Mi vida en Malaga

La Feria de Cordoba….

“There is no better way to get to know the Andalusians than through their many and fascinating feast days”

These words rang true as my friends Camille, Meredith and I spent the day and night in Cordoba at its yearly feria.  ”Feria” is a weeklong celebration that takes place in all Andalusian pueblos and cities throughout different times of the year. Think Indiana state fair + flamenco + traditional Spanish costume and add a dash of class. Armed with Camille’s flamenco skirts and newly purchased flowers for our hair, Spanish shawls fans and large colorful earrings, the three of us paraded around the Cordoba fair with our heads held high. It was truly an amazing experience to witness the feria and be able to dress up in traditional Spanish gear.  We danced in large “casetas”-tents, and Camille showed us up with her Flamenco dance skills. We drank Spanish beer, ate croquetas and had the time of our life.

A throwback to my youth…we used to sing this song in elementary school for our hispanic festivals. Good old Forest Glen Elementary. The video is a little bizarre but brings bak great memories of when I first started falling in love with Spanish.

Claroooo

Torros y Matadores…my third bullfight in Spain

Yesterday, 3/29, there was a huge huelga (strike) all over Spain. Most businesses were closed and citizens and even non-residents marched the streets to protest government labor reforms. Spain has one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union, and some of the employed suffer from poor hours and wages.  Yesterday I went to school in the morning only to find half of the teachers on strike and only about 5 kids per grade level at the school.  Most parents were afraid to walk their children to school because of the strikers that turn to violence on the streets to show their support for change. There was also only one bus running every half an hour as opposed to every 8 minutes as well as hardly any taxis to be seen on the streets of Malaga. Spaniards definitely took the strike seriously. Fortunately there wasn’t as much protest in Malaga as there was in other cities: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17545174