La Feria de Malaga

On the site of the language school, which JW is going to visit in August, there was a note that it will be closed on the first Friday of his course. We were very curious what could be the reason for that so we explored it a bit more. So we had a look on the internet and found out that they celebrate Feria de Malaga from 12^th August until 21^st August. JW couldn't belief his luck!!

The Feria de Malaga is a big feast, which can be compared to carnival, and includes a big fair. The fair basically includes flamenco, other Spanish dances and fino (sherry). It exists since 1487 and was started to remember, and of course celebrate, the victory by Isabella and Ferdinand. Nearly all the females where beautiful flamenco dresses and the men also wear traditional Spanish costumes. During the day people can enjoy dancing and singing in the city centre, and during the night people can go to a gigantic field with hundreds of market booths where one can walk around and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere with music, alcohol and tapas.

Let's just hope that JW will still find time to do his homework. One thing is certain: he will definitely have enough opportunities to experience the true Spanish culture!

Language course in Spain

JW has spent some time to find a language course in Spain. He did most of his research on the computer and after a few hours of research he found two he liked. Together we compared the two, most of the details were the same so JW had to decide which one felt best. He decided to go to the school which he found on linguaschools.com. A small school in the centre of Malaga. Especially the location of the school was one of the reasons why JW has chosen it. He could just see himself finish class, walk across the street, order a cerveza, and do his homework while enjoying this cold beer and the warm sun!

JW will leave 14^th August from the Bremen Airport and will return on 24^th August. This will give him two whole weeks to learn the language and get to know the Spanish culture. He has chosen to stay with a Spanish family to ensure the fact that he will be surrounded by true Spanish life!

Language course

Tuesday we had our final Spanish lesson. We were put to work with exercises dealing with pronouns, reflexive pronouns, objects, subjects and many other grammar subjects. Are we ready to have a conversation?

Yesterday there were oral exams at my school, and since I teach most of those classes I had the task to organise that afternoon and prepare the pupils for it. They had to have conversations in five different situations; at the doctor's, at a police station, at a train station, at a job centre and they had to phone enquiries to make a collect call. The pupils have been preparing and practicing for weeks.

Whilst I was preparing with the pupils I started to wonder if I would be able to do all this in Spanish. I should have a bit of a basis after twenty lessons, but I doubt it if I would be able to have the conversations the pupils would have. I understand even better what the pupils must be feeling, because they feel similar about English as I do about Spanish. I realise how much work the study Spanish is going to be, because in four years time I need to go from “¡Hola, me llamo Ellen! to beautiful sentences and long conversations! I will have to work very hard the coming months. And in October we will start the second language course to improve our Spanish even more!

Andalusian culture

When you think of Andalusia you think of Flamenco, bull fighting, food and drinks.

Flamenco is a dance which was founded in the triangle Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Sevilla. There were many poor people in the 17^th and 18^th century and their life was filled with poverty, criminality, prostitution and alcohol. The people in this environment full of fire and sadness found their relief in passionate music. At first they would only sing and the singer would accompany him or herself by clapping a rhythm. Later the guitar and dance were added.

Bullfighting also found its origin in Andalucia and that's something you really notice as soon as you go to one fo the fight in cities like Sevilla. Lots of people join the festivities and are very enthusiastic about everything that happens in the arena. Of course bullfighting is very debatable. The people who support the fights see it as part of their culture and a true tradition. The ones who are against it think it is not fair to the bull and think that animals should not be killed for amusement.

 

Besides bullfighting and flamenco, there is also a rich tradition with regards to food and drinks. Most people have heard of tapas, but most of them might not realise that these little snacks find their origin in Andalusia. Literally “tapar” means “to cover” and a tapa was used to cover a drink to protect it for the flies. There are also explanations which say that a tapa was introduced by king Alfonso X, who was against binge drinking and set a rule that one could only drink alcohol when it was covered by some food. Pub owners found a way to comply to the rule by covering the glass with a piece of sausage. Now a days you can buy all kinds of tapas. When you are in Andalusia the best drink to accompany the tapas is a sherry. The original sherry comes from Jerez de la Frontera. Within the old city walls in the centre of this city you can find numerous bars Vinos de Jerez.

Together with everything mentioned in this blog the sherry forms the backbone of the Andalusian life. We can't wait to enjoy that life!!

Spanish theatre

Every year we receive brochures of the local theatres and usually we find two or more events/shows we want to visit. Even though the tickets are often not cheap we do like to go because it's a fun way to spend a night together and leave the normal things of life behind for a while.

Last week we went to theatre twice and it made us realise that we don't even know if this is something we could still do when we move to Spain. Do they actually have theatres in Spain and will they have the same kind of shows? We do expect there to be theatres but can't imagine what kind of plays, cabaret or comedy shows they will have. So we have another activity to add to our to-do-list for when we go to Spain. We will definitely visit a Spanish theatre!!