First day of school! The Intensive Language Program, to be precise. Some excitement, some nervousness.
Yesterday we met up with Chelo, our monitor for the churros y chocolate. On the way we stopped at a beautiful church, which I couldn't photograph but I did take a photo of this:
I'm not sure what the purpose is, but it looks nice.
The churros y chocolate were amazing. They were very different from the churros I'm used to, more doughnut like, but delicious nonetheless. The combination was extremely sweet, and a little tough on my stomach first thing in the morning.
After we ate, Chelo took us on a walk around the city. There are far too many names to remember, but there was one really lovely spot from which we could see the Alhambra.
The rest of the day involved more walking, more exploring, more heat and food but was for the most part uneventful. Although I did get Skype Casey finally. I talked to Mishka through the computer, too; it didn't look like she understood visually what was happening at all, but she cocked her head at the sound of my voice a bit. Casey says she's been sleeping on my pillow lately, too.
After we ate, Chelo took us on a walk around the city. There are far too many names to remember, but there was one really lovely spot from which we could see the Alhambra.
The rest of the day involved more walking, more exploring, more heat and food but was for the most part uneventful. Although I did get Skype Casey finally. I talked to Mishka through the computer, too; it didn't look like she understood visually what was happening at all, but she cocked her head at the sound of my voice a bit. Casey says she's been sleeping on my pillow lately, too.
A photo Casey sent me of Mishka sleeping on my pillow.
Some of my wanderings, and my visit to the church (the name of it escapes me) had inspired me, so last night I sat down before bed and wrote;
Irreverence is old monuments scrawled with obscenities and careful stencils alike- contradictory, beautiful. In the Spanish sun, I feel myself glisten with a kind of hopeful uncertainty, I feel shaky and weak as a newborn, blinking into the brilliance of a million new things. I breath affirmations of pliability, inhale and exhale the shapes of new round words, slippery marbles on my tongue. My feet ache not unpleasantly with the beat of cobblestone footsteps, I cross my fingers in hopes that my feet will stamp deep pathways in my brain, that the streets will take recognizable shapes.
In the big gaudy iglesia, I am struck with the beauty and absurdity of human creation and worship. The huge pillars and gold plating, the big silver organs up above, the high archways and marble, so breathtaking and so useless; so much space in a cramped county, all devoted to implausible fables and selective morals. It seems like a beautiful, gold plated waste. I wonder what magnificent accomplishments would be possible if a devotion this fervent was directed at something concrete, physical improvements for flesh and bone people. The possibilities seem endless, and stunted.
Outside the towering wooden doors, the immense engravings and golden alters, an old man stands with a dirty paper cup and heavy, pleading eyebrows. Por favor, por favor, he begs.
When I slept, I dreamed of falling, soft like a leaf, I dreamed of burrowing posts into the ground until my father told me, lights out, kid, and I woke up to the grayish light of morning.
Breakfast was simple: cereal and toast with juice and coffee. I walked with a classmate to the neighboring building, which smelled of clean citrus, and we found our classroom with only minor confusion. The desks were a kind of avocado green with fold-able chairs like you'd see in a movie theater.
Irreverence is old monuments scrawled with obscenities and careful stencils alike- contradictory, beautiful. In the Spanish sun, I feel myself glisten with a kind of hopeful uncertainty, I feel shaky and weak as a newborn, blinking into the brilliance of a million new things. I breath affirmations of pliability, inhale and exhale the shapes of new round words, slippery marbles on my tongue. My feet ache not unpleasantly with the beat of cobblestone footsteps, I cross my fingers in hopes that my feet will stamp deep pathways in my brain, that the streets will take recognizable shapes.
In the big gaudy iglesia, I am struck with the beauty and absurdity of human creation and worship. The huge pillars and gold plating, the big silver organs up above, the high archways and marble, so breathtaking and so useless; so much space in a cramped county, all devoted to implausible fables and selective morals. It seems like a beautiful, gold plated waste. I wonder what magnificent accomplishments would be possible if a devotion this fervent was directed at something concrete, physical improvements for flesh and bone people. The possibilities seem endless, and stunted.
Outside the towering wooden doors, the immense engravings and golden alters, an old man stands with a dirty paper cup and heavy, pleading eyebrows. Por favor, por favor, he begs.
When I slept, I dreamed of falling, soft like a leaf, I dreamed of burrowing posts into the ground until my father told me, lights out, kid, and I woke up to the grayish light of morning.
Breakfast was simple: cereal and toast with juice and coffee. I walked with a classmate to the neighboring building, which smelled of clean citrus, and we found our classroom with only minor confusion. The desks were a kind of avocado green with fold-able chairs like you'd see in a movie theater.
Our first class was oral conversación y comprensión, most of which was taken up with our own introductions. It was followed by histora de España, where the professor made up for a more or less dry topic and an extremely hot classroom with a good sense of humor. The last class for the day was literatura, which was for many of us the most difficult to understand, due to the professor's strong Andalusian accent. All in all they seemed like good people and I have high hopes for the next month. Now, for a few hours rest, then we meet back up with Chelo and buy cellphones por fin!
Great update Pea- my friend Cristina warned me about the churro and coffee!
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