazing) and sing. Most people didn't use the hymn books, even-- we all have it memorized. The bench beside me was vibrating from a few strong basses, and I could hear each part, beautifully swelling about each other. It may or may have made me cry a bit. Afterward so many people came up to me to hug me, kiss me, wish me luck, give me their blessing, wish God's blessing on me, thank me for requesting the song, because it was so beautiful and so much fun to sing and hear. Several elderly people gave me hugs and told me how much they've enjoyed having me come to Benton, even if they didn't speak with me often. I felt more love and more loved all at once than I have in a long time. We then had a good Sunday school and an fantastic Bolivian-food pot-luck congregational meal. It was the best last-Sunday that I could have hoped for. Like Emily (housemate, now in Denver) said... why am I leaving? ... I guess I am leaving because I have an amazing opportunity ahead of me, and because leaving one beautiful, amazing community does not mean that others do not await me in other times and places of life. But Benton, thank you for everything. I love you. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Amen.

había una vez...

once upon a time...
there was a girl. this girl liked to travel. she loved seeing new places, and new things. she was not very good at holding still. especially if she had to sit in one spot, and not move for a long time. this is what happed to the girl today. she had to sit for many hours in a car, then a train, then a train again and then a car again. she did this, though, because she needed to go somewhere to turn in some very important papers. she went to a consulate, which is when one country has an office in another country. the consulate tells people if they are allowed to go visit or live in that other country for a period of time. this is what the girl wanted to do: she wanted to travel far across the ocean to another country, called spain. she wanted to go there to live for a while, and help other people learn her language. she also wanted to become better at the language they speak there, which is spanish, because it is one thing to be able to speak and understand another language, which she can do, and quite another to be able to quickly switch back and forth between two languages, and help other people understand what is being said, even if they do not understand the language. this is something this girl might want to do, but she has to practise a lot to be good. so today the girl went to a big city, and turned in some papers to the consulate, along with a good deal of money, because thats just the way those sorts of things work. then she had a little bit of time before she had to get back on the train to go home. she wandered around in a park and heard a very peculiar sound. it was the sound of music, coming from somewhere in the park. she kept walking, until she realized that the music was coming from a very big and very pretty stage. it looked like a big sculpture--all silver and twisty. and underneath, all the people were singing or playing pretty instruments, and all doing different things, but making a very nice sound, because they were all watching one person, who told them when to do what things. He is called the conductor, because he conducts the orchestra and the choir. trains also have conductors, she thought, but she didn't get to see the conductor on her train, just a man collecting money for tickets. he was very nice, though, and she thought how nice it is when people are cheerful and helpful instead of sad or angry. the girl did not stay long, however, because she did not want to be late for the train, so she walked back to the station, and bought a big, yummy cinnamon roll to eat on the way home. it is nice to be able to travel places, even if you don't own a car, she thought. but it also meant she had to get up very early to catch the train, and so she was very sleepy by the end of the day. perhaps she should go to bed early, because tomorrow is another day.

sketchy business

On Sunday I walked down the street to a nearby house. I don't know any of the current residents, or at least, I don't know who's living there presently; I guess I might know some of them. I walked in the front door, heard some music playing upstairs, but continued to walk through the house to a little nook off of the living room area. I placed my week's money in the collection box, marked my name off (actually the name of a friend who no longer lives in town...) and took my supplies from their storage area. Walked out of the house, and down the street to home. No one in the house ever knew I was there, or cared, I'm sure. Another note to mention is that I don't know the suppliers, and they don't know me. I don't know very many of the other buyers. Its a completely honor-based system. But fairly efficient.
Are you curious yet? Want to know what I bought? Milk. Fresh, whole, raw milk and free-range farm-eggs. Someone picks up a load of said items from a farm each week, and various people have signed up to buy them, but have to go pick them up from a specified location. The humor of it just caught me this week, and I wanted to share it.

sunny day at home

I've spent way too much of the day inside, and mostly on my computer. BUT. I've gotten a lot done. A lot of things I've been putting off because of busy-ness.

Thus far accomplished today:
~got health insurance
~cleaned fans in my computer
~labeled misc. music in my files
~downloaded email archive from goshen account
~backed up various files and music
~got interview for job at Optical One (tomorrow)
~worked in garden: planted corn, re-planted cucumbers, watered all

Yet to do today:
~read something for fun
~write letters to friends on SST
~make card for family of dear, deceased friend
~organize desk?
~hang out with friends

Sounds good. Maybe I'll even do some art. I haven't painted or drawn in ages. Well, off the computer! I'll leave you with a random picture I find while browsing. Perfect. A gorgeous picture of Barcelona, taken by the friend of a friend. I think it's taken from Tibidabo, the old monastery on the edge of the city, up a mountain. Looking east-ish toward the sea.

no, Simon and Garfunkel, the theatre is NOT really dead!

Watched "My Name is Rachel Corrie" at the GC Theater tonight. Quite the compelling show--about a woman who was killed by a bulldozer in Palestine because she was standing between it and the house it was about to demolish. So many thoughts and questions that came out of that, but I didn't get a chance to write them down immediately following the performance (because of a talk-back session and then helping out with the strike/ load up of the traveling set) and I think many of them are gone, now, or at least numbed down a bit. Thats too bad.
But a general question about activism and what I want to do with the rest of my life (common theme). What things would I be willing to die for? Am I even willing to die for things? What are ways that I can help with situations like the Israeli/Palestinian conflict without going there? One of the suggestions was simply to talk to people. I think I need to become more informed about the conflict and world events in general. I've been saying that for a long time. I've done a bit better this past year, but its still not to a level that I'd like it to be. Also, the power of story was demonstrated well with this production. Its not everyone's "call" to go be activists. Maybe being a theatre artist is what you want to do, and what you're good at. And with that, you can tell stories that make people laugh and cry. So basically it gets back to me not knowing what it is that I want to do, and not really knowing what I'm good at. I have too many interests to really want to focus on one thing. Maybe I don't have to.
But, if I want to write: I have to write. I've got to put down words, even if they aren't part of a coherent story or poem or essay. I've just got to write.
If I want to be an architect, I've got to study more. I've got to figure out how things work. Figure out how things look, and how to make them look like I want.
If I want to work with immigration, or refugees, I've got to find a place to start. Goshen has some of those opportunities...how should I get involved?
If I want to rock climb, I've got to climb! Got to get in better shape, and build those forearm muscles.
If I want to dance, I've got to find a place to take lessons. Learn the steps, learn the music. Learn the movements.
If I want to ramble away in a blog entry, I've already got it covered. Time for bed.

college is... over?

Not quite, but its winding down. I keep having these moments -- standing around the kiln during the wood firing talking, roasting hot dogs, and listening to Latin music; hacky-sacking in the lawn; watching choir and performing arts series concerts in the music center; eating cornbread at friends' houses at midnight, having a picnic by the dam, making bad puns in the living room with my house mates-- and I think, "this will all end soon!" Which isn't true, of course, because after graduation, I will still have May term. And After May term I will still have summer. And all these things will kind of be a gradual shift into the next phase of my life. Slowly my friends and I will disperse, maybe by ourselves, maybe in clumps. But close friendships can last. And new friendships can form. And I have to remind myself that just because people tell you that college years are some of the best--and you believe them--doesn't mean that life after college sucks. Its what you make it, I guess. Just like everything else. cliché, cliché. So here's to college, and friends, and moments that last longer than the stress of finals.

In the Time of the Butterflies

So, that book has nothing to do so much with this entry. Its just that when I clicked on the title space, a bunch of options came up from previous titles. I think this was probably from a paper? Anyway, I wish it were the time of the butterflies, because its COLD and SNOWY and GROSS. We had this few-day tease of beautiful sunshine and warm weather. (I played ultimate outside twice! And got quite muddy...) Its amazing how intensely the weather affects my mood.
This weekend I remembered that I liked to write. Because I don't have enough quasi-hobbies as it is... and Anne Lamott (writer) says that you've got to just write. write, write, write, if you want to write. (not a quotation.) It kinda makes sense... So here I am, putting off my reading homework, putting off the million things that I need to do, and even putting off sleep! in order to write something. Even if its just a useless ramble about writing itself. One must start somewhere.
I also had a conversation with a classmate about architecture. He's an art major, with plans to go to architecture school after graduating from Goshen. Sometimes I wish I would have done that. But, I guess that would mean that I wouldn't have gone to Spain. And wouldn't have seen so much cool architecture there. In the mean time, though, while I lackadaisically ponder opportunities for my future, I should find something to do for the next few months (well, okay, once summer starts) and then, the next year. No need to plan my whole life. But I should take a shower... then maybe I can settle down to homework. *wink*

its been a while...

maybe even a couple whiles, since I've blogged. I'm currently sitting in the comfy living room of my cousins' house. Kathy is making yummy soup (to cater to my non-solids post-wisdom teeth extraction diet), Kimberly is taking a nap, and Craig is winning at an Ohio State football video game thingie. Its nice to just sit around and relax, and have an excuse to do so.
The whole "going under" procedure during teeth pulling is really strange. (I asked about gettin it done with just local anesthesia like Kelcie did a month ago, but they said they'd only do one side at a time like that, and who wants to go through that twice?) I wondered if things would just sort of fade out and get blurry and confusing like the only other time I passed out (while donating blood) but they didn't. I didn't really notice ever being out. I was talking and listening to the nurses talk and then I was still listening to them talk, except my teeth were on the little tray table in front of me, and there were more tools than there were before. It was confusing. And then I got up and got nauseous and had to lay back down again. And I got all cold and sweaty, but it was okay, because Kirsten took my pulse the whole time and I looked up and winked at her. And then I felt better and we left. And then I couldn't talk because I had lots of gauze and blood in my mouth. But I have good friends and housemates and they pampered me and I sat around all day and wrote notes to people and put ice on my mouth and did crosswords and su doku's and watched a stand-up comedian video. And then slept. And I feel pretty good today. Which is good, because tonight I get to go to Kimberly's hour after. Which I hear from those who went last night is super-amaaazing (with an eye-roll, Kathy...are you at 7 now?)
Ok, enough about my boring mouth. The semester as a whole is going quite well, though entirely toooo fast! I've been enjoying being around Goshen friends and family again, and my house/housemates are fantastic. Its almost spring break, which is exciting because I'm going home! I and a few friends (2 or 3) are going to road-trip it. Which is kinda silly. But shall be quite fun. So long as we don't get caught in a blizzard in Oklahoma. Which is kind of inevitable, but ideally it will just slow us a down a bit, and nothing more. (My family has had terrible luck with Oklahoma in the past...)
And spring break makes me realize that half of the semester is over and that I really ought to be plotting out the next year or so of my life. Many friends are moving Denver-way, so thats a possibility. Closer to home. Mountains. Sun. Friends. Diverse and interesting place. Sounds promising. A ver.

Back in Goshen

So I've been back in Goshen, back in school for just over a week now. It feels pretty good. I'm living in the upstairs apartment of a pretty cool (note both senses of the word here apply) old house quite close to campus with 4 fabulous women. We take turns cooking supper and cleaning and shopping. Being back in "normal" school is also nice. I'm having to readjust to the style of teaching (i.e. homework and readings) but I have some interesting classes. I haven't yet started my TESOL field experience, which will most likely consist of assisting in the teaching of English to students at the local high school, or perhaps some one-on-one tutoring sorts of things. I will get busier when this starts...
Sunday I went back to Benton Mennonite, my "home-college" church. It was so beautiful to hear hymns sung in (good) four-part harmony again! Some of my favorites, along with "Be thou my vision," which reminded me of my Grandpa Glick's funeral in which almost all of the Glick grandchildren sang that song. It shocked me to realize that it has been around 5 years since he died.
Keith Graber Miller, one of the Bible, Religion and Philosophy prof.s at Goshen gave a guest-sermon on the importance of scripture, which was quite interesting and relevant to my recent skepticisms of religion in general and the divinity of the word. Good things to think about.
Though, pleasantly, my spanish class does not seem to be too challenging, I will be challenged in some of my other classes, especially, perhaps the intro to Econ. Development (a class which I am only auditing due to lack of space). Today we talked about World Millennium Development Goals from the 2000 UN summit. Interesting. Idealistic and not necessarily feasible, but ... there are possibilities. I hope to learn more.
I'm also reconsidering plans for next year. They originally involved a move to Kansas to live with my sister while she finished up vet school. Living with her might now be post-poned a year with a move to somewhere I find more drawing in its place. I'm up for suggestions or cool opportunities you might hear about. =)

land of enchantment

yesterday I killed a scorpion in the hallway and kelcie and I sat in the hot tub and looked at the gorgeous stars.

today I went out in the garden and dug up a carrot to eat with my lunch and went on a beautiful walk/hike up a nearby canyon with the sobrinos. Kelcie dyed my hair with henna and we ate at a chinese restaurant. It was a lovely birthday/new years and now its quarter till 11 and I'm going to go to bed. =)

Tomorrow i'm going to read more, cook some yummy food and help dad out on the sawmill?

Break is nice, and so is the New Mexico sun. and our special planet, Pluto. Which is by state legislature, still a planet when it passes over our skies. oh yeah.