Cómo vuela el tiempo!!

My gosh! My schedule is so packed with exciting things that I may not be able to organize the last few weeks into a orderly timeline. I will try to create some structure to follow and keep each section brief so that I manage to catch up to the present.

Semana Santa-
The week leading up to Easter (Pascua) is one of the most important in Catholic countries such as Spain and Portugal. All the churches celebrate by marching through the streets in huge and elaborate processions. There are different traditions in each town. The processions recount, retell the story of the passion of Christ and the traditions have developed over hundreds (in some cases a thousand) years.

After going hiking during the first part of Semana Santa I returned to Cáceres and moved into a new apartment. I saw two processions on Holy Thursday, the pictures of which can be found at the link in my previous post. I loved the procession of the Cristo Negro. During the other processions they had bands, the people made noise, and everything was bright, shiny, and sumptuous. When the Cristo Negro procession approached us everyone fell silent. Hundreds of silent Spaniards together in the street is a spectacle in itself. That is to say, it is highly unusual. For me the silence brought about a higher level of concentration on the procession. It brought me more deeply into the spirit of the event. I was touched by the emotion and the meaning of remembering the suffering Christ.

Guadalupe, Los Íbores y Las Villuercas-
I had wanted to visit Guadalupe since I got to Extremadura and found out about it. History has a way of piling into layers that there is always more to learn and there are always more connections to be made. La Virgen de Guadalupe is the patron saint of Extremadura. The monastery and cathedral were constructed over many centuries and are one of the most important religious sites of Spain.

I am really interested in the beauty and complexity that was born by the mixture of Islamic and Christian art over the last thousand years in the Iberian Peninsula. It is known as Mudéjar and can also be found in the Americas, but nowhere else in the world. The cloister (central patio of a monastery) at Guadalupe, is one of the most impressive examples of mudéjar architecture in the peninsula. I loved it.

I spent the weekend in Guadalupe and explored the surrounding mountains, las Villuercas, and drove through many of the neighboring towns in an area called los Íbores. The area has a rather high altitude where goats do well (while sheep thrive in the lower altitudes).  The area is known for its tasty goat cheese. I have some in my fridge. I love goats and was happy to see them. I also saw lots of deer, a fox, and a majestic eagle flew right over me. I drove to the top of the highest peak, which was at about the same elevation as Abiquiu (1,600 meters).

Excursión con mis cursos-
After getting back from that trip I left almost immediately for another one! I traveled in the bus with all of the 2nd and 3rd year students who are studying the History of Spanish Art and Heritage at the University of Extremadura. All of my courses are 2nd year classes in that degree program. We traveled with  five professors of the program. We went to five cities in 3 days. I had never been to 4 of the cities. We also visited many stunning and fascinating sites in rural areas in between the cities.

We visited Zamora, San Pedro de la Nave, Santa María de Moruela, León, Oviedo, Toro, and Salamanca. The experience was invaluable to me. I have spent the last two and a half months studying Spanish art and architecture. It has been quite difficult for me because I had never studied either subject, Spanish or otherwise, formally in school. During the trip I was able to engage with the subject in a way that I had not been able to in class or when traveling to places by myself.

The professors lectured almost as if we were in class, but it felt much more important and understandable when we were standing inside the building that they were speaking about. I was then able to ask questions of my professors and my classmates, which clarified countless doubts and confusions that I had carried with me in the  last months.

The sheer amount of places we visited and monuments we saw was overwhelming. By the end it was difficult to process the wonders that we were seeing. But I did gain a lot of understanding about the cultures that constructed enormous cathedrals and monasteries during times without the technology and communication that we enjoy today. I was most impressed by the truly ancient churches, built more than a thousand years ago. The building were simple and beautiful. They were inspired purely by the desire to construct a space to for the community to worship. But we also saw some of the most famous cathedrals of Spain which are adored for the complex decoration and ingenious design that went into them. I saw the progression of art, culture, and technology in Spain over more than a thousand years. I am learning so much!!

Well, I have homework to work on. A few more things have happened, I'll try to get back on here soon and keep you all up to date. I hope you are enjoying my photo albums.

I have moved in with some truly amazing roommates and every day they teach me more Spanish than I hold on to. However, I am starting to miss me home, my family, and my cat. I miss the ease and comfort of communicating in my native tongue. But I know that the rest of the time will whizz by and that I will be sad to leave. This time here is so wonderful and I am so lucky, so fortunate to be here. It is interesting that I can be so happy to be here and that speaking Spanish fills me with joy, and yet I miss being home and communicating with confidence.

My mom gets here tomorrow and will stay with me for ten days. I am really excited to have her here. I'm sure that her visit will help a lot with my home-sickness.

My new photo albums can be found at - https://picasaweb.google.com/112930975039364833165

Thank you all for accompanying me on my adventures. Hasta la próxima! Un beso!