Taking Another Holiday!

Now that Christmas is officially upon us, it's time for me to take another holiday!

I will be spending Christmas and New Years with my family in India.

Be back in January! Just in time for the arrival of the Three Kings.

Christmas in a Spanish Home

Well, it's a week til Christmas! Life here as been pretty hectic getting ready. My family has been busy putting up decorations and preparing for different parts of the day. Our kitchen currently reeks of fish because my host dad is attempting new recipes for Christmas Day. I won't be here, but its been interesting to see the cultural aspect of a Spanish Christmas.

Decorations around Barcelona went up around Thanksgiving here, including a huge snowflake display at our local Cortes Ingles(think Macy's circa 1950) and Christmas trees up and down Aviguda Diagonal. They've even set up two different ice skating rinks near my house. I won't go, but its pretty cool to see them when I'm walking around.

Our Christmas Tree

Holly and Snowmen up the Stairs

Our house is pretty simply decorated. We have a Christmas tree(but its fake) and some things hanging up around the house. People don't do much here, but the holiday season lasts for quite some time. The day of Christmas, they open gifts from the Tió de Nadal. This is one of the strangest holiday traditions I have ever heard of, and its only celebrated in Catalunya. It is similar to a yule log(closest thing I could think of).

The Tió is basically a log with face and a little red hat with legs. He sits under our Christmas tree, and has a little plate of food in front of him. Beginning after December 8th(The Immaculate Conception), we feed him every day. The food "disappears" and we continue to bring him new food. So far, we've given him cookies and crackers.

Our Tio

Normally, he is supposed to sit by a fireplace, but since we don't have one...the Christmas tree. He also is covered with a little blanket to keep him warm. I honestly have no idea where the tradition came from, but my host dad told me that while no actual date is known for his existence, he is a log because fire is considered so precious. His sole goal is to give presents! So, the family will take care of him from the Immaculate Conception until Christmas. Then, they place him on a table(still covered with the blanket, and...well, they beat him with a stick and sing a song. This is a version of the song I found: 

Caga tió,

caga torró,
avellanes i mato,
si no cagues bé
et daré un cop de bastó.
caga tió!

The entire family participates in this, A said they have about 30 people come, which is alot in our tiny apartment. After they've sung the song, the family lifts the blanket and under the table, he has left a present! Yes, the Tió literally...uh...defecates...out a present. When I first heard this, I thought the person telling me was kidding. Nope, home I went to confirm it. Turns out it was true and now I'm witnessing the part before they beat the Tió. They do this for a while and when he is finished giving presents, the Tió will leave a roll of toilet paper under the table.

Nativity

Another popular tradition is to have a nativity. Here, it's a huge deal, unlike in the States, where it is simply a religious thing, EVERYONE does it here. They have a fair at Sagrada Familia dedicated to just getting different pieces of the Nativity. I don't just mean the traditional characters, but the stable, the different animals and things to make a village as well. We have one set up in the corner, A's aunt M came and set it up with the girls. 

After Christmas, they look forward to the arrival of the Three Kings, which is January 6th. Stayed tuned for that! I'm sorry to be missing the tradition of the Tió, because seeing is believing! 

My Spanish Bucketlist...Revisited

Well it's December and I'm going through my 7th month of living in Spain. So, I thought I'd have a look at the bucket list I made. Here's what I've accomplished(and added)!

1. Ride on the back of a Vespa/Scooter.
2. Drive a Vespa/Scooter.
3. Give money to Sagrada Familia.
4. Try Sangria. 
5. Try Paella.
6. Go to the Fountain Show on a date.
7. Buy a summer dress that looks fabulous.
8. Buy sandals that look fabulous. 
9. Buy a pair of high heels or wedges.
10. Learn to make Tortilla.
11. Go to the aquarium.
12. Go the Wax Museum.
13. Go to Sevilla.
14. Go to Madrid.
15. Go to San Fermines.
16. Go to an FC Barcelona game.
17. Go to Tibidabo.
18. Spend a night speaking only in Spanish.
19. Find a Spanish rugby team.
20. Play on a Spanish rugby team. 
21. Go bar hopping in El Born.
22. Buy a winter coat.
23. Buy a pair of jeans from Caipira.
24. Buy a pair of boots.
25. See Les Mis in an English cinema.

Fast Forward: La Huelga, Spanish Halloween, and Spanish Thanksgiving

Oh my gosh! I am so sorry that is has been so long!

Another short update on my life: I'm working 5 days a week now, first in the mornings and afternoons as an English teacher and then at night I'm with my family. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have rugby practice, with games on Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays I also have Gaelic Football, which is proving to be MUCH more difficult than I had originally thought. I'm slowly getting better, but I'm proving to be much better(and COMFORTABLE) on the rugby pitch. Busy busy.

Catalan Rugby Socks

So what's been happening in Barcelona since you've last heard from me? Well, alot actually. Apart from the normal day to day life of running around the city, life here doesn't ever seem to take a moment, except on some sleepy Sunday mornings...if you make it out before everyone else does. That's my favorite part of the week, the quiet that falls over a city that never seems to slow down or sleep. You become incredibly aware of the city itself, not just the people or whatever is going on. It will always amaze me how much of a mess we create.

Catalan Men's Rugby Game

One of the biggest events was La Huelga. It was a nation wide strike, so people were encouraged to not go to work. These strikes are a vicious cycle, and frankly, I disagree with the way Spain and Catalunya handles it. Every couple weeks, the bus and metro will stop running, leaving hundreds of people unable to take public transportation other than taxis or walking. For me and many others who can't afford to drive(or in some cases, take a taxi) we are forced to call in and not work. I haven't called in to say I'm not coming yet, but I do have to let my students know that I will be late. The people here just carry on, there's nothing much else to do. But the strikes really don't affect the people who are making the rules or the pay. Those people get to take private cars. So in reality, it's the normal people who suffer.

La Huelga was no exception. Many businesses shut down. But unlike the other strike days, the city was out en masse. Everyone was walking everywhere, though there was few taxis to be found. At Passeig de Gracia, which I have to walk near to get to work most days, there was slowly brewing a storm. I went by there very early in the morning, where police and protesters were starting to gather. This is where it got bad for me. A police officer stopped me and asked me to show my ID. Here, that is perfectly legal and you can get arrested for refusing to show an ID. I gave him my driver's license since I don't carry my passport around. Unfortunately for me, he didn't believe it was a real ID(our entire conversation was in Spanish), so I got to sit on the ground with my hands behind my head while he conferred with other cops. I was eventually let go, but it was a pretty unpleasant experience.

Manifestacion

On my way home, the protests were in full swing. Yelling, waving flags, cannons going off(I think they were cannons...). I went home and stayed there. Nothing was making me go out! I later found out that many stores got looted and at the Arc De Triumph, there was some shooting by the police(rubber bullets) and things got pretty bad. Luckily I don't live in that area, so I avoided any real violence.

Halloween treats for the girls

Ironically, Halloween wasn't too far after this. Here, they don't really celebrate Halloween, but I wanted to because it was my favorite holiday. The weekend before, I went to a party at a bar to celebrate. I had a good time meeting new people and catching up with old friends. I went in a group with the Joker, Beauty(from Beauty and the Beast), a cowgirl, the Phantom of the Opera, a child killer(not my favorite costume idea...) and a guy in a cape. I dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood this year. I wanted to be Captain America, but there wasn't a costume that would have fit a woman, only a little boy. Plus, the Little Red costume covered everything...in the front. The back...had something to be desired. But hey, what do you expect from a woman's Halloween costume?

Little Red Riding Hood

On the actual day of Halloween, a friend of mine and I went to another party, which was a lot of fun, if not a little too crazy for us. She handed out candy to people, which got funnier the longer the night went on. We met some interesting people!

Thanksgiving here was pretty nonexistent, but I got to talk to my family, which was nice. It made me miss home! But...I still have my passport, so I'm still going to teach and travel!