Oh no, the goodbyes have started. Thank you again Monica, John, Leo, Julia y Juan Carlos for all you have done during my stay. I am sad to go, but will see you all again soon! Besos y Abrazos!
Welcome to my very first blog. I hope it gives you a full (and FUN) description of my 10 week adventure to Madrid! ¡Hasta Pronto!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
For those of you who have been following the blog you will remember that I had a chance to interview Gonzalo who is one of the costaleros that is involved in carrying this imagen of the Virgin Mary during the Palm Sunday processions. It was an incredible sight to see the procession and an even greater delight to catch him during one of the stops she they switched out the crew. You can see he is wearing the traditional costal that is worn by each man.
Friday, April 11, 2014
In preparation for Holy Week, many of the churches in Spain had smaller processions today that were artistic representations of the Stations of the Cross. I had never seen a "Via Crucis" before and am so glad that I got the chance to see one today.
My friend Gonzalo is pictured here with the glasses. He is the costalero that I feel so fortunate to have met and interviewed. He will be walking in the processions on Palm Sunday as well.
Monday, April 7, 2014
This is Mónica. She has played a huge role in my work while I have been here and her contributions to the project are immeasurable. She is smart and funny, she loves to laugh and she can even read my mind! We are at the beginning of what I hope will be a long friendship. Today we showed up to work and discovered we were wearing matching outfits, which included Taylor pink pants!
Sunday, April 6, 2014
The experience of meeting Gonzalo will go down as one of the highlights of this trip for me! He is, what is known in Spain as, a costalero, the gentlemen who are hidden beneath the religious floats that make their way through the streets during Semana Santa. Every Friday night, for months ahead of Holy Week, these guys train and prepare for the immense task of carrying these pasos (floats). Depending on the size of the paso, there can be anywhere from 30-60 men beneath each one bearing the enormous weight of the statues on their shoulders. When you watch the videos of the rehearsals (called ensayos) you won't see the actual Virgin Mary that will come out during Holy week. In order to simulate the weight that they will need to bear, the have loaded iron planks on top of the structure which are hard to see in the dark. (they don't rehearse until 11:00pm) Gonzalo is in the front left corner (from your point of view) of the grouping. He has an even more specific role as a pata (leg) position since he is responsible for leading the group through turns. The capataz, seen in the maroon sweatshirt will walk ahead of the paso and is responsible for keeping the men heading in the right direction, and offering words of encouragement along the way. The costaleros can be carrying the statues anywhere from 4-14 hours depending on the length of the procession and must work very hard at walking in a smooth and level manner. At the end of the videos I took a picture of what the actual paso looked like last year: with the image of the Virgin Mary in her formal attire, the full canopy and all the candles. I have all my fingers crossed that the weather holds out this year and that I will get the chance to see the actual procession! This was a very cool glimpse into one of the most iconic traditions carried out in Spain!
Paula and Irene (who appear in several recordings on clothing, daily routines and "how to make a salad") wanted a girls' day out before I left. All of their requests were met: espaguetis con salsa boloñesa, helados, chuches de la tienda de caramelos y la clásica "foto salto" en la Plaza Mayor. I am so happy to have had them contribute to the project!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Friday, April 4, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
AMAZING week of interviews! A chef, a fishmonger, a police officer, a fireman and two small business owners...one of handmade wooden crafts and another an organic grocery store. I have LOVED developing some new and exciting curriculum over here in Madrid. Something tells me this could be the start of something BIG!
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