1 Year Spainniversary
“Do you know what todaaayyy issss?”
It’s our Spainiversary, Spainiversary!
“And it feels good, yeah! You know it feels good, yeah!”
(Shout out to Tony! Toni! Toné! for the timeless music).
Today we mark one year since the day we hopped on a plane from Bahrain to Spain without going insane! Yes, we’ve been in the lovely Andalusia for 365 days and lived to tell about it. I still find myself smiling wide and thanking The Almighty for letting us live in this country and region as well as explore it together. We live in what I call SoSpa, a term I created just like folks who tend to shorten and repurpose titles and areas. #SoHipster. SoSpa, short for Southern Spain, is a laid back sort of place that comes to life in the summer when all the tourists spill in to populate the beaches. The sun is out most of the year, and while we get those winds that have me praying to Jesus in Spanish in the middle of the night, the weather isn’t too bad. I’m spoiled and I’ll admit it. Because after living 2 years on a desert island and now in a beach town, I don’t think I’m open to living in any city or state that gets a lot of snow and rain (cue scene of me looking out a window with images of DC and Seattle appearing side by side, a subtle piano melody softly plays in the background).
This has been an incredible year and I’ve learned and grown a lot. Looking back over photos from last year forces me to pause and reflect on all that So, in honor of this day, I will share my SoSpa Top 10, featuring the top 10 memories, facts, activities, and lessons learned after our first year here in Spain:
10. Andalucia, the southernmost provence of Spain, is full of lingering Arab influence. You don’t have to visit the iconic La Alhambra in Granada or La Mezquita of Cordoba to notice it. It’s in the architecture of the homes, and heavy use of tile, a feature popularized by the Arabs to thermoregulate their homes in the warm summer months well before someone invented AC. I also hear it heavily in the songs performed by the Flamenco artist. Their notes and timbre strike a canny resemblance to the Adhans of the Muslim call to prayer that we used to hear back in Bahrain.
09. The south is the south no matter where you go. Just like we do in US southern states, Andalusians have a way of reinventing the Spanish language with hybrid terms and eaten letters. Andalusians are like my kinfolks in Alabama who manage to make words sound like gravy over grits to the untrained ear, but I like grits and I like gravy so I'm not complaining. If you go to Madrid, the capital, you’ll find a velvet smooth version of Spanish for all who are trying to learn. But don’t be surprised if you get funny looks for saying “ta luego” instead of the standard “hasta luego”. It’s like saying y’all versus you all, it saves time. ;)
08. Because of that, re-learning Spanish has been fascinating. My husband and I have taken classes since March of last year, first starting with a private instructor and eventually moving to a classroom setting. We found that we liked the class setting for our learning styles, plus we’re studying to prepare for a certification exam when the time is right and this school is set up to prepare us for said goal. But outside of the classroom, we make every effort to practice our Spanish. I have a Spanglish friend that I meet with weekly to practice my Spanish and her English. I’ve taken to watching Spanish television programs to hear the language daily and one day I’ll be singing in Spanish. By this time next year, I’m hoping to have a few all Spanish posts on this site.
07. A good bottle of wine should never cost the price of a U.S. movie ticket. We’ve gotten some of the best red wines for less than 5 euros and I’ve become even more of a wine aficionado. I recently downloaded the app Vivino (special thanks to my classmate) and it's all she wrote. I find myself taking pictures of bottles at restaurants, in grocery stores and old ones I might of missed in the house.
06. Spain goes all out when it comes to religious themed festivals and fiestas. Semana Santa, the Holy Week leading to Easter Sunday, is a HUGE deal. Most towns have well attended parades and processions featuring heavy wooden floats carried on the backs of men. It’s also a holiday where men in hoods will walk the streets along with the floats. If you don’t know any better, you would think it’s a KKK parade or twisted affair. But it’s actually a time for repentance and the men in the hooded attire hide their face in shame of their sins, not like the clowns who conceal their identity as they prepare to terrorize the neighborhood. Also, during Christmas, entire towns are transformed into scenes from Bethlehem to recreate the atmosphere thought to have exist when Jesus was born in a Manger. They celebrate Epiphany, which is January 6th and called “El Día de los Reyes” or 3 Kings Day in honor of the wise men (magi) who followed a star that led them to Jesus when he was a toddler. There’s also Carnival, similar to Mardi Gras in the U.S. but bigger, as well as Feria de Primavera (the Spring fair), and the running of the bulls, which I doubt I’ll check out. I am no match for a bull running at full speed. No match.
05. Pulpo and Jamón. That. Is. All. Let me tell you something. I love food. I love to eat. We have tried some interesting things including caricoles (snails) and I will feature them in a future foodie post. But, besides the delicious fresh seafood caught and prepared here in our coastal town, the BEST item I have had the pleasure to indulge in is Jamón Ibérico and Pulpo (de Gallega). “What is Pulpo and Jamón?” you ask. It’s octopus (pulpo) and some of the best cured ham (jamón) from acorn fed black pigs. Look here…I know this will offend my vegan and vegetarian peoples, but I am certain that I won’t become a vegetarian or vegan until after I leave this country, because Jamón is blessing my spirit and I can only get it here.
04. My affection for Spain makes me an anomaly. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to people who say they can’t stand it here (clutching pearls). And I get it, different strokes for different folks. Each person has a different reason for why they don’t like it here. Some people have husbands and wives whose jobs keep them away from home, making it hard to manage family and work and life. Other people don’t speak Spanish and don’t plan to, so they struggle with the language barrier. Others don’t like the pace of life and pine for the U.S. conveniences of fast food establishments or retail chains that offer everything, including a shopping blackout and random things they didn’t think they needed until after they entered Target (I know I'm not the only Target victim). And I’ll accept the fact that I do have the advantage of knowing a decent bit of Spanish, of having lived overseas before and traveled away from home for all of my life. I'm a professional nomad for a reason. But this is Spain and for all it’s imperfections and curiosities, I can’t help but feel so grateful to experience this temporary adventure. I can’t be alone in this. Bonus: I’m loving the fact that it’s warm and sunny in January. #nocomplaints #won'thedoit
03. Stray cats can jump high. I used to have two cats. I know cats can jump. But we have this interesting patio enclosure and our landlord was kind enough to put up a netting around the gates to keep the stray cats from slipping into our enclosure. Well, we have a cat. I’ve dubbed him double stuff Oreo (so named for his black and white coloring and his never-miss-a-meal figure). He has found a way into our enclosure. I have tried to deter him from making this house his home. Rumor has it, the previous tenant doted on the cats and took them in and fed them. Then there's Ginger Snap (the orange tabby) and Thin Mint (the black cat). To all my feline mamas, and I know who you are, we won’t be taking any of them in. But I guess we can say we have a new extended family member who only comes in the winter months and keeps the rats away.
02. Negro/a vs. Moreno/a and Identity. Of course I’m going to bring this up. I’m considered una Negra (black woman) and some have called my bi-racial husband Moreno (a brown or easily tanned man). So, immigration is a hot subject in many countries, least of which is Spain. While many European nations have wrestled with the influx of immigrants drifting upon their shores, Spain’s “close enough to sneeze on you” proximity to N. Africa means a good number of N. African immigrants and refugees entering the country. I haven't done a poll or researched sentiments about this, but I will say that I know at least one Spaniard who doesn’t even consider this part of Spain part of the country, citing it as “backwards, retarded and more African than any other part of Spain.” #IfLooksCouldKill She’s not the only one that harbors this sentiment but I haven't come across too many who (publicly) think like her. Folks that look like me get the stares, though I’m used to it at this point since we travel a lot and draw attention with our height and my hair. I’ve also had to sit with the fact that I live not too far from where Christopher Columbus, a highly venerated man in these parts, set sail in his infamous conquest that resulted in the slaughter of countless indigenous people.
01. Tiny roads and traffic circles take getting used to. My car has hips and the poor thing has been scratched up so badly coming out of our garage. Try as I might and pray as I do, I'm grateful to know that there are affordable body shops to give my girl a face lift. I am much more comfortable driving here than in Bahrain. I find this to be a welcome change. I won’t lather you with details about Bahrain’s driving but suffice it to say that our insurance company did not cover us in Bahrain, so we left our car in the U.S. I’m beginning to understand traffic circle etiquette. Though I might need a refresher to make sure I’m not doing silly things that I did last year. But I can say with confidence that driving in a traffic circle is like a game of double dutch, and I was good at double dutch, so I think I’ll be alright with traffic circles. Just watch out for pedestrians. I worry about them more than I do traffic circles. I once had a guy walk across the intersection, pause, turn around before shuffling along to the other side. And let’s not talk about the pedestrians that don’t look both ways before crossing. #Jesustakethefeetthewheelthebrakes #Jesustakeit
BONUS: I've met some incredible people who have made this first year in Spain a treat and fun adventure and have me looking forward to another round of fun in this second year. You know who you are so I won't put you all on the spot, but muchisimas gracias!!!
