Carnival 2012: "Farewell to the Flesh"

Of all Spanish festivals and celebrations, Carnival is probably the liveliest and craziest. Carnival in Spain and throughout the rest of the world can best be compared to the Mardi Gras celebrations that we have in the states, except that it is celebrated throughout the entire country.

Carnival originated from a Roman Catholic celebration in which people ate, drank and danced obsessively in preparation for Lent, in which moral and food restrictions were imposed on followers of that religion. Before bidding farewell to these things that people had to give up for lent, the people held parties in which they ate and drank without control. Carnival Tuesday is considered the last day that people can eat meat until the end of lent and it is when the majority of the wild partying takes place.

On Ash Wednesday (Miércoles de Ceniza), in some places in Spain, like Madrid, something called the Burial of the Sardine (El Entierro de la Sardina) takes place. It’s a satirical ceremony where people get together to observe the burying of a dead fish. The death and burial of the fish represents the end of the “carnival” period and the beginning of the religious fast.

During carnival in Spain, people dress up in costumes and attend parades throughout the streets of the cities. People of all ages and walks of life participate in this; they dress up, take to the streets and dance and party all day and night. The costumes range from being well thought out and very extravagant to being homemade. Some people just wear masks. The celebrations go on for days.

During this time different organizations also hosts contests and pageants. For example they might hold a “Queen of Carnival” pageant, in which they search for the most beautiful woman with the most elaborate costume. There are also several pageants for children.

Although I did not go to school on Friday, I was told that they hosted a small carnival contest. In the afternoon, the children showed up wearing their carnival costumes. Prizes were given to the children with the most creative costumes in each grade level.

The most well-known carnival celebrations in Spain take place in Tenerlife and Cadiz. The carnival in Tenerlife is said to be the biggest in all of Europe and has a strong emphasis on pageants and contests while the Carnival of Cadiz is said to have much more of an emphasis on its music.

I did not participate in the carnival celebrations this year, mostly because there were no big celebrations where I live, but I would love to experience the madness of Carnival sometime in the future.

Be My Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day! For the first time in many years, I was actually somewhat excited about today. It could be because for the first time ever, I am outside of the U.S. on Valentine’s Day, or it could also be because I was excited to share another part of my culture with my students. As ridiculous as Valentine’s Day can sometimes get, it’s still a big part of American culture and I wanted my students to see how it’s celebrated in the states.

As soon as I arrived to school this morning I went to the staff room to put my goodies on the table. Yesterday after school I went to the British supermarket to buy a Valentine’s Day card. I decided that I not only wanted to share my culture with the students, but also with the teachers by giving them a card and some chocolates. When I got to the staff room, I put the box of chocolates on the table and taped the card onto the box. The card said Happy Valentine’s Day on the front, and in the middle I wrote a short note in valenciano.

Since I had a lot of the younger-aged kids today, I had prepared some black and white Valentine’s Day cards for the kids to color and write short messages on. They had different phrases on them, such as “I love you” or “be my valentine.” I explained each of the phrases and I also described how a typical Valentine’s Day is in the United States, very exaggerated. I talked about what some of the students do at school, and how all of the restaurants are fully decorated and people have to make reservations, and how some women expect wedding proposals and other ridiculous things. I also taught them some v-day vocabulary such as balloons, teddy bears, hearts and chocolate. They seemed to enjoy the lesson and they were excited to make cards for their friends and parents.

One of my students in my first grade class loves when I come in. Whenever he sees me, he always runs up to me to give me a hug, he’s always trying to stimulate an English conversation with me, and during class, he’s always asking me how to say certain things in English. After telling the children that they can give the card to whoever they want to, he immediately told the class that he was going to give his card to me. And so he quickly tried to color the card and he asked me how to spell the rest of my name (he already had the L-A-T-A part). He kept coming to me to give me the card but I told him to color more (it only took him 5 minutes to do and we still had 20 minutes left). He then asked me if I was going to take the card to my house, and when I said, “yes, of course,” he got so excited. For the rest of the class, I kept hearing him tell his classmates that I was going to take the card to my house. They teased him and said that he was “enamorado” (in love) with me, and he didn’t even deny it. Later, when the other English teacher came in, he showed her the card and said that he was going to give it to me because he was in love with me. She couldn’t stop laughing.

When class was finally over, he gave me the card and I told him that it was so beautiful. As I was leaving, he said “bye, bye LaTasha, I love you.” This, in turn, caused all of the other children to say “I love you” as I was exiting. “I love you all too,” I said. Maybe I shouldn’t have taught them that phrase so loosely.

My Valentine’s day was fabulous; I ended up with not one Valentine, but several. All of my students made my day special in one way or another. I’m happy that I was able to share a bit of my culture with them and the rest of the teachers.

Apparently, in Spain, Valentine’s Day, or El Dia de San Valentín, isn’t that much of a spectacle. Some people are aware of the day when it comes around every year, but it isn’t nearly as popular as it is in a couple of other countries, and it’s mostly only celebrated by couples. I believe that in America it’s more widespread, as in, it’s not only acknowledged by people in relationships, but also family members, friends and small children at schools. As a child, my greatest Valentine’s Day memories included giving Valentine’s Day cards to my friends at school, receiving gifts from my dad and going out to eat with my family.

Here in Spain, if you don’t have a significant other then it makes no sense to celebrate it. I believe that is why I was constantly asked by the teachers today if I had a boyfriend or if I was in love. After talking to one teacher, she told me that Valentine’s Day wasn’t that big, and that sometimes couples celebrate it, but usually only if it falls on the weekend. I told another teacher how superficial the day can be, and how materialistic some people can get and she told me that it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She said that’s one thing that she liked about America; that we seem to celebrate everything bigger and better. “Spaniards don’t really care about most holidays,” she said (in Spanish), “To me, you guys show much more of an appreciation for life, and I like that.”

Well, I couldn’t argue with her about that.

Creative Cooking Fridays Presents: Tomato Basil Soup

Tomato Basil Soup

So first of all I have to admit that I'm cheating, since technically I do my creative cooking Fridays on a Friday and this weekend I chose to cook on a Saturday instead. The reason for this is because, after 2 weeks of feeling like a truck ran over my face (stupid sinus infection) I was feeling too ill yesterday to cook. Since I was feeling better today, I decided to experiment in the kitchen with a new dish: Tomato Basil Soup. Obviously I chose to prepare another soup this week because I'm trying to build up my immune system and I want to eat more foods that will keep me warm, fulfilled and feeling better. The Chicken Noodle Soup that I prepared last week was excellent, and I was able to make enough to freeze and eat throughout the week for dinner. I'm hoping that I will be able to do the same with this Tomato Basil Soup.

As soon as I realized that I wanted to make another soup, Tomato Basil was the first thing that came to mind. I've never really been that much of a soup person, so I didn't have a ton of soups on my mind to choose from, but I did remember having a great soup in the past. When I was in high school I worked at Mellow Mushroom, a pizzeria, which had a delicious Tomato Basil Soup. During the wintertime, I always ordered it, so I thought that a Tomato Basil Soup would be perfect to make now.

Keep in mind that the title of these blog entries contains the words creative cooking as in it's my first time making these things so I indeed am being very creative. This was especially the case for this soup because I really didn't have any idea what I was doing. Before making the soup I browsed a couple of recipes online but I failed to find a recipe that I liked, and most of them were very intricate and contained ingredients that I knew I wouldn't find here. I was also being very creative because I couldn't find one of the main ingredients that I needed for the soup, fresh basil, which in Spanish is albahaca. Instead of fresh basil, I had to use the dried basil seasoning that you buy from the supermarket. I decided that with this dish I was going to experiment a bit.



Tomatoes



I began cooking at around 8:30pm. I started to play season 2 of Sex and the City, and for the first time in over 2 weeks, I had a glass of wine. I figured that it couldn't do that much harm to have one glass, plus that's not on the list of things to avoid when you have a sinus infection. I started cutting up fresh tomatoes and a few other things that I was going to put in the soup, like onions and garlic. I then grilled the garlic and onions for a bit and added the fresh tomatoes to a saucepan along with tomato juice. I then let the tomato mixture simmer for about 30 minutes.

While this was simmering, I cut up some peppers and onions for the dish that I was going to prepare on Sunday, chicken fajitas!

Once the tomato mixture was ready; I crushed the tomatoes up a bit and added some cream and butter. I then added the onions, garlic, basil, sea salt, and pepper. I topped the soup off with some fresh parsley; I know it sounds strange to put parsley in a basil soup, but I felt that I needed some kind of fresh herb.

When the soup was ready I put some in a bowl and tried it. I wasn't very hungry so I just ate a little. It was full of flavor and it had the perfect creamy tomato texture. It was delicious!

I don't think that the soup was as healthy as I thought it would be, but that's because I added cream and butter; I probably could have avoided it, but it wouldn't have been as rich nor would it have the perfect tomato-basil color.

In the future, I would definitely use fresh basil instead of the dried up stuff that I was forced to use. I'm sure that it will be much easier to find in America, or possibly in a bigger city in Spain. I would also use more tomatoes, because the texture wasn't as thick as I would like it to be. But even with the lack of ingredients and uncertainty on how to prepare the soup, I would definitely say that I am proud of my creation, it turned out great!

Oh Valenciano…

Today I had a conversation with my dad. He said that he was sure that my Spanish was excellent now, since I’ve been in Spain for over 5 months. “Well, actually,” I said, “I think my Spanish has gotten worse since I’ve been living here.”  He couldn’t believe my answer.

How could it make sense that my Spanish has barely improved after living in Spain for 5 months? There’s a very simple answer to that question: Valenciano.  

Oh Valenciano…

Because I like in a very small pueblo in the Valencian community of Spain, I am exposed to the regional language known as valenciano all day, every day.  Before coming to Spain I feared that I was going to be exposed to so much valenciano that my regular Spanish wouldn’t improve as much. I wouldn’t necessarily say that that fear has come true, but I will say that it’s been a struggle.

It’s not fair to say that I don’t get a chance to practice castellano as much, I mean I have no choice but to speak it to my roommates and co-workers and everyone else in Spain that I come in contact with, but I sometimes feel that when I speak it with the people in Jávea, It’s almost impossible to have an genuine conversation with them. When I speak to the people that I live and work with, they usually respond in castellano also, but it gets so hard for them to differentiate between the two languages that they often throw in valenciano words in the middle of their sentences. I don’t even think that they realize that they are doing it most times.

 I also believe that they feel that I’ve been here long enough to understand a lot of casual valenciano words and phrases, so when they see me in the morning, they’ll say Bon Dia (instead of Buenos Dias), or when it’s cold outside they might say Fa fret, no? (Instead of Hace frío, no? )  Even when the people here do speak to me in Castellano, I’d rather them speak valenciano because it seems so unnatural to them. Not only do they casually mix in valenciano words because they are so use to saying them, but they also have such a Valencian accent that it just sounds strange when they speak in castellano.

Not only do I get a strong dose of valenciano from my co-workers, students and roommates, but I also attend valenciano courses three times a week where I learn how to read, write and speak it. So now I oftentimes find myself saying a lot of valenciano phrases and actually putting sentences together when I am speaking to different groups of people.

This is what has caused my castellano to suffer.

Let me just say that I am certainly not complaining about the amount of a valenciano that I have absorbed while I’ve been here. In many ways, I feel very privileged. I feel that I was given the opportunity to be exposed to a whole new language and culture, something that other foreigners living throughout varies cities in Spain aren’t able to experience. Not only am I able to enjoy every aspect of living a Spanish life, but I also feel as though I am able to interact with and appreciate people from a more secluded culture within Spain. I am so grateful to have this opportunity.

The question is: what can I do to improve my castellano? Here a couple of solutions that I’ve come up with:

1.      Read more: I truly believe that reading has a significant impact on how strong a person’s vocabulary is, so I believe that reading good Spanish books, or even newspapers and magazines will help build my Spanish vocabulary.

2.      Turn to the media: Watching at least an hour of Spanish television a day will also help improve my Spanish speaking and listening skills.

3.      Speak more: I think that I should start initiating, and participating in, more stimulating Spanish conversations.

4.      Take Spanish classes: This could be another option if I had more time take classes. I wished that I would have enrolled in Spanish classes when I enrolled in my valenciano classes, but I probably would have driven myself crazy.

5.      Travel more: The only time when I really get to converse with a more authentic castellano speaker, outside of the Valencian region is when I travel to other cities within Spain, such as Madrid. Travelling more throughout Spain will definitely expose me to more castellano.

Maybe I’m being a bit dramatic, I mean my Spanish isn’t horrible; I haven’t had any problems speaking to or understanding anyone here. But I do feel like my speaking ability is definitely not where I expected it to be at this point in my journey. I am, however, staying optimistic and I am at least happy to say that when I come home, I will have a lot of knowledge and understanding of an additional language: Valenciano.  

The Bucket List

Today marks 5 months that I’ve been in Spain. 5 MONTHS! I can’t believe it. These last 5 months have gone by so quickly, and I can definitely say that I’ve done a lot. But there is, however, so much more that I would like to do before returning to the U.S.

My official date to return to the U.S. is June 30^th, but I might have to leave a couple of days earlier. With that being said, I have less than 5 months left in Spain. Knowing that half of my time here has already passed puts a lot of things in perspective for me. There are still so many things that I want to do while I am here, so I decided to make a Spanish Bucket List to figure out the things that I would still like to accomplish while I'm in Spain. These things aren’t in any particular order:



#6: Attend a Flamenco Show

 1. Keep a blog and write in it often. It took a long time to start it up but it’s finally done!

 2. Find at least one traditional Spanish dish to make and perfect it. Paella Maybe?

 3. Take a solo weekend trip.

 4. Have a long conversation with a Spanish abuelo.

 5. Swim in the Mediterranean.

 6. Attend a Flamenco Show, or Several. Done, once in Granada, but I’d like to attend more

 7. Go to a Fútbol (soccer) Game. (Or watch an entire Fútbol game from start to finish).

 8. Take a Dance class. Went to two classes with my roommate, but we didn’t like it. I’d like to find another.

 9. Read a great Spanish book. Currently I’m reading Arráncame la Vida, but it’s by a Mexican author.
10. Start learning another language. Done, I have been taking Valencian classes for over 4 months.

11. Devote a day to doing community service. Community service is very hard to encounter in Spain, especially where I live.

12. Find a favorite Spanish television program. Done, "Aida."

13. Go on a Spontaneous day trip.

14. Hike the 5-hour trail in Jávea. 

#22: Eat New Things

15. Prepare some homemade churros and chocolate.

16. Try out a new sport.
17. Speak with/Interview Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo, a famous Equatorial Guinean writer.

18. Cook an American dinner for my roommates.

19. Host a party at my piso. Already have a date set, Cinco de Mayo!

20. Take a cooking class.

21. Get a library card, and utilize it often.

22. Eat new things that you have never wanted to try. So far I’ve tried rabbit, fish, lamb, calamari, mussels and probably a lot of other things.
23. Attend a Bull Run/Bull Fight.

24. Take a class with Spanish locals. Done, I take an aerobics class twice a week with residents of Jávea.

25. Start running by the sea in the mornings. Will do as soon as it gets warmer outside.

26. Take part in a local village fiesta.

27. Go to a theatre performance.

28. Find a Church of Christ in Spain and attend a church service.

29. Find some bridal favors for my sister’s wedding activities.

#32: Party like a Spaniard (Madrid)

30. Attend a wine-tasting.

31. Walk around town interviewing Spaniards.
32. Party like a Spaniard (as in, until 6/7 in the morning). No, but came close when I was in Madrid (5 a.m.)!

33. Sit outside a Spanish café for hours, observing the surroundings. Done, but not solo.

34. Talk with some people from Equatorial Guinea about their experiences in Spain.

35. Travel within Spain: Madrid, Sevilla, Granada, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Córdoba, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Salamanca

36. Travel outside of Spain: France, Italy, U.K. (High on my priority list). Portugal, Germany , Greece, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Belgium, Morocco (Not a priority,  but I’d still like to visit these places)

Creating this list has definitely given me much to look forward to as I continue my journey in Spain. As you can see, a lot of these things I have yet to accomplish. If I don’t get through everything on the list, I won’t be upset, but it will be interesting to see what I am able to achieve.  

Occasionally, I will keep updating the list in future blog entries as I accomplish more things.

Creative Cooking Fridays Presents: Chicken Noodle Soup

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I have been feeling horrible these last couple of days. Not only am I still trying to get over an illness that I’ve had for the last 3 months since I’ve been living in Spain, but I also woke up on Thursday morning with a throbbing headache, body aches and a horrible sore throat (my third sore throat since living here). I am still trying to get to the bottom of my sickness. I thought that seeing a doctor would help, but it hasn’t. I thought that taking antibiotics, allergy medicine, and acid-reflux medicine would help, but it hasn’t; and I even thought that increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables and orange juice that I consume on a daily basis would also help, but that hasn’t helped either.  I am now left wondering if maybe living in Spain just isn’t good for my immune system.

Because I’ve been feeling so ill, I thought that the perfect thing to prepare tonight would be a homemade chicken noodle soup. I knew that it would be good for my immune system and good for my soul.

I’ve never made homemade chicken noodle soup before but I imagined that it wouldn’t be that difficult to prepare. I browsed a couple of recipes online and they all seemed pretty simple. Although it was really hard for me to get out of the piso this morning, I took some medicine, got dressed, and headed to the supermarket to get some things that I needed for the soup.  

The ingredients for chicken noodle soup are pretty basic, for the most part; all you need is chicken broth, vegetables and chicken. The soup wasn’t totally homemade because I bought chicken broth instead of making my own. Not only did I think that I would be disgusted making my own broth, but I also didn’t have a pot big enough to fit a whole chicken.

When I returned to my piso I rested for a little while, I wanted to make sure that I had enough energy to cook later. Then, once 9:00 hit, I got up, chose one of my Sex and the City DVD’s to watch and headed to the kitchen to start preparing the soup. Unfortunately, I had hot tea instead of my usual glass of wine, so cooking wasn’t as fun as it usually is.


Vegetables



First, I started cutting up the vegetables. I wanted the soup to be full of vegetables so I bought carrots, celery, potatoes and onions.  I also cooked the noodles while I was doing this. Then, I placed the vegetables inside of a saucepan to cook for just a little while. While the veggies were cooking, they released such a wonderful aroma into the air. I then added the chicken broth as well as some other things and let it cook. Meanwhile, I cleaned the chicken and placed it into the oven to bake. When the chicken was done, I diced it and placed it in the pot with the simmering soup, along with the noodles. Afterwards, I added fresh garlic, parsley and some seasoning. And lastly, I added my favorite ingredient: lemon juice.

When the soup was finished, I put some into a bowl and I made myself a cup of hot tea with lemon, as well as a glass of orange juice. I then sat down, under the warm table in my living room, to enjoy the meal.

The soup was perfect. It was exactly what I needed, not only to sooth my throat, but also to warm me up from the cold weather. There is only one thing about the soup that I would change: I accidently bought the finely thinned filet chicken from the supermarket so I wasn’t able to dice it as well.  But even with the filet chicken, the soup was absolutely wonderful. I also made enough to have for the rest of the weekend. I will definitely be making more soup in the next couple of months: it’s the perfect way to combat the cold weather.

P.S. I’d like to wish a very Happy Birthday to my father. I love you!

Happy Black History Month!

In honor of Black History Month, I would like to devote this blog post to the Spelman College class of 1892: Strong, curious and intelligent African American women who were determined to pursue their education, despite everything else that was going on around that time. Little did they know that they would form a strong network of African American women all making a choice to change the world.  Without their passion, determination and steadfastness, I may have only dreamed of being where I am today.



Spelman College Class of 1892