La Feria!
Let me tell you a little about my weekend… It’s been exhaustingly fantastic!
We don’t teach on Friday’s. I used the morning to check in with my online friends and then attempted to make a trip to the market. They were closing down at 1:00; so unfortunately, I don’t have any spectacular stories about that yet. I will try again next Friday, but much earlier. We decided to go out this evening. Well, let me rephrase that, I decided to go out WITH Joanne tonight. She’s been out and wants to go out all the time, but this lady is getting old and needs her sleep. We began our night at La Molina. I drank a few Cruzcampo’s, the beer made in Jaen. We had a couple free tapas. Do you all understand the tapa thing? It know I’ve mentioned it before, but I just think it’s amazing, so it’s worth repeating. With nearly every drink you order, they serve you a FREE tapa. A tapa is a sampling of an appetizer, basically. It’s fantastic. Some of them are not that tasty, but can you complain about something that is free? No. You cannot. But I can say that I have tried each one that has been given to us, so I’m not saying, “It’s gross” without, at least, giving it a chance. J I hear that, in Granada and a couple other Andalucian cities, you get to CHOOSE your free tapa. How bad ass is that? You order a drink and specify which free tapa you’d like. Picky with only the purchase of a beverage. Perfecto!
Anyway, we had a few drinks there and then headed to Los Pollos (yes, translated = “The Chickens”). Joanne is exchanging French with English lessons with a guy named Fran and was to meet him tonight. We arrived to a few people at the table. The two women are English teachers in a couple of the smaller villages. So, we were fortunate (well, I was), that they spoke some English. What I anticipated would be a short introduction/meeting of Fran and Joanne quickly turned into a group outing. Five more people showed up and ordered some beverages. Victoria and Loli are the two who teach English; Grego works at the bank we’re going to be using; Toti plays various instruments (I don’t know his day job yet); Jorge (not sure much about his details yet either, but a very nice guy); Angel is a photographer; Jose is another that I don’t have many details about either; and Fran is the one that is attempting to learn English, but still has a long way to go. (Like ME w/ my Spanish!) We stayed at Los Pollos (Lo Pollo as it is pronounced here) for a few rounds and then headed next door to Pub Genesis. Victoria introduced us to a few more people who spoke broken English, but I can’t remember names… I’m sorry!! (I guess that may not be that important, haha!) I’m a bit nervous to have too much to drink here yet. I want to be certain of my surroundings, including the people. I don’t want them to know the REAL me yet, Hahahaha! No, I just don’t need to be drunk… I’m enjoying socializing and slowly drinking. It’s a different pace that what I am used to and I really like it. It’s not the “go big or go home” mentality. It’s more of a turtle race. J Side note: I am excited to meet people my age!! I have been leery about going out because I feel so old, haha! I know I’m still a young pup, but I don’t want to go to pubs that are filled with 15-23 year olds. That’s right up Joanne’s alley, but not mine. I promised her I’d go sometime, though. I asked a couple locals if I would be the ’old lady’ at the pub and they said no, that there were people in their 40s there. Good to hear, haha! No disrespect to anyone, I just don’t feel comfortable. Now, I’ve found a group of people in their early 30s who are fantastic people and I am excited to go out!! (Even if I can hardly have a conversation with them yet!) J
I made my exit with Joanne about 1:30 or so. Victoria asked, “Why? It’s so early!” HaHa… man, I have a lot to get used to. J I have been trying to maintain conversations with people who speak little to no English, so it is forcing me to dig deep into my Spanish vocabulary and try to maintain a conversation. Let me tell you, it is exhausting!! And a bit frustrating at times. I am constantly thinking about how to say things (in what tense and use the proper vocabulary). I’m sure I sound like a complete idiot at times, but then I listen to how they try really hard to speak some English and see how broken and sometimes foolish they sound… it’s just like me! I have to be willing to just try and make these mistakes. And trust me; the mistakes are NUMEROUS on my part, haha! But, I am trying and I guess that is what is important. I think it is going to help me learn much quicker if I practice with native speakers and just have to speak it or have no conversation (which has happened on a couple awkward occasions). I mean, imagine trying to get a point across when neither person in the conversation knows the other person’s language. It’s hard. Trust me. Earlier in the evening, Joanne and I were invited to join everyone in Jaen for the first day of La Feria. They had some extra room in their vehicle. We decided if we woke up in time, we’d decide Saturday morning.
Saturday Morning:
We decided to take them up on their offer and ride with them to Jaen to La Feria. La Feria is exactly what it sounds like, The Fair. Since we were their guests, we were on their time schedule. We joined a couple other cars in Los Villares (the village between here and Jaen) and made our way to Jaen and parked. We then hopped on a taxi to el centro (the center of town where a lot of pubs and cafes are). Once there, we found a little tavern called Taberna Esteban. Everyone ordered a drink. A bit later, we ordered our food after some free tapas, of course! I had pechuga relleno con el jamon, otherwise known as barbecued chicken breast stuffed with ham (& cheese). It was freakin’ delicious!! So good! Ok, let me explain how this mealtime thing works. It is NOTHING like the states. It is definitely something I am going to have to get used to and embrace because there is really no changing it. Not that I would want to. I want to experience the authentic Spanish lifestyle, right? Anyway, for meals, you have to be able to dedicate hours… I mean hourS to having a meal. It is not abnormal to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get your food. Our expectations of speedy service in the states would floor some of these people. And I can’t blame them. The slower pace is refreshing in a sense. I really enjoy it. I love to just watch people and I spent a lot of the time just watching the passerby. I didn’t mind it, but Joanne was getting a bit restless. I understand her frustration, though. And alcohol goes with EVERY meal. I’m not complaining, nor am I bragging about it. I don’t drink at every meal, but the Spanish… they do. Every meal and many rounds sometimes. And NO ONE is in any type of rush. At all. I think we were there for 2 ½ to 3 hours for lunch. (Lunch begins, on average, around 2:00 in the afternoon.) Another new thing I am getting used to is that most people go for coffee after they are done with the meal. The place we ate lunch at did not serve coffee, so we walked to a different place down the way. I’m embracing the coffee thing, too. I’ve never been much of a straight coffee drinker, but I’m starting to be. Café con leche… Delicious with a little bit of sugar in it. J We went to this place called El Trovedor (I’m not sure the translation off the top of my head) where they had an inside bar/club area that was filled with people and you go through to their patio area that was a nice lounge area filled with colorful couches, chairs, and pillows. They were bright and comfortable. Our group grabbed one and enjoyed some coffee before starting in on some more adult beverages. I should mention that our group had grown by quite a bit. At one point, there were 20 people, I think. I am not even going to start trying to tell names because I cannot remember them to save my life… as I am around them more often, I will write about them more and more, I am sure. J Names will come then. HaHa! We stayed at this café, which is not like a café in the states. Café means bar, pretty much, but they also serve coffee drinks. Drinks are definitely more expensive in Jaen, but I also think that it didn’t help that the Feria began that day. Thousands of people flocked to the area to participate. We joined the masses and walked to the feria after El Trovedor, maybe a 10 or 15 minute walk from where we were…
El Trovedor for coffee and some adult beverages before the fair. These are some of my new friends! Joanne (my roommate) is in the "I heart NY" t-shirt.
The Feria was like any state fair I’ve ever been to for the most part. I’ll explain the differences I noticed, but the usual, “How strong are you?” and “Pop the balloons to win ‘this’ prize” games were in abundance. All the fried food and cotton candy, etc were scattered about the place. Rides and games and lights everywhere. We arrived with still a little daylight to spare and made our way to a ‘caseta’ of the groups choosing. Ok. This is where things get different. In one area of the fairgrounds, there were TONS of tents. Maybe 20 or more side-by-side. Most tents sold drinks and had a different variety of music in each one. Some were, sporadically, food vendors with tables and chairs to sit down in. Most were music, however. And EVERY SINGLE ONE was packed full of people dancing and drinking. Remember, it’s still daylight. I want to try to explain what it was like in a comparison that you may understand. It was a lot like Oktoberfest in the sense that so many people flock to town for it, but also a bit like a music festival with different acts and booze everywhere. You could walk to the rollercoaster and then to your favorite tent and dance for awhile and then go to the bumper cars (probably not a wise choice--and I did not DO that, it’s just an attempt to help you visualize). There were thousands of people walking around and drinking and having such a good time. What I noticed was that there were very few people that were actually just hammered. It was a leisurely and well paced (for the most part) drinking. We all went to Moet and then to a tent called El Torro. The first was more Spanish Top 40 hits (none of which I knew, but attempted to dance to anyway) and the second was a techno tent. I do not like techno in the slightest, but I am trying to embrace it and I’m not going to be rude to these people who so graciously accepted us into their group of friends, so I bit the bullet, grabbed a drink, and attempted to dance to techno… or FEEL the music, I suppose. Then, I took some time to look around at the rest of the people in the bar… I was in the same establishment as children. I took a photo as proof. I felt extremely awkward attempting to dance while teenagers were in a cage grinding and dancing on the bar. I couldn’t really get down with that. I didn’t see any of them drinking, but that doesn’t’ mean that they weren’t. I guess there are many places, even in my village, that allow 15 & 16 years olds in to drink and it isn’t even questioned. A few of us took a walk around and saw the sights. Joanne, Grego, and Jorge enjoyed a bit of bumper cars. Eventually, we joined back up with the group for supper. At 11:00 p.m. This is normal. Most fairs I’ve been to are full of vendors that fry food and have pizza or hotdogs or whatever… this fair had actual places to sit down and order off of a menu. At 11:00 p.m. We went to one of these places. It was packed full. I just couldn’t believe that they waited on us at 11:00 at night, at a fair, and didn’t expect tips. It was insane! Our car of people decided to head back to the village after supper. 12:30 or so and we were on our way back to Valdepenas. It was nice to get home. They invited us out to continue drinking, but we were both so worn out that we decided nothing sounded better than our beds (& a shower).
Of course, I had to take a picture of the "Rodeo Americano" at the fair... bullriding, haha! With all types of American icons painted all around it
Their likeness of John Wayne right on the front... Gotta love The Duke!
This is the picture I HAD to take to prove that I wasn't kidding about children dancing on the bar! It's insane! HaHa!
Another note I took is about the trash situation. Yeah, trash. It is common to just throw your trash on the ground (I’m referring to meal time right now). If you are snacking on sunflower seeds as a tapa, you just throw the shells on the ground whether you are inside or out. You throw napkins on the ground and I’ve watched waiters just wipe the table scraps onto the ground before letting the next group of people sit down. Trash everywhere. I feel so rude! I try my best not to take part in this. It’s not something I want to become used to. I guess, when they are done at the end of the night, the owners or workers, sweep up the street and it is spotless for the next day. That’s crazy to me!! While at the feria, everyone just dropped their trash on the ground, too, mid-walk to the next place. And they served glass!! I was floored! Each place served mixed drinks in glasses. You could walk from tent to tent with it. So many people just dropped the glass on the ground when they were done, too. I can’t imagine what it looked like this morning. And how is that cost effective to serve in glass at that kind of function? Oh well! HaHa! I also asked when they closed… 7 A.M.!! If there were people still there, they stayed open. And then they open again to the public at noon or 1:00. I can’t imagine the amount of trash they had to clean up… only to do it again in the morning and for the next 10 days. Just insane. On this same line, the thousands of people that were still walking and enjoying the fair included little children, babies, etc… Till the early hours of the morning! They are tougher than this chick, haha!
Are you sick of reading yet? HaHa! I know this is a long, long entry, but I want to be as descriptive as possible and I don’t want to leave anything out. So, I’m sorry that it’s a bit wordy…
Every event in Spain seems like a fashion show. Everyone dresses so well, even just to go to the store. Women dress in their best (sometimes quite provocative) attire with heels and perfect hair. At the fair, there were people walking around in flamenco attire and other costumes celebrating the festivities. It is definitely a place for beautiful people. Speaking of people, a little note that I took that I think it worth mentioning… guys here aren’t afraid to dance and just have a good time. They are very free with hugging or kissing girls or guys. I know that some close-minded people may not enjoy that “note,” but I think it’s refreshing and it shouldn’t be taken in a “gay” way, because it’s not. Not in most cases, anyway. The men dress beautifully as much as the women. Not being one of the beautiful people, I watch in admiration all of said beautiful people. It actually makes me want to be a part of the beautiful people. (Has ‘beautiful people’ been said enough, haha?) What I mean is, it makes me want to dress nicely when I go out, even to the store, etc. I want to put effort into my appearance; something I rarely do. I am a t-shirt and sweatpants kinda girl and I love it! I will never stray too far from that, but I am consciously making an effort to look better when I go out. I feel like I might have lost a little weight just because of all these hills and the walking… But I see nothing physical yet and there aren’t any scales (I am OK with that). Anyway, I’m trying to become one of the beautiful people with roots that allow me to be a little lazy, haha! J Make sense to you? I hear it. HaHa!
Spain has been fantastic, so far. I can’t wait to visit some other cities, but I need to get this bank account stuff set up. Paperwork/politics are so slow around here. In order to set up a bank account in my village, I have to have an NIE number. It is, basically, a number assigned to me that says I am a temporary resident of Spain and can set up an account in a bank. I have to have this in order to get paid. I don’t actually get paid until it is set up and it could be December before that happens because everything is just so damn relaxed around here, yet, if I were to get caught without it, the fines are hefty and I’d have a difficult time explaining my legally being in Spain to work. I hate that I don’t really have control of it and the people in my school don’t seem to be in any rush to set up our appointment. A bit frustrating, but there isn’t much I can do.
Patience is something I need to embrace if I’m going to survive here! HaHa!
Well, I am going to close this entry. It’s a bit lengthy, but oh well. I’m having fun and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy the pictures and thanks for looking!! I hope this finds you all well!
Thought I’d do a little shout out in my entries, if I remember, haha! Someone who crossed my mind throughout the day… Today: Adam Blurton crossed my mind… I was taking in some sun on our patio and listening to my iPod and Darkest Days (w/ John Rich) by BLS came on, followed by their version of Bridge Over Troubled Waters (one of my favorite versions, by the way!) and I thought I’d thank him for my introduction to them! I hope that Hays is treating you well, my friend! J
Our group... I'm peeking through in the center back, haha! This was in one of the tents that we were dancing and drinking in!
Hola Ashley!!!!
ReplyDeleteComo te va por Jaen? Lo estas pasando bien? Acabo de entrar en tu blog y vi las fotos.....que bonito el lugar. No pude estar el dia que viniste al Departamento, pero me dieron tus tarjetas, asi que hoy, por fin, he venido a leer tu blog.....cuentanos como te va por el sur. Chita:)