Transcontinental Hobbies. Who Would've Guessed It?

LA CASA DE GARCÍA LORCA
On Friday morning, Jorge took us to the summer home of Frederico García Lorca, a famous twentieth century author, poet and playwright who lived and worked in Granada. His house is a three-minute walk from my apartment, in the same park I mentioned numerous times before. The tour of the house, while lovely, lasted all of thirty minutes, and afterwards, Jorge took us to a little yellow trolley-car cafeteria for some coffee and tea. He spent some time explaining the life and death of this somewhat peculiar artist, including his family connections, political views and lifestyle that contributed to his assignation during the Civil War in Spain in the 1930s. His works are written in sophisticated Castillian Spanish, with vocabulary I have to work at in order to understand. Someday, I will delve more into his plays and poems; but for now I am content reading my favorite novels in their Spanish translations.

LA LIBRERÍA, MI PEOR ENEMIGO
Some folks struggle with the need to buy something when they walk into a shoe store. Others are tempted by deserts or candy in the shops along the main roads. I, on the other hand, am fighting a battle against the bookstores tucked along the side streets of Granada. On Friday, after our “excursion” of sorts and lesson about García Lorca, I decided to stroll through the city a bit. The weather was splendid and the streets were not too crowded. After window shopping (and even a bit of scarf shopping), I began my journey home for lunch. Along the way I spotted a shop for used books, and, being a weakling, I entered. I don’t know how much time I spent looking at the different titles, but I was like a kid in a candy store! I didn’t have long to explore everything, lest I miss lunch with Carmen, but I walked out of the bookstore with A Christmas Carol and The Wizard of Oz in Spanish for a grand total of 6€!

I returned on Monday after class and after looking at various titles for over a half an hour, I purchased The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and another collection by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde, A Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain, and from another bookstore I bought The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I am now on the lookout for Anne of Green Gables, which one shop owner told me was “caput,” all gone. Anyway, I am excited to have started my own book collection for a “Spanish library” of sorts. I will be quite entertained throughout Winter Session, I expect, with this mountain of books to read. The only downside: I have to ship them all to the States or I will surely abuse the weight limit in the airport on my trip home!

A WALK TO THE MARKET AND A COOKING LESSON
On Saturday morning, with a solid 4 hours of sleep I went once again to the flea market! I was out dancing with some folks on Friday night and learned a very little bit of break dancing from my Dutch friend and her two Spanish dance partners. The next day, despite my fatigue, I remembered how to take ALL the back streets to the market! I led two friends safely to the endless rows of stands and tables. I found some great deals, including a corduroy skirt and blazer each for 4€ and eight small balls of yarn (oh the possibilities!) for 4€.

On the walk home, the three of us (I regret to say), were speaking in English and a vibrant older women in her mid-sixties or early seventies approached us and asked us where we were from. She told us she had lived in New York many years ago and proceeded to strike up a conversation with us in Spanish as we continued along the sidewalk. When one of my friends admitted to the woman that she had never tried paella, the lady was astonished! She asked if we could spare five minutes while she explained the recipe, right there in the middle of the street. A half hour later, I had learned how to make the perfect pot of paella and also a Spanish tortilla. She was a talker, but she had a heart of gold. After our impromptu cooking lesson, I was quite hungry and scurried home to eat lunch with Carmen. What a morning!

A LITTLE BIT OF “FAMILIA” TIME
When I emerged from my room on Sunday morning, Carmen was in the kitchen making churros since her daughter and grandson were coming over for breakfast. I eagerly watched as she mixed the batter and hoped to learn how to make a third Spanish dish in one weekend. Essentially, churros are like funnel cake, of which I am not an enormous fan. Nevertheless, the fact that they are a Spanish treat made it alright. The four of chatted about a little bit of everything, from where I can buy my beloved Moroccan tea to the tremendous cold that is expected to hit Granada in the next week or two.

Before I tell you what happened next, I must backtrack a few days. One day last week while we were sitting in her living room reading, I asked Carmen if she was enjoying her book. She, unfortunately, was not and asked me how I liked Pride and Prejudice. Well, of course I could only sing its praises! She said she would like to read it when I was done and I readily agreed. By Friday, she asked once again how far along I was, and much to her dismay, I was nowhere near finished. I decided it would be better for me to just let her read the book now rather than wait for me to make it through a 500-page book in Spanish. On Sunday morning, I placed the book on the table just before her daughter and grandson came over for breakfast.

Carmen’s daughter spotted the book on the table and exclaimed that she owned the movie. She then asked if I would be interested in borrowing it. Although I am not the greatest fan of the new version (with Keira Knightly), I was not about to pass up an opportunity to se a film in Spanish. I excitedly said “yes,” before saying my goodbyes and scurrying off to church.

That evening, after returning from a lovely afternoon eating and chatting with my friends from the church, Carmen was still out getting coffee with a friend. I decided to pass the time before dinner watching the old black and white version of the movie “Sabrina” with Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart. What a splendid way to spend an evening! Carmen returned with enough time for us to see the romantic conclusion, although she proclaimed she liked the newer version with Harrison Ford better. Anyway, Carmen had a little surprise in hand—the version of “Pride and Prejudice” from her daughter!

Carmen said I could watch it whenever I wanted, but after I ate my dinner, she wanted to know if we could watch it together that evening. Because Carmen does not a DVD player, I ran to my room, grabbed my computer and set it up on her living room table, right in front of her chair and the couch. We huddled in front of the screen and listened intently since the volume was not very loud. Nevertheless, the two of us spent our Sunday evening together watching “Pride and Prejudice,” with our feet under the coffee table where a portable heater kept our toes nice and toasty. She enjoyed it and laughed several times. On Monday morning, she began reading the book; when I peered over her shoulder that evening, she was already on page 46. Oh, to think I introduced yet another soul to the delightfully witty world of Jane Austen!

CAN YOU CROCHET IN SPANISH?
The aforementioned yarn I bought at the market was purchased with the intention of keeping my hands busy while watching television with Carmen. On Monday after class, I bought my crochet hook and I set to work that same afternoon. As I was crocheting watching two episodes of JAG, the news and the show “Mira Quién Baile” (the Spanish Dancing With the Stars), I had a thought: I constantly read and write in Spanish, speak in Spanish, listen in Spanish, eat in Spanish (it is possible when you live with Carmen) and practically dream in Spanish; but in what language does a person crochet? Do our hands have a language and if so, was I working in English or Spanish? I finally concluded, after much consideration, that I was crocheting in Spanglish. To count rows and such, I was able to “think” in my Spanish numbers. However, my vocabulary lacks some of the words necessary to complete say as “loop,” “hook” and “row.” My goal by the end of the trip: to be able to both knit and crochet in Spanish!

THE WEEK AHEAD
On Wednesday night, I plan to get together a group of girls to see “High School Musical 3” at the movie theatre. Not only are the tickets half price on Wednesdays, but how many people get to say they saw the last installment of the cheesy musical Disney trilogy in Spanish (minus people who already speak the language and don’t find it as exciting as I do)?! Besides, I believe it would be unnatural for me not to spearhead an excursion like this. I have a reputation to uphold!

On Friday night, I will be heading off to a youth retreat with the church somewhere in Málaga. From my understanding, about 70 people are expected to attend and it should be a very exciting weekend. So, while I missed a wonderful IV Fall Retreat, God still provides! I plan to bundle up, learn a lot, and take plenty of photos.

A little FYI: the clocks here in Spain “fell back” this past Sunday. Therefore, for the next week, there is only a FIVE-HOUR DIFFERENCE between everyone in the States and Granada. Take advantage of that, if you will!

Your shamelessly “old-lady-like” student abroad,
Diane