Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Few people think more than two or three times a year. I've made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.

-George Bernard Shaw, writer, Nobel laureate (1856-1950)

I'm Back

So I spent today unpacking, sorting the mail, deleting massive amounts of accumulated spam, pulling a small fraction of the weeds that have invaded the back yard, and catching up with backlogged Netflix.

Not bad for the first day home, but not horribly productive either.

The last DVD had me bawling.

Yes, tough girl Christina is a movie crier -- which is probably a good thing. "They" say crying is one of the things that helps women live longer than men.

Anyway -- Skins -- is a strong movie in many ways. It's the director's second. Smoke Signals was the first. I teared up for Smoke Signals also.

Check them both out if you have the chance. Four and a half Bohicas.

So... Spain.

A good time. Lots of stories.

Essentially -- in late April, an article over at ABC.com clued me into Vaughan Systems.

Vaughan Systems teaches English to Spaniards and offers a total immersion experience as part of the curriculum -- which is where my trip to Spain came into the picture. I spent ten days in a restored village talking to professional Spanish types only in English, drinking too much Rioja, and soaking up the rustic atmosphere. Never having been to Spain, it was a great opportunity to learn about the place from the natives.

I also had a day and a night in Madrid on either side. Many adventures there -- viewing the Botanical Garden which has a Gingko tree, dinner at the famous Casa Lucio, several wild goose chases all over the city in search of a "real" Salsa bar... only to end up at a more touristy place close to the Puerta del Sol -- The Havana Club's La Negra Tomasa....

The Vaughan folks worked very hard to make the trip as smooth as possible and even had distractions planned for the ten days at Valdelavilla. Every evening included home grown dramatic productions. My stage debut was as Madame Arcati of Blithe Spirit. After four hours of rehearsal and dropping character once during the actual performance -- it was thankfully over. Although I have added the 1945 movie version to my Netflix queue -- along with some recommended Spanish language flics.

Midweek, there was a field trip to break up the routine. The Vaughan Systems folks arranged for a bus to take us to see the ruins of Numancia -- a Spanish village that held out against the Romans and fell only after being besieged for 20 years-- and a cathedral representing the architectural influences of the many occupants of Spain. The day finished off with a fabulous lunch in Soria and some time for shopping.

They also brought in a Flamenco artist who doubled as a maker of seafood paella. After cooking for forty, he played all night. Which brings to mind another thing -- the Spanish really like to dance. Every evening in the bar, the CD player would be commandeered and the Spanish would have impromptu dance parties.

In summary -- a good time. I recommend the experience -- provided you don't mind talking ten hours a day -- seven hours of structured one on one conversation and an hour or so at meals. In exchange for that gabbing, the Vaughan Folk put you up and provide access to educated captive Spaniards who provide a great window to the country itself. Plus my fellow Anglos were a pretty kewl bunch themselves.

posted by Bohica at 6:21 PM