Across a Blue Blanket: Meanwhile back at the ranch...

Back in Espain, when I'm not busy travelling or writing about travelling I've done ages before (cough), I'm busy learning the culture. Early on, it became obvious to me that doing an immersion program in small Burgos with a tiny group was a much better way of learning the language and culture than if I had gone to Madrid with a larger group. The Burgos immersion program includes taking all classes in Spanish with Spanish students, living in a dorm with Spaniards, using a small monthly allowance to explore Spanish cuisine, educational trips sponsored by Boston University; learning the art of the calimocho (1pt cheap red wine 1 pt coke), drinking said calimocho in inordinate amounts, coming home at ungodly hours, drinking in public, gorging oneself on paella, finding new and exciting ways to utilize the word joder (fuck), and of course, making some great friends who teach you curse words, open their hearts and homes to you, and of course find it perfectly normal you enjoy dressing up as Salvador Dali.

Here I am as Dalí, with my chum Pablo Picasso on my right. Our friends Bea, left, and Isabel above.

Over the past few weeks, I've gradually bonded with my project group in my Film Class. Consisting of myself, my program(and sometimes room) mate Sima, and three Spaniards (Juan Carlos, Juan and Isabel) have to write and shoot a short film for our semester project. When we're not hunkering down over wine and smokes during the creative process, we've had a few weekends of educational, muy interesante debauchery.

Juan Carlos and Isabel

The following photos are from Juan Carlos' recent birthday barbeque, at which Sima and I decided to dress up as famous Spanish artists. Because we're just that ingrained in the culture.

The thing is, one learns so much when partying with Spaniards. Whether it´s the company or the drinks that do the trick, the end result is that one´s vocabulary becomes rapidly amazing and fluent under the influence of...one of those two factors. If not both.

And lesson #1 is: It's both.

Lesson #2: the Spaniards are masters of peer pressure. There is no such thing as saying "no" to your fourteenth drink, it's simply out of the question.

Lesson #3: There is no such thing as coming home before four o'clock in the morning. The siesta (known as hora de comer here) is a basic need of survival, just behind food & water.

Lesson #4: Spaniards don't just love company. They crave and need the contact of loved ones, which explains how meals can go on for hours, the excessive public displays of affection between supposedly straight men, and the abundance of pets. A walk down any street will convince you that at least 80 percent of Spaniards must have a terrier or poodle as a companion. Thus, you meet a diverse group of friends.