Karma Kitchen

I forgot to write this post last week. But here it is. I will initially have to keep it brief as I'm out of Internet time.

Last week in my Spanish conversation class, we each had do a 15 minute presentation in Spanish about whatever topic we'd like. After a few days, I still had not figured out my topic. So Thursday morning when I awoke, it came to me....Karma Kitchen! I wrote out the information Thursday afternoon and presented it in class on Friday.

I'll have to leave you in suspense for now.

Must go.

Will write later.

Flamenco

It's almost the end of my 5th week here in Spain. I still can't believe its been over a month already. There is still so much to do and see. I haven't spent much of my time rushing around to monuments or partying all night. I've had a healthly balance of it all and thats just what I wanted.

This week I started flamenco choregraphy classes and they are proving to be very difficult. The main reason this class is much harder is because I'm learning Bulerias. Bulerias is a particular rhythm that is danced in flamenco. The Bulerias is known for its element of surprise and improv. This means we are studying compas (rhythms) and counts to figure out when to start, stop, and improvise dance routines. It's similar to Kathak in many ways, but the counts are a bit different. Also the entire song can be broken up however the singer and guitarist choose so the dancer is left to improvise with the beats. We are all beginners so getting down the general idea and concept of how these songs and rhythms are broken up is the most important part. The dance is build up with the basic foundation movements of flamenco. All of this is slightly made more difficult because all the explanations are done in Spanish. I understand most of it all, but its a matter of translating it into the body's movement. Creating that connection between the mind and the body.

This is also the first week that I'm sore from my classes and all the steep hill climbing to and from school 2-3 times a day. Spain is the 2nd hillest country in Europe behind Swizterland. My school is located up two major steep hills which I go up and down several times a day since I have gaps in my schedule. My roommate and I keep saying that it will all be worth it in the end because we will have very nice firm legs and butts! : ) I really hope she is right!

Nothing else to report from here. I hope everyone back home is doing well and thriving. I want to let you all know that I've thought of you all many a times and I carry you all with me in my heart. I look forward to sharing my journey and hearing about your journeys when I return.

Melon con Rum

Last night, my roommates friend who is visiting from Germany made her very famous Melon con Rum. It was fun watching her create the drink out of a huge melon. I took notes and will definitely be recreating this one possibly when Neerav, Arpan, and Ritesh arrive or in the states. Though, the melon we used is only found in Spain. The meat of the melon is muy delicioso! The good thing is that the melon can be refilled many times in case you have very thirsty guests! : )

Salud, dinero, y amor.....chin chin....cheers!

Cathedral and Capilla Real

Today is the first day in the last few months that is cool and not too hot. Normally the heat gets pretty intense by 12pm. I'm thoroughly enjoying this cloudy cool day as I look to the Alhambra from my school's terrace.

This past weekend, I ventured out to El Centro to visit Granada's Cathedral and Capilla Real. The Cathedral is vast with very high ceilings and several large columns in its interior. The Cathedral was built around 1526 in a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is quite easy to see both these styles at work within the Cathedral. Massive gold gothic alters reside next to wooden dull color Renaissance alters. It is always so fascinating to see how much history resides in a place so old. Alfonso Cana, an artist and visionary, created a number of wonderful oil paintings around the Cathedral. He also was the visionary around the very large 3 dimensional wooden doors guarding the backside of the Cathedral entrance.

Whenever I visit places of worship, I usually take a second to reflect and wonder what these walls have seen and heard. After hearing so much about the Cathedral, I'm glad I finally had the chance to go see it for myself.

The Capilla Real is another fascinating place located next to the Cathedral. The Capilla Real holds the bodies of Isabel and Fernanado and a few others, which I can't remember right now. I believe it is Felipe and his wife and a small child named Miguel. The coffins are located underground and can be viewed from a glass door. Above ground there are 4 massive marble carvings of the adults. It is said that Isabel started the building to host their bodies upon death. A massive shrine to themselves is more like it. But the Capilla Real took several years and was not complete when Isabel and Fernando passed away. For this reason, the bodies of Isabel and Fernando were temporarily housed in the Alhambra until the Capilla Real was completed. The intricate marble carvings are beyond words. One of the artist who worked on the carvings was a very talented gentleman from Italy.

It was an afternoon of history, followed by a quick walk through the downtown plaza, with a stop on a nice bench overlooking a beautiful fountain surrounded by greenery. All in all a great way to start the weekend.

Writings on the wall

Lately, I've been taking even more time out to write. Below are a few of my random writings. Hope you enjoy them!

Lone Cloud
Painting the blue sky with your fluffy white
Standing alone, bracing the wind
Lone cloud how gently you are tugged into many directions
Slowly dispersing til you no longer are who you were
Fading, blending, growing into the blue background
In a blink, you have become one with the vast blue sky
It is as if you never existed.

Rhythms
Rythms of the spanish guitar fill the crisp air
Hands are being held, laughter can be heard everywhere
The strumming continues as the world dances about
Lovers meeting as if it were for the 1st time
Grandmothers laughing and playing with their grandchildren
The soft whispers of leaves flowing along the cobble stone sidewalk
The river Darro providing continuous harmony to a flamenco guitar being played passionately
The Alhambra sweeping down from above watching over the plaza
The sounds of children frolicking in the fountain
A song is waiting to be created by the guitarist
No night is ever the same just as I will not be after this moment

By Myself
Perched upon a plastic chair out in a wide open plaza, I sit and wait for my beverage and free tapas.
I'm asked by a curious woman, "Are you here with someone?" I confidently respond, " Yes, I'm here with myself."
A boisterous laugh calls to the fresh air. I too, laugh.
Enjoying one's company is a treasure in itself. So much to learn.

Enjoying the view

The view from Sacromonte.

Me Diverti Mucho!

So this week is my fourth week in Granada. At the end of this week, I will have been here for 1 month already. It does not in any way feel like I´ve been here that long. My days are filled with spanish classes, meeting old and new students, hanging out on the terrace at school, flamenco classes, siestas, discovering the city and surrounding towns, having drinks (cava, wine,cerveza, mojitos, sangria) with friends, and enjoying my roommates company in the house.

I found it very interesting that so many people here from around Europe and other parts speak 3-4 languages and in addition are now learning spanish. It´s so impressive! I´m picking up bits and pieces of German, Italian, French, etc. I´m also learning a lot about the ways, traditions, and customs of many European countries.

My Spanish speaking is ok. I´d like to elevate it to a higher level within the next few weeks. It´s been difficult to practice it at home or school because the commom language is English and some folks don´t know enough Spanish yet to hold a conversation. Thus everyone ends up speaking English in our house and at school. In some ways its great because I´ve been able to connect much more eaily with people, but in other ways it is hindering my spanish. I have signed up to do Spanish-English exchange program with a student from the University of Granada. I will meet him sometime this week to practice my spanish. I think this will be good practice not only to speak to but to listen and understand spanish from a native Spaniard.

I have a lot of down time in between school and bedtime. Much of that time has been spent reflecting, reading books, studying, Spanish magazines, and meditating. I´ve had a lot of realizations. At times so much is going on in my head that I can´t process it for days. It all usually comes out in its own way at its own time. I have decided that it is not for me to force or evaluate but just watch it. At times recently, I´ve stressed out about the grand question, ¨What do I do with my life when I return to California? Work?¨ I avoided the question the first few weeks as I was settling in and getting to know a new place. But last week I decided that I need to face the music. In doing so, I´ve come to the conclusion that going deeper within myself is the best practice to move forward in answering this question. And who knows maybe the answer will come to me if I´m open to it.

One of the other students who just left works with refugee kids back home in the states. We had many interesting coversations regarding teaching refugee kids because I volunteered and tutored refugee kids for a few years in high school. This theme of teaching and working with refugee kids has been reoccuring in my life recently. A few months ago, a book came out that spoke candidly about the town and refugee center I volunteered at. I have not yet read the book, but have it sitting on our bookshelf for when I return. I´m looking more deeply into the area of teaching. I really think teaching culture, language, and exposing kids to new people and customs is very important. I´m exploring all these new avenues.

It´s interesting how learning another language has made me evaluate my speech. I think more before I speak both in English and Spanish. I feel more and more each day that words have so much power and likewise silence has its own strength. I have for so long taken speech and communication for granted. I think I forget sometimes just how important words are and how we should choose what we say carefully and with compassion. Vimala Thakker´s book put it best, in our society we always say, ¨You know what I mean.¨ No, people do not always know and they should not have to guess. So say what you mean. I´m working on this myself. It will take time.

Ironic or Coincidence?

A week earlier, I found a poem I had written in my journal in 2006. I wanted to post the poem on my blog but kept forgetting my journal. So I decided to try and find the poem online. No luck, but I did discover that this poet is from Spain. Not only that,but he has special ties to Granada and the Alhambra.

So the other day after moving into my place, I sat down to read, pray, and meditate within this new space that would now be my home for 5 weeks. Then it dawned on me, is this ironic or is it a coincidence that a poem I copied on a whim in a book store in 2006 is from a poet affiliated with Granada? I really do believe in these coincidences. The poem is no regular poem, it is about searching and the identification of the real self. Hence, it has even more of a tie to my current journey in Spain.

Last night, a few of us went up to the Alhambra to view the free gardens. As I walking around I found a quote of Juan Ramon Jimenez on a beautiful blue and white marble tile plastered onto a building. I thought, Wow, this is so amazing!

Here is the poem by Juan Ramon Jimenez. Hope you all like it. It is the first page in my journal which was started in 2006.

I am not I
I am this one
Walking beside me whom I do not see,
Whom at times I manage to visit,
And whom at other times I forget;
The one who remains silent when I talk,
The one who forgives, sweet, when I hate,
The one who will remain standing when I die.

--Juan Ramon Jimenez--

Catch Up

Hola De Espana. Sorry, I haven´t written in a while. I have to pay for internet and sometimes it´s just too crowded at the computer lab. I´ve found a few internet cafes near me so hopefully I´ll be writing more on the blog.

So many things happening here.......

First off, I moved to another apartment closer to the city. The reason being the original apartment was located near too many dark alleys and several girls had been mugged in the vincity. It´s much easier for me to walk to and from school at my new place. Thank god for all the tourists around my area. It makes it a little safer to walk around at night.

Secondly, my flamenco class is going well. I´m learning new things everyday. I´m practicing as much as I can. My teacher is a little shall we say, ¨rude¨. She seems to treat the spanish speakers (natives) differently than the non-spanish speakers. To make things even more difficult she doesn´t speak any English. She gets easily frustrated and yells all the time. After my first week, I just accepted it. Everytime I see her I just smile and say hello. I´ve worked very hard to not let her demeanor affect my performance or progress. I´m definitely more used to the flamenco shoes now. I love practicing on the weekends in the school studios when no one is around. It reminds me of being at home in front of my mirror.

I went to an amazing Flamenco show in the Generalife gardens next to the Alhambra last week. It was truly magical. The outdoor venue was spectacular with the bright moon as the backdrop. As the night went on the moon slowly crept up from behind the trees and over the stage. There were a few duendes that were sung that gave me goose bumps! I remember one was very reminiscent of a muslim prayer, I just closed my eyes and felt the music.

Oh, this is random and yes, so me. I was walking with a schoolmate down the ¨El Realejo¨ district and I happend up a sign that read, ¨India Baazar¨. I walked in to check it out. As I was looking around, I came upon a nook and made the Trushna is excited in the indian store sound/face. I think Neerav knows this best. The two German girls turned around and stared at me. I said, sorry didn´t mean to scare you, I´m just excited!! The store carries all types of dal, rice, curries, curry powders, indian spices, indian soaps, oils, etc. I walked up to the cashier, who was listening to bollywood shows on youtube, and said are you from India? He said yes. I said me too! He jumped back in his seat in shock. We exchanged formalities of where we were from and if I spoke Gujrati. I had an entire conversation with him in Gujarati! It is always wonderful to meet people from India in other countries. But Neerav can testify that I get excited about Indian people no matter where I am!! : ) Anyhow, the truly sweet thing was is that he orders his indian vegetables from Paris. I don´t know why, I didn´t ask. Anyhow, he offered to bring me some if I wanted it from his house. I was thoroughly flattered and grateful. I told him I would discuss the matter with him once I come in to get the dal. I would hate to have him bring the veggies and then not be able to go pick them up. My schedule is very free flow right now.

Reflections

Since my arrival in Spain, I´ve had a lot of time to myself. This is something I was looking forward to. I´ve been able to dive into a ton of books, meditate, and just enjoy my company. I spend a lot of my nights eating dinner on the open terrace overlooking the mountains or just reading and writing. I have found that the terrace is one of my favorite places to be. It´s been a wonderful way for me to take in all the sites, sounds, and fresh air Spain has to offer.

One of the books I´m reading is Vimala Thakker's ¨Blossoms of Friendship¨. A good friend of mine gave me the book prior to my departure. The book is pretty intense and contemplative. I read the first chapter 3 times just to make sure I was grasping the information. Vimala studied and worked with Krishnamurti so her style is very similar to his. I had an AHA moment while practicing flamenco the other day. I was able to connect Vimala´s message about concentration vs. attention vs. awareness. I realized that if I am to be a better dancer I have to work hard to connect the mind and the body while dancing not through concentration but through attention and finally awareness of the whole picture (mind, body, and soul). It´s really hard to put into words what this all means. I´m sure some of you are thinking, ¨What is she talking about?¨

On another note, I went out to a tapas bar, a dance club and a gay club the other night. Yes, all in one night. It was great to be out and about and speak spanish. We were out til 5am!

I´ve had some other realizations but I´ll leave those for another time.

I´m quickly learning that the area we stay in is notiorious for muggings and such especially during the high tourist season. I´ve been a little apprehensive and am taking all measures to be safe. If things on this front do not get better, I may have to reassess my plans. Not sure what I´ll do but I do not want to live in a state of fear. For now it´s not a problem since there are a ton of students here, but once people leave in August, it will be more difficult.