El Carnaval de Málaga – Confetti Fever

This past weekend I had a cultural experience that absolutely blew my mind – the Málaga Carnival. I had seen a poster on a street corner one day last week while walking back home and from that moment my interest was piqued. Being from the Caribbean, I had a certain image in mind as to what Carnival looks, sounds, and feels like, so I was interested to know how they celebrate Carnival in Spain. For those of you who may not know, West Indian Carnivals have their roots in European carnival, so what we celebrate back home is a somewhat evolved version of European carnival (seasoned with African tradition, of course).

 The first thing on the itinerary was  the Pregón y Elección de los dioses (Opening and Selection of the gods). Ok, so I had no idea what that even meant or entailed, so I was intrigued. A friend and I caught the bus to the centro since that first night’s event was going to take place in the Plaza de la Constitución. While we were walking in the direction of the carnival we were met with crowds of people. All around us people were dressed in costumes of all kinds and everyone was walking the streets and just having a good time. On one corner we saw group of guys all dressed in costumes and playing musical instruments while people gathered around to join them in singing and to cheer them on. They looked like green aliens…or could they have been broccoli heads?? Who knows…but I just had to stop and take a picture with them (I never leave home without my camera). As we continued towards the plaza, the atmosphere was super charged. It was loud with the roar of the crowds of people. So this was the Málaga carnival. The crowd became thicker as we approached and we had to wiggle our way through some people, but it didn’t bother me one bit! I actually liked being in the center of all the action J. In the plaza they had set up a stage and a huge, long red carpet. We got there just before the Elección de los dioses began. Different groups or designers constructed these huge and elaborate costumes (that they called “dioses”) that were made of feathers, glitter, lights and sequins.  The “dioses” would come out and parade their costume on the red carpet for the crowd to enjoy and then at the end of the night they picked a winner. It was great - I felt like I was back home in St. Maarten! The only thing that was missing was the Calypso and Soca music. But, wow. It was more like West Indian carnival than I realized! Actually, back home we construct our costumes the exact same way and have shows like this too. Even though I knew that the concept of carnival in the West Indies and in Europe was the same, I didn’t realize that modern day Spanish carnival would be so similar. 

The next day the festivities continued. Sunday was the Gran Desfile (The grand parade). A group of friends and I took the bus down to the Avenida de Andalucia, where the parade was to pass through. That day was even more fun than the night before. Not only were more people dressed up, little kids had on their costumes too. I had so much fun taking pictures of them. The cutest costume I saw was this little girl (who was white) who was dressed up as the princess from the recent Disney movie “Princess and the Frog.” She wore the green princess dress and held a stuffed frog, but since the princess from the movie was black, her face was painted brown. It was cute, but I had to laugh. We enjoyed the parade, which basically consisted of the dioses we had seen the night before and the level of excitement was just as high. Besides the costumes, the thing I enjoyed most about the parade was all the confetti. As the groups passed by, lots of people had bags of confetti and were tossing handfuls into the crowd. Somehow we must have attracted a lot of attention with our enthusiasm because it seemed as if every handful of confetti was thrown directly at us. LOL. I was finding confetti for days afterwards. 

The carnival was such a great cultural experience. Everyone who participated seemed to have had such a great time. I did too. 

Honesty

Since one of my goals for this blog is to try to be transparent, I would like to share a personal struggle that I have dealt with in the past, but find myself also dealing with as I am now here in Spain.

One of my main goals in coming to Spain is to perfect my language skills, both oral and written. More specifically, I would like to improve my professional writing skills in Spanish as well as be able to better communicate verbally with more ease and less grammatical errors. Well, today I got really frustrated with myself because I didn’t feel that I was where I need to be nor where I want to be in relation to my Spanish language skills. That frustrates me. First, I am at the graduate level, and secondly, I am a Spanish instructor. I feel like I have a certain standard that I need to uphold for myself, so I cannot help but get upset with myself when I mess up or say something wrong.

It’s not simply making mistakes that frustrate me. Being completely honest, I still get nervous when speaking Spanish, especially to people who I think are going to judge me. I’m not referring to experiencing shyness or timidity, but rather fear. I mean real, stomach-churning, make-you-wanna-run-away type of fear. You know, the kind that manifests physiologically. This fear itself is counterintuitive because when I get nervous, I make even more mistakes. I know this may be hard for some to understand because you all think, “Teljer is not shy”. True. But that doesn’t mean that I’m fearless or that don’t struggle with fear of speaking. It is even hard for me to process because I want this so badly! People have many times told me “hablas muy bien español,” ("you speak Spanish really well") but sometimes that is not good enough. I want to speak like a native speaker and anything that falls just shy of that is not good enough for me. I want it so badly that sometimes it makes me want to cry.

But alas, reality keeps me in check. Really, I have only been in Spain for a little over a week. I know that I am a perfectionist, but I need to remind myself to take it in stride, setting realistic goals for myself. If I am not careful, my temporary frustration may make me forget or even disregard all the hard work that I have done to even get to the point where I’m at.

I got some great advice from one of my roommates tonight. She said “cuando tengas esas ideas, siempre mira hacia atras en tu camino y lo que has logrado, eso te motivará para lo que sigue.” ("Whenever you have those thoughts, always look back at the path from which you've come and what you've attained and that is what will motivate you for what's ahead"). Words of wisdom. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

So what is the resolution to this all? That I am not giving up! I am going to keep working at it. I know that I am hard on myself. But my ambition and hard work need to be seasoned with patience, positivity, and hope. Sigh. Indeed, I have a journey in front of me, but I am hopeful that it has a happy ending.

Ahora soy "Malagueña"

I survived my first week! So much has happened and I must say that I am starting to feel more like una malagueña. Two important things we needed to do this week were to go to a local bank to open accounts (since we're going to be here for so long) and to buy an unlimited monthly bus pass. It all made me feel so...official. The bus pass will be invaluable. It will save me a ton of money since we take the bus everywhere. The city is pretty spread out, but unlike Atlanta, the bus system here is pretty intricate and you can get around just fine without a car.


Meanwhile, I have been busy getting to know the city and taking some more pictures (I need to put that bus pass to use!). Some of you may not know this, but I'm a closet photographer - I LOVE taking pictures. I especially love taking pictures of things/places that have historical significance (nerdy, I know!). As I travel throughout Spain, I will be sure to share pictures of all the places that I visit.

As promised, I have pics of my new room. I moved in on Monday and when I entered the door it was a breath of fresh air (literally. Aquí no se puede fumar). And my roommates are all so awesome! One of them is, Liza, is from Argentina and the other three are from nearby areas. Only I would come all the way to Spain and make friends with someone from Latin America :) I think this move was great for me because eventhough my roommates are studying hard for finals, they still take time to knock on my door just to say hi, which I absolutely love. We often have our meals together downstairs in the dining room. I've also been busy giving my room the "Teljer Touch" so by popular demand, here are the before and after pictures. I feel relieved now that I've finally settled into my new room and have unpacked. I just hate that "I'm on vacation" feeling that you get when you're living out of a suitcase or when you haven't personalized your room. Moreover, since I am going to be here for 6 months I wanted to make it feel like home.

This study abroad trip is like a dream come true for me. I am in my zone, my happy place. I am surrounded by Spanish speakers, rich culture and endless possibilities for learning and growing, both intellectually and personally. Of course I don't expect for everything to be perfect at every single moment, but I have already made up my mind to enjoy this trip despite any possible mishaps. For those of you who have thought about studying abroad, I encourage you to jump at the opportunity. You will not regret it. And in reality, your experience is what you make of it and how much you take in is really up to the individual. As for me, I choose to savor every moment and to immerse myself in the cultura malagueña as much as I possibly can.

Girl's day out

Saturday was such a fun day! It was my first time going into the centro (downtown) and getting to see a bit of Málaga. I finally was able to shake the jetlag, so I was feeling pretty pumped. Just so you know, there are four of us here from GSU. Michelle, who has been here since September last year, took us out to show us the city. Man, it is beautiful! It feels cosmopolitan, but not in an overwhelming way. There is tons to see and do. Well...first things first - I brought the wrong adapter with me for plugging in stuff. By Sat. my battery on my laptop was dead, and that would keep me from updating this wonderful blog. We took the bus to the centro to El Corte Ingles (a dept. store) to find another one. We also grabbed a quick lunch since were going to miss lunch at the residencia. We chatted and walked around a bit soaking in the ambiente malagueño (the atmosphere in Málaga). We couldnt spend too much time in the centro today because we had plans to go to a fancy dinner that night to celebrate the start of our new journey here. I must mention we are all off to a great start. All the GSU girls and I get along so well! Each of them (Michelle, Lizette and Kelley) are unique and AMAZING in their own way. I know that even as I am learning and growing personally that I can learn from them as well. I could not have asked for a better group of students to spend my time in Spain with.

That evening we got ready for our fancy dinner. We arrived downtown and walked the scenic route to our restaurant. Actually we were sort of lost for a little bit, but we so intrigued by how beautiful it was that we really didnt care! We finally found our restaurant and sat down. Michelle had been to the restaurant before and knew the owner, who I must mention was quite guapo (handsome) :). He brought us some wine as we waited for our food. The four of us were there for 3 hours just talking, laughing and having a great time. Oh! I had my first Chupito! The owner gave us each a free shot of Tequila on the house (so sweet of him).

Overall, it was a fun and and laid back evening. If I were to reflect, I would say that I learned something that night - that I dont have to stress out about everything in life. I mean, we sat in that restaurant for over 3 hours just having a good time. There was no rush for us to leave on our part, nor on the owner's. There were people in there even longer than we were. These malagueños appeared to be much more tranquilo and laid back than I was or from what I observe in our American society. I mean, many people still have siesta (nap time) everyday. This Christmas break I realized that I need to find some balance in my life. I must confess that I am addicted to busyness, hardwork and academia. I work and study ALL THE TIME and I am very ambitious even to the point of biting off more than I can chew. I do not say this to say that I am throwing my work ethic out the window, but I am admiting that I need to find more balance in my life between work and rest. It was funny because I was at home for Christmas for 4 whole weeks. I did absolutely nothing. It was the best four weeks of my life. But I think my body went into shock because for the first time in about 2 years I actually slowed down. So that is going to be one of my goals during this trip - that I find that balance between hard work and being able to relax, breathe and just enjoy life.

I feel right at home

I'M HERE!! I never thought the day would come, but after 3 1/2 months of planning and preparation, I finally made it to Málaga! I dont know how I did it, but I managed to fit ALL my stuff I into my two bags. And I'm a girly girl, so I "need" all my stuff (including the 12 pairs of shoes I brought - a girl needs options). Well, after a 12hr journey, connecting through London, I landed in Málaga on Thursday afternoon. When I got off the plane I felt good. Being surrounded by Spanish speakers was music to my ears. Funny thing is, Spanish peninsular accents had always been "different" for me, but now it intrigues me. Michelle, one of the other students from GSU met me at the airport to help me with all my luggage. She asked me to bring an extra bag for her, so it was quite comical watching us push a cart with 170lbs of luggage out of the airport. I was doing some thinking during the taxi ride back to the residencia. Looking out the window and taking in what I saw I realized that I felt very comfortable here. Sure, Málaga felt and looked different to the other Spanish cities that I had visited on my last trip to Spain, but not in a bad way. Actually, I felt right at home. It was then I noticed that all my nervousness and anxiety had dissipated. All I felt was peace. I am going love this place!

So we got to the residence hall and its huge! Some 200 students live there. The office was expecting me and the lady at the front desk, Fernanda, came out to give me a kiss on both cheeks, which is the tradition here. I went up to my room and met my roommates, who are all from nearby cities. We chatted for a little while and they told me that they were all busy studying for finals, since their semester ends at the beginning of February, instead of in December as in the U.S. I actually LOVE my room -it's a good size. I have lots of closet space (phew!) and a huge desk for all the studying and reading I will be doing. My room is 1 of 5 in sort of a suite with 2 bathrooms. The great thing about this residence is that you get 3 meals a day and one snack. They also have someone come and clean your room AND your bathroom Mon-Fri...¡¡Mira que nice!! I only had one problem! Ok, that first day as I was standing in the hall of the suite, two of my roommates lit up a cigarrette...right in the suite!! I was like, heck no. I honestly have nothing against people that smoke, but it kinda does bother me when they smoke indoors...especially when its going to affect me. I decided to be diplomatic and just talk to Isabel (the residence director) about it the next day.

I must say that Isabel has got to be the coolest residence director ever! She brought me and the other new GSU students into her office to welcome us. I think she was just as excited for us to be here as we were. I mentioned the roommate/smoking issue to her and she was totally cool about the whole thing. Eventhough it is against the rules to smoke in your room, we just decided it was better for me to change rooms. So I get my new room on Monday :) I have all these plans to decorate and make it really cute and comfortable. And really, 6 months is a long time, so I want to make sure I can upack, unwind and make my room feel like home. I will post pics once I have it up to speed.

Spain countdown

I have had a wonderful Christmas with the family, but now that it's December 26th, I am realizing how much closer it's getting everyday to the time I have to leave for Spain. I am sorry that I have not put up any new posts since announcing my decision to study in Spain because other than the preparations, there wasnt really much to say. So, I have spent the last few months finishing out my first official semester in grad school and just doing the necessary administrative stuff to get ready for Spain.

So where am I in this whole process? Well, I've taken care of my visa and right now I am just confirming my living situation. I will be living at a private residence hall, which I figured would be great for meeting new people. It seems pretty nice with lots of amenities (pool, computer room, study rooms, gym, central air (yes!!)). Right now I am still trying to find out how far it will be from campus or my facultad specifically to see if I can walk or if I should take the bus. The only thing is that the residence is super expensive. Oh well, we can work with that. I have also been regularly checking the weather in Málaga...and it was 70 degrees yesterday! ...on Christmas day! Ok, I see that I like this place already. Right now I am home with the family for Christmas, but I have been feeding my excitement about this trip by checking the weather, going on google earth and checking out the city planning and streets (obsessive, I know), checking out the university's website and looking at fun things to do in the city. I havent booked my flight yet, but I have definitely been looking at flights prices and dates.

I have so many goals and plans for my time in Málaga. First of all, I plan to perfect my Spanish skills. Obviously this is something that will naturally develop by just being there and I know that I already speak fluent Spanish, but my goal is to speak like a native speaker. Second, I would love to develop a good social network. I do plan on studying really hard, but I am looking forward to meeting people and developing not just surface friendships, but also more solid friendships that I can keep up with once I return back to the States. Third, I would like to connect the local culture with what I am actually studying. That is, I am studying Spanish literature and it is a great benefit for me to be able to study that within a Spanish-speaking country...and as I have learned with my previous time there, Spain is the perfect culture-rich place to immerse myself in Spanish culture. Finally, I plan to travel and get to know not only various places in Spain, but in Europe as well. I will keep you updated on that.

Ok, see you next time for more updates on this journey.

Preparation - October 24, 2009

Ok, so I am about to embark on a great journey that will change my life forever. I'M GOING TO SPAIN. Ok, so we can call it - Spain parte dos. I am returning to Spain. But this time by myself as an exchange student. I cannot begin to explain the mixed feeling I have on the inside. I am super excited on one end and on the other I am nervous as heck.

Well, before I even get there, I have tons to do, there's paperwork, passport, visa..sigh...all in the midst of the semester. But you know what? I'll do it con mucho gusto!! Yes, I am still preparing myself for what is to come, but it is something that is all part of the experience.

Family, friends...I urge you to join me on this amazing experience. I will keep you updated on progress, events, experiences, impressions, travels and my studies every step of the way. And although I may be going "by myself" I hope that each of you can be there with me in spirit.

-Teljer