Semana Santa Costumes and Floats - Internet Pictures

Nazarenos are what the people dressed in costumes durring Holy Week are called.  It is a mystery why these costumes that are used in Semana Santa celebrations are designed as they are.  But their purpose is to cover their faces because they are in mourning, and it is also a sign of shame for the sins that they have committed throughout the year.  In some large parades in Spain participants go to extremes by wounding themselves throughout the procession to make up for their sins.  I did not see any of this thankfully, that would be scary. 

**There is no known connection to why the Klu Klux Klan have similar costumes**

These are some pictures I got from the internet of different colours of costumes, floats, and the women who participate in Semana Santa.

Semana Santa

When I first arrived to Spain I visited the Casino.  I honestly thought we were going gambling when we were searching for it, but it is not that kind of casino.  The Casino used to be a gentlemen’s club, and still kind of is.  Men can purchase memberships and use the facilities at the Casino, which basically include reading rooms, game rooms, and rooms to drink.  Back in the day the Casino was the most popular meeting spot for men, and women were absolutely not allowed to enter.  Women are now allowed to enter, and they have turned the Casino into a museum (except for the small area that remains a gentlemen’s club).  We did a self guided tour through it with personal speakers.  It is extremely beautiful in there.  There are various rooms that you enter and learn about which are numbered off.  The rooms contain art, sculptures, and some original architecture.  The sculptures in there are built onto platforms.  We learned that the Casino holds the “floats” that are used for Semana Santa (Holy Week).  This past couple weeks before and during Easter there has been celebrations, and I got to see the “floats” be paraded proudly through the streets of Murcia for Semana Santa.

Over 14 days processions were held every day.  Men carry these extremely heavy floats across the city for hours, and the whole city is out watching.  Women and children are also dressed who are participating in the processions, and even the people sitting outside watching are dressed in their Sunday best.  The plain and simple history behind this huge celebration is the commemoration of the death of Christ.

The people dressed up  are stuffed with candy.  The children who are watching with their families bring bags, it is like their version of Halloween, but it lasts almost two weeks! Lucky, lucky kids.  That is a lot of possible candy collection by the end of it!  A year supply, for sure.

Semana Santa was very interesting to watch, and the floats were beautiful.  It was warming to see the community coming together to celebrate something they all support so strongly.

I think cultural tourism is a huge part of Spain's tourism income.  Durring these festivities I noticed a lot of people speaking different languages all around, clearly who have travelled to view the festivities.  Spain has a lot of celebrations commemorating their culture throughout the year, so their are lots of opportunities for people to come and experience Spanish culture year round.

The following are some pictures that my mom took while she was here, on the first day of the celebrations.  Every day they were dressed in different colours.  On Easter they were dressed in white.

I couldn't find anything on the internet, but a lot of these people grabbed their faces like the picture above.  I thought it was to be able to see but then I saw a statue in Murcia of a man dressed in this costume and he was doing the same thing.  So I think the face grabbing has some sort of cultural signifigance.

One of the floats, and the men carrying it.  All of these men seemed to be in extreme pain carrying these floats.  But I think it is looked at as an honour to be one of the people carrying it.  Some of these processions last for hours and some men walk it barefoot.

It seemed like there were millions of people in the streets.

There were two priests who stood outside the Cathedral in a balcone everyday for the entire procession.

Some Pictures

This is a picture from inside the Cathedral in Murcia.  I don't think it is very clear but you can see the 'exhibits' behind the bars up against the walls.

This is another picture of the Cathedral.  This one is from the internet, but it is easier to see the bars on the walls in this one.

This is an area of Fuensanta.

Hiking around Fuensanta.

This is me climbing down the "Jesus Statue"

This picture is from the internet, it a further picture of Monteagado (Jesus Statue).  This is more or less what I can see from my balcone.

Ontop of the castle in Lorca.

This is from the internet but it is a better view of the castle in Lorca.

The Livin's Easy

I think for the most part Canadians have easy going and laid back personalities.  We have grown to become a fast paced society, but I think that is happening almost all around the world.  As much as we evolve and become a very "Go! Go! Go!" society, I hope we will always remain relaxed and happy.

Spanish culture is extremely relaxed.  If someone is to move here who enjoys a scheduled lifestyle, I don't think they would last.  How the Spanish view schedule and how we do in North America is so different.  Our lifestyles are so different.

Firstly, Siesta Time is an amazing time and idea.  For 3-4 hours everyday in the afternoon most businesses close.  So if you want to go shopping or eat at a restaurant, this time of day has to be considered.  Siesta is usually between 2-5pm.  It isn't absolutly everything that shuts down durring Siesta but the city becomes so much quieter durring it.  I think this is an amazing thing.  This gives people time in the day to relax, do something for themselves, or spend time with their family.

On Sundays basically everything is closed.  People relax and go to church on Sundays.  One of the first things my roomates told me was to grocery shop before Sunday because I would be out of luck finding anything open.

"Take-Out" and "To Go" are barely apart of the Spanish vocabulary.  They would rather take the time to sit back and enjoy a coffee or meal, instead of rush.

Rushing doesn't even exist.  Noone is on time for anything.  Setting a time for something turns out to be very lenient.  People don't rush when they are at work, the bus shows up whenever it does, rent and bills get paid whenever you "get around to it", and even my teachers are usually a little late for class.

But when you think about it, what are we rushing for?  I don't know why we are in such a rush all the time.  People have so much stress in their lives and it has horrible effects on a person's health.  Maybe we should introduce siesta time to Canadians and shut down businesses on Sundays.  Life is too short for unhappiness and sometimes people lose thought in what really is important in life.  Your family, friends, and happiness should always come first, "Go! Go! Go!" should come last.  I think a lot of people need to re-think how they live their lives, because when it comes down to it we should have happy memories and no regrets.

Monteagudo ("The Jesus Rock")

Monteagudo is a small region about 4km away from Murcia.  There is a small mountain/rock there with a large Jesus statue on top.  When I stand on our balcone at the flat it is very visible in the near distance.

About a month ago I decided to walk over and climb it with a couple other people.  This is another instant where differences are visible between Canadians and other cultures.  I dont think 4km is a far distance at all - to walk, and especially drive.  A lot of people told us it would be impossible to walk the distance.  I think because Canada is so large, distances don't phase us.  A lot of Canadians have family and friends across the country so driving 4, 5, 6 hours, or more, to visit someone or to get away is not a big deal.  Walking to the other side of town instead of driving is also normal for Canadians.  (Except lazy ones).  One of the girls I was with is from Russia, and as everyone knows Russia is HUGE.  We had the same conversation - walking and driving far distances.  She said in Russia distances aren't a big issue just like in Canada.  So maybe its a size thing?  Well, walked to the Jesus statue/rock/mountain and it didn't take long at all.

There are stone steps and metal ladders set up to help people get to the top.  There aren't any barriers beside the steps or ladders so if you fall your not in a good position.  It is definitly not okay for people with vertigo.  The climb is very steep and I would be impressed with anyone who would bush wack (rock wack?) there own way up.

Every so often there was a flat bank as you progess higher.  It was nice to have them there to stop and catch your breathe and enjoy the scenery.  The scenery was awesome.  You could see all the mountains around us and and amazing views of the cities surrounding us.  Unfortunately,  I completely forgot to put my memory card in my camera so all the pictures I took weren't actually there.  I ended up breaking my camera on my way down anyway, but I will get back to that.

The last stretch to get to the very top where the statue is didn't have any steps or ladders so you to do some mini rock climbing up about two metres.  It was easier to climb up than down.

So now backtracking, as we got closer to the top we were on one of those flat spots taking a break as a man came out of nowhere.  He must have been crazy enough to climb the rock without the steps and ladders, and equipment.  He was a little strange but he dissapeared.  One of the other girls and I did the last stretch after we saw him, and separated at the top.  We both ended up running into him a couple times and he seemed pretty out of it and mumbled alot and lerked around while grabbing himself.  The Jesus statue is actually a tower on the inside so we wanted to see the view from the top.  We climbed about halfway in and it was pitch black from there on up, so we left because it was kind of sketchy.  When we got down the "lurker" was blocking the doorway, naked and masturbating, and trying to speak to us.  SO, we ran but he followed us.  I broke my camera because I threw my backpack down the 2m rock we had to climb to get to the steps to get up there.  He stopped following after a little bit, but last week one of the girls I was with went back with some other people.  Same deal, except this time he grabbed one of their legs and followed them thirty minutes down the highway until they got into a cab.  So anyway, I've heard of religious masturbators but this guy seems pretty wacko.  And if he was there on two different occassions and follows people, I dont see why anyone hasn't done anything about it...

Maybe a little too much information, but, that was my trip to the Jesus Rock!

Sites

I have done a little bit of site seeing this past week while I had people visiting.  Mostly in Murcia and the cities surrounding.

Earlier in the week Kieren came with me on a school trip to Lorca.  It is a city around one hour away from here.  The bus ride took us into the mountains and we got to go on a tour of the castle in Lorca and the castle grounds.  The castle seemed ancient and it was beautiful.  We went up to the highest point where the watch guards used to be, and the view from the top was very pretty.  We were surrounded by mountains we could see the city, and further cities.  The tour was in Spanish so it was a little complicated to follow, but it was still nice to see.

I also went to the Cathedral, I have been there before and walk by it everyday, but I wouldn't mind going back a few times.  There are a bunch of 'exhibits' in the Catheseal that are enclosed by bars.  They look like ancient religious symbols, statues, and monuments.  It kind of feels like a museum in there, but services still take place.

We took a walk into the mountains and explored the area of Fuensanta.  There is an old monestary up in the mountains that we got pretty close to, but there were groups practicing for the upcoming processions and we didn't want to bother them by going onto the monestary grounds and the path they were on.  We did a little bit of hiking and that whole area is beautiful.

The rest of the time we spent in Murcia exploring locally.  There is a lot of history within the city and the architecture is fantasic.

Visitors

My Mom when I first got surprised.

Me, Kate, Kieren

Kate, Kieren, and I

All of the visitors!

Visitors

Our friend from Cranbrook, Kieren, who also went to COTR is here visiting us for a couple of weeks.  She came durring "that time of the year" so we can't travel as much as we would like to, but we have still been trying to experience a lot of the culture while she is here, and have saced some things that we wanted to do for her arrival.  Kate's mom is also coming to visit and is arriving tonight.

One of the first things we did with Kieren was shop.  I realized before that there was a huge difference between the styles here and in Canada but then I got used to it until Kieren brough it to my attention again.  I feel like in Canada people definitly follow trends and fashion is important.  Although,  I feel like a lot of people still dress comfortably for a regular day.  At COTR I feel completely fine going to school in sweatpants, but so out of place when I do it here.  Going to school is like walking through a fashion show.  Although I do enjoy these differences and it emphasizes and reminds me that I am in a completely different place than home.  It feels like I expected Europe to be like.

Kieren was also with us for the extreme heat we experienced at the beach in Alicante.  Some of the other things we have planned are visiting Mar Menor, hiking in the mountains, climbing Monteagudo (a huge rock with a Jesus statue on the top of it), and other small day trips.

...

As I was writing this blog in my notebook I was sitting in my living room waiting for Kate to get home with her mom.  She got here just as I finished the paragraph above, and we went onto the balcone for a little bit.  When I walked back inside from the balcone my mom! was sitting in the living room!  I had no idea she was coming.  It was an awesome surprise, and we live in different provinces so I don't get to see her very often.  We have done some site seeing and some touring around since then.  It was Monday the 11th when I started this blog and it is now Saturday the 16th as I am finishing it.  My mom, and Kate's mom leave on Tuesday morning.  It's going ot be kind of depressing, but I guess I will have some more things to write about!

Summertime in the City

When we first arrived to Murcia at the end of January, it was a little cold but nowhere near how cold it was in Canada.  The Spanish people were bundled up and I Kate and I have not worn a winter coat since Cranbrook.  Around the end of February - mid March it started getting even warmer.  The last couple weeks have been HOT.  It has hit 40 degrees celsius and has been in the 30s for a really long time now.  For some reason, the Spanish people are still bundled up from head to toe and the "crazy" Canadians have been in flip flops since February.  If they are still bundled up in the scorching heat it makes me wonder how hot it is actually going to get!  This week we spent a day at the beach and in onlu 4 hours (three Canadians) were burnt to a crisp and bright red.  These burns have not dissapeared and it has been days now!  Apparently the O-Zone layer is weak in some parts of Europe and I definitly believe it.

I wonder if the Spanish people ae used to these extrene heat conditions and to them it is still a little cool?  And because Canada is so cold our bodies react differently to heat.  I'm no exactly sure what it is but it blows my mind that peole are flabergasted to see flip flops and tank tops, and ask if we are cold.  It is interesting to see how people adapt to weather differently all around the world.

That Time of the Year (written a couple weeks ago)

Even though I'm not in Canada, I can still feel that feeling that always comes around this time of the year.  It's stressfuk and usually entails limitied to no sleep - it's the end of the semester.  I hate this time of the year with a passion, I can't wait until it is over!  It has probably been the worst one yet.  It has been extra stressful juggling two schools in two different languages and continents.  I've never ever failed before but I still panic that I might every year.  Having classes in Spanish has been hard and it uses up a ot more time and effort.  So with courses and wrapping up at home (reports and exams galore) and trying to understand what is going on here, it has been anything but fun.  But!  I know it will be over soon and then it will be time to breathe and relax!

So, because of "that time of the year"  I haven't been up to a whole lot this last couple of weeks.  Semana Santa is cming up very soon and I'm really looking forward to it.  Apparently it is a huge deal in Spain, and it is one of the most important times of the year in regards to culture, religion, and festivals.  It last for about two weeks - a week before 'easter week' and the whole week of easter.  I've looked at pictures of the festivals on the internet and I'm really excited to get to see it in person.  I think it will be an awesome experience, and by the time it gets here the semester will be over and I will have a little more spare time to be able to enjoy it!

Language Barriers

One of the reasons why I was really excited about coming to Spain was that I hoped I could learn a whole new language.  I imagined I would be fluent in absolutely no time!  That, did not happen.  But!  I have learned a lot of Spanish – way more than I would have ever known if I had stayed home.  It keeps improving and it is getting easier with time.  When I first arrived it was a struggle and once or twice I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  How bad was it going to suck living in a foreign country for four and a half months and not talk to anyone?  I thought I might lose my mind and have to begin talking to myself!  Thankfully it did not have to come to this.

When I first arrived I went through a little bit of a culture shock.  I had to travel from the airport, to a train station, then to Murcia.  I was thankful Kate and I were together because I had someone else who knew how I was feeling.  And with our combined Spanish knowledge we could get from A to B.  The shock started as soon as we got to the airport in Madrid.  I knew how to ask where the train station was, but the hard part was understanding the answer unless it consists of “a la isquerda” or “a la derecha” (left or right).  It is still hard to communicate sometimes but at the beginning it was extremely difficult.  Everything was different and simple things were much harder to do.  Getting to a train station, getting train tickets, giving/receiving directions, asking where things are, buying things, going grocery shopping, etc.  All the small things turned into big things.  For a while I avoided doing things if it required talking to someone if there was a way to get what I needed without communication that was the option for me.  It wasn’t that I didn’t want to learn, it was that I didn’t want to sound like an idiot.  I felt so bad when I had broken conversations with people, and felt a little bit rude when I tried talking to a Spanish person with the worst Spanish ever.  I always dreaded that puzzled look on people’s faces that clearly said “what in the world are you talking about”?  I still get those looks but what has changed now is that I’m not afraid of getting it.

I am by no means fluent in Spanish, but I am happy and fairly impressed with what I know.  Now instead of avoiding making eye contact with people, I get pretty excited when a random person on the street asks me a question.  I look forward to seeing if I will completely understand what they are asking and then it is an even better success when I can answer.  I have gotten to a point where I can mostly understand someone when they are speaking to me, but I can’t always find the words to answer back in proper and complete sentences.  I’ve recently started watching Modern Family which is an American show, but one of the main characters is Columbian and she usually goes on rants in Spanish.  So far I have understood all of her Spanish freak outs... which is kind of exciting.

So! My Spanish is in no way perfect, but I’m proud of how it is coming along.  There is a huge difference between being absolutely terrified to speak and being comfortable and excited about trying.  I have two months left and  hope it keeps getting better!

O-ro the rattlin' bog, the bog down in the valley-o ... Dublin, Ireland

Celebrate in On March 17^th, this past Thursday, Kate and I headed to Dublin, Ireland for the St. Patrick’s Day Festivities!  I have been infatuated with Ireland for as long as I can remember.  I always knew I would go someday, I just didn’t know when that day would be.  My friends and I have always been big St. Patrick’s Day celebrators.  Every year we visit the local dollar store and stock up on the tackiest/greatest costumes and decorations they have to offer.  As soon as we turned legal drinking age we have made it a tradition to spend St. Patrick’s Day at a pub in Toronto called The Black Bull Tavern.  It is a popular place to celebrate in Toronto and all the hard core celebrators, such as ourselves, are willing to wait in line every year for a couple hours or so in the early afternoon, in order to get a table on the patio and “celebrate” the day away.  For the past few years someone we are with gets interviewed by CityTV.  Last year I accidentally swore, feeling all Irish and what not, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t get aired.  So anyway, I’m a big time fan of St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland, the culture, and of course the accent- so off I was Thursday night to Dublin!

We didn’t get a flight that would get us there in time for the parade, but they treat every day of the weekend like St. Patrick’s Day so it wasn’t too upsetting.  We reached our hotel long after midnight and the pubs and clubs close at 2am, so I didn’t get to have too much of a crazy night.  We did walk through the city which was nice.  The man at the front desk recommended a day tour and part of the tour was at a national park I wanted to visit.  The rest of the tour sounded interesting and the pictures to go along with the info in the brochure were beautiful.  So at 9am the next morning we went to our bus stop to meet our tour guide and start out day tour of Wicklow Mountains National Park.

We started the tour at Glencree Valley and pulled over on the side of the road to take pictures.  I was surrounded by green hills and mountains as far as I could see.  We then drove through the alley for a while and got to take in some more of the scenery from the bus until we stopped for coffee in Glencree.  After the coffee break we drove down the valley once again until we stopped at Lough Tay where we were again surrounded by amazing green landscape.  Lough Tay is also referred to as the “Guinness Lake” because the Guinness family estate borders with it.  We then got to see an area in Wicklow where they filmed a part of P.S. I Love You.  Following, we headed to Glendalough (“Valley of the Two Lakes”) which is one of the most important sites of monastic ruins in Ireland.  It was founded by St. Kevin and is extremely old... he founded it in 618 AD.  It is surrounded in ancient buildings and tons of gravestones, it is very pretty.  In Glendalough we got to see St. Kevin’s Church, Priest’s house, Cathedral, St. Savior’s Church, and the round tower.  The round tower was the most “in-tact” out of all of them.  The rest were hauntingly beautiful but they are so old that they were the remains of the four walls of the buildings – no roofs.  It was really cool.  We then went to the Lower Lake Glendalough which was also very pretty.  After we went for lunch at a traditional Irish pub named Fitzgerald’s in Avoca village.  They film Balykissangel there, a popular Irish show.  Before I knew it the tour was over and after an amazing day of experiencing the country side we were on our way back to Dublin city.  That night we went to a couple traditional Irish pubs where we enjoyed lots of Guinness and traditional Irish music.  We ended our night at the clubs at Dublin’s famous Temple Bar.

I spent the next day and night learning a lot about Irish culture by devoting my time visiting as many Irish pubs as possible.  In between, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.

My final morning waking up in Dublin was a sad one because in no way did I ever want to leave.  Everyone in Ireland was so friendly and I knew I was going to miss leaving a pub while an Irish man played guitar on stage, and having the whole pub cheerfully wish you a goodnight even when you didn’t know them.

We had a late flight back to Spain so we spent Sunday being very touristy.  We would pass a sign point the National Leprechaun Museum every day, so we took it as a sign that we had to go.  The other people that were waiting along with us to do the tour were 90% children with their parents but we had high hopes that the museum would be awesome – and it was.  The tour consisted of walking through a variety of rooms – “12 Chapters”- that told stories about Irish folklore and mythology.  Even though it seemed like it was mostly attracting children, it was interesting and interactive.

We did a lot of walking through the city afterwards and checked out a bunch of buildings and monuments in Dublin.  Our last stop before we left was the Guinness Storehouse.  It was a Guinness Fermentation Plant from 1904-1988.  They turned it into a 7 storey tourist attraction where visitors can learn about the history and the making of Guinness (and taste it of course).  The building is shaped like a giant pint.  Each floor takes you through the history and the making.  When you reach the top floor, “The Gravity Bar” (the head of the pint), you can drink some pints while you enjoy a 360 degree view of Dublin.

When the tour was over we went to one last pub for some food, music, and more Guinness.  We then picked up our luggage after doing some last minute shopping and headed for the airport.  One last Guinness while waiting for the plane and it was time to say goodbye.  I absolutely loved Dublin and it was such a great experience.  I have officially decided to become a resident!  If not in Dublin, I think anywhere in Ireland would do.  Such a good trip!

Glencree Valley

Drivin' Through

P.S. I Love You Scene

Gerard Butler was on this bridge...

Guinness Lake

Glendalough

Glendalough Cathedral

Lower Lake

Avoca

Leprechaun Museum

Guiness Storehouse

View from the Gravity Bar



Carnaval and Vuelta de Murcia

For the past week or so it has been Carnaval time in Spain.  Carnaval takes place just before Lent, which is a period of fasting for religious purposes.  I have read that participants in the past would normally fast for forty days, the last day being the day before Easter.  Although, apparently this has changed and most people will now only fast for two days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Carnaval was prohibited during the Franco era, but since 1975 has been restored and is now back in full force!

Festivals and celebrations are held all across Spain, and last weekend I was fortunate enough to go attend one.  On Saturday a couple of friends and I took the bus to Cartagena – a city about an hour away from Murcia.  We arrived fairly early so we had some time to explore the city.  We saw the sea and took a walk down to the port where it was flooded with very nice boats.  We also so an old theatre and it was beautiful.  It looked as if it was from a scene from the movie Gladiator... or something!  It was secured all around so you could not just walk right into it without going through security, but we found a high point right next to it where we could admire from a pretty close distance and get some pictures.  After a couple hours of walking around I started to question why the city seemed so quiet when there was supposed to be a festival going on!  So, after we sat down for lunch and a couple cervezas we walked back towards the city centre and all of a sudden it was flooded with people.  There were parade floats, speakers set up all over the streets, and people dressed up in costumes everywhere!  Clearly everyone was just napping until the main event.  I could tell by the environment that this was a big deal for everyone around me.  Families who weren’t even in the parade were fully dressed up and looked extremely happy and excited.  My mood instantly changed from being in a fine mood to an extremely amazing feeling.  There were colours everywhere!  People were dressed in the craziest costumes and they looked like they had taken months to prepare.  There were people marching in the parade who were of all ages and diversities– I saw both a two year old girl and seventy year old man dance down the street in high heels that I myself could never wear.  When the parade started the people in it were strutting and dancing down the main streets of Caragena and people polluted the sidelines with their families and friends watching, dancing, and singing along.  I was upset after my camera died within 10 minutes of the parade beginning, but it was still incredible.

CARNAVAL

CARNAVAL

CARNAVAL

THEATRE

The next day, back in Murcia, my flatmates and I walked down to Gran Via to see the finish line of Vuelta de Murcia.  Vuelta de Murcia is basically like Tour de France (which is only a few months away), but a little different and not as popular.  The cyclists ended their journey in the heart of Murcia and we were able to see the finalists complete the race.  The overall winner was a Spanish man, Alberto Contador, and was also a Tour de France champion.  Last year Contador tested positive for a band drug but was eventually cleared by the Spanish Cycling Union.  The city was more than thrilled to see Spain take first in the race, and it was a lot of fun to be there when it happened. 

VUELTA DE MURCIA

Bull Fight – Corrida de Toros

I understand that every culture has different customs, beliefs, and traditions.  While I am in Spain I want to do as much as I can to experience Spanish culture but attending a bull fight is an experience I am definitely not down with having.  I just can’t find the just in taunting and then slowly slaughtering an animal for enjoyment.  Since I was young I always loved animals and I remember at a young age making posters to stop animal cruelty and begging my mom to let me post my posters and their poor spelling and grammar around the neighbourhood.  I even remember at the age of 7 forming “H.E.S.L” with a friend, which stood for help endangered species live.  Now, H.E.S.L didn’t become a huge corporation or anything, but I just remember always feeling so strong about animal rights.  I became a vegetarian almost ten years ago, as a personal choice, but by no means am I the type of vegetarian to preach my beliefs on others.  I understand that having meat as a part of your diet is just a part of “the circle of life” and I know it is healthy to have the protein.  I just think if an animal is going to be killed, it should be done humanely and then the meat should be used.  Even though I am completely against this certain Spanish tradition I thought I’d talk a little bit about bull fighting since it is so import to Spanish culture.

Bull fighting is a major part of Spanish culture.  Every city I have visited here, including Murcia, has a Plaza de Toros, which is where the bullfighting takes place.  Usually 6 bulls are killed during one “show” and it is the matador that is doing the killings.  First the matador’s assistant waves a yellow and pink cape get the attention of the bull, while the matador observes the bull’s nature.  Next, when the matador is ready, numerous fighters (picadors) enter and begin to throw spears into the bull’s back.  When the bull is weakened, 10-15 minutes of torture later, the matador enters the ring.  The matador then taunts the bull with his cape (muleta), which weakens and slows down the bull even more.  When the bull is finally at its weakest state the matador brings out his sword (espada).  He distracts the bull with his cape and when the bull is not looking he stabs him in between the shoulders with his sword.  If the bull does not die instantly, the matador is also armed with a tool called a descabello that he uses to stab the bull in the neck which is supposed to sever its spinal cord and cause death.  So, I don’t see how this is at all entertaining, but it is very important to the Spanish people.  Matadors are considered brave heroes and are highly honoured in Spain’s society.  Personally, I think the bull is obviously the one with more talent and bravery here.  From what I have read, it sounds like the matador barely does any work.  First of all, there are like six men who throw spears at the bull for about fifteen minutes.  So what I’m thinking is this bull has been speared at least a hundred times, probably more, before the matador even gets up off his seat.  So, after being speared a good hundred times the bull gets tired and is obviously in a lot of pain, then gets taunted by the matador and stabbed to death?  I don’t see any skill or bravery in this tradition what so ever.  I would like to see how the matador performs after being speared for fifteen minutes.  The only feelings I have towards this tradition is frustration, sadness, and disgust.

Early In

So it has been 3 weeks now since I have arrived in Spain.  I’m not sure if time is going by quickly or slowly because 3 weeks doesn’t sound like too long of a time, but it has definitely been long enough for me to become comfortable living here.  Even though I have become comfortable here, there is still not a doubt that there are some major differences between Spain and Canada – social, physical, and cultural.

Everybody I have met has been very friendly, whether they are from Spain or other parts of Europe.  It is also extremely common to greet others with a kiss on either cheek which is very different from the simple “hey” we give to others in Canada.  People here also do things much later in the day than we would at home such as eating dinner (at 9 or 10 in the evening) or going out at night (between 1 and 2am).  I also feel like they generally all have very laid back personalities, which I feel is also a trait many Canadians are thought to have and many do have - especially in British Columbia.  The difference between being laid back in Canada and laid back in Spain is that in Canada everybody is still very “go, go, go.”  In Spain, there are fiesta times, where businesses are closed in the afternoon for about three hours or so a day.  On Sundays, it is very rare to find anything open and on a regular day businesses close fairly early (unless you are a bar or a restaurant).  In Canada, businesses stay open late to be convenient for all.  Therefore, there is not the option of running to Tim Horton’s late at night to grab a coffee or any late night trips to Wal-Mart or Shopper’s Drug Mart.  It is very rare to even see anyone walking with a coffee in a to-go cup or to go somewhere to pick up takeout if you don’t have time to cook.  I think they generally believe there is plenty of time for everything.  Instead of grabbing a coffee to go they would rather sit outside a cafe and enjoy it and instead of getting takeout they would rather take the time to enjoy their meal.

Murcia is very physically different from Cranbrook and from Canada.  Instead of walking out the door everyday and seeing maple and pine trees (which I love) there are palm and orange trees (which I also love).  In the town there are many cultural landmarks such as a 15^th Century Cathedral, Mar Menor, the Casino, and many museums.  So you can imagine how different it feels to walk around your town and have a gigantic cathedral that is centuries old only minutes from your home.  Driving in Murcia would be an event in itself.  The roads are set up very different than they are at home and drivers are extremely aggressive on the road.  When I first arrived I would sit on the bus with clenched fists wondering if I would make it from A to B without getting into the largest car pile up to happen in history.  One thing that is very comforting about Murcia because it is similar to home is the endless number of mountains that surround the city.