Magrateja

The “Tres Culturas” festival

10 days of nothing but concerts, expositions, lectures, dance, people, fun....that is what the "Tres Culturas" festival is all about. And it was fantastic. I was pretty busy these days, seeing as I was studying a minimum of five hours per day for my big June exam, but I still managed to run out at night and see a concert or two.

It was wonderful. The streets were bustling with people. There was a variety of performances from artist who came from Africa, China, Israel, USA, etc. It all started on 20^th May and ended with a bang on 29^th May.

Of all the concerts I went to, my favourite was the last one, the closing concert of... Goran Bregović. There something about hearing Balkan music here in Spain that just made me lose my mind (in a good way). Plaza Belluga was packed with people, and for 2.5 hours everyone was dancing, jumping, singing (or at least yelling)... It was INSANE. J Without a doubt this had to be the best night I'd spent here in Spain.

What a difference a WORM makes...

...Silkworm that is :D

Back in the day, the well-off families here in Murcia had loads of silkworms and mulberry trees, so that they were able to produce silk. Each year, instead of killing the worms in their cocoon phase (so as to produce perfect threads of silk) they left some of them to go through the whole metamorphosis process so as to be able to harvest the new eggs for the following year. So, all the 2nd grades were involved in a project to see the metamorphosis from an egg to a silkworm and then to a silk moth. Yours truly had the pleasure to observe this metamorphosis, and was at moments grossed out, and then again fascinated by the whole thing. I was learning just as much as the kids. I had no idea how silkworms look like, and I was totally surprised by the fact that once they turn into silk moths they cannot fly and die within days after depositing their eggs.

Fly me to the moon, or at least to the top of a mountain

The good thing about Murcia is that it really tries to organise as many cultural events as possible. They want to become the Cultural Capital of Europe, so they have a milliard of concerts, lectures, exhibitions, and whatnot.

They are renowned for their SOS festival, where musicians from all over the world perform in front of thousands of fans. There are the Easter (Spring) festivals, Festival de Tres Culturas (festival of three cultures), jazz festivals, etc.

It just so happens that May is the month of two important festivals here. The Tres Culturas festival and the 1st Jazz festival. Everyone who knows me knows I love jazz, so it's not difficult to guess that I was running from one club to another. I've been looking forward to this ever since they told me about it back in March.

The concert I particularly liked was that of The Roy Heynes' 85th Birthday With His Fountain of Youth Band. Let me just tell you a thing or two about this Roy Heynes and his band... The guy, Roy Heynes, is in fact (really, honest to god) 85 years old. He's the drummer of the band, and let me just tell you, his drumming does not reflect the drumming of a regular 85 year old man (not that I ever heard a man that old play drums). He is an incredibly agile, high spirited man, who...plays drums at the age of 85. I'm sorry I keep repeating his age, but really! I know old people; coordination deteriorates, your movements are much slower... Playing drums is all about arm and leg coordination, so I hope you can understand my utter and complete awe. Really, the man is fantastic and the music... how to describe it? I sat under the starry sky, and let the melody sweep through me, making me forget about everything. Complete bliss. Ninety minutes of complete emersion. It was simply magical...

The following day was Sunday and they (Isa, Giny and some of their firends) decided that it’s really time to drag me out on a hike. And so we went. Down to Cartagena and up a mountain the name of which escapes me. We began our hike at exactly 12 o’clock. That’s right. The sun was scorching hot. It’s not a coincidence that we began at such an ungodly hour (as far as heat is concerned), because they (Isa and her friends) always seem to begin any sort of activity around midday. Unfortunately, my Slovenian body is not accustomed to such heat, and I sometimes find it very difficult to cope with. Fortunately for me, once we got to the top the wind was blowing so hard that I couldn’t feel the heat anymore. However, I would have endured a lot worse for the reward that waited for us at the top... A spectacular view over the coast of Cartagena. It was simply amazing, and it left me speechless. The photos unfortunately do not do it justice. 

BUG me not!!!

 I’m back from my wonderful month in Slovenia. Why a month? Because, the Icelandic volcano was kind enough to give me one extra week with my family, or to be more precise, with my munchkin (future heartbreaker) Luka. It feels a bit strange to be back. Maybe it’s got to do with the heat (33C), which is melting my brain, or maybe knowing that I won’t see Luka is messing with my head. Who knows. All I know is, it’s not like the first time around. But, like they say, this too shall pass :D

Rather than being sulky, let me tell you what I’ve been up to. I’ve found a new calling, and you’ll never guess what it is. Seeing as I’m not too fond of teaching, an unexpected opportunity presented itself, and I had to accept it. As of a few nights ago, I am a professional ROACH EXTERMINATER! This is my new calling. To find and kill (spray dead) all the cockroaches I come across. I found this new calling of mine a few nights ago when I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I opened my cabinet door to take the tooth brush and suddenly I saw something moving inside the toilet paper roll. And there it was, a cockroach. His tiny legs and antennas touching everything. Subconsciously, I let out a scream (I know that was totally girly of me, but it was my first cockroach). He was looking at me, and I’m sure he was thinking “you can’t kill me, nothing can kill me!” Well, I ran to the kitchen, took a cockroach-killing spray can, ran back to the bathroom, and sprayed the little sucker till he stopped running (and moving). However, a few minutes later I noticed his legs begin to twitch. So, I did the only reasonable thing I could do... I flushed it. It was then that I found my calling. As long as I’m here in Spain, I will kill every cockroach that crosses my path.

P.S.: Our apartment is very clean, so don’t go thinking that’s got anything to do with them.

P.S.S.: Even if it doesn't seem that way to you, he was HUGE! 

River, Orange blossoms and a basket of eggs...

A few days ago, after a particularly loud lesson, I ached for some peace and quiet. I walked my usual route through the city but that didn’t really work. I needed something else. I needed to hear flies in their flight, feel the wind in my hair... The following day I found the place I'd been looking for. You walk through the city centre, down toward the river Segura, than you continue walking on the path that goes right next to the river. Every step takes you closer to the trees, closer to grass, and further away from the sounds of the city. I took out my earphones, and let the wind sweep out the noises of everyday life... It was amazing. The path took me past a meadow full of tiny white flower which gave out the most exquisite scent. It was so gentile and fresh, I could literally taste it. I spent quite a lot of time walking among these tiny flowers, letting my senses enjoy everything these white blossoms had to offer.

This was also the last school week before the Easter holidays. So of course, this also meant that all the children in school were asked to participate in the Annual Easter Egg Competition. And what a competition it was. They used their imagination and made the funkiest Easter Eggs ever.

 Now, try to imagine how difficult it must have been for the jury to pick the winners...  Seeing as I was one of the jurors, it’ll probably be easier to just tell you. :) IT WAS INDESCRIBABLY DIFFICULT! Should Shark be the winner? How about Sponge Bob? Or, perhaps the Two Pigs? Or, better yet The Totem? There were just too many. However, there had to be a winner. And to make things easier for us, we decided that each class should have one winner. Don’t think we took the easy way out! The fact is, picking just one would have been utterly unfair. Don’t you think so? ;)

Now, I must go and pack my suitcase... I’m going home to see my little munchking Luka! I CAN’T WAIT. :D

P.S.: I forgot to tell you that the orange trees began to bloom. The smell and look like yasmin. If's funny but I half expected them to smell like oranges. Silly, I know. :D  

How vegetables are grown, and the crowning of a new queen

Last week I accompanied the children as they went on an excursion to see how food is produced. As Murcia is the “vegetable garden of Europe” it seems prudent to educate young children on this very important role their region plays in food production. We went to the farmlands located between the cities of Murcia and Cartagena. Here, you can see vast fields of artichokes, aubergines, lettuce, and an abundance of trees, bending under the weight of luscious oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. For someone who is accustomed to seeing oranges and lemons only in fruit carts, this was really impressive. Actually, every time I pass an orange tree I gape at the oranges in total fascination. It’s silly but I just can’t help myself. :o)

So, we went to see how vegetables are produced. And it was pretty interesting. Murcia has a huge problem with drought, and as there is not a lot of rainfall (except this year), they have to make sure every single drop of water goes to where it’s needed the most. Basically, what they do is they hydrate plants by giving them a few drops of water at certain intervals. In that way, the plants stay hydrated without using up too much water. In order for this to work, they invented all sorts of irrigating technique, the names and differences of which I forgot the moment we went to see something else. Later on, our “guide” started talking about how plants also need food, and that they have special nourishing “cocktails” for plants. At this point, my stomach began to turn a bit. I mean, I know that these “cocktails” are fed to plants, but standing right next to these cocktails, and seeing how they are fed to the plants really isn’t as appetizing as you might think. :D

In a few hours we had seen everything they were willing to show us (AKA they spared us the “toxic tour”), so we went home. This excursion took 5 hours, during which I had talked Spanish and Spanish only. I’m telling you this, because that day I slept for 17 hours. That’s right, SEVENTEEN hours!!! It seems that all that talking drained me of all my energy. I guess that happens if you are forced to talk in a language you are just beginning to learn. :D



To continue in the spirit of fruits and vegetables, let me tell you one more thing... Rosa, the English teacher I work with most of the time, kindly invited me to go with her to the La Reina de los Huertos (Queen of vegetable/fruit gardens) competition. She got tickets for the event form one of our students who was in the running of Reina de los Huretos – Infantil.

This competition could be compared to Slovenian Vinska Kraljica (Queen of Wine) competition. There was a bunch of girls wearing traditional Murcian clothes and a group of musicians performing typical Murcian music and dance. But to tell the truth, I really don’t understand the point of this competition. I thought that the future queens would have to show some sort of skill or knowledge about vegetables, orchards or production of fruit. Needless to say I was wrong. It was just your typical beauty pageant, except for the fact that they were wearing traditional clothing. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t boring. But it wasn’t boring because I’m a foreigner and it was the first time I saw something like this. :D