Language Soup

I've been taking Spanish classes on and off since I've been here, and this week I've finally started an intensive course of Catalan (which means 5 hours of Catalan and Spanish classes twice a week!). Basically a lot of things I'm learning with Spanish I have to unlearn for Catalan, such as accents and other many minor details. But that's okay, since I do know how to read Catalan, can understand it for the most part. But I need lots of practice speaking it.

What fascinates me is that I've also been absorbing other languages, primarily British English. I hang out a lot with people from the UK and Australia here in my networking groups and Spanish classes. As such, I am picking up the accents, words and sayings. I didn't expect that. (My Spanish class right now is a mix of Anglo-speaking students from the US [me!], Ireland, Yorkshire, New Zealand and Australia.) I also meet up with many English-speaking Germans, Dutch, Swedes and others. More inflections floating in my head on a daily basis.

Most Catalans are familiar with English and French. It seems that before the mid-70s, French was the foreign language studied in school started in primary school, but that was replaced by English. These days, students from as young as 3-4 are introduced to Catalan, Spanish and English. Nonetheless, French and German are offered as electives in later years. It's not uncommon for them to be familiar with several languages, including Italian.

Update & Photos

It's been hard writing up stories for this blog as I've had several freelance projects going on, lots of work on OlindaRidge.com, and also looking for a job! Isabel continues to like her nursery school and we are about to enroll her in school for September. My mother has been here for about 3 weeks and Mauricio is off to the States on Tuesday. Be sure to catch his concerts if you can. (See schedule for Sendebar here, and here's Mauricio's new site I just launched for him.) We've also had a visit from my Joe Kutchera, a former This Old House colleague.

I've been working on getting some video onto YouTube for a client, and having time to kill as the tape ran, I had some moments to upload photos to my flickr account. Check out the latest activities, and there's also more if you poke around:

Main Photo Page
Human Castles in Gracia
Montserrat
La Pedrera (Gaudi house)
Beach Day in March
Santes Creus Monastery

Carnevale Week

In addition to being Isabel's birthday week, it was also Carneval week (or weeks as the parties are still going on!). It was not unusual to see music and costumed people of all ages all around. There were parades of kids in matching costumes made at school, a Brazilian combo and dancing at the large market, and the usual parade of giants and trabucaires as well.

Isabel too had a lot of activity at school. Every day this week they had something to do: wear yellow shirts one day, painted cheeks the next, hats on another, costumes from home, and then they came home on Friday all dressed up in duck costumes made at school.

On Sunday we visited Vilanova i la Geltru to see their famous comparsas and Candy Wars. Associated groups of people march in pairs. The men have matching jackets and the ladies wear mantas de manila (shawls with colorful embroidery) and a carnation in their hair. Each comparsa has its own band, and marches throughout the streets. When they encounter another group, they throw candy at each other. The streets are full of smushed candy. As it had rained, the streets were slippery but I was told that usually they would be completely sticky. (This keeps the Sanitation Department busy here!). At around noon, all the groups assemble in the plaza, and the big battle begins - approximately 10 minutes of candy throwing and chanting. The spectators on the outside would occasionally get hit as well.

Sendebar Concert

Sendebar performed on Saturday at the Teatre L'Auditori. Their next concerts are coming up in the New York area in May! Check out the calendar: www.sendebar.com.

Venice for the New Year

We ventured out of Catalunya this year for the beginning of the year and headed up north to Venice. We stayed in an apartment on the Giudecca island facing the canal and San Marco. I put together a slideshow movie where you can see random images, somewhat in chronological order. Most of the shots of the canal were taken from our apartment window, including the firework scene.

Venice is such a fantasy place, even though people do still live there. Although overrun by tourists, and I can only imagine what it's like in summertime, the city holds on to its magic. I think we spent most of the time walking and getting lost among the narrow streets, small canals, and endless bridges (not an easy feat with a child and a carriage, but doable once you get the system down!). Venice is a system of approximately 120+ islands connected by the famous bridge-stairs. At one time, every island had its own functioning church.

I had been to Venice a long time ago, and only for a day, so I was delighted to explore more. Venice is famous for it's masks and Carnevale gear as well as Murano glass (from the small island of Murano nearby). I was surprised to see just how many stores there were throughout the islands selling masks and glass and more masks and more glass. The amount of product was unbelievable. I wondered who ever bought so much. This time around we just ended up a small pin for Isabel, which she proudly wore for days.

It was wonderful to walk around with not a car in sight once we got past the entrypoints (bus and train stations) into the island. To get around longer distances, you have to have your own boat, take "vaporetti," small ferries sort of like a metro system on the canals, or call a water taxi. Everything is done by boat. We even saw a water ambulance, a fire "truck" and a funeral "hearse." Deliveries are done by boat and dropped off the quays. On the island where we stayed, there is a supermarket on the quay. I was looking out of our window one day and saw that they received their supplies by a semi-truck on some sort of barge.

We also did a day trip to Padua to see the Scrovegni Chapel and look around at yet another medieval city.

Christmas Catalan-Style

This holiday season we are much more aware of the Christmas traditions here, and we're integrating them into our own traditions. It's worth noting at least two very famous Catalunyan traditions: El Caganer and Caga Tió.

El Caganer is the figure most characteristic of Catalan nativity scenes. It is said that its origins began in the 17th or 18th century. The Caganer is considered to be a symbol of good luck. It is available in many guises, such as policemen, politicians (even American ones such as George Bush), soccer players, peasants. Mauricio picked up an irreverent bishop for his nativity scene (pictured here, front and back of course). An exposition in Napa Valley in 2002 caused a protest by Catholics as being irreverent.

The Caga Tió means "pooping log." It's a very old tradition linked to winter solstice. Where once it was just a plain old log, over the years it has taken on a painted face and some Catalan characteristics such as the pastorets' red hat. The modern function of the Tió is to poop presents on or about Christmas Eve. Days before, the log is "fed" fruit peels and dried breads so that it will have something to poop. A blanket is put over it to keep it warm (and hide the presents!). On Christmas Eve, children warm up their sticks (where it used to be in the fire, now it's just by rubbing them all together) and then singing a song while hitting the log with the sticks. Then the blanket is lifted and candy and presents have been pooped out. Isabel partook in one at school, and took home some clay. Our landlord kindly invited us to her family's Caga Tió party on Christmas Eve (pictured) and Isabel took home lots of little gifts and candy (at this party, everyone contributed gifts for every child, and we repeated the Caga Tió 8 times to distribute all the gifts). How do we know the Caga Tió doesn't have any left? When the blanket is lifted and there are no presents, or when a piece of garlic or herring is left.

Isabel's First Pony Ride

Today we visited a park in Barcelona that we haven't been to yet. It's called Parc de Castell de les Oreneta, and located southwest of the Tibidabo mountain and just at te north tip of the Pedrables and Sarriá neighborhoods. Whereas the largest park near us, Parc Guell, is definitely a tourist stop, it was pretty clear this park just attracted locals.

It was a great day for Isabel: she got her first pony ride and a ride on the kiddie train, replete with a station.

Isabel starts school

Today was a landmark day for us. Isabel started daycare today! She was so excited carrying her new school backpack, and when we got close to the school and heard the kids playing (and crying!) she started pointing and couldn't wait to go in. She had no problem saying goodbye and taking off with the teacher. It's only been an hour so far, so we'll see how she takes being away from us all day.

On a separate note, today the prices of milk, bread, eggs and meat went up, and it's the talk of the town. I bought bread this morning, and the friendly clerks were apologizing for the increases. What's sad is that the cost of living is going up, but the salaries don't increase in parity. And they are already so low.