Septiembre

Sorry I skipped a week of blog writing. I know you have been frustrated, lo siento mucho. I started writing last week’s blog and it felt bad. It was not interesting or informative. I tried to work on it, and the next thing I knew I was on to the next week. Don’t threat I will write an extra blog this week on a performance I attend last week at the Teatros del Canal. There are currently a lot of things to write about and to look forward to as September is finally here.

Spain is coming alive before my eyes. I am not sure if you know this, but Spain goes on vacation for the month of August. Madrid particularly empties out, and all the people that are left want to be on vacation too. It’s an interesting cultural aspect of Spanish life, this idea of taking a break. It is so foreign to someone who has been living New York for six years, but Siestas really do happen. People take long breaks for lunch from around 2:30 to 4:30 or 5:00 at least during August. One might think Spaniards work less, but they often pull in forty hour work weeks similar to most American, but they just break up those hours by not working. Would it make life in New York a little easier if you could go home on your lunch break, or even take a nap? I digress but I am jealous because I remeber my TV days when I had fifteen minute lunches. I think things are going to change a little bit now that September is here though. Most people are back, and everything will get started soon. School will begin, the play season will get underway, and those same vacationing Spaniards are going to get back to work. The lunches might get a touch shorter as the city starts to sake off the dog days, and I can’t wait to be apart of it! Labor Day is tomorrow, and with it the end of summer so I will see this city change as the season turns. Sad I know, but fall is undoubtedly my favorite season so goodbye summer sunburns and hello postseason baseball.

I will be living in Madrid and interning in the town of Navalcarnero over the next few months. With September apon us it means that I have been in Spain just over a month. This is great because I have finally started settling in. Now that I have been here a bit I am beginning to discover what I should see and do in the short months that I have left. Over the next month I will attend Spanish langue course (and god I need them) and go to plays and events. I will kill the night with the infamous Madrid nightlife as well as put my nose into some of the great museums in the world. This is me rough planning the second half of my Spanish experience. If you have any input as what I should do, see, or eat write a comment and I will try to work it in unless I think your full of shit.

So here are the next two blogs to look forward to.

Wednesday the 7^th, Flamenco the Spanish dance with Antonio Canales.

Monday the 12^th, Bulls Bulls Bulls They fight bulls on Sunday so you will have to wait.

After that I plan on writing a blog about Spain’s Fascist ruler Franco. I will visit his grave that is just up the highway you can’t miss it. I will be doing a lot of writing on Theatre and Teatro Tyl Tyl. Look at the practical theatrical practices to the cultivation of theatre here in modern Spain. I am lucky because I will be working with theatre professional everyday at my internship. I will be getting their input as I try to answer question like how one becomes a Spanish working actor or what theatrical job opportunities are available in Spain. I will also go to a classical Spanish theatre performance of the Golden Age, and look at some of the greatest Spanish playwrights from Seneca to Lorca. Outside of Theatre I will travel to Andalucia in early October and Head north to the Basque Country (a man has to eat). If I can find the time I might do something very Spanish and leave Spain to go to Italy, France, or England. We will see.

PS

 If some one could mail me the Brockett it would help. Theatre history books in English are hard to come by. I am also sorry, but I missed La Tomatina the tomato-throwing festival in Bunol. There are always reasons to come back to Spain here is a ling to the carnage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeK16h_Ip-U