Los Ultimos Días de Los Festivales de San Juan y San Pedro

   The Festivals of San Juan and San Pedro came to an end with fireworks at midnight on Sunday. I loved being able to participate in and see the various traditions, concerts, celebrations, and everything else that helped make the first ten days of my experience in Spain unforgettable. Last Friday, after my excursion to the castles, I went to a concert in La Plaza Mayor with a few friends. The band was listed as a Jamaican orchestra so we were excited to see a steel drum performance. There was nothing of the sort. Instead, it was more of a spectacle consisting of various popular songs and dances from around the world, acrobatics, and odd images playing in the background. We had a great time.

   Dancing is Spain is worlds different than dancing in the United States. "Grinding" is replaced with actual face-to-face dance steps. The people dance to have fun and without embarrassment. And just about everyone dances. There were whole families dancing, couples from every stage of life, friends, single people, anyone. And this type of dancing is what happens everywhere, not just in the streets, but in the clubs, too. I seriously love it. I told my boyfriend we are going to be taking dance classes when I get back. He misses me so much that he agreed.

The "Jamaican Orchestra"

   On Saturday, I went to a rugby game to see los lobos de Segovia play another club team. My friends and I got a little lost along the way. Apparently, I'm not any better at understand directions in
Spanish than I am in English. We ended up asking three or four people along the way of trying to find the pitch. The problem with directions here is that the roads aren't labeled clearly and there aren't many distinct landmarks outside of the historical quarter. To add to that, all of the roads have nicknames, so the name posted is probably not the one you were told. Also, three of the four people we asked had absolutely no idea what we were talking about. After about an hour of wandering around, we finally found the game and we even got there before it started (muchas gracias a both Spanish and rugby time.) I had a lot of fun watching the match with some of my friends who had never seen rugby before. Unfortunately, we had to leave the match early, but I like to think Segovia won. ¡Va lobos!

   Later that night, some of us met up for dinner and ended up sharing a giant box of fresh sushi. There was about 50 rolls with everything ranging from fish eggs to octopus to things we couldn't identify (the menu was in Spanish.) I tried both the fish eggs and the octopus and actually liked them. Spain is the country that eats the second most fish in the world and all of the cities get shipments of fresh fish every morning. This was definitely some of the best sushi I have ever had. After that, we met up with others from our program and experienced the nightlife. According to my professor, there are over 20 bars just in the small city of Segovia.

The rugby pitch overlooked the mountains. It was beautiful.

I live right across the street from this sushi place and it's reasonably priced. That's a dangerous combination.

We usually meet up at the aqueducts. It's a pretty central location from everyone's houses.

   Sunday was the last day of the festival. I spent a good part of the day doing homework and trying to catch up on sleep. During the normal siesta time (3-5pm) I went for a jog and found a really nice, hilly path that leads me along my favorite structure, the aqueduct.

   All week long my host mom was talking about the carnival and was so sad that I hadn't gone to it yet. So, I got some friends together and we headed to the fair. It was a riot. It was pretty similar to the fairs you see in big parking lots in the United States, just with way less safety regulations. Two of my friends and I rode the "DishDrop" which was a whirly-twirly ride that had basically no guard rails around it. Anyone could walk up the to the ride while it was in motion and get squashed (but no one did.) It was totally worth 3€. Then, we walked around the rest of the carnival to see the games and the rides. One of my friends spotted the most hideous prize I have ever seen in my life and as a group we spent around 12€ trying to win it. And we did. We were able to see the fireworks signaling the end of El Día de San Pedro and the festivals. We all walked home with sore cheeks and abs from smiling and laughing so much.

I am most likely going to post pictures of the aqueduct every single time it's somewhat relevant :)

Yep, we paid 12€ for that. Apparently, it's a popular children's TV show character, which is enough go give me nightmares. 

La Ruta de Los Castillos [the route of castles]

   All of the students in my program and two of the professors left Segovia at 10:20 in the morning and headed to the pueblo of Santa María la Real de Nieva to see Our Lady of Soterraña Monastery's cloister. A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walkways or open galleries. Many of the historic religious buildings here have cloisters because they allow a building to have a garden that is protected from the diverse weather experienced in this area.

   The architecture of this historical site is considered Gothic. Gothic architecture is characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vault, and the flying buttress. Yes, the flying buttress apparently has something to do with architecture.. (Although, I found that on Wikipedia, so maybe not.) Inside the cloister, there were beautiful pillars with extremely detailed pictures carved into them. These pictures mostly represented biblical stories. On one of the walls, there was a plaque with symbols on it. Because only the noble and clergymen in medieval times could read and write, the sculptors used symbols to "sign" their work. On many of the pillars, you could still see these "signatures." This monastery was constructed from 1393-1399 so that was mind-blowing. I saw signatures that were over 400 years old.

The Monastery

  

The sculptors' "signatures" 

   Our next stop was the castle of Coca. This was my favorite site of the day. The Castle of Coca has Mudéjar architecture. Mudéjar means a Muslim artist or architect worked for a Christian employer. Spain is the only country in Europe where the Mudejar style can be found, due to the strong Islamic influence that came from Africa and took over many parts of the country. Common characteristics of Mudéjar or any type of Islamic art/architecture include: geometric patterns, murals of vegetation, plain floors, and beautiful ceilings. All of these characteristics stem from their religious beliefs.
   As a class, we were able to tour many different rooms in the castle. We walked up and down the winding, narrow, steep staircases to get from the various rooms. My favorites were the dungeon and the room of secrets. The dungeon was actually multiple stories tall, with a hole in the middle of every level except the bottom. (All I could think about was the Moon Door in Game of Thrones.) The knights would take prisoners and throw them down the hole into the next room, causing the prisoner to break bones and receive other injuries, but not die. They would throw the prisoner down each level until he got to the bottom, where he would sit with his injuries amongst corpse and others waiting to die, either from starvation or infection. The holes were kind of small, so naturally we asked the tour guide what would happen if the prisoner was too big to fit. She said they would cut your sides until you fit through. The medieval times were ruthless.
   On a less morbid note, the room of secrets was built in such a way that if you stood directly across from someone and both faced the wall, you could hear the other person's whisper. This is where the knights went to exchange secrets.
   An empty moat served as the first line of defense for the castle. Contrary to what is depicted in movies, moats were supposed to be empty so that the enemy would surely die if they fell in. The imagery of water being in the moat came from the castles in Northern Europe, in areas that receive a lot of rain. To their disadvantage, the rain water would collect in the moats, filling them, and breaking the enemy's fall.
   Surrounding the Castle of Coca is the most largest pine forest in Europe. Because of this, the castle now serves as living quarters for college students who are able to complete internships working in the forest.

My class in front of the Castle of Coca

The dangerous staircase

   After the Castle of Coca, we briefly stopped at the Castle of Cuellar, which has completely Cheistian architecture. It was interesting to get to see the differences, although I definitely prefer Mudèjar. In the past, the structure has served as a castle (defense system), palace (housing for royalty), and as a prison for captives during the war for independence against France. Now, it is a high school.

The Castle of Cuellar

   Our last stop was an organic winery and vineyard called Malaparte. There, we got to tour both the winery and the vineyard while the owner explained to us the process of growing grapes and making wine. After, we got to try to different types of red wine. The owner had two Great Dane dogs that we got to meet and that are also featured on all of his labels and logos. Naturally, I bought a shirt and bottle of wine. Anything for a fellow dog lover, I guess. 

Malaparte was the name of the winery, after a famous author.

Princess Nala de Malaparte

The rose bushes protect the grapes from pests.

The Flamenco [el flamenco]

  The other night, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to see a flamenco performance done by a group from Córdoba. Flamenco is a style of Spanish folkloric song and dance, more popular in the southern parts of Spain. A flamenco group is made up of a dancer, a guitarist, singer(s) who also utilize hand claps. It dates back to the late 18th century, but is still very much alive in the Spain of today.
   Seeing this performance was a unique experience for me. I have learned about flamenco in my Spanish classes, but I was still very surprised by the live performance. The singing is quite different than what I expected. The singers vary their voices greatly and take turns singing different parts of the same song. Also, I wasn't aware of the focus the sound of the music has on las palmas (handclaps.) The guitarist provided a beautiful song and the singers provided a beat for the dancers with their hands. As a person who is unable to maintain any sort of rhythm, the singers' ability to clap together to varying beats and melodies was awe-inspiring. Above all else, what I admired about this group was their passion for el flamenco. It was clear to me that each and every one of them was up there doing exactly what they loved. I am so thankful for every opportunity I have here to experience the traditions and cultures of this breathtaking country firsthand. Life, love, and passion are beautiful things.

The Aqueduct [el acueducto]

  The most incredible thing I have seen in Spain so far is definitely the Segovian aqueduct. I walk by it at least 8 times a day and I stop and stare every single time. It was built by the Romans to provide running water to the houses in the city. The pipes for the aqueduct originate in a spring in the mountains and run about 8 miles to La Plaza de Artillería in the middle of the city. The aqueduct provided water to the city of Segovia until the 1960's when the European Union decided to block the water supply in order to better preserve this impressive piece of history.
   Not only aesthetically magnificent, this structure is also a scientific wonder. It has stood for over 2,000 years through wars, battles, earthquakes, storms, etc. As if that is not impressive enough, the Romans used absolutely no cement when building it. It was made completely and solely out of enormous granite stones. Many famous architects and physicists have studied the aqueduct in order to figure out why it is still standing, but no one knows.  A few of the stones were knocked out or damaged during a battle against the Muslims. These stones were later replaced using cement under the rule of Queen Isabel to keep the integrity of the structure as a whole.
   As with everything historic, there are legends about how and why the aqueduct was built. My professor told us her favorite legend, which was told to her by her grandmother. It goes something like this: A long, long time ago there was a very wealthy family who had a beautiful maid to wash their clothes. The maid was content working for the family, even though every day she had to walk miles and miles every day to get water for the clothes. The maid had a wonderful boyfriend and she was so excited because he was going to propose to her on the night of the festival of San Juan. After he proposed, he would pick her up and jump over the fire, cleansing their relationship for the start of their lives together. The maid bought the most beautiful dress she could find and eagerly waited for the festival of San Juan to arrive. But then, the day before the festival of San Juan, the mother told the maid that she could not go out because they needed her to go fetch water to clean their clothes for the festival. The maid was distraught. She wanted nothing more to go to the festival so she called the devil. When he arrived, they made a deal that he would build a great aqueduct to get the water to her house before the first ray of sun in the morning in exchange for the maid's soul. She was young and naive so she agreed and signed the contract in blood. The devil called in his demons and they spent the entire night cutting stone with their horns and building the grand aqueduct. The maid watched them work and became worried. She didn't want to give her soul away to the devil. She spoke with her priest but nothing can break a contract with the devil. As the night went on, she became more and more anxious. As the first ray of sunlight appeared, the devil still had one stone left. He had not finished in time and the contract was broken. The maid's soul was saved and she was proposed to that night at the festival of San Juan. But she learned her lesson, never make deals with the devil.
   I asked my host mom if she knew any legends about the construction of the aqueduct. She said they were silly, but some people say the devil ran on top of the aqueduct and that is how the path for the water was created.

La Fiesta de San Juan

Me handing my paper to the firefighter. 

   La Fiesta de San Juan is a very big summer celebration in Spain. The holiday occurs on the first day of summer; the longest day with the shortest night. As part of the celebration, there was a big fire in La Plaza Mayor. The ancient tradition is for the people to jump over the fire or walk barefoot on the hot coals. This was believed to rid you of the negative in your life and purify you for the start of the new summer/year. Also, if two people were engaged, it was custom for the man to pick up his fiancé and jump over the fire holding her. Because these jumps are so dangerous, they don't happen in Segovia very often. Instead, a large crowd gathered behind a fence around the fire and people wrote down the things they would like to rid from their lives. They then gave the slip of paper to the firefighters, who threw it in the fire. I was so happy I was able to participate in this celebration. It is incredible how the people of this city are still celebrating traditions that date back to times before Christianity.

Standing outside of El Salón, where my classes are held. 

   I also had my first day of classes. All of the professors are very nice and welcoming. My classes seem very interesting and I am excited to be taught by Spaniards (I've never had a professor from Spain.) I am attending a university specifically for my study abroad program, which has its pros and cons. Pros: small class sizes, more attention from the professor, more opportunities to practice Spanish, easier classes, more flexibility to do excursions during the week, and no pressure to perform as well as local students. Cons: I feel like I'm missing out on a piece of the culture, it isn't a very authentic experience, I might learn more from being completely surrounded by Spanish speakers, many of the students speak English when the professors aren't around, and I don't get to meet local students in my classes. I am taking two classes during my six week stay here. They are titled "Culture and Civilization in Spain" and "Spain and it's role in the European Union." I am excited to expand my horizons academically while I am here.

El Recorte de Los Toros [bull-leaping]

El Recorte was in La Plaza de Toros. 

   Las ferias y fiestas de San Juan and San Pedro are going on right now. There has been a huge variety of events and celebrations, ranging from concerts to volleyball games to theatrical productions and more. One of the events was un recorte de los toros, a bullfight where they don't kill/harm the bull. Attending un recorte was on my bucket list for Spain so I was very excited that there was one going on right here in Segovia. About ten other people in my program and I met up and walked there together. I wasn't really sure what to expect.  I have seen many YouTube clips and segments of movies on las corridas del toro (traditional bullfights) but never really seen anything about los recortes.
   The event started at 7pm and lasted until 9pm. There were four rounds, featuring five bull. In each round, the recortadores provoked and danced around the bull to earn points. The closer they got to the bull, the more points they earned. Although it was entertaining to see both men and women evading  and flipping over the charging bulls, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the animals. Each bull had huge numbers branded on its side and letters on its hind leg. When they got in the arena, they didn't just charge at the recortadores like I expected. Instead, they seemed confused. The recortadores would yell, clap, jump, make noise and sometimes even run at the bull to provoke it until it charged. My favorite part of watching the recortadores was after they performed their trick and would jump back behind the fences with a look of fear on their faces as the bull followed closely behind. All of the fencing in the arena was made of wood. When a bull hit the wall especially hard, you could see chunks of wood flying up into the air. One bull even broke down the gate to get back into his holding area. For most of the spectacle, I was torn between having fun and feeling guilty about paying to watch these bulls be tormented as fans clapped and cheered.
   At the end of the day, I am glad I went. Events like these are a piece of Spanish culture and now is the time for me to experience traditions and customs firsthand, whether I agree with them or not. I am not sure that I would go to another one and am certain that I would never be able to handle a real corrida del toro.

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The First Day [el primero día]

The cathedral in the backdrop, as the band plays the infamous song by Buckcherry in perfect English.

   I have had quite the first weekend in Spain. I don't think the locals ever sleep.. The festivals started at the end of last week so there has been something going on in every plaza, every night. The first night I was here, I just slept. I was too tired from traveling to even think about going exploring.
   I had my orientation for my classes on Saturday morning. We were all a bit jet-lagged but it was very helpful learning important features of the culture. Some things I learned were: 
   People don't say hi or smile to strangers on the street here. Instead, they walk by without looking. The professors told us we should walk like we are in New York City. From walking around with my host mom, I have also noticed that people say bye to friends/acquaintances in passing instead of hello. 
   It is rude to walk barefoot in the house. I have been a little forgetful of this. It's hard when it's something you aren't used to, but my host mom hasn't said anything about it to me yet. Apparently, the myth is that you will get a cold if you walk around the house in bare feet. 
  The people in Spain are very direct and always say what is on there mind. I haven't had any problems with this yet, but it's also kind of hard to offend me. 
   Saturday night I met up with some people also in the program and explored a little bit of the city and the nightlife. First, I tried my first Segovian craft beer. It was called "Cerveza Rubia. " Now, nothing compares to Michigan beer, but it was really good. Next, we stopped by a concert in front of the aqueduct. The mixture of modern music, lighting, and stage with the ancient aqueduct as a background was truly impressive. After that, we went to a discotheque where a horrible band was playing. I enjoyed people watching and trying to pick up on more details of the local culture. I left the discotheque early with a few other students and headed to La Plaza Mayor where a Spanish band was playing. When we walked up, the band was performing an English cover of the song "Crazy Bitch" by Buckcherry in front of the cathedral. It was both shocking and hilarious. I came home around 2:30 in the morning which is actually kind of early here. It's very common for people to stay out until 4 in the morning.
   Overall, I am loving my time here. I look forward to getting to know the other students in my program even better as time goes on. Also, I am excited to see what surprises Segovia has in store for me.
 
 

First Impressions [impresiones primeras]

Golfo watching over the local dog park as the other dogs soak up attention on the other side of the camera.

   It has been a crazy whirlwind two days traveling to and arriving in Spain. Both of my flights were delayed but I met a bunch of wonderful people while waiting for them. While in Detroit, I spoke with two older ladies that were just all around wonderful people. They actually ended up giving me a lucky penny they found. The man sitting next to me on the flight into New Jersey was a regular so he pointed out the New York City skyline to me (which I've never seen before.) Then finally, as the TSA security system went down and we waited on a plane for 30 bags to go through security and be loaded onto the plane, I sat next to this sweet 16-year-old girl from Madrid who had just spent 10 months studying in California. And at the end of all of that, I made it into Madrid with about an hour to spare. From there, it was an hour and a half bus ride into Segovia where my host mom picked me up from the bus station.
   Needless to say, my sleep-deprived, food-deprived, disoriented self went through a roller coaster of emotions for the first part of my day with my host mom. I was completely overwhelmed with being in a brand new environment, with no one that I'm close to, and everyone speaking Spanish. I even questioned my decision to do a full emersion study abroad program. My host mom is a very sweet woman and was very accommodating to me. She insisted that she make me lunch and then I take several hours to rest and shower. I napped, wrote in my journal, cleaned up, changed and came out feeling like a brand new person. My brain was working again so I could actually converse with my host mom (she speaks no English.) I worked on some of the homework that is due when my class starts on Monday (lame!) and then we took her dog, Golfo, to the dog park. While I was there, I got to play with like six dogs and speak with a lot of her friends who also live in Segovia. One of them even complemented my Spanish. :) I am so happy with my decision to come here and  am so lucky to have such an understanding woman taking care of me. I cannot wait to see what these six weeks have in store for me.

Tomorrow it Begins [manaña comienza]

 

   I am in disbelief that my flight leaves tomorrow. I have spent months preparing for this trip and now that it's almost time to leave, it seems surreal. I am nervous, scared, and ecstatic. I have never flown on a plane by myself or internationally so that's what I am the most anxious about right now. But I'm a smart girl, I'll figure it out. For the whole day today, I have felt like I'm forgetting something. I have no idea what it is and no idea what exactly I need to do for international travel. I think I will feel much more relaxed once I am on the flight to Spain (as long as it leaves on time.)
   For the last couple of weeks I have been obsessively looking up pictures of Segovia and the other places I will be visiting. Literally, my pandora station now plays commercials in Spanish. The architecture and history of the area I'm going to is stunning. I can't wait to meet new people, explore new places, and discover a part of myself  I haven't gotten to know yet.
   My host mom is a woman who has three children in their thirties and a small dog. It says she is a hard worker and a great cook. I cannot wait to meet her (and her dog.) I hope we are able to bond and create unforgettable memories. For her gift, I bought a bottle of wine made in my hometown, a Michigan picture frame, a black cherry candle, and a CMU koozie.
   I spent all day packing and am almost positive I've packed too much. But how do decide what to take out when I am going to be there for six weeks? I suppose step one would be finding a scale and figuring how much it weighs. I'll add that to my to do list.
   This post is so scattered - just like my thoughts have been all day. My brain hurts so I think it's time to sign off for the day. Next time I post, I'll be in Spain! ¡Hasta pronto todos!