Go, fight, get run over!

I am sorry I havn't written a blog in a really long time. I would like to point out that I have been busy lately and my computer charger fried. My time in Spain is moving so fast. I wish that I could stay longer to learn more but I miss home really bad sometimes. What I don't miss, is having to live in the music building..I might have to be gone a few years before I'd miss that. This last week has been so ridiculous. It was Carnaval and I have never seen so many people dress up for something. Its really funny because its not like how we dress up in the U.S. In the U.S. if you dress up you just have your costume and you can be a witch and someone else a ghost. Here, they dress in like groups of ten people. So you don't just have your regular Draculas running around, you have a whole herd of vampires in the exact same costume. It's all fun and games until you go in a bull fighter costume and happen upon a group of ten people dressed as cows. Then they all charge you acting like bulls. Also, I think every other person that we passed in the street would scream ¡Torero, Torero! and wait for me to make some bullfighter pose or say something bullfightery. At first I thought it was really funny but then after a certain point I just wanted to punch somebody. I mean, I think it had something to do with the massive amount of alcohol consumed because of Carnaval but it got annoying anyways. The funnest thing about Carnaval was definately running with the bulls. I'm sorry mom, but I couldn't come to Spain and have an opportunity to run with the bulls and not take it. Needless to say, I actually did it. I didn't think that all the runners would be so hardcore though, not many of them wore costumes to run in..probably smarter than me running in my bullfighter costume and barefoot because I forgot to wear my tennis shoes.

I walked down to the very beginning where they let all the bulls out. I thought that was where everyone was supposed to go. Nobody told me that that's where all the really experienced runners go. Thanks Spain. The run is like one and a half miles long and the not so experienced runners usually wait a little ways off so the bulls are a little slower. I got down by the beginning and the church bells started tolling which signals the start of the run. Like ten freaking bulls charged out of a trailer and tore off down the alley. I had enough sense not to be right by the starting place, I was probably 100 yards down the alley and when I saw the bulls get let out, I started to run as fast as I could. Once I saw that there was no hope of outrunning ten angry cattle, I ran to the fence and jumped up on it. One of the bulls started to go for the guy right in front of me on the fence but luckily he got distracted and veered away at the last second. After all of them passed, I kept on walking up the alley towards the bull ring. Once I got about half way, I noticed that there were a lot of people all crowded around something. One of the bulls had decided that he didn't want to run all the way down and turned around and started chasing people. There were some guys running up and trying to touch it (didn't work out so well), I was not about to go slap it on the back so I just settled on running by him a few times. I don't think I fully realized how dangerous the whole thing was until I saw a guy get gored. He had his back to a wall and didn't move fast enough when the bull came after him. The bull picked him up with his horns and I saw his pant leg get ripped all the way down buy the horn. Then the bull started slamming him on the wall and when he fell started to go after him on the ground. Finally, some people close enough got the bull away. I think the guy was ok, but I am definately glad that I was not in his place. The road finally ended in this big sand arena where the bull fights took place. We ran in and then they shut the gates and there was no way out. I thought that we would be able to mess with the bull but there were "trained" people there, basically old men in goofy looking t-shirts, and if you messed with the bull, you could get arrested. So instead of getting to do anything we all just had to wait for them to get the bull out of the ring, and I listened to drunk old ladies tell me to go fight the bull. It took a good hour and a half, hence the, "I'm bored out of my mind pictures".

I went to Madrid this past weekend because my aunt and grandma came to Spain! It was really fun and my grandma got to have her birthday in Madrid. What wasn't fun was a three hour train ride at five-thirty in the morning. I finally got to Madrid and I had to find their hotel. I knew the name of it, but I forgot to get directions off of the internet. Luckily I just asked enough people and happened to take a metro line semi close to the area. When I found it, I thought that they would have been waiting for me but I ended up showing up first. We went to the Reina Sofia Museum and saw Picasso's 'Guernica' and walked around Madrid for awhile. We ended up eating at a really cool restaurant and it was a nice break from the oh so wonderful fish lasagne and tuna pizza that I get at my cafeteria. The following day we went to lunch and then went to the Prado museum. It had the biggest line that I have ever seen in my life, Six Flags and Sea-World included. Luckily, we found out that you could pay 8 euros to get in, instead of waiting for three hours for the free admission. The Prado was cool, except the art was all very old and very similar. Still good, but I got kind of sick of seeing the same little angel flying around in every picture and creepy looking men in women with frowns and funny hats. This being said, I am definately a fan of variety. I left that night at nine oclock and I was so tired. I fell asleep on the train and when I woke up, I thought that I had missed my stop in Salamanca and was on the late train to Portugal. There was nobody on the train and all the screens that had scheduled stops had been turned off. Luckily, it just took awhile to get to Salamanca and I made it there fine. When I got back, It was about 12 thirty and I was still really tired, lucky for me though, I only have a forty-five minute walk back to my dorm from the train station.

Deadly pigeon fight.

Just like every big city, Salamanca is well off in the pigeon department. I havn't had any problems with the pigeon population yet but apparently some residents of the city are fed up with their behavior. A few days ago a girl in my class told me that she had seen an old woman trying to kill pigeons outside her window. I didn't believe her but she had a picture of it and sure enough; there was an old woman leaning out of her window with a sling shot and the meanest look that I have ever seen on an elerly woman's face. I don't think that she killed any that day but the sling shot looked pretty legit. No telling how many birds have lost their lives outside that window. Also, in Kaki's grammar class they had some problems with birds. Her class was interrupted when two pigeons started fighting on the ledge of the building right outside the window. She said that it was hilarious because it lasted for like five minutes and everyone just watched two birds claw and peck each other while they slapped each other with their wings. They tried to scare the birds off but they continued fighting. Finally, a brave soul opened to the window and threw pieces of chalk at them until they flew away.

Yesterday, Kaki and I were walking back from class, when I heard a grunting noice beside me. I thought at first that it was someone's cell phone going off. But than I heard squealing too and looked over again. For some reason, I guy about my age was carrying a small pig around in one of those little doggy cages. I don't know if it was dinner for that night or just his pet but I busted out laughing of course, because I thought it had been his cell phone all along. He just kind of looked at me like, what's your problem? It's not like he could blame me for laughing though. I mean, I'm from Texas and I've never seen anyone in Abilene or Mason for that matter hauling an unhappy pig around in a dog cage. Needless to say, the pig continued to squeal even louder and I continued to laugh.

Today was such a good day though. I woke up early to study for my test but of course I didn't study (it was easy though). Instead I had breakfast and a devotional time and then I listened to Sufjan Stevens. I often forget, but prayer is so essential to our lives. I felt so energized and happy today and I think that all of it was because I merely asked God for help. I love this magnet that my mom has on our fridge at home, it says: "A day hemmed in prayer, seldomly comes unravelled". As cliche as that sounds to some people, it really is the truth. I was really pumped today, because some Spanish people asked me for directions. Directions aren't terribly dificult but I was just really happy that I knew the city and Spanish well enough to explain where it was and that I didn't stick out so much that they didn't ask me. I have been really suprised because I thought that I would be a lot taller than everyone here. Thankfuly that's not the case. I have several Spanish friends that are about my height and I pass people in the street all the time that are fairly tall. As a whole, I am still pretty tall here but it isn't near as bad as I thought it would be and I definately don't stick out like I do when I'm in Mexico.

I've got to hurry up and finish this, (I'm about to go get tapas and coffee), but I'm excited because Saturday I'm going to Madrid!! Yeah for big cities and a Starbucks that I can take a picture in front of (for Lane). I want everyone back home to know that I love all of you and miss you like crazy! Please don't have too much fun until I get back and I'll try to do the same..I can't promise that though..