Felices Fiestas

I know this post is coming a little bit late, but, hey, it really wouldn't be right to post on time here in Spain.

As my adventure continues, I've experienced another first here in Spain. This year was the first time in my 30 years of life that I spent Christmas away from my family and that I missed the Yamasaki Christmas Party (which go hand-in-hand, I suppose). However, on the flip-side I did get to experience a Spanish Christmas. In three words, my Spanish Christmas could be summed-up very similarly to any Christmas I've had at home: food, drinks, family. Obviously, there's more to say than this.

My roommate, Antonio, was nice enough to invite me to his family's house when he found out I didn't have any plans for Christmas. Then he one-upped himself when he said it was fine if a friend, who also didn't go back to the States and didn't have plans for Christmas, came with me. So, Kelsea and I hopped on a bus headed to Málaga in the afternoon the day before Christmas. My roommate met us at the bus station and drove us to his pueblo, Cártama Estación.

La Hermita

Cártama is about 15 minutes inland from Málaga Capital and nestled just beneath the mountains that lead to the interior pueblos of the province. Its a small pueblo (pop. 23,000 +/-) split into two parts, the original Cártama and the relatively newer, aforementioned Estación. While it is small, Cártama, like most pueblos of Spain, still has its own character and "encanto". We arrived at Antonio's house, unloaded our bags, ate what would be the first of many multiple course meals, and headed out to check out the pueblo. Antonio, along with his brother and brother's friend, took us to the older part of Cártama and we took a short hike to La Hermita. A "hermita" is basically an extremely small church placed just outside or a bit away from the pueblo to which it belongs. I've seen a few of these now in my travels and what they always lack in size and grandeur, is always made up for with some spectacular views. In this case, a great panoramic picture of the pueblo sitting peacefully beneath the mountains. From the hermita, we hiked up a bit more to some remnants of an old castle, that again lacked splendor, but offered more great views of the valley.

The start of it all

La Familia Picón

We returned from our mini-excursion and rested-up for what would become a very long Christmas Eve. In true Spanish style, Christmas Eve dinner started at around 11:00 pm. Also in true Spanish style the first course of the meal included jamón (in various forms) and cheese, along with some delicious shrimp. After the first course, Antonio's mom proceeded to bring out plate after plate of food. We had salad, soup, shrimp cocktail, and a couple other things that I can't remember. All this was washed down with wine from Granada and La Rioja and made for an outstanding meal. Of course, the hard liquor was pulled out for dessert, I enjoyed a nice glass of Scotch and it was just like being at home drinking with my cousins. When all was eaten and drunk, we headed over to an Uncle's house to say hello to some family, had a few drinks with them, then Antonio and I went to a bar, while everyone else went home. This is the point where my Spanish Christmas turned into a completely new experience.

Just like home

While going to a bar to meet up with friends is nothing new, doing so on X-Mas Eve and staying out until 6:30 in the morning is very new. We went to two or three places and each one was jam-packed with people. It could be very easily compared to the night before Thanksgiving in any town in America. Needless to say, Christmas morning was very different as well, mainly because it didn't exist for me as I woke up at 1:30 in the afternoon. And, apparently, Santa doesn't stop and leave gifts if you're not at home when he flies over. Besides this big difference, the rest of Christmas resembled those of the past. We went to another Aunt's house, ate a bunch of food (jamón, queso, mussels, mussel soup, lamb), had some drinks (although none for me this day-HUNGOVER), and enjoyed each other's company. Christmas night was spent relaxing/recovering at home with T.V. and Wii golf.

I hope everyone had a nice, memorable holiday season and your 2011 is off to a good start!

Hasta ahora!

Guns and Hamburgers

A couple of weeks ago I had my students write down some stereotypes and/or questions they had about America/American Culture. Here are some examples (loosely edited for grammatical mistakes):

- Is it true that all Americans are fat and have breakfast at McDonald's?
- Are there dangerous ghettos in Los Gatos? (hahahaha)
- In typical American films, a teenager's life is all parties, drunks, and drugs.
- Is it necessary to be rich to live in NY or California?
- Does someone near you have a gun? If so, do they really feel safer?
- Everyone in America is either obese, has had plastic surgery, or is rich.
- I think that in America there is a lot of pollution and factories and there are few parks, places with trees and animals, and little nature.
- People in the United States eat fast food.
- I think that few people know where Spain is.
- Is it true that American people eat hamburgers everyday? (prob. the #1 stereotpye Europeans have about Americans. Yes, I love hamburgers. No, I don't eat them everyday)
- Are there many people who speak Spanish in the U.S.A.? (hmmm...)

What do you think about these stereotypes? How would you answer these questions? What stereotypes do you have about Spain?

Its Not Just for America Anymore

I had two Thanksgiving Dinners this year. WOW! Team America really pulled through and put together a couple of awesome Turkey Day spreads. The first dinner was on the the real Thanksgiving, and while we substituted chicken for turkey, the meal was delicious. The dinner was at the piso of some friends and 11 of us came, all carrying something different. There was stuffing, cranberries, asparagus, salad, corn, green beans, and, of course, mashed potatoes and gravy (this was my contribution, along with mashed sweet potatoes). And I can't forget some amazing homemade pies for dessert. The sight of all this glorious food laid out on a big, long table (or a couple smaller tables put together) nearly brought tears to my eyes. Toss in a couple bottles of wine and some beer, and with all 11 of us sitting at the table enjoying the food and company, it was a legitimate Thanksgiving Dinner.

The 1st Thanksgiving Spread

On Friday, we had a second dinner, again at a friend's piso, but this one with a decidedly more international vibe to it. The rules were more or less the same: if you're American, bring a dish to share. However, instead of just 11 people, there were about 20-25, and it was a good mix of Americans and Spanish with some Italians and Brits sprinkled in. The non-Americans pitched in some money to cover the turkey that was pre-ordered from El Corte Inglés (Spanish Macy's/Best Buy combo, but with a grocery store downstairs) and the drinks and we all enjoyed another amazing meal. The usual suspects showed up (turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, salad, etc), but there was also a casserole, a pasta dish and, because this is Spain, some sangria to accompany the beer and wine. Overall, it was another fantastic meal that segued into a very fun night at a bar that rolled into one incredible hangover Saturday morning.

The International Crew

I'd be lying if I said it felt like any other Thanksgiving this year, because I definitely missed some things. Football, the oh-so-important tryptophan nap, and above all, family to name a few. Nonetheless, thanks to some amazing new friends, it will be a Thanksgiving I will never forget. GRACIAS A TODOS!

Spain IS Progressive

So, in addition to 1980s fashion trends finally reaching the Iberian Peninsula (or is that regressive?), two very interesting things are going on in Spain that could/will forever change the cultural landscape of the country. First, recently the autonomous regional government of Cataluña passed a law that bans bullfighting in the region. I'm not sure exactly what to think about this. On one hand, the whole bullfighting process, or "corrida", is incredibly cruel to the animal. While I have not seen a bullfight live, I have seen a number of them on live TV. Before the matador, or torero, actually "fights" the bull, the animal is stabbed repeatedly with very sharp spears by Picadores. This weakens the bull tremendously (as you can imagine). Once the bull has about 3 or 4 spears sticking out of his body and his tongue hanging 3/4 of the way out of his mouth, the matador enters the ring. The matador plays around with the bull for a number of minutes in order to impress the crowd, then ultimately stabs the bull in the shoulder blades, hoping for a clean, quick death.
On the other hand, to stop bullfighting in Spain would be to take away one of the most iconic aspects of the country. I would be willing to put good money that bullfighting is one of the top two things that come to mind when people talk about Spain (Flamenco being the other). Almost every city has a very impressive bull ring and the day of a bullfight is an impassioned event (if the price is right for the next bullfight in Granada, I will probably go). Another point that was made on a recent "No Reservations w/ Anthony Bourdain" episode is that if the bullfight is removed from Spain, then the bull is removed from Spain, thus eliminating two other extremely important parts of the country. One, all the land that is used for grazing would be turned into condos and development, which would have obvious negative effects on the amazing natural landscape of the country, and two, most important to me, the production of delicious, damn-near-sensual, jamón would decrease. In neighboring País Vasco, the government is currently debating whether or not to adopt the same ban on bullfighting as Cataluña and it will be interesting to follow this issue over the next few years.

The second sign of major progression in Spain brings me great joy. On January 2nd, 2011 smoking will be PROHIBITED indoors in all public places. I heard about this law a few weeks ago and I've been literally counting the days until I can go out to a bar and not have my clothes smell like an ashtray for the following three days. QUE BIEN! However, this law does raise two very interesting questions. The first was brought up to me by a teacher at my school. Since smokers can't be in the restaurant to get their nicotine, will outside patios now be chalk-full of smokers? Probably. You can't change eons of culture in one day. This means the noise level on the street intensifies immensely and residents of the quieter barrios are going to be very upset. Plus, the amount of trash on the street, that is especially noticeable on the weekend, increases ten-fold. The second question is, how will businesses be effected? My guess is not much because people will still go out for beers and a tapita, this is as much a part of the culture as bullfighting. Nevertheless, bar and restaurant owners are very worried about the negative business consequences of this law, in particular because of the dire state of the Spanish economy due to "La Crisis". I don't know what the fines for violating the law will be, but I imagine local governments will see their coffers filled significantly over the first few months of 2011. Or we may see the Apocalypse happen right here in Spain in the form of massive smokers' revolts. Vamos a ver...

My next suggestion for progression would be to NOT shut down an entire city for 3 hours in the middle of the day, then complain about long work hours because your store stays open until 10pm. (Although, besides for some minor shopping inconveniences, I do like this part of the Spanish culture).

Until next time...que todo os pase muy bien!

Flat Tops, Hi-Tops, A 9-5, and Food Porn

So, apparently the '80s just reached Spain. One of the most glaring fashion trends currently sweeping through Spain (besides the obvious scarfs, skinny pants, and over-the-knee high boots) is hi-top shoes in various bright colors made my all the name brands (nike, adidas, reebok, puma, etc) and flat tops. Maybe I'm missing something that's going on in the U.S., but I'm pretty sure shoes that look moon-ready have not made a come-back. Although I do remember having a pair of L.A. Gears with dual-colored laces, circa 1989. Now, when I say flat top I'm not referring to a classic '50s crew cut, I'm talking about a legitimate 5-6 inches of hair sticking straight up from someone's head. The thing about these flat tops that differs from the original high-top fades of the '80s is that the people sporting them here are European (read: White). Therefore, I can only imagine the amount of hair product needed to execute what I imagine to be a difficult task. While I'm on the topic of hair, let me discuss very quickly two of my other favorite hairstyles of Spain. These would be the Drullet and the Frullet. The Drullet is an amazing combination of dreads and mullet. There is nothing about this haircut that says "business", only "I drink liters of beer on the street in plain view day and night and I probably roll my own cigarettes." The Frullet is a meeting of the epic '90s style of "frosting" one's hair and a mullet. Usually, the frost takes place down the middle of the haircut and runs all the way from the front to the back. Often times, the Frullet has natural curls or has been permed as well. Hopefully, I will be able to post some picture illustrations, but is has proved to be difficult to capture the true essence of these haircuts (without clearly stepping over cultural boundaries).

A little about my school...I work at a vocational school for hospitality and tourism called C.P.I.F.P. Hurtado de Mendoza. Tomorrow will mark the end of my 1st month in the school and so far I love it. The students are all very motivated, have great personalities and always display positive attitudes. The closest thing I can compare this school to is a junior college in the U.S. However, its way better than any junior college because it has the specific aim of teaching the students how to work in a very specific industry with a very well-designed program. The overall English level of the students is medium to high and those that might fall just below the medium level are improving everyday and making up ground rapidly. Another huge bonus to this school is that along with anything hospitality/tourism related, comes a culinary aspect. Therefore, there is a whole wing of the school made up of kitchen-classrooms and there is a cafeteria on campus that serves food made by the students. They serve bocadillos, pastries, toast, and coffee for now, but I'm hoping they add more to the menu as the year progresses. I'm also hoping to get in good with some of the culinary teachers and be able to observe some of the cooking classes.

Speaking of food...Tapas continues to be, and probably always will be, one of my favorite things about this majestic city. Sure, there are many other amazing things here (La Alhambra, the now snow-capped Sierra Nevadas, churches built in the 16th century, the million and one plazas dispersed throughout the city), but who can argue with a small plate of food (and sometimes big if you know where to go) every time you order a drink at a bar. Plus, the options about where to go are endless. Of course there are traditional Spanish tapas, but you can also get Japanese tapas, Brazilian-Caribbean tapas, Chinese tapas, and Irish/American tapas. Some places have a tapas menu that allows you to choose what you want and many other places are a complete mystery. No matter what its a small piece of culinary heaven.

Not a tapa, but delicious helado: top scoop=rum ice cream w/raisins; bottom scoop=cookie ice cream

 P.S.- To my family and the 5 other people that may be reading this, I promise to cut down on these rants and update this with shorter, more frequent posts.

Its a Matter of Comprehension

Hello all and welcome to my blog! I'll try to keep this updated as I live out this unbelievable experience that has been given to me, but I'm not making any promises. First, a short personal note about the title of this blog. Unfortunately, over the last 1 1/2  years I have lost two uncles in battles with cancer. Although both put up valiant fights and both lived long, fulfilling, happy lives, ultimately, they succumbed to the disease. Upon hearing about my opportunity to live and work in Spain in his last few months, my Uncle Kenji's words were, "What a life!" And, indeed, what a life it is. As I stroll the streets of Granada and look up to see the 13th century Moorish palace or the 16th century Cathedral or enjoy another small plate of love with my cerveza, I'm reminded of how fortunate I have this unique, once-in-a-lifetime (maybe twice) opportunity. So, in loving and heart-felt memory of both my Uncle Tom and Uncle Kenji, here is my life in Spain...

Another short note about the URL address I ended up with for this blog. Obviously, my first choice was whatalife.com, but this was unavailable. I then tried whatalyfe.com, but this too was unavailable. In the end, I settled on whtalif.com, which leads right into the topic of this first blog and "el acento Andaluz" which is the cause of much confusion in my life as I attempt to be a contributing member to Spanish society.

Overall, I feel my understanding and grasp of the Spanish language is average to above-average. Reading comes very easy now, my vocabulary is decent, and I can hold a normal conversation in a one-on-one situation and even in small groups (especially with a little liquid power-up). By far, oral comprehension is what I lack the most. I know this may seem to contradict what I've just said, but there's a big difference between having a face-to-face conversation with someone you know and talking to a stranger on the street, trying to follow a T.V. program, or trying to stay involved in a conversation when 5 people are talking extremely fast. What makes this even more difficult is the aforementioned "acento Andaluz". During many conversations with Andalucíans, I find myself nodding my head in agreement and saying "vale, vale" or "uh-uh, uh-uh" acting as if I can decipher the sounds that are coming out of their mouths. Most likely, I look like a moronic bobblehead to the Spanish; however, I've found this technique to be more effective than asking them to repeat themselves because I usually don't understand the second or third time either.

The "acento Andaluz" is a very distinct way the people here in Andalucía speak and could be compared to the "drawl" of the southern United States. There are two basic elements to the accent. One, syllables are left out of words, usually the second-to-last one (this happens with all Spanish speakers, but seems to be stronger and harder to understand in Andalucía). Two, the "s" is often dropped at the end of words that should end with the letter. When these two facets are coupled with the speed in which they speak here in the south, my goal of being a contributing member of Spanish society is put in severe peril.

Here's a real life experience for you. A couple of weeks ago I met my Spanish friend Alex for some tapas (which will be a later topic). He brought his girlfriend and another Spanish couple. We went to a random bar and two more Spanish friends joined us. Minutes later this conversation ensued:

Enrique (in acento Andaluz, remember "drop the 's'"): De donde sois? (where are you from? regarding me and my roomate, who was also there)
Me: Cómo? (what?)
Enrique: De donde sois?
Me: Cómo?
Nicolas: De donde eres? (where are you from?)
Me: Ohhh...somos de California, cerca de San Francisco (Ohhh...we're from California, near San Francisco)

Every time Enrique asked me "de donde sois", I heard "de donde soy" (where am I from?). This caused tremendous mental confusion as I tried to figure out why this guy was asking ME where HE is from.

A few more quick examples:
9-year old who I'm giving private english lessons: no lo hemo empezao...no lo hemos empezado...we haven't started it.
Speaker at program orientation: nuetro paí...nuestro país...our country
Heard anytime I buy bread, fruit, or vegetables from the market: algo má?...algo más?...anything else?

There are two positives to the "acento Andaluz". First, slowly, but surely, I can understand more and more everyday. My comprehension is already 100x better than the first time I was in Spain (so you can imagine how that went). Second, if after my 8 months here in Andalucía I can understand this accent, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to understand Spanish no matter where I go.

Cuidaos a todos!

Topics to come: tapas, my school/work, el botellón, some random pictures