Estaba mordido por un perro

I learned that phrase today and experienced yet another "first" in Spain. Estaba mordido por un perro. Kristian and I decided that today was the day we would explore a road that we've seen from our perch up at the castle. An enchanting road that leads out into the countryside, passing a crumbling old ruin, farms and flocks of grazing sheep. We set out and followed a road that led up and out of town. As we neared the top of a stretch of road we entered a small residential area and suddenly all around us the air was filled with the sound of barking dogs. It seemed that for every house there were about twenty-five dogs - though we could only see a few here and there behind fences, on balconies, and I commented to Kristian that our presence must be something of an anomaly in those parts. Ahead of us there was the most enormous German shepherd enclosed on a balcony. As I pointed him out I heard the sound of racing paws behind me. All the rest happened in a split second. I turned slightly, saw a large white dog and a small black and white dog running toward me. I turned away thinking I should just keep walking. Don't show fear, Deborah. Dogs can smell fear! But almost the moment that they reached me they had turned away and were racing back towards home. But not before I felt a sharp stinging pain just below my left knee. I turned to Kristian, perhaps a little stunned, and said "I think it bit me". Then turned away and kept walking slowly forward, the pain stinging and the disbelief making me a little numb and I said "yeah. it REALLY bit me". At this point I was still walking forward, with my back to Kristian and the direction from which the dogs had come. He had to say my name several times to snap me out of it. We found our way to a bench so I could calm down and we could asses the damage. It was a slight puncture wound, but no dripping blood. We had not left the immediate area yet, and strangely now all the dogs were silent and it was eerily peaceful.

The hole the dog made in my jeans

The puncture wounds and subsequent bruising

We decided it would be prudent to go to the hospital. Without knowing where this dog was from, if it had owners or was a stray, there was no telling what sort of strange disease I could have contracted. I was limping slightly, and my jeans rubbing on the wound made it sting something fierce, but we managed to make it back the way we came and along the way decided to pass by the police station first and make a report - a denuncio, as it is called here. First the officer looked at me a bit like "what are you telling this to me for?" but eventually became helpful. I told him where it had happened, what the dog looked like, etc and he told me to go to the doctor and bring back proof of my visit and the description of the injury I had suffered. In the meantime, he said he would go looking for the owner of the dog and find out its medical history. Fair enough.

What the dog looked like in my memory

So I marched off to the hospital and told my story again, estaba mordido por un perro feroz. The hospital was empty as I walked up to the desk and asked to be seen. She took my medical card and my NIE card and ask me a couple of mumbled questions which she then answered herself and told me to go wait outside of door 13.

The empty waiting room

Door number 13

The doctor was very nice, and kept saying how much it must hurt. She asked me if I had had a tetanus shot and since I had, seemed satisfied that nothing more was needed. She dabbed it with a little iodine and told me I should do so again in the mornings and evenings for a couple of days. Then she printed up the report and sent me on my way. Documentation in hand I returned to the police station, where they had kept their word and already had photos on the computer to show me of the suspect. I confirmed that it was the dog in question and they assured me that it had an owner and a regular veterinarian so the chances of it being a disease carrier were slim. In all likelihood the dog was probably as freaked out as I. We learned that it is normally kept in the fenced-in garden, but that the gate had been left open. His sidekick, the big white dog, had looked harmless enough - in fact, it looked like he was chasing after the little dog to bring him back home.

Hypothetical conversation among dogs:

Upon racing back to their garden...

Big dog: Do you know what you just did?!

Little dog: (cringing) I know...

Big dog: You just BIT that girl!

Little dog: I know, I know. It just kinda happened. I'm totally freaking out!

What the dog really looked like (more or less)

 The adventure continues in Spain. And next time I go walking, I'm bringing a big stick.

Cousins!

Anna and Elly arrived on Wednesday night and were gone by Sunday morning. But the days in between were some of the most entertaining we've had. It was great to have their outsider's perspective of the place I call home right now. They were delighted by the people, the quaint little streets, ate their coca y chocolate with vigor and infused my experience here with new life. So thank you cousins. You are welcome back anytime.

On our last day with them here, we went to Barcelona and retraced their footsteps, as both had spent time in Barcelona in the past. I found my way back to the roof of La Pedrera, which I remember being so captivated by the last time I was in Spain. The magic hasn't faded.

We'll Always Return to Rome

After 10 days in Italy, and another 4 days of having my two fantastic cousins for a visit, I feel like I am back in Solsona for real now. We had a great time in Italy. We traveled by train once we landed in Rome, first up to Pisa, then over to Florence. Two nights in Florence at a great little B&B run by a Canadian named Gabriella. Il Bargello, I highly recommend it to anyone with plans to spend some time in Florence.

We then made our way to Siena for one night - no props for our lodging that night. We found the most wonderful restaurant that evening, and though I love you Spain, in the food department you just don't quite make me swoon like those seductively delicious gnocchi. Sorry.

We spent one night in Rome, in Trastevere, which means across the Tiber. I loved it over there. For anyone who has spent time in Barcelona, it reminds me of the Born district. We wandered its narrow side streets for the evening and the next day tackled Vatican City and the Pantheon. In the afternoon, Kristian's aunt met us by Trevi Fountain and we hopped on a train together and headed about a half an hour south to spend 4 days with her and her lovely family in Pontinia. Her husband has his own business selling milking equipment so he knows all the farmers in the surrounding area, and as a result is always being gifted various fresh cheeses and meats. The fresh ricotta made me never want to leave.

On Top of the Duomo in Florence

On one of the days there, we took a train to Pompeii, and spent several sunny hours wandering through the ruins of that lost civilization. And for our last day in Italy, we traveled back to Rome and spent another day walking around and seeing the most amazing, mind-blowing structures. It is just SO OLD.

The next morning we were back on a flight to Barcelona. It never felt so good to be able to speak Spanish than when we arrived. I love the sound of Italian, but I don't speak it and so getting back to Spain where I could ask for directions, chat with a salesperson, etc. was a welcome change.

I've posted an album of the trip on Picasa, since there are too many fotos to post here. Check them out!

Hard at Work, Even on Vacation

Noche Vieja

On New Year's Eve in Spain, the tradition is to eat twelve grapes, one for each stroke of midnight. If you are able to eat twelve grapes in twelve seconds, it means you will have a good year. For every grape that you aren't able to eat, you will suffer that many months of bad luck. Doesn't sound TOO hard, except that all the grapes in Spain have big seeds. In fact, it actually sounds like a recipe for disaster... new years eve revelers, enjoying their Cava maybe a little too much, and then they have to rapidly stuff twelve seeded grapes in their mouth and swallow? Hmm... Well, the tradition began about 100 years ago when some grape farmers who had an enormous harvest of bad grapes that they needed to get rid of suggested the idea and it apparently stuck. Go figure.

I'll be participating in the tradition this year, from the wild streets of Barcelona. Then off to Italy for ten days. I'll post again when I return. Here's to a happy and healthy new year!

Happy New Year Everyone! Prospero Año Nuevo! Feliç Any Nou! 

Christmas Eve Rainbow

A rain cloud has covered Solsona since the snow last week, and obscured the mountains from view. But on Christmas eve, the sun peeked out while the soft drizzle continued to fall and a lovely rainbow was visible from my balcony, arching over the rooftops.

Bones Festes Everyone!

Vacaciones!

Today was the last day of school until the second week of January. To celebrate the students put on a traditional Catalan Christmas play called Pastorets. It is about the shepherds and their journey to the baby Jesus. Afterward, we returned to school and the children were given Coca y Xocolata - a traditional Catalan snack. It is delicious! Coca is a soft sweet bread that is dunked into the thickest hot chocolate you can imagine - think hot chocolate pudding! It was a mad house trying to serve all the kids though - but they were really cute with their chocolate mustaches. They sure do dive right in!

In the afternoon, all the teachers met in the teacher's lounge to say goodbye and a few small gifts were given. And they did a mini version of the "caga tío". In Catalonia, instead of Santa Claus, who is a relative newcomer to these parts, their tradition is to have a hollowed-out tree stump that is covered with a blanket. It is called "tío" or uncle. In the weeks leading up to Christmas the children feed the log with orange peels and other food scraps. The idea is to fatten it up. The parents take the food scraps away at night to make it look as if the tío had eaten them. Then they fill the hollow trunk with presents. And on Christmas Eve they sing the "Caga Tío" song and hit the log then lift the blanket. Miraculously for the children, it is full of presents for them! Neat tradition. I like these Catalans.

Preparing for Christmas in Solsona

Christmas has arrived in Solsona. The city is decorated with pretty white lights up and down the narrow streets. The other night, just outside of my balcony window, in the Plaza Mayor, an enormous truck drove up (how it maneuvered the aforementioned narrow streets to get there - your guess is as good as mine!) carrying an equally enormous pine tree. A crew of men and the crane from the truck set about hoisting the tree into an upright position in the air, then lowering it into a waiting open manhole filled with water. They secured it (through similarly mysterious means) and a few days later strung it with lights. Now, every night there is a gigantic Christmas tree peeking into the living room, shining with Christmas cheer.

And yesterday, on the first day of winter, it snowed! Hooray! It was gone by the late afternoon, but it was glorious and wintery and white while it lasted. I had traveled to Lleida yesterday morning, to pick up my NIE (Foreign Identification Number), and the journey back to Solsona on the bus was a slippery one. The countryside was covered in a dusting of white and the winding, climbing roads were a slushy treacherous mess. But we made it. And I am now officially legal to be in Spain until September 2010!

Bon Nadal! Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!

 

Castellvell

I have fallen behind on my posting and I don't want any of you, my loyal followers, to miss any of the adventure. So here goes a whirlwind of posts - be sure to read down to catch any you may have missed!

The castle sitting above Solsona has proved to be a wonderful place. From the top, it is possible to see all of Solsona and the surrounding countryside, and the mountains off in the distance, depending on how clear the day may be. I make the trek up a couple of times a week, and it is always different up there... the way the light falls, the clarity of the air - but it is beautiful every time. The light was especially stunning on this trip up.

 

¡VOTA!

In case you are not aware, Catalans would very much like to gain independence from Spain and have Catalonia recognized as an independent country. Right now they are an autonomous region, with their own president and their own official language - but any government decision must go through the central government of Madrid. On the 13th of December communities across Catalonia held a vote on Catalan independence. The vote was purely symbolic, but it was posed to garner more recognition for the movement towards independence. Catalonia is a fascinating region with an incredibly rich and important history.  I recommend coming for a visit, or at the very least going for an armchair journey. If you are interested in learning more about the vote or the independence movement you should check out this BBC article about the vote.

 

Exciting Discovery at the Local Castle

I've been up to Solsona's castle multiple times now, on my own and with visitors. But this past trip up I discovered something that caused me no small amount of amusement. So I hope this puts a smile on your face too.

Two foot marks with a hole in the center... what could it be???

Wait! I have an idea....

Look out below!

Dia de Acción de Gracias

Yesterday was an interesting day. Unlike the rest of you, I had to go to work since Thanksgiving is of course not celebrated here. But it was a neat opportunity to share something of US culture with my students. With my young students, I explained a little about the history of Thanksgiving and the traditions, and then I showed them how to make a hand turkey! They spent the class drawing and decorating their turkeys - then I took pictures of them with their drawings to share with you. I'll post the pictures soon, since I took them with the school camara and haven't gotten my hands on them yet. But they are super cute.

With my adult classes I was able to explain a bit more about the holiday, and then as a speaking exercise we went around the room and they said what they were thankful for. It brought me some of the spirit of the day even though I was far from home.

For dinner, even in our teensy weensy kitchen, we managed to whip up a really delicious feast. We made mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted squash, and green beans. Yummy! I missed making a pie, but we found a Spanish pumpkin pastry, so that had to suffice until next year. And thanks to Skype, we shared our meal with family and friends even from thousands of miles away. What a world. 

In the spirit of the day, I am thankful for the opportunity to be here, for my family and friends, for the sunshine, for internet and Skype, for café con leche, for the ability to communicate in another language with ease, for delicious and extremely affordable Spanish wine... the list goes on.

So, desde España, Happy Thanksgiving!

La Guía Sorprendida

On Tuesday I put on yet another new hat. "Deborah the Picasso Expert and Museum Guide". What a trip. I went to Barcelona with fifty sixth graders and their teachers to visit the Picasso Museum. We split the group in two, and with twenty-five kids in tow, I marched them through the museum, pausing at about twelve different paintings to draw their attention to Picasso's ever-changing artistic styles and evolution as an artist. Of course, their English is basic and they are eleven-year-olds, so I had to be careful with my words and ask them questions like, "what colors did Picasso use in this painting?" "Are the people in the paintings happy or sad?". The funny part was that this was of course not a private visit, so the museum was full of other people. After the second or third explanation in front of a painting, I began to notice that some of my audience members were much taller than when I began. Barcelona is a city full of tourists, so there were plenty of people who understood English, mistook me for an official museum guide, and tagged along through my presentation. A few even came up to me at the end to ask some questions about Picasso, or to thank me for the tour. Then I did it all over again with the second group. Highly amusing!

After the tour, we spent an hour or so in an enormous park to have lunch and let the kids burn off some steam before getting on the bus back to Solsona. The Catalonian Parliament building resides in this park, as well as a science museum and a statue of a mammoth. There was also this incredible fountain in the center of the park, with a golden chariot at the top and mermaid sculptures. Have I mentioned that I love my job?