The days have been slipping by in the gentlest, most benign way -- like leaves sliding quietly down a street before a warm breeze. I had no idea five days had gone by since the last entry here. Until I finally realized that five days had gone by since the last entry here. Five days that felt like no time at all.
The weekend: tranquil, quiet, spiked by bouts of computer goofiness that needed tending to on Friday and Saturday. The difference in the nighttime noise levels here compared to normal, nonholiday weeks turned out to be impressive, what with much of the local world on vacation, off partying in other locales.
Rain came and went, at times disrupting Easter observances. Wednesday evening's processions in Sevilla, the capital of Spain's Easter week activity, were canceled due to gathering heavy weather -- that evening's news programs showed many clips of devout Sevillanos in tears at the news. The next day's processions went on as planned, however, with plenty of television coverage. And I have to say, after having seen some of the processions in Granada three Easters back, the TV version doesn't even begin to get across the power of the event. (I say this as one not involved in any religion, simply appreciating the energy and intensity. Not to mention the music -- dramatic, heartfelt, overflowing with emotion.)
The media also devoted major blocks of time to coverage of the exodus of traffic out of Madrid on Wednesday and Thursday, then the return on Sunday night, along with ongoing tallies of the highway death toll and comparisons with previous years. Strangely morbid.
And then it was suddenly Monday, the local world seemed to jerk out of slow motion back into real time.
My life is becoming progressively more focused on the DELE language exam in mid-May, each day more oriented around prep. work for that. Classes have gone from 1-1/2 hours a day to 3 hours, with an increase in homework and studies. In addition to which, I'm spending more time with Spanish folks, trying to massage my Castellano into something approximating, er, Castellano.
I'll be curious to see how the coming weeks go.
Updates will follow.
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Two more reasons to shop in Madrid: bras, 2€; thongs, 50 cents!
(Not that I'm into such undergarments myself, mind you. Harrumph.)
Madrid, te quiero.
rws 11:05 AM [+]
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