Love and peace out!

La lotería de Navidad! (The Christmas lotery)

English translation below

Hola chicos,

Hoy es un día muy importante: es el sorteo de la lotería de Navidad. Es la lotería más importante de España. El sorteo dura horas y horas y se puede seguirlo en línea aquí. (Comenzó a las ocho de la mañana.)

Cuando estuve en Valladolid a finales de agosto, ya el primer día, compré un décimo. Además, hay unas semanas, participó en un concurso organizado por el periódico 'El Día de Valladolid'. La pregunta fue "¿Qué harías si te toca el Gordo de la lotería?"
Entre las respuestas más originales repartieron 100 décimos. Y yo gané uno de los décimos. Increíble, ¿no? :-)
Puedes leer mi respuesta aquí. (Busca 'Heidi')
Laura y Natalia de la Fundación de la Lengua Española en Valladolid fueron muy simpáticas y recogieron el décimo para mi. Si me toca un premio importante tengo que ir a Valladolid para recibir el premio.

Mis números son el 62.544 y el 19.773. Crucemos todos los dedos esperando que gano un premio. :-)

Un ejemplo de un décimo.

Hi guys,

Today is a really important day: it's the draw of the Christmas lottery. It's the most important lottery of the year in Spain. The draw itself takes hours and hours. You can watch it online here. (It started at 8 o'clock this morning.)

When I was in Valladolid at the end of august, first thing I did was buy a lottery ticket. Furthermore some weeks ago I participated in a online contest organised by the newspaper 'El Día de Valladolid'. The question was: "What would you do if you won The Big One". A hundred people who gave an original answer would get a lottery ticket. And I won! Can you believe it! :-)
My answer was: "If I should win The Big One, I would go to Valladolid to take extra courses in Spanish and additionally courses on Spanish art, politics and culture. Then I would try to obtain the Spanish nationality and move to Valladolid and maybe, who knows, start up my own business there."

Laura and Natalia of the Spanish Language Foundation were very kind and picked up the lottery ticket on my behalf. If I win a big prize I have to go to Valladolid to claim the prize.

My numbers are 62.544 and 19.773. Let's cross our fingers and hope I win a prize. :-)

Mucho que decir! (Lots to tell) (part 1)

English translation below

¡Hola chicos!
Otra vez hace mucho tiempo desde que escribí el último post. Es que tenía muchas cosas a hacer. Tengo mucho que decir. :-)

El Castillo de los Españoles
Los últimos meses seguí un curso de noche que se llama "Historia de España. ¿Que si los edificios pudieran hablar?" Por medio de edificios españoles la profesora contó la historia española desde dibujos rupestres de Altamira y Atapuerca y Nerja hasta la construcción de El Escorial en el siglo XVI. Así analizamos el acueducto de Segovia, la catedral de Santiago de Compostela, la Alhambra en Granada y El Escorial en Madrid. Fue muy muy interesante. Dentro de dos años habrá una continuación. Claro que también seguiré este curso.

Para finalizar el curso todos teníamos que hacer un proyecto sobre un edificio flamenco que tiene un enlace con España. Yo elegí "el Castillo de los Españoles" en Gante. Hoy día no queda casi nada de este castillo. Fue construido por Carlos V (Carlos I en España) en 1540 para sancionar los ganteses por ser desobediente y negarse a pagar un suma enorme para que Carlos V pudiera continuar sus guerras en Europa. Los cañones de este fortaleza estaban dirigidos permanentamente el centro de la ciudad. Además los ganteses rebeldes tuvieron que comparacer ante Carlos V llevando un lazo corredizo. Por eso los ganteses se llaman aun hoy día "llevalazos".

Mañana sigue otro post sobre El Gordo de Navidad! 

El Castillo de los Españoles: una fortaleza construido en 1540 por Carlos V para castigar a los ganteses. - The Spaniards Castle: a fortress built in 1540 by Carlos V to punish the people from Ghent.

Cada año durante las Festividades de Gante los socios de la gremio de los llevalazos conmemoran la humillación de tener que comparacer descalzos ante Carlos V, llevando un vestido blanco y un lazo corredizo alrededorel cuello. - Every year during the Ghent Festivities the members of the guild of noosebearers conmemorate the humiliation of having had to appear bearfooted before Charles V, wearing a white robe and a noose around their neck.

Hi guys!

Once again it's been far too long since my last post. I've had a lot going on and consequently there's lots to tell.

The Spaniards Castle
These last months I've been taking an evening course titled "The history of Spain. What if buildings could talk?". Starting from buildings in Spain the teacher explained Spain's history from cave drawings in Altamira, Atapuerco and Nerja up to the construcción of the Escorial en the 16th century. We analysed the aquaduct of Segovia, the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the Alhambra in Granada and the Escorial in Madrid. It was an immensely interesting course. In about two years the teacher will give a follow-up course. I'm taking that course as well, no doubt about it.

At the end of the course we had to make a project on a Flemish building that has a link with Spain. I chose "The Spaniards Castle" in Ghent. Nowadays almost nothing's left of this building. It was constructed by Charles V (Charles I in Spain) in 1540 to punish the people of Ghent for being disobedient and refusing to pay a large sum so Charles V could fund all his wars across Europe. The canons of this fort were pointed to the city centre at all times. Furthermore the people rebelling had to appear before Charles V wearing a noose around their neck. That's why the people of Ghent even now are still known as the "noosebearers".

Stay tuned for a new post tomorrow about "El Gordo de Navidad". (The Fat One of Christmas).

Medina de Ríoseco, el pueblo que me robó el corazón! (Medina de Ríoseco, the village that stole my heart!)

Almost every week day, right after morning class my boyfriend and I set out on a journey through the province of Valladolid. We visited numerous towns and villages. I liked all of them, but one especially stole my heart: Medina de Ríoseco.

Yes, we saw beautiful churches inside and out. Yes, we saw the typical streets lined with wooden and stone pillars so the traders in the 16th century could do business in the shade.

Typical street lined with 16th century wooden en stone pillars that provided shade to traders.

Yes, walking along the ‘Canal de Castilla’ was a marvel. But that’s not what made my day. It were the locals who enchanted me.

Medina de Ríoseco has some 5000 inhabitants, almost none of which we saw, it being siesta and all… as per usual. :-) But we did get to meet some:

Walking along the ‘Canal de Castilla’ we saw an eldery man setting out some sort of small fishing nets. We walked passed him with a polite ‘Hola, ¿qué tal?’. On the way back we crossed him again and I couldn’t help myself –being rather nosy– and asked him what he was doing. He started explaining how he was a pensioner and to fill time he came out there on a regular basis to catch crayfish. We walked up to his bucket and there they were, some two dozen crawling creatures. He further explained how they were much smaller than normal and how his wife would prepare them back at home. We were an appreciative audience and he seemed happy to be able to relate his story. He took a crayfish out of the bucket and showed it to us. It fiercely waved its crusher claws at us. In the end, we didn’t talk all that long, maybe five or ten minutes, but when we parted he was in such high-spirits he concluded the conversation with a sincere ‘¡Encantado!’.

I didn’t get the full meaning of that word till later on that day. In class we learned that you can say ‘encantado/-a (de conocerle)’ when you are introduced to someone, much like the French ‘enchantez (de faire votre connaissance)’ or the English ‘delighted (to make your acquaintance)’.

Crayfish - Rivierkreeftjes - Cangrejos de río

Crayfish - Rivierkreeftjes - Congrejos de río

Later on, in the village centre, my boyfriend noticed an old-fashioned cOOkie-shop. Seeing as he has a sweet tooth (as do I), he decided to go in and buy some. We were welcomed almost immediately by the shopkeeper with a whole plate of different biscuits for us to try. Humble Flemish as we are, we reluctantly tried some. I spoke to her about how almonds and pine nuts are typical for the region and their use in cOOkies and cakes. She suggested a box of half a kilo, we agreed. We talked about the town and she informed us that the upcoming weekend would be the highlight of the year with all kinds of medieval celebrations, decorations and activities.

cOOkie shop 'The Good/Beautiful Star'

Old-fashioned cOOkie shop in Medina de Ríoseco

With our freshly packaged cOOkies we went searching for the ‘Convent of Saint Franciscus’. An elderly person saw me standing rather baffled on the Main Square not being able to orientate myself. He spoke to me from some distance and pointed out the right direction.

Naturally, when we got there the convent/museum/tourist office was closed (yeah *siesta*), so we sat down to munch some of the biscuits, waiting for some staff member to turn up. In vain, for nobody came. So we decided to call it a day and return to the car.

Back at the main square we crossed the elderly person again. Our eyes crossed and we had the same inviting look in our eyes. I addressed him and told him the convent wasn’t open. And then something extraordinary happened. He asked ‘Do you have a moment? Or are you in a hurry? I want to show you something.’ My boyfriend and I looked at each other, not really knowing what to say. Back at home, I would've had my ‘No, sorry, no time’ ready without even halting. But here, the people are so open, so enthusiastic, they just pull you right into that frame of mind. So we said ‘¡Sí!’

Suki's car! Fits right into the scenery. :-)

He walked over to his car, a gold-colored metallic citroën, and came back with two thick photo albums. We didn’t know what to expect. So he started a monologue of little less than an hour explaining how he had always wanted to draw, but how art school didn’t work out for him. So he became an employee at a bank giving out loans. A job he did for some 40 odd years. How he could tell inside stories about his clients back in the day, how they lied to him about their financial situation and marital status. But he had always minded his own business and done his job. He explained his name was Ambrosio, but that everybody knew him as Suki, which is what his Bask relatives call him. Page by page he showed us the scaled-down photo copies of the drawings he makes now as an eighty something year old pensioner: beautiful portraits of this children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, … He showed us his landscape and architectural drawings of the area, always explaining what he had added or changed that wasn’t real – an extra door, an extra tower on a church, some pigs, some birds, a carriage –.

The man just kept on talking. I can’t say I understood all the things he said, maybe some 70 percent. His pronunciation wasn’t as clear as that of the people in Valladolid city, but I saw the twinkling little stars in his eyes and when he laughed, I laughed, without even knowing what he was on about. I could literally feel my heart growing warmer.

When people passed they greeted him amicably, shouting ‘Ah, Suki, the best artist in town.’ It became more and more clear we were talking to a known town figure.

He showed us drawings of his parental home, explaining how his parents back in the day had taken in a penniless gypsy who they would sometimes give some eggs. Then he started explaining the local history and the architecture of the church we were standing next to, on and on... Then he talked about his wife. How she would always stay at home and was forever cleaning the house.

All this time, my boyfriend – who doesn’t speak any Spanish – stood there looking at the guy not having the faintest clue what he was on about. I felt a bit sorry for him, so I told Suki my boyfriend didn’t speak Spanish. Suki asked me to translate for him and said: Now you (pointing at my boyfriend) are wearing the trousers, but the day you put a ring around her finger, those pants go from you to her. :-) By that time I was laughing out loud.

At some points during the whole conversation my boyfriend and I glanced at each other thinking ‘how are we ever going to get away from this bloke’. But it the end it was Suki himself who realized he had taken up quite some of our time. He thanked us for having wanted to listen to his stories. I wanted to shake his hand, he grabbed it, shook it firmly, drew me closer and gave me two kisses on the cheek, saying ‘¡Encantado!’. I answered with a sincere ‘encantada, señor’.

I would have loved for my boyfriend to have taken a picture of Suki and I, but it would have felt like he was just another tourist attraction to photograph, so I decided against it. When we parted I had tears in my eyes and for days on end thinking back to that encounter, my eyes welled up and my heart seemed to literally grow.

Now I was starting to get the real meaning of the word ‘encantado/-a’. Rather than a formal way of greeting somebody new, it is used to express great joy having met someone new that you really like. I felt proud.

Addendum: On the last day of our stay we visited the castle of Montealegre. We were the only visitors and so got a private guided tour. At the end of the tour the guide asked if we had enjoyed it since most tourists just want to get to the top of the castle to take some pictures. I explained how fascinated I was by Spanish culture, history and language. She playfully asked if maybe I wasn’t a Spaniard without realizing it. Before leaving our guide asked us what other towns we had visited in Valladolid. When I mentioned ‘Medina de Ríoseco’ she lit up, explaining that she lived there. I asked how the medieval festival had been, also mentioning that we had bought cOOkies in the local shop. She knew immediately what shop I was talking about. Then I said we had met a guy called Suki. She was very pleased, probably since the area hardly gets any interested visitors.

A little while later she passed us while we were already in the car ready to drive back to Valladolid. Again, I couldn’t help myself, I opened the car door and asked her if she could give my regards to Suki. She was so enchanted that she came over, gave me kisses on the cheek, uttered ‘¡encantada!' and hugged me while I was seated in the car.

This is what I mean when I say ‘I love the people of Spain and Spanish mentality’.
(I’m rather thinking of writing a letter to Suki. <3 )

En cuanto a los toros... (On bullfighting...)

Ve por debajo para la versión española.
There are a million things that I love about Spain. It’s nature, it’s weather, the rich culture and above all the people who are so welcoming and open. But there are things that I simply don’t understand and what’s more, they horrify me. The most important being their lack of respect towards animals (think of the maltreatment of greyhounds) and more specifically bullfighting.

Before my stay in Valladolid I was rather ignorant when it comes to bullfighting and it’s “importance in Spanish culture”. To be honest I thought bullfighting had already been banished in large parts of Spain. Outside of Spain people only know about the “corridas” in Pamplona, no? Truth is that bullfighting is immensely popular in the whole of Spain and only banished in Catalonia. Almost every town has its own version of the bullfighting “game”.

One day in class we were learning expressions in which bullfighting terminology is used. Of course being interested in the language I wanted to learn those typical expressions too. To get familiar with the terminology the teacher showed us a YouTube clip of a bullfight. I couldn’t bear to look at it. The whole time I kept my eyes on the papers in front of me. I couldn’t look up at all. She could just as well have explained the words using some drawings. It offended me deeply and it cost me some effort not to stand up and leave the class room. To top it off, the teacher said: “I’m not too fond of bullfighting myself, but hey, every country has its own cruelties towards animals when it comes to folklore.”!! I couldn’t believe what I heard!! It cost me an enormous amount not to jump up and tell her just what I thought. No, not every country maltreats animals just because it’s part of their culture. And even if it should be true in some or even just one country, is that a valid reason to not stand up against it in one’s own land? !NO! It’s merely an excuse to hide behind. In the end I said nothing. After all I was a guest in their country.

To sum up, yes, I love Spain and I love the Spanish people, but in certain aspects they really lag behind and that’s a damn shame. Silver lining in all of this: there is some progress. Just now the city government of Tordesillas was convicted in the case of “El Toro de la Vega” (the bull of the field). It's a very barbaric and gruesome variant of bullfighting in which the residents of the town (not toreros themselves) get to chase a bull into a field on foot or on horseback. One after another they get to attack the bull until it dies. And to think that this happened only one week after my boyfriend and me were sipping a coffee on the Plaza Mayor (Main square) of Tordesillas...

I’m really glad I got to express my opinion here, because it stuck with me ever since that class.

Tomar un café en la Plaza Mayor de Tordesillas (martes el 25 de agosto 2015)

Hay muchísimas cosas españolas que me encantan. La naturaleza, el tiempo, la cultura tan rica y sobre todo la gente tan acogedora. Pero hay cosas que no entiendo y además me horrorizan, lo más importante siendo su actitud con aspecto a los animales (piensa en los galgos maltratados) y toros especificamente.

Antes de mi estancia en Valladolid, era bastante ignorante en cuanto a los toros y la “importancia cultural” que tienen. A decir verdad yo creía que los toros ya estaban prohibidos en un gran parte de España. Excepto en España la mayoría solamente conoce a los corridas en Pamplona, ¿no? De hecho los toros son muy populares en todo España y solamente están prohibidos en Catalunya. Casi cada pueblo en España tiene una versión alternativa de los toros.

Un día en clase vimos expresiones con terminología tauromaquia. Claro que estoy interesada en el idioma y quiero aprender las expresiones tipicales. Para familiarizarnos con esta terminología la profesora nos mostró un clip youtube en el que tiene lugar los toros. No me lo pude creer, ni pude mirar a la pantalla. Durante todo el clip me quedó con la cara dirigida hacia mis papeles. No pude levanatar la vista. También podría hacerlo con dibujos de toreros. A mi me afendó mucho y me costó no abandonar la clase. Y lo que es más importante, la profesora dijo: «A mi no me gustán tanto los toros, pero bueno, cada país tiene sus crualidades hacia animales.» ¡¡No daba credito a mis oídos!! En este punto me costó enormamente no levantarme y explicarla la verdad. No, no cada país aprueba maltratar a los animales porque forma parte de su cultura. Y incluso si tuviera crueldades en otros países, es un argumento para no hacer nada en su propio país? ¡NO! Es un excusa detrás en la se puede amparar. Finalmente no dijo nada. Al fin y al cabo estaba de invitada en su país.

Resumiendo, ¡sí!, me encanta España y los españoles, pero en aspectos determinados están atrasados y eso es lástima. Por suerte hay progreso. Recientemente el ayuntamiento de Tordesillas fue condenado por El Toro de la Vega. Un variante muy barbárico y espantoso de los toros en el que los residentes de Tordesillas (no son toreros) acosan un toro uno después del otro en un campo (la Vega) hasta que muere. No quiero ni pensarlo que este tuvo lugar solamente una semana después que mi novio y yo fuimos bebiendo un café en el Plaza Mayor ahí...

Estoy muy contenta de haber expresado mi opinión aquí, porque me preocubaba desde esta clase.

It's six o'clock, five o'clock in the Canary Islands and the sixteenth centry in Tordesillas. (Fuente: El Mundo)

¡Ya era hora! (It's about time!)

Pastor y su perro pastor con un rebaño de ovejas (Montealegre, Valladolid, viernes 4 septiembre 2015)

Va por abajo para leer el post en español.
On August 24 I started a 2-week Spanish course in Valladolid. I promised myself (and others) to make regular posts during my stay. Result: during my stay: total silence. And for a month I stayed silent, first recuperating from 2 heavy weeks, then getting caught up in several new Spanish courses I’m taking. But no more: I have resurrected! :-) From now on I solemnly pledge to make at least one post a week, with hopefully some useful or interesting information for all. If I have enough time I will also attempt to make posts in Spanish.
To all my classmates in Valladolid: I have put my course notes in order. If you are interested in consulting them you can view them online. (Please note that you don’t have to register on Dropbox to be able to view the document.)
Have a nice week!
Dusanima

El 24 de agosto comencé un curso de español de 2 semanas en Valladolid. Me prometé (como lo prometé a otros) hacer posts regularmente durante mi estancia en España. Con resultado parvo: durante mi estancia: el silencio total. Y seguí siendo silenciosa un mes entero. Primero estuve recuperanda de dos semanas bastante duras, después embrollada en dos nuevas cursos de español. ¡Pero ya basta! Resucité. J Desde ahora prometo solemnemente hacer por lo menos un post por semana. Espero que selos gusta.
A todos mis compañeros de clase de Valladolid. He puesto en orden mis apuntes. Si te interesas puedes consultarlos online. Se nota que no tienes que ser registrado en Dropbox para consultar el documento.
íQue paséis una buena semana!
Dusanima

¿Aventuras? ¡No me gustan nada! (Aventures? Don't like them at all!)

It was worst when I was still a child. During puberty it didn't really get any better. As a young adult things started changing and now I can say I can handle it. What am I talking about? The unknown!

New things have always freaked me out. As a baby I didn't dare to sit upright once I was awake, nor clime out of bed as a toddler. As a child I didn't dare to pick up a ringing phone. I was always stressed out (and thus sick) on the first day of school after the summer break. I didn't want to go to camp and when I did my parents had to come pick me up a few days later because I was lying in bed sick, homesick. As a teenagers I was scared to enter shops I hadn't been in before. I never took any form of public transport. I refused to do a vacation job. I didn't go out on weekends until my mom forced me. The first six months at uni where horrific. Never had I been away from home for more than say, 8 hours. So yes, it was a real problem.

Once I started making a couple of friends at uni (also a rather new experience to me) and met my partner, things got better, bit by bit. I was forced to get out of my dorm because subjects were taught in several different buildings all around town, whereas the school I went to until I was 17 was literally next door. I wouldn't say I was carefree, but at least I had people to share my fears with. Now, as an adult I know fully where my weaknesses lie so... I always come prepared to minimize the unknown.

So yes, going on a trip for TWO WEEKS (the longest I'll ever have been from home) to a place I've never been before scares THE HELL out of me. So what did I do?

• I walked around town using Google street view
• Mailed the hotel and car rental shop to make specific arrangements
• Mailed the tourist information service of the province of Valladolid, which resulted in me reading through a heap of leaflets, folders and brochures including information that a teacher provided. (Si te interesa: Folletos con información sobre la provincia Valladolid y su capitaldel mismo nombre).
• Printed out street plans of every town and village I want to visit, with indication of all the buildings, squares and shops I want to see or visit.
• Looked at thousands of pictures using Google images
• Figured out exactly how to get from my hotel to class.
• Figured out how to use VallaBici (a network of city bicycles to get around town easily). I definitely still won’t use public transport…
• Figured out where the public swimming pools are, when they open and how much a swim costs.
• Read the online newspapers: ElDía de Valladolid and Tribuna Valladolid
• Looked up which festivities will take place where, who is the current mayor, … you name it!

You could say I’ve already been there for the last couple of weeks. 

So to sum up: "Mantén la calma y vamos a España" (Keep calm and let’s go to Spain) really does apply!

*Making final arrangements and preparations*

¿Habla español? (Do you speak Spanish?)

The majority of tourists heading for Spain stick to the "playa's" or the Andalusian south of Spain. Valladolid is not a main tourist attraction, although it has much to offer in terms of culture, art, architecture, nature and food. So why am I going there? 'Castilia y León' is the region of Spain where the purest Spanish ('castellano') is spoken. Hence it is a great place to learn the language. Valladolid is renowned for its language institutes.

I've been taking Spanish classes for the last four years now at a School for Adult Education (CVO-Het Perspectief) in Ghent. I find this to be an excellent school with dedicated and enthusiastic teachers.

Our fourth year teacher Elvira offered us a great opportunity to take part in a summer school of one or two weeks at the Foundation of the Spanish Language (Fundación de la Lengua Española) in Valladolid, on a grant that remits the fee for taking 20 hours worth of classes (=510 EUR)!! 
I immediately jumped at the occasion and booked myself 2 weeks at the end of the summer holiday.

After almost ten months of looking forward to it 'D-day' is finally drawing near. This is promising to become a great adventure. For a start I've never been away from home for so long. I'm planning on blogging during my stay, depending on how much time we get off. :-) I hope you enjoy the richness of Spain as seen through my eyes as much as I do!

I've just been informed that right at the beginning of the first day we'll all get a language test (ie-iek!!) so I guess I'd better hit the books and freshen up some vocabulary and grammar... Oh joy! :-)

¡Vámonos! (Let's go!)

These are truly exciting times. In less than a fortnight we'll be hopping onto a plane to Madrid. From there it will be a more than 2 hour drive (at least according to Google Maps) to our final destination: Valladolid. (/ˌbæjədəˈlɪd/ Click to hear how it's pronounced!)

The city is located in the upper left hand quadrant of Spain. It's the capital of the Province of the same name, and also the capital of the Autonomous Region of 'Castilla y León' (dark green area on map below).

With little over 300.000 inhabitants, 197 km² and a university, it's quite similar to Ghent (>250.000, 156 km², UGent).

If you want to know more about the city of Valladolid, choose your language and go for it!
That's all for me for now. :-)

Valladolid: NL - FR - EN - ES