As you can probably recognize, the name of this posting is "Motos, Mohawks, Machisimo y Mas;" however, you may not know what all this means. This is the absolute best Spanish culture lesson you may ever receive, so get prepared.
Motos. They are everywhere. They are not motorcyles, nope, they are the equivilant of an American scooter. The moto is a crazy virus that has swept accross the jovenes (youth) of Spain. Now, I say it is a trend with the younins; however, it is actually equally common to see an old man in a buiness suit, a woman in a skirt, or even two guys on a bike (a site I am still adjusting to). Anyhow... it is not enough for these hormone-crazied moto-maniacs to ride their bikes too fast through traffic and park on public sidewalks, they also remove the muffler to acheive a terribly high piched squelch when they ride. And it is not a cool, deep growl like you would think of back in the US; it is an annoying sissy screech that echos through the concrete avenues of the city orchestrating the most intolerable symphony of unbearable noise. I say all this only to claim- I want to join the ranks of the Motos. :)
Mullets. If your hair is longer than 2 inches at the crown of your head, you were probably born before 1985. Seriously-- girls, boys, i think i have even seen a few dogs sporting the Mullet. I will say, when I say a cool "Australian" mullet in America, I would think, "Wow, that is kind of cool. They are probably cultured." Here, no. It IS the culture. It is NOT different. EVERYONE has a mullet. There are old school mullets, rat tails, mini-mohawks, and even the throw-back do with a buzzed head and just bangs. I am tellin ya-- these kidss are trendy. I just wonder what they are going to do in 5 months when mullets aren't cool anymore. They will still only have like 2 inches of hair on their head. That's gonna suck. They could then just pull a "Britney" and shave it all off!
Machisimo. This is the word for the general attitude/personality (talento) of the average Spainard hombre (man). It refers to the "macho" aspect and as well to their affection for the mujeres (ladies). Now, if I walk from my piso to the bus station (15 minutes) without getting some kind of cat call from a school boy, teenager, man, or ooold man, I begin to get insecure! Not really, but seriously.. it is crazy. They are super suave and as crazy as it seems, I actually love it becasue here, this display is really not intended to "start a relationship" or "hit on you" as it would translate in the US, it is just a way to get to know someone new. It is so embedded in the culture here that they see it more as a greeting than a pickup line!
y Mas. (And More) Well, this can be the part where I tell you about the wonderful feria (fair) I went to this weekend. I now have a group of about 8 girlfriends that I most hang out with. There are 6 Americans, on French girl, and a Dutch girl. I love them all so much! Actually, I am moving in with one of them to a differnt piso tomorrow! I will also gain two more Espanolas (Spainsh girls!) I am so excited because I will be able to practice my Spanish so much more now! Anyhow, la feris-- there are pictures here, but the culture of Andalucia is so incredibly rich! In southern Spain, many of the people get all decked out and wear flamenco dresses and torreno costumes! It is almost like the Houston rodeo where people sponsor tents and have little temporary clubs and restraunts set up! I think we might have been the only non-natives there because it was their province fair in Jaen, a small, sheltered region of Andalucia! It was incredible to experience this as a local!
This was one of the more waring decisions of the day--they all looked so good!
One of the incredible tents set up at La Feria... The typical meat here is ham (jamon) and there are huge legs hanging in every restraunt, grocery store, pub-you get the idea... anyhow, the black hooved pigs are supposedly better. I guess. Culture.
I wonder if he could fly.
And yes, balloons have the same irresistable attraction worldwide for young children. And there were so many. I even wanted one.
An example of the decadant Flamenco dresses the women and girls were wearing a la feria... they were so vibrant and the women looked so completely elgant and AMAZING!
And there was dancing, claro que si (of course)!
Even los hombritos (little men) were in torrero (bull-fighting) attire!
Caroline, Caro (my American roommate) is very excited about chocolate churros!
Then, today in Linares, we happened upon an incredibly decadent procession of marching bands and this incredible statue, to find out that today, Linares was celebrating 250 years of patronage! Everyone in the parade was so dressed up and stature they were carrying (it too 16 men to carry) looked outrageously heavy! It was another beautifully cultural experience!
This is the Mujer de los Lineresos (Woman of the Linareans).. apparently she has been around since the establishment of the town 250 years ago... pretty cool. She looked heavy (pesado). I think the men thought she was heavy, too.
I can't wait to tell you more about the girls! They really are great, and a lot of them have done a bit of travelling before, which has given them an incredible perspective on life, as well as the abitity to step away from their own vantage point and see the world from someone else's shoes (or in Spain, someone elses's boots)! Anyhow, I am learning and growing so much here and I am so thankful for all of your suport and prayers. Email me anytime because I'd love to hear from you! Much love,
*bretana (my spanish name) :)
Four other language assistans that have become my great companeros (buddies)!
Beth, Caroline (my roomie), Audrey, and Femke (the Dutch One)
