Duende

        There is so much to write about Granada that I’m not sure where to begin.  So, I guess I will just cover it piece by piece, not necessarily chronologically. 

I have been here about three weeks now, although it feels like an eternity and all my experiences tend to run together.  I fall more and more in love with this city every time I turn a new corner, seeing as I usually end up in a beautiful plaza, or looking out on an amazing and unexpected view, or in at a fantastic restaurant. 

My favorite part of the city would have to be the Albayzín and Sacromonte neighborhoods.  The main city center lies between two hill on one side the Alhambra rises up and oversees the day-to-day bustle, and on the other the Albayzín and the Sacromonte climb up the hills towards the caves with staggering white houses and rustic winding streets.  From just about every point in this neighborhood there is a breathtaking view of the Alhambra and the city below, especially after dark when everything is warmly lit.  This is the old Moorish quarter so its streets are thick with teterias (tea houses), hookah bars, Arabic shops, amazing restaurants, and now-a-days many hippies and gitanos (gypsies).  

If one continues up towards the caves one can find the gypsy-run tablaos (flamenco clubs) that are set into the hillside.  The throaty, lamenting flamenco singers and trilling guitar echo out of the caves and many tourists venture towards the sound.  These “caves” are white plastered little buildings that are set into the hills natural openings.  Despite the tourism factor, the dancers are nonetheless passionate and authentic in their performance.  My friends and I hiked up the Sacromonte to a club called “La Rocio” to see our first show.  This cave had countless hand-made copper pots hanging from the ceilings (for acoustics we’re guessing) and chairs were lined up along the narrow room.  We were handed glasses of Sangria and rushed to our seats.  I was lucky enough to see a flamenco performance in high school when we took a trip to Spain and was blown away then, somehow flamenco is even more incredible than I remember.  It’s incredibly passionate, enthralling, and genuine.  The dancers follow no structure but rather move in reaction to the music (which is equally as passionate) and are really in their own artistic experience, the audience is just lucky to be looking on.  They stomp wildly, throwing their hands in the air and swinging their hair – the next second they switch gears and move slowly, gracefully while twisting their hands and waists, then delve into intricate and rapid footwork – all in accordance with the melody. All the while their fellow dancers and musicians cheer and prompt them while clapping and stomping to create a rhythm.

         In class we read a piece by Lorca, that I loved, on the idea of duende, which is a very integral component of the flamenco world and is extremely visible at these performances.  Duende is very hard to explain, or comprehend, but is essentially an artistic force.  It is not a matter of skill or grace, but rather duende can be messy and unpolished – it is pure and raw expression.  Lorca explains that it is not the same kind of inspiration as that provided by a muse or an angel – those influences come from outside of oneself, while duende comes from within.  This whole concept seems extremely relevant to me as an outsider gawking at the flamenco performance, and in wonder of this entire Andalusian spirit.

         Anyways, Granada’s flamenco scene speaks to the character of the Sacromonte and the Albayzín neighborhoods in which the tablaos take place – imperfect, picturesque, genuine, and incredibly full of life.  With its breathtaking miradores (viewpoints) and its mix of subcultures, these neighborhoods are, in my opinion, Granada at its best.

Explorando

Well, I'm finally settled in Granada!  The first week has been such a whirlwind - we landed in Malaga and had orientation there for a day and half (which felt like Freshman year all over again, with all the same nervousness), and then took the bus to Granada where our host families picked us up.  Since then we've been busy with a language crash-course every morning and cultural adaptation classes, along with tours of the city and academic advising...not to mention meeting everyone else and exploring the city together. 

Now that the craziness has almost slowed down, I'm beginning to gain perspective - I'll be walking to class and look up to see rustic white houses staggering up the hill in the Albayzín neighborhood, or be heading to the tapas bars and see la Alhambra looming over the city, always lit up and glowing at night and think, "Wow, I'm actually here" or "This is where I live?!"  How could you not love such a place - every street is peppered with humble, old buildings next to elaborate ones, it constantly smells of amazing food being cooked, it is appropriate to drink wine at nearly all hours, the culture is a unique mix of arabic influences and classically-european influences, there is an incredible view on every corner, and you can hear flamenco guitar music floating down any street.  It all seems so surreal, I have never seen anywhere as beautiful as Granada in every sense of the word and despite my cold-feet before coming I'm so happy that I've allowed this sometimes uncomfortable, but always awe-inspiring process to take place.


I live in an apartment just next to Plaza de Gracia in the center of town with my host-mother Hortensia, her little dog Campanilla, and another student from my program named Meegan.  Hortensia is one of the warmest and most loving people I have ever met - funny stories about her children, and adoring descriptions of her grandchildren flow from her in rapid, thick, and song-like Spanish.  She lights up when she laughs and when she teaches us little lessons, and always says goodmorning, goodnight, hello and goodbye with dos besos.  Not to mention she cooks us gorgeous meals with ingredients that she gets from the market downstairs daily.  While we all sit together and eat for hours she teaches us about the food along with many other nuances of Spanish life. 

The food seems to have been a huge part of my experience thus far (as it always is).  Hortensia has taught us all about the importance of sopas (the Spanish love their soups!) and has made cream of zucchini, cream of asparagus, gazpacho, etc.  And of course their is beautiful sea food everywhere you turn - every salad has tuna, shrimp, crab or octopus and fish is often part of the main dish.  The tapas (small appetizer-sized meals) are always something amazing like tortilla española (an egg, onion, and potato omlette),  calamari, tostadas with ham or cheese on top, manchego cheese just by itself, or my favorite I've tried - berenjenas con miel (fried eggplant with dark honey on top).  I cannot even explain the desserts, I'll just say Churros con Chocolate (fried dough that you dip in the thickest, richest hot chocolate you've ever tasted)...enough said.

The Spanish have a very different eating schedule which really characterizes their day:
-They have a small breakfast in the morning with their coffee (never to-go because they are all about enjoying the food and actually resting when you are taking a break).
-I didn't think that this light breakfast would last me until lunch which they have very late in the afternoon, but then I found out that later on in the morning they have a desayuno segundo (second breakfast)...whoever thought of this is a genius in my opinion.
-At about 3 they come home for a long lunch, the largest meal of the day, followed by siesta when the entire city shuts down for the afternoon to rest...again, genius.
-Lastly, they have a small dinner around 10 pm that's often times tapas, which you get for free with most drinks in Granada at the bars.

Then of course the entire city is walking around, chatting with friends on the street, or in the bars until the break of dawn including old people and young children...no exaggeration, I've seen many 3 year-olds at the same bar as me with their parents.  This is due to the Spanish idea that the home is private and the street is public.  Rather than have your friends over to your house, you all go out into the plazas and the center of town to socialize - and since they all live so close to each other and there are tons of beautiful public places, that usually entails just walking outside your home.

The entire pace of the day is slowed down because of this schedule, which is not say that the city is calm - it is always loud and full of life with the passionate Granadinos gesturing, laughing, and always talking over one another.  But rather, they make a point of enjoying life much more than Americans tend to.  They never eat or drink on the go, if they are taking a coffee break - they sit down, drink their coffee, and actually take a break - their is nothing relaxing about multitasking in their opinion (i.e. drinking coffee while you work).  During siesta they close down their stores and enjoy their few hours of rest, no business is competing to be open 24/7 because they all want their siesta!  And of course they spend their evenings with their families taking paseos through the winding streets and under the elaborate buildings (mainly walking aimlessly around town in order to run into their friends doing the same thing) followed by nights full of eating, drinking, and dancing.  This attitude reflects the Granadinos favorite and most-used saying, "no pasa nada," which roughly translates to, "no worries."  Needless to say, life in Granada is tough :)