sweet, sevillan sweat

Yes, it´s finally hot here, although I use the term lightly. I have known much greater heat, and I know that Sevilla has (and will again soon) too. My host family´s house does not have air conditioning -- only open windows and ceiling fans. I´m actually looking forward to it. There´s something adventurous about falling asleep under a thin blanket of sweat with the buzz of insects in your ears. Well, I guess not everyone would think of this with fondness.

Yesterday two flamenco musicians came to do a "demonstration" of sorts, showing us different styles of flamenco and the rythms that make them distinct. I could have listened to them all day. I have never seen someone clap so passionately -- the basic rythms of flamenco are typically held with clapping and foot tapping, although a modern twist on flamenco is the introduction of the cajon from Africa and Latin America. The movement of the guitarist´s fingers was as much as dance as the feet of the dancers, and the percussionist´s hands seemed to know either other´s palms and the surface of the cajon like old friends. i have always admired improv musicians, in large part because i have never been able to become one myself. These guys were incredible. I fully intend to find more live flamenco to enchant me.

My dreams have been disturbing my real life lately. I wake up with the bitter taste of a meaningful dream on my tongue, and the dream continues to play in some distant room of my mind. I dream about people from my past, situations I have imagined before, and strange twists on the people of my present. They make me want to cry, not always because they are sad, but because in a place where everything is strange and new I cannot understand the fleetingness of these dreams that are equally strange. I have also been doing a lot of thinking in my dreams, pondering things that puzzle me during the day. I suppose it´s a convenient use of my time, since thinking can consume so much of it sometimes.

Supongo que debo escribir en español para practicar, pero es muy dificil. No queiro que haya gente que no pueda entender, entonces no voy a escribir cosas muy importantes en español. Es incredible la diferencia entre el español de los EEUU (mexico) y España. Cuando estaba en mexico entendi muchisimo, pero aqui si no pongo mucho atencion yo entiende mucho menor. El ecento es muy rico, y muchas personas comen sus s´s. El "lisp" tambien existe, pero es diferente que pensaba yo. Esta noche voy a un intercambio, donde estudiantes españoles quedan con nosotros para mostrarnos los lugares donde salen los españoles y para que nosotros podemos practicar español y ellos pueden practicar ingles. La ultima vez que teniamos un intercambio, paso muy bien. La comida fue incredible y despues fuimos a un bar para charlar. ¡¡¡Los españoles viven en los barres!!! Toman una cerveza antes de cenar, comen tapas antes del almuerzo, toman un cafe en la mañana y tambien en la tarde. Siempre hay gente en los barres, pero casi nunca hay borrachos, aunque sean americanos. Me choka que la mayoria de los estudiantes de ISA estan aqui porque es legal tomar alcohol. Pues, no es la unica razon, pero toma un gran parte. A mi me gusta tomar un sangria o un tinto de verano o cerveza con limon, pero no hay razon para estar borracha. Ay, dios mio.

Pues, me voy. Espero que entiendan mi español, y ¡¡tambien que me dejen comentarios!!

Ciao,
Catita