Las Fallas de Valencia

This was unreal.

So every year in Valencia they create these sculptures that critique or satirize society and then they burn them down. The burning takes place at midnight and the early hours of the morning. These sculptures are placed throughout the city, in plazas, next to houses. It's quite dangerous; thus, the basis of it's appeal. It kind of feels like a war zone would, I imagine. All day when you are at Valencia there are firecrackers being set off every few seconds, the sound of each new one startling you more than did the last.

Anyway, before the fallas start you have to wait for the firemen to arrive on scene so they can spray the surrounding walls with water as a precaution. You know, in case the flames get out of control. It's not uncommon for spectators to get wet as well.

You would never see something like this in the United States. We just don't spend money on building beautiful things to burn them down later. Instead, we allow what we already have that is beautiful to burn down naturally, allowing Big Ears to justify it as a stride towards "hope." Words are so powerful. They elected our president and are what win wars. If I could build a war team, the most efficient one would be equipped with poets and Jews. Poets, who know the power of discourse, and Jews, who know the power of guilt. Besides, the Israel army is one of the toughest in the world... you just don't mess with the tribe.

"es verdad que las guerras se hacen por dinero que es poder, pero los jóvenes parten al frente y matan y se hacen matar por palabras, que son poesía, y por eso son los poetas los que siempre ganan las guerras ..." -Javier Cercas

(It's true that wars are carried out because of money which is power, but young people leave the front and kill and are killed because of words, that are poetry, and for this reason it's the poets who always win the wars.)

I miss my cat

I am in the library right now at the facultad. As you can see I am hard at work on discussing the metaphysical sense of time that characterizes Jorge Luis Borges's short story, "La Espera." I really have no inspiration or motivation to write this essay and the only two things I am thinking about right now are 1. I'm hungry, and 2. I think I'll cook some pasta tonight.

I guess I don't feel that bad about not staying on task right now. I look around and the girl next to me is on Facebook. The guy across from me is Skyping with his girlfriend; I can see her face on his screen (this last sentence sounds a bit raunchy, no?) And, the couple to my diagonal work at two-minute intervals, stopping to kiss each other at the end of each. As for me, my head needs a rest. I had two midterms today back-to-back so I was literally composing essays for three hours without rest and then I still had one more class after that. Needless to say, I was daydreaming througout that entire last class, letting my head float away into la-la land. I swear those mental lapses are the best vacations one can have sometimes.

Okay that is all really. I will now log off Blogger and pretend that I'm going to return working on the Borges essay (I really wish I could believe my own idealism). But before I leave I will ask you the question that the pop-up from dictionary.com just asked me and the rest of the library out loud, "¿Sabes cómo conseguir una piel tan lisa y suave?"

Next time I come to the library to procrastinate I'll remember to put my laptop on mute.

Wandering in a metropolis of words and thieves

Today was a fun day! Nothing too out of the ordinary, just enjoying a cloudy Friday in Barcelona.

Due to previous life complications I had some bureaucratic issues that neede to be resolved; thus, I was running around Barcelona all morning catching different buses and metros. I loved it though, especially taking the bus. I love just looking out the window; it's voyeurism at it's best! I then met Sophie for coffee in the afternoon for an hour or so. We went to one of the cafeterías in my favorite plaza in Gràcia -- Plaça Virreina.

I had to buy some books for class so I went to my favorite bookstore here, La Central. La Central is in the Raval neighborhood (quite the shady place at night), but when you enter it's so cozy and cute. It feels like a cave of books to me, these are the kind of things I see in my dreams. Some people dream about flying. I dream about caves of books, meeting strangers amongst the shelves, getting their cell phone numbers, and then texting them my favorite poems and quotations after we depart. Anyway, the cave (La Central) also has a great café where you can order your cafè amb llet and pretend to be catalán. Not that I do that or anything. I love when I have to buy books for class.

As I have midterms this coming week, I will be hitting the books hard starting tonight. I have to select a short story for my literatura hispanoamericana class and make an outline so I can write an essay on it in class. Of course, I'm selecting Borges because he's my latin literary crush. I just love his psychotic mind. Not sure what story I'll choose, but I now have a small collection of Borges' prose thanks to La Central. I also will be reading the novel Soldados de Salamina by Javier Cercas. I guess I'll start that after I read the 8 chapters of Don Quijote that I have yet to read because life complications have taken precedence.

Aside from purchasing words from Borges and Cercas, I picked up some poetry too. Pablo Neruda, you make me melt to the very core. Even your "Ode to Artichokes" is beautiful. Anywho, I usually only go into La Central when I have to buy books because if I went there for leisure, the store would have no stock and I would have no money.

Okay I really should go and make myself something to eat. I think I have some halibut I need to use in the fridge. Until then, here's a photo from Granada. I really loved it there.



Dadme
todas las alegrías,
aun las más secretas,
porque si así no fuera,
cómo van a saberse?
-Neruda, "El hombre invisible"

Granada made me really happy...

But being with a good friend makes things even better...


Always.

Barcelona Snow, Granada, and some general bitching

So not to be melodramatic or anything but sometimes I think that I wouldn't have any luck at all if I didn't have bad luck. I had a relapse of pink eye. I decided that washing the sheets was a must despite the fact that I had already turned the pillowcase inside out.

But, of course, it snowed today in Barcelona-- huge chunks--so I couldn't put the sheets out to dry without them freezing. They remain in the washer and I now have no bedsheets to sleep on tonight. The Barceloneses were so happy because of the snow though. There were crowds around the windows in the univeristy and much picture taking, 40-year-old men writing things in the snow with their feet, barbers emerging for their shops to take a photo on their camera phone of their client holding a snowball, and just a general glee swept the city.

I, on the other hand, had to walk home from the University sans umbrella. When I entered the apartment building the portero started laughing at me with my frozen hair and black-turned-white peacoat. "¿Y no te llevas paraguas?" Well no because when I left the house this morning at 11:15am it was 40 degrees and barely drizzling. I had no idea that within the hour those little raindrops would turn into little terrors of snow that would accompany me on my trek home.

Aside from pink eye, having no sheets, and getting caught in a torrential mediterranean blizzard, a few other things happened that complicated my life as well. But, I am still living. Hooray for that.

Anyway, Granada was BEAUTIFUL. I had a great time with Sophie. It's so small and cute. We walked aroud the city tons and whenever we got tired we would just duck into a tetería for some Arab tea. It was fabulous. I bought a mug and some earrings. I think by the time I leave Barcelona I will categorize Granada as one of my favorite trips.

A Sign of Life

I am indeed alive. I have been reading a lot this semester. The weather is nicer again. We now get sun again here in Barcelona. Dad visited last week. That was nice. This weekend I'm going to Granada with my friend Sophie! I am so excited for this. I look forward to the Alhambra, Arab Baths, tea, and cute little towns in the south of Spain. I feel my time here beginning to dwindle, as I now have a finite return date back to the United States. Measured time never has been something that I enjoy really; it just disappears too fast.

I am recovering from a group of yucky cold symptoms. I have a pretty good cough, but lucky the sore throat and pink eye stages are behind me. At least I hope they are. I have been a good sick girl, trying to get lots of sleep and drinking lots of chamomile tea (this also works well for cleaning out crusty pink eye).

Dad and I went into the Sagrada Familia when he was here. I had never been inside of it, despite the fact that it's been in my own backyard this whole time. I'm glad that I finally got to go inside. Worth it!



Okay, must go because I have class at 11:30 (it's now 10) and I still have to read something. Later!