On the eve of Saint John’s feast day, many Spaniards have fiestas, celebrating this saint with firecrackers, fireworks, a special type of cake (Coca de Sant Joan), and more. Even though many Spaniards have stopped practicing their religion, this tradition has been held sacred throughout the country. It is pretty common for families in every city to gather together in the town squares and eat, walk around and talk to friends, and light off fireworks. However, each city has its own unique way to celebrate this day. In Reus, Catalonia (the city in which I have been staying), the city sponsors a five day festival. This year, Saint John’s feast day was on a Friday, so the festival started on Wednesday night and finished on Sunday. At night, starting at around midnight, bands and DJs are stationed at four different stages and play until the morning. Stands selling food and drinks separate the music stages. And people walk from stage to stage, listening to the music and choosing which friends they want to stay and dance with. This week, I celebrated the eve of Saint John’s feast day with my host family and their friends at their restaurant in the city of Salou. The restaurant is located right next to the beach, with a patio facing the Mediterranean sea with a view of part of Salou’s curved coast. When it began to get dark, people started to light off fireworks. At around 10:30, we ate dinner on the patio with the view of the enchanting ocean and the fireworks. After dinner, the children of the family walked out onto the sidewalk to light fireworks, and we all watched as they added their fireworks to those of the rest of Salou’s. On Saturday, I celebrated the feast of Saint John again, but this time I celebrated it with friends in the city of Reus. At around 10 at night, we walked around outside at one of the plazas downtown and sat down at a bar. Later, we ate dinner at one of the friend’s apartment flats near town. At 12:30, we left the apartment for the festival. At this time, I was already tired because I am accustomed to going to bed at a decently early time. But it was definitely not too late for others. I was far from the youngest person there. There were people of all ages at the festival, including kids in middle school up until adults in their fifties or sixties. I was surprised that there would be that many young people at a festival, but, being that Reus is pretty small, the atmosphere at this one was familiar – people were constantly shouting across the field, greeting old classmates and friends. Once I started listening to the bands with so many of the other young people of the town, the energy at the festival refueled me and I was able to stay awake dancing with new friends until early morning. At the festival, two acts stood out to me. The first was a drums group made up of people with all different ages that played a couple songs unique to Reus and Catalonia. This group was really fun to watch because all of the people in it seemed really passionate about their songs and city, and also really seemed to enjoy playing for everybody. But they were also really fun to hear – the drums were really energizing and upbeat. The performers danced to their own music, and fed energy to a crowd equally excited to hear their music. The second act which stood out to me was a band which mixed traditional Spanish dance music with more modern sounds and beats. In many of their songs, they started off with a Spanish dance beat, and then blended in a dubstep/trap electronic beat. They successfully integrated the traditional music with the new electronic music, without taking away the value of either. So far in Spain, I have learned many things about cultures, people, myself, and life in general. One of the things which has helped me learn this much so far is experience. Through experience, I have met really neat people who have been open to share their lives and traditions with me. Even though I have made some mistakes in Spain (waiting for the bus in a more dangerous part of my town, initially not understanding the Spanish way of greeting people, or directly translating specific words from Spanish to English), it has been through these mistakes that I have been able to learn.
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While travelling in Spain and the Czech Republic this summer, I have noticed language’s important role in everyday situations. As an agent for communication, language helps shape other’s opinions of us. When I have talked to people in these countries, language almost immediately indicates that I am a foreigner because of my strong accent. Usually I get asked many questions after people find out I am an American, especially one from California. But, once I get passed that point, and perseveringly persuade people from these countries to speak their language with me, they start to focus much more on my words than on my background. Thus, it becomes increasingly important that I represent my arguments in a grammatically correct way, otherwise my representation of my argument will reflect onto the argument itself. For instance, when I seem to struggle to talk about something merely because I might not know the verb form structure, which tense to use, or the vocabulary, it is quite normal for the listener to subconsciously think that I may not understand or know what I want to say, and jump to the conclusion that I am not too intelligent. But people from other countries are not the only ones who do this. I do this all of the time. I focus on the way people say things, and the way people write, as a way to judge the validity of their arguments. If people present something in a grammatically incorrect way, it seems quite safe to assume that that person did not receive a great education and does not know how to use their language correctly. Then, that inference can be made onto their argument as well. If they had not been educated well enough to shape their sentences correctly, could their thoughts and logic processes be incomplete as well? Perhaps. In Saint Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine writes that the Truth does not lose its validity based off of its presentation. Even if it is presented poorly, in essence, it still is the same. But people can more easily ignore its importance if it is disguised as something unintelligent. Thus, those who really seek to know the Truth will look past the presentation because they believe that Truth transcends its presentation in human form. Thus, for messengers of Truth to educate those around them, it is important, and even necessary, to spend time in its presentation so as to convince the listener, or reader, that what they are saying has importance and implications. When I have struggled with presenting my political ideas and arguments in different countries, it has been easier for my companions to dismiss my reasoning because it didn’t sound smart or convincing. To them, I sounded like a child, thus they associated my ideas as those that a child would have. Winning these arguments has been difficult, and gaining enough courage to start one even more. Thus, it has become my responsibility, as a person seeking for Truth, to try to be an intelligent representative so as to be heard and received well.
Meet Yaya, my new “adopted” grandmother. Yaya and I have shared many afternoons together, cooking, taking care of the hens, and talking. I have learned much about her incredible life, and have felt inspired to share her story. Yaya grew up during an extremely difficult time in Spain. She was born during the Spanish Civil war, and lived throughout the Franco's Nationalistic dictatorship. In her early childhood, when Yaya was just six years old, her mother passed away from an illness. Then, when Yaya was eight, her father was killed because he opposed Franco. With both parents dead, Yaya had to rely on her two older siblings for food and protection. While her older two siblings went to work during the day, Yaya stayed home with her dog and worked in their garden. Every morning, Yaya would help make breakfast for her siblings. And every night, Yaya would have a meal prepared from the vegetables in the garden. From not much food, she was able to sustain her older siblings and herself. When Yaya was 11, she studied at a school nearby for one year. However, realizing that her work was needed in the house, she decided to sacrifice her schooling for her family. Her older sister, instead, taught Yaya. From a very young age, Yaya realized that her self-sacrifice was a gift of Love that she was able to perform no matter what. When Yaya was in her early twenties, she married another young man from her village. They had grown up together as friends, and both knew what sacrifice and Love meant. Both understood that these were needed for the success of a family. A few years after getting married, with two children and pregnant with the third, the couple moved to Barcelona to look for better jobs. Yaya and her husband wanted their children to have better lives, and better educations, and knew that it would be easier to find better sustaining jobs in the city. While in Barcelona, Yaya worked for three households. At six every morning, Yaya would wake up, make breakfast, and help the two oldest children get ready for school. At seven, she would take her youngest with her out to the first house to clean and cook breakfast. After spending a couple of hours at the first house, she would move on to the next house, cleaning and cooking meals for the rest of the day. When I questioned her about the families she worked for, she said that they were very kind. She would often sit with them to eat meals, and she did not feel disrespected at all. These families greatly appreciated her hard work, and honored her as a part of their households. Once the children grew up and became independent, Yaya maintained an active lifestyle full of hard work. She and her husband moved to Reus, where she started raising hens and gardening. She kept up the same work hours as before, waking up at six and starting work bright and early. Whenever her children needed her help with anything, she was ready and willing to show her love and sacrifice her time for them. A year ago, she lost her husband to cancer. Leading up to his death, she took great care of him, sacrificing many of her hours to help him. Once he passed away, it became very hard for her to live alone. However, Yaya decided to spend her time helping her children instead of feeling sorry for herself. Now, she still gets up at six every day, ready for her work. She has two properties where she raises hens, and she helps out with the cooking (lucky me) for one of her sons’ family. When I asked her why she still gets up so early, she said “To work! Clearly,” surprised that I would even ask her that. It has been this attitude which has helped her do so many things. Yaya’s persistent, self-sacrificing, and optimistic attitude has enabled her to work extremely hard and to never ever give up. She rejoices in the challenges of each day because she is strong. Despite her many years of work, she has never lost her sense of humor. A couple of days ago while we were drinking tea and eating a rice dessert (arroz con leche), she was so involved in her story that she plopped a spoonful of rice in her tea instead of on her plate! It was hilarious, and we both died from laughter. After we calmed down a little bit, she just stirred up her tea and drank it anyways. Nothing seems to slow her down. While recounting her childhood, she still has haunting memories. “It was really hard,” she told me, with tears in her eyes. At such a young age, Yaya had to grow up and do what not many of us could ever fathom doing. She lost both of her parents and had to take over many of their responsibilities for her older siblings. But, even through all of her hardships, Yaya has maintained a positive attitude. By first encounter, you would have never been able to guess her history, despite the fact that she saves and uses everything. A child at heart, she welcomes all around her with Love. Whenever I see here, she brightens up, smiles, and proceeds to tell me about her day. I have cherished her stories, and honor her as a model of hard work. “The two things Spain has to offer are the literature and the food,” an older man told me in his strong, Spanish accent. I have yet to read enough Spanish literature to comment on its worth, but Spain certainly has much to offer with its food. In Spain, or at least in Catalonia, people highly value bread and olive oil. In working as an Au pair for a family, I have had to prepare the children’s snack every morning. Each day, the host mom tells me to make the same snack for her children: a baguette with olive oil and sausage sandwich meat. Every afternoon, on the way home from school, the mom buys two fresh baguettes on the way home.
Instead of salad dressing, Spaniards eat their salads with olive oil, salt, and on occasion, vinegar. Whereas many Americans eat bread and butter for breakfast, my family does not even buy butter. Instead, my family eats bread with a chocolate spread similar to Nutella for breakfast. And, instead of using butter on bread for little sandwiches, called tapas, my family uses olive oil. A very common tapa which my family eats is a baguette with thinly sliced tomatoes, olive oil, and smoked ham. My host mom, Maria, owns a restaurant in the neighboring town, Salou. Many days while the children are at school, I accompany her to the restaurant and spend my time either reading at the restaurant, or walking around the town. At lunch, the cooks prepare me a free meal. So far, I have eaten many dishes with rice, pasta, and salad. Recently, however, the cooks treated me to Paella – a well-known Spanish dish which includes rice and a mix of seafood. So far, my food adventure in Spain has been great, although it has definitely come with a cost. Hopefully all of the bread, oil, and sugar will not add up to too much after my summer stay in Spain. But, Spain has more to offer than just literature and food. From my first two weeks in Reus, I have discovered the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea, the tranquility in enjoying long meals, and the beauty in older buildings. I can use the bus system to get anywhere I want in town, and I have spent some of my days leisurely walking through the plazas downtown, window shopping and enjoying a tourist’s perspective of the old town. I have become enchanted with the sight of old church steeples in the background of a plaza filled with bakeries and cafes. And, I am not the only one. Many people come to the plaza to drink coffee and eat lunch, enjoying the company of friends during a long break from work. Many of the clothing stores close during the middle of the day, from around 1-5pm, so that the employees can also enjoy a longer lunch. The only thing which makes it difficult for me to fully enjoy Reus is the discrimination of some people against any outsiders. Right now, Spain is suffering from the illegal immigration of mostly Moroccans and South Americans. Many of these people who enter illegally into Spain do not pay their share in the 30% tax rate, but have the ability to benefit from medical attention during emergencies. For this or other reasons, many Spaniards do not like outsiders. As a tall, blonde, American girl who speaks a highly accented Spanish, I have found it difficult to talk to some people. Some people immediately think I am not smart, or that I cannot understand what they are saying, just because of the way I look or dress. But there have also been people who have shown great kindness to me. My host family, for example, has made me feel as though I am a part of the family, opening me up to extended family and friends. In addition, at the gym, I have found basketball players to train with, and also to hang out with outside of practice. Hopefully by practicing my Spanish even more, I will be able to assimilate more in the culture and have more people open up their stories to me. This past Monday afternoon, after travelling for fifteen straight hours, I landed in Barcelona. My host family met me at the airport and drove me to their house in Reus. When I arrived at their house, I was greeted by both of the grandmothers, many animals, and a very Spanish meal. The grandmothers were very kind to me, and made sure I ate as much and even more than I could handle. After I ate with the family, we all stayed seated around the table, enjoying the sobremesa, talking for a while more.
I expected that I would be submerged in the Spanish language and culture, that I would see many old, antique buildings, and that I would come back to the states with bronze skin and a broadened food palate. What I did not expect from my trip was to become fascinated with the political situations in Spain with an aftermath of Franco’s dictatorship and the present efforts of some Catalonians to separate from Spain. So far, I have not had to do much as an Au pair. I have had to help out in the mornings and at night when they come home from school, but I have had free time in between. Maria Gonzalez, their mom, owns a seasonal restaurant which I have been staying at during the day. At the restaurant, and in the car rides, Maria has explained to me the political situation in Spain. She explained to me that there are some people in Spain who believe that since there are differences in language between regions in Spain, these regions, specifically Catalonia, should separate from Spain. If Catalonia separates from Spain and becomes its own country, Catalonia would have to start over as a new country. Catalonia would have to apply for entrance into the European Union, chose and manage a form of money, and control imports and exports, among other things. Although Catalonians would not have to pay taxes to upkeep other regions, they would still have to pay taxes to Catalonia for their new country. Because a significant amount of people have voiced this opinion, people in Catalonia have been insecure in their future prosperity. People do not want to make big purchases in Catalonia because they do not know if their purchase will be honored by a new government. Married couples from different regions do not know if their spouses will have to apply for citizenship to stay in their country. Businesses and industries who have their bases in the Catalonia region, such as a Coca-Cola factory, have moved to other areas in Spain to avoid any future trouble. This demonstrates even more difficulties for Catalonia’s separation. Catalonia is already experiencing the affects which would result from their separation from Spain. This apprehension and insecurity in the future of the country is a result of a form of Nationalism. Some people ignore the history of Spain as a country and believe that just because certain people in a region have different beliefs or a different culture than people in a different region, they should not be united as a country. They view diversity in these cultures as a bad thing, and they praise unity through an altogether impossible practice of a same exact culture. In addition, they fail to recognize the almost impossibility in creating a successful new country with a booming economy. The only thing which matters is the sentimentality in forming a new country with the same culture. This form of nationalism is dangerous because it fails to recognize the upcoming problems, and the importance of diversity in society for its functioning. For Catalonia to function, they need people who are diverse and can do many different things. For the whole country to function properly, people need to perform their respective roles. Catalonia, with its own unique language, is still very Spanish. Everybody in Catalonia learns Spanish along with Catalan in school, Catalonians pay taxes to Spain, and Catalonia shares the traditions and history with the other regions in Spain. For the past couple of days, I have seen and experienced many things. I have been living with the sisters of Idente Missionaries in New York City. I arrived late Thursday evening, and have spent these past couple of days adventuring around New York. On Friday, I took the subway with two sisters from Ecuador, Annita and Vivianna. We toured St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan, and walked to Times Square and the Empire State Building.
Through observing so many different people – people of different ethnicities, blue and white collar workers, men and women – I realized a commonality in so many people. At the airport and on the plane, so many people zoned out of reality with their music and their phones. Walking around with my two large suitcases, duffel bag, and backpack became extremely difficult because I had to avoid so many people blind to my existence. On the plane, many people ignored the stewardesses and only paid attention to their own phones. This fascination with electronics has seemed to detach people from the present reality. Hearing and seeing are two functions which aid in human communication. These two functions help people connect to their surroundings by establishing a platform for understanding their environment. By eliminating the attention placed on the sights and sounds of the environment, one may not only lose a sense of their surroundings, but also one may lose interest in participating in their surroundings. Instead of being attentive to the present situation, people are drawn by a desire to know about other realities. Through separating the sense of sight and hearing from reality, people detach themselves partially from society. In a society, it is important that people both contribute and participate in the environment. To better assess situations, and better enjoy them, one should participate in the sights and sounds, along with the smells, touches, and tastes. These senses not only help people better understand surroundings, but also establish platforms for communicating knowledge to others. While technology has been extremely beneficial in keeping families together when others travel, such as my case, it can be harmful when used to an extreme. It is good, therefore, to be aware of one’s use of technology so as not to become dependent on this second reality rather than inattentive in the first. There really is no need to be stressed out right now. Whether you’re a teacher, student, or parent, everything will be ok. The coming warmth of spring, and the shining sun, have already suggested to us that summer is coming. No matter what, we will make it.
There is no sense in worrying over something. It’s good to realize what we should prioritize, and what needs attention. But worrying over something which we know we’ll end up studying, or accomplishing, can become a distraction to our tasks. Now, since we have addressed our stress levels, let’s focus in on what we need to accomplish this week. Or, if this week is packed, let’s focus on each day as it comes. Some people at my school have exams scheduled back to back – from having two or three exams a day, to having exams every day of this coming week. The best way to attack this situation is to first prioritize what you need to study, then make a schedule including times you’ll spend on each subject, or chapters from each subject. This way, you will know exactly how much time you can sacrifice for a break, and how much time you should dedicate to each subject. Also, if you end up studying along with your schedule, you will go into the exam confident, knowing you did all that you could do to prepare for that exam. For teachers who have to grade an insane amount of papers, or for parents who are just trying to get your kids to all of their activities on time, there’s no need to worry. Showing your concern for your students through being worried about these things already demonstrates your commitment to your students and kids, and is a sign of your dedication to their success. After acknowledging this truth, let’s now take time to make a to-do list, or a schedule, with what you need to accomplish each day/week. Keep in mind that you might not get to every single thing you have planned, but creating a schedule will give you the ease of mind you’ll need in facing an oncoming conflict. For those of you who have upcoming tests, busy weeks, or seemingly too many papers to grade, good luck! But also, good job! The fact that you’re giving thought to these things already shows your dedication to your studies, students, or family. Dark clouds loom over me. Birds sing out warnings of the upcoming storm. But I still sit here, on this park bench, enjoying life at present. As the first drop hits my head, I wonder if there will be more, although I already know the answer. Yet, I let myself believe there is one small chance the clouds will pass me by. Maybe they will postpone their attack until tomorrow. I do not have to worry about them today. And then it comes. Drip, Drop, Drip. Patter, pitter, patter. Draaahhp. Crash. Swoooshhh.
This analogy of the upcoming due dates with papers, exams, and orals accurately describes many procrastinators’ outlooks on assignments. Throughout my education experience, I have found that as the semesters end, it becomes increasingly harder for me to motivate myself and embrace the reality in the “storm.” But, it is altogether so important that I do. Most of the assignments due at the end of the semester, along with exams, will end up determining the work I have put in throughout the semester. During this crunch time, it takes every last thing within us to push through, fight through that fourth quarter, and finish strong. When we do not prepare ourselves for upcoming storms, we often sell ourselves short. Once the storm hits, we are left to soak outside with no means to protect ourselves. Instead, we should be conscious of what is to come, and adequately prepare ourselves for the storm. Write papers ahead of time. Take time away from social events and study for the coming exams. What you put in, you will most likely get out. Or, at least, you can rest easy knowing you did all you could. For some, this advice may seem too late. But, much like a child who learns through getting wet in the rain, we are all human and will take this experience and learn for the next end of a semester, or fourth quarter, or business due date. Throughout high school, I shared my room with my siblings. While it was a great experience to talk when we went to bed at the same time, we hardly had the same sleep schedules. On the weekends, we stayed up getting to know each other, but during the week, I went to bed much later. College thus far has been a different case.
Having a roommate in college has been a central part to my college experience. Because we have had generally the same sleep schedules, I have been able to get really close to both my roommates from freshman and sophomore year. My freshman year, I had a roommate who also played sports. She was on the softball team, while I was on the basketball team. Although she was from a completely different part of the country, New York, we both got along well. The key to our relationship was talking at night about what we did that day, and what we had learned. Being athletes, both of us were extremely busy during the day with practices and schoolwork. Seeing each other on campus hardly ever happened, unless our practice times overlapped and we saw each other in the training room, or at meals in the mess hall. But at night, we were able to learn about each other’s personalities, and also give advice to each other. Now, during my sophomore year, I have a fellow RA as a roommate. She is also from a different part of the world than me, Bulgaria. However, her cultural differences have been interesting to discover in our talks at night. As a junior Bio major, who also works more than 10 hours a week, Bilyana is constantly busy during the day. I also hardly ever see her on campus, save for some planned dinners. But through our night talks, we have bonded much this year. In both cases with my roommates, talking at night has been our bonding moments. I think this is a similar experience with many other college students. You don’t always get paired with a similar person, but throughout the semester, if you are willing to talk and get to know each other, your commonality in struggling through school will bring you two together. My advice for someone anxious to share a room in college? Be tolerant. But also, be yourself. Try to understand your roommate’s habits, and be ready to share part of your life with them. I have been so happy with the atmosphere created in my room. It’s always nice to know you can come back to your room and trust your roommates with your stories. |
Jessica De GreeJessica teaches 5th grade English and History as well as 11th grade Spanish III at a Great Hearts Academy in Glendale, AZ. In addition to teaching, she coaches JV girls basketball and is a writing tutor for The Classical Historian Online Academy. Jessica recently played basketball professionally in Tarragona, Spain, where she taught English ESL and tutored Classical Historian writing students. In 2018, she received her Bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from Hillsdale College, MI. Archives
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