Corride de Toros

Hola a todos!
I am currently enjoying Spring Break number 2, which seems strange because I am hardly ever in class, but I am not complaining at all! This Sunday, I am heading to a place called Palma de Mallorca, a Belearic Island off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean. I am going with 5 friends from the program until Thursday, when we will trek up to Prague! Unfortunately, we have a layover in Bristol, so I hope the volcano in Iceland finished spewing ash or whatever it's doing. I will be in Prague until Sunday and I get to stay with my friend from UMD, Kiera, so I am so excited about this trip. In Palma, we are staying in an apartment with a kitchen, so I am looking forward to being able to cook again! And there are BAGELS in Prague...lots of them, so I will likely eat them for every meal.

Last weekend, I went to Lagos, Portugal, a beautiful beach town on the southern coast of Portugal. We visited the "end of the world" or the western-most point of Portugal where you can see nothing but ocean in the distance, so people thought they would fall off the edge of the earth if they sailed too far. I understand why they thought that, it looks like you'd fall off. But it was beautiful; there were caves in the cliffs that we couldn't go in because the waves were huge, but they were nice to look at. I got some serious beach time, which is always great. I also had a very rare steak for dinner which I hadn't had in about 3 months.

This past Tuesday, unfortunately, I went to a bullfight. I had been told that as an animal lover I shouldn't go, but I wanted to make up my own mind about the tradition. I absolutely hated it. The bull enters the ring already drugged and pinned in the back of his neck. Then 3-5 men torment him, making him run around the ring so he gets tired. Then a man on horseback stabs him in the back with a long spear. (The horses wear protection so they are not gored by the bull's horns.) Then 3 more men come out and stab him with 2 more each pins. And then, it's the matador's turn. He tortures the bull for a while until he thinks it will be the right time to kill him. He inserts a sword into the already punctured neck. Now, if this sounds like it's unfair, it is, and it's supposed to be. But watching the bull die was so absolutely sad and heart-wrenching, that I cannot wrap my head around the justifications for the tradition. And then they attach his body to a cart and drag it out of the stadium in a most barbaric way. Yes, the bulls are bred just for this and they are given a great life before the torture, but to make a spectacle of the death of an animal like this goes against everything I believe in. I closed my eyes for the next 2 bulls and left after that. Six bulls are killed in 29 fights every season. That is 174 bulls per year, in Sevilla alone, and this happens in many other cities in Spain. I still feel queasy when I think about what I saw. Apparently I should have stayed until the 5th round, because the matador was actually gored by the bull. He was injured and will need months of recovery. Also, I could not help picturing Duffy, my dog, in the ring because if you've met him, you know his body is remarkably similar to that of a large bull. I miss him too much to watch a bullfight.
(I attached some photos of the bullfight--notice the blood on the bull. I have much more graphic ones, but did not want to post them.)

So that is my rant against bullfighting. No me gusta. Regardless, I still love Sevilla, even though this tradition bothers me greatly. Keep me in your thoughts this week so I have safe travels and the following week when I actually have papers to write. Apparently, work in the study abroad world does exist, and after my vacation I will have to face it.

Hasta Luego!
-Aubs

Oops

Hello everyone. It has been almost a month since my last post. I know you missed my weekly greetings. Or you didn't realize that I haven't written in a while. Either way, I'm back.

In March, for St. Patrick's Day, I went to Dublin with my friend Karen from high school and my friend Alli from Sevilla. We had an amazing time. I absolutely loved Dublin and can't wait to go back there some time soon. It's such a vibrant city and there are pubs everywhere with live music and Guinness. What else do you need really? On St. Patrick's Day, we watched a crazy parade in the street and then went to a pub. Then we toured the Guinness Storehouse and took advantage of the free sample room. Then we went back to a pub and had Irish Carbombs. Ah, embracing my roots. Also, yesterday I learned what Black Irish means--and it has to do with Spain! Pardon the quick history lesson, I have to prove to my Dad that I actually go to school. When the Spanish Armada tried to invade Britain in 1588, they failed miserably and some of them ended up on the west coast of Ireland and decided to stay. So this is why some Irish people "Black Irish" have darker, more Mediterranean features! I have been wondering what this term means for about 10 years.

I have been able to explore Sevilla much more with my visitors (first Karen and then Mom, Dad, and Amanda). I finally went into the Cathedral (3rd largest in the world!) and the Real Alcazar (palace-type thing with beautiful gardens). These are 2 of the main attractions that people come to see, along with Plaza de Espana and Parque Maria Luisa.

So my awesome family came to visit me for Semana Santa (Holy Week). Spain's take on Holy Week is like nothing I've ever seen before. There are dozens of brotherhoods (hermadades) which each have 2-3 floats (pasos) that can be up to 500 years old. 30-40 men crouch underneath them and carry them on their backs on set routes in the city, from their home church to the Cathedral and back. Each float is preceded by up to 2000 people doing penance (nazarenos) who wear tunics and cone-shaped hats that also cover their faces. Some are barefoot. They walk from 8-14 HOURS depending on how far their church is from the Cathedral. People crowd the street to watch the processions (NOT parades) so the center of the city is nearly impossible to navigate. This goes on from Palm Sunday until Easter, but Thursday night into Friday morning is the craziest. Sevillanos stay out until all hours of the night, eating and drinking and watching the processions. It was one of the most fascinating things I've seen.

Of course, having the rest of the Baltimore Dorans here was awesome. We spent most of the week in Sevilla, but also had a night in Madrid and a day in Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a UK territory on the southern tip of Spain (Southern most point in Europe) and there are MONKEYS there. Lots of them. Cute ones, funny ones, mean ones. We had a great time on the rock of Gibraltar, where you can see Africa, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean all from one spot. In Sevilla We toured the Plaza de Toros (bullfighting ring) where I will see a bullfight next week. We ate lots of tapas and just had a great time gallivanting across Sevilla.

In other news, getting back to class yesterday was a struggle. I was thoroughly confused when my alarm went off, because I am still in spring break mode. Luckily, I have another Spring break in 2 weeks. The weather here is perfect. Right now, it's not too hot (it will be soon) and it's been so sunny. I finally am getting some color that I've been waiting for since February. The Spanish people think we are nuts when they see all the American students in tank tops and bathing suits, laying by the river, as they walk by in pants, boots, scarves, and jackets. How they think that type of clothing is acceptable in 25 degree weather (yeah I use Celsius now) beats me, but to each his own.

I am going to Lagos, Portugal next weekend for a beach trip so I am looking forward to laying out on the sand next to the ocean. I wonder if Lagos will be as pretty as Ocean City! (HA)

Have a lovely Tuesday!
-Aubs