Reviews

Two months ago I read and later re-skimmed the David Sedaris book "Dress Your Family in Denim and Corduroy." Although the title of the book is not explained (I think the motive behind the title of a book should be apparent by the time it's finished) I thought it was a better book than his more recent "When You Are Engulfed in Flames." In "Flames" he writes stories and reflections from roughly 20 years ago to the present, but he focuses much more on his expatriate present life in France, while in "Family" he writes stories going all the way back to when he was in 6th grade. His stories are more interesting in "Family" since he covers some low points in his life and includes events to describe his family. Sedaris includes blunt references to his former craving for drugs as well as reflections about living in the basement of his parent's house after graduation, his obsessive compulsive daily schedule, encounters with a manipulative 9-year-old ghetto girl and a visit to his trash-diving family-avoidant sister. Best of all, he ends the book drowning a mouse in a bucket in front of his house in France at 3 AM. Sedaris presents people descriptively and objectively, revealing the right edetails, behaviorisms or dialogue so that we may judge and see them the way he does. He referenced a Joni Mitchell album called "Hejira" and the 1999 movie "You Can Count on Me" so I downloaded and rented them.

"Hejira" is an allright CD. I think its tone mirrors the fact that Joni was driving across the United States when she wrote the songs. It's basically repetitive melodies with stream-of-consciousness lyrics and instrumental guitars that make it sound like a collection of acoustic Led Zeppelin songs.

"You Can Count on Me" is an unintentionally funny drama starring Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo. They play siblings who were orphaned when they were young so they really like each other and tell each other everything. Mark Ruffalo is a wandering construction worker with hobo-like habits who is visiting Laura Linney, a banker and single mother. At first Laura Linney is a little pissed off because Mark Ruffalo needs to borrow money from her ("I'll pay you back, man"). Mark Ruffalo becomes friends with Laura Linney's son (played by Rory Culkin, who is poker-faced and resembles MacCaulay Culkin). The funny thing about this relationship is that Mark Ruffalo talks to Rory Culkin as if he were a grown up guy and expects him to act like one. Most of the movie consists of shots of Mark Ruffalo sitting in Laura Linney's house and watching TV while profound cello music plays in the background. This movie doesn't have much of a message except that nonconformists want to have a positive impact on the people in their lives and that they are misunderstood by society. There isn't much substance to make a conclusion about the impact of Mark Ruffalo's visit on Laura Linney's life. Still, the style, acting, characters and storytelling make up for these flaws.

Interior design, landscapes and built environments

The interior design of houses and apartments here is frankly not very good and lacking in variety. The Texan language assistant agrees and said that he would never live in a Spanish apartment building because they are sterile. A typical front door has a key hole and a very low door handles that reach just above my knees. They are supposed to look like wood but look faker than the wood trim you would find in luxury cars. For furniture and decoration they might put up a family portrait or a miniature grandfather clock but nothing that feels very welcoming, like carpets and paintings. The floors are never carpet or woodpanel, just plain white tiles or gray cold marble tiles with patterned jagged dull-colored shapes. These tiles are used all over the convent, making it uncomfortable to walk around the convent without shoes or slippers. For lighting they use fluorescent lights and overhead lights embedded in the ceiling, things I consider "hard lighting." I would rate the interior design of houses and apartments on the same level as Taiwan's, where it is very similar. These two countries also share a similar nature in economic growth, with both countries developing rapidly from an agrarian model since the 70s, and they also share a very similar GDP per capita along with Israel and South Korea. Fast economic growth = middle class societies living in uniform housing with little aesthetic value?

Perhaps the nature of interior design can be explained by cultural values and lifestyle. Bars and restaurants and cafe-bars are a major fixture of any city here, each one receiving a decent number of customers every day and hour. The Texan language assistant observed that people do not really stress out over their profession/career, that people visit bars and restaurants at all times of the day, and that many more children and old people visit these cafe-bars than in the United States (here even babies in strollers are allowed in bars). When the pedestrian nature of retail areas coincides with the cultural tendency to spent time exploring streets and places to drink and eat, less value is placed upon home decoration, home maintenance and home improvement. As a consequence of the differences in physical environment and lifestyle between the United States and Spain, this city of 25,000 surpasses Riverside, a city of 300,000, in terms of the number of entertainment venues for the public. I counted five places that were playing music at 200AM on Sunday (Saturday night for those who don't like to think technically), and there were maybe three times as many bars open. In the United States there are only a few cities (New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta) that are known for having this sort of night culture. Instead, in mid-size cities like Riverside the people actually prefer privatized house parties or get-togethers over the weekends, depicting how the American ideals of privacy and personal control of one's life reign supreme over communal entertainment venues and public spaces.

The natural environment here is not too different from what one finds in California. My autonomous community, Castilla-La Mancha, is about a fifth the size of California and has grapes, wheat, cows and cattle. The towns are linked by highways and railways. When on highways I see large white mechanical wind turbines, vineyards (bodegas) and warehouses (almacenes) with numerous booths where cargo trucks can load and unload their stuff. So the landscape of my region is a cross between Ontario, Palm Springs, and the Central Valley, except the weather is colder and windier.

Silly Slumdog

I was watching "The Pursuit of Happyness" on TV this one night a month ago and I concluded that it's a lot like "Slumdog Millionaire" and underappreciated. Basically, Will Smith is stuck with a job where he has to sell these X-ray machines, and it used to be a good job, because he used to sell a lot of them and make a decent living, but now due to advances in technology no one wants to buy them. In the film Will Smith's dilemnas include keeping his son's hopes up, having his X-ray machines stolen, being evicted, having his wife leave him and trying to be the best internship worker in a life insurance company.

In "Slumdog Millionaire," on the other hand, the dilemna of Jamal is answering questions correctly in hopes of winning a lot of money or getting the girl. In fact, the film doesn't really explain in much detail how Jamalgets on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" or his hopes and motives for going on the show. He does face dilemnas but they take place in the past, rendering them less emotionally effective. Most of all, you totally know exactly how the movie will end, while in "The Pursuit of Happyness" the ending is less predictable and Will Smith still has issues he needs to resolve.

Spain versus Mexico

The things here that remind me of Mexican and Latin American culture are food and music. On the radio they might play Maná and Julieta Venegas, and in restaurants and cafes they might play salsa and tango. The pop music is similar enough to Mexican pop music such as Superestrella 107.1 that I can't tell it's Spanish music unless I hear the "theta" sounds. The music is also less tied to culture while being more modernized. In Mexican music they still use accordions and trumpets but here it's all digital sounds, drums and electric guitar. I asked people what kinds of traditional music exist in Spain and all they could think of was flamenco. In modern music the famous bands and singers are El Canto del Loco, Pereza and David Bisbal, who are unknown in the United States. In all, I believe Mexican and Latin American music has the edge over Spanish music. Food time.

Albóndigas=soft meatballs in a meatball broth. Really good and extremely reminiscent of those Chinese meatballs called "lion's head" (I think I'm doomed to compare everything with Chinese culture). I've seen them in Mexican restaurant menus but never had any. I blame the pricing and size of burritos. Winner inconclusive.

Empanadas= Crusty and ridged crust, like that of samosas or Hot Pockets® (lol) stuffed with tomato sauce, onions and oil. They're okay. The Mexican version is one of those tortilla-type foods, and I'm not sure if they have a similar version. Tie.

Tacos= I found out this word actually means "plug" or "wedge" or "shredded." This usually applies to octopus, for example "tacos de pulpo." Mexico wins.

Tortilla= Omelot with thin slices of onions and potatoes, coming in the shape of a small steering wheel. These are ingenious because they're pure energy and make you feel "breakfasty," without all the vegetable oil and sausages. The dining halls at UCSD do a similar omelot but the potatoes are not well-integrated with the egg because they use hash browns and just throw them in when the omelot's almost ready. The Mexican version is allright, but can't really be eaten by itself. Spain wins.

Chicarrones= Fried pork skins. In Spain they're called tocinos or torreznos, but they leave out the chewy fleshy part and seasoning. Mexico wins.

Orxata= A Valencian (language similar to Catalan) word for a drink that Mexicans spell as Horchata. The Spanish version is light brown, not white, not as sweet, yet lacking in cinnamon flavor. It's more subtle and probably better for your health. Spain wins, though Tamarindo would win against the orxata.

The People

The nuns are becoming quite predictable. There's the one who's dressed in an authentic nun suit with thick glasses; she tends to be concerned about laundry. "Remember to put two cups of detergent! Don't forget the softener. The softener! You know?" Two days ago I did my laundry but I didn't want to hang it up on the lines or leave it in the machine, so I put it in a big plastic bucket and took it with me downstairs. When I was coming up the stairs the next morning she saw me and started talking about detergent and softener. I told her it was already washed, but she said mumbled something like "It's already washed? But it needs detergent!" So she followed me up three flights of stairs to say "Give me that," and I couldn't so no to a nun. She put the clothes in the washing machine and showed me the proper settings and started the machine. At least now I know the proper settings. Then there's the one that serves the food. She says "Que te proveche! (bon appetit)" and "Did you just wake up and NOW you're eating breakfast?" (accompanied by an incredulous and amused look)" since I usually first eat at 1100-1150 am. Most predictable is Sor Carmen, who tries to talk to me the most. She likes to ask "How was your afternoon? And your classes? Are your students learning a lot?" She says things like "Here you have the bread. And here you have the soup. Take more if you want." Then she hangs around for a minute watching you eat before saying "Bueno....." and walking away. I've started boiling water in the microwave in the mornings to make tea. She has said multiple times "Those herbs are for losing weight? Because you're eating less" though I tell her no.

The teachers are definitely more interesting than the nuns. Asuncion has a very teacher-like personality, with her teacher wool sweaters and consistent eager disposition toward students that often results in long commentaries complete with corny gestures when responding to students. She tends to gravitate discussion toward the effect that mealtimes can have on our health, food comas, and ethnic foods. I have her class once a week, and on two occasions she made the topic of discussion food related and ignored the textbook. The next week she had us play a crossword game where we had to give clues to complete the crossword, but last week we talked about a student's visit to Poland and then she brought up food portions and food times and their effect on digestion.

Adriana is actually the youngest-looking teacher. She has colorful outfits, curly hair with bleached streaks and a wider face. She likes to have half of her students talk to me while she teaches the other half so her classes are more complicated than the other teachers'. Her students are closest in age to me.

Pablo is big boned and bald. He made me guess his age and I said 50 but he said he's really 41. He is intense, serious, and his classes are strictly by the book and methodical. He likes to pick on a person randomly and ask a question related to the page we are covering and then move on to a different person, giving his classes a jerky and disciplined feel.

Hilario is an older, mostly bald guy who uses very teacher-like language: "That's right...very good....OK kids, today our friend Oliver will...." Every so often he tends to talk out of the right side of his mouth as if he were a stand-up comedian. Hilario's clothing is either bright clothing that would glow under a black light or shirts tht people buy as travel souvenirs that range from Rajasthan to Los Angeles, Harlem, Jamaica and New Orleans. He tends to announce in Spanish "I'm going outside to smoke" and then return smelling very smoky. All in all he reminds me of a cross between Robin Williams and Dennis Hopper.

Anne is Scottish and it's often pointed out by students and the other teachers tht she can pronounce "R's" that occur in the middle or end of a word. Her defining habit is finding something to gripe about, such as students coming late or not understanding the lesson and complaining about it in a way that doesn't sound overly bitter or annoying. She's lived in Spain for over 20 years and is fluent in Spanish, but her Spanish sounds very peculiar because it preserves the Scottish intonation pattern where the second to last syllable dips in tone. She's more interested in my weekends and my life than other teachers.

Last of all is Juan. When I first got to Almansa he would take me on walking tours and do stuff with me over the weekends. Although he is 45 he looks 10 years younger, probably because he's ridiculously hip. His British accent is more posh-sounding and more developed than the other teachers and he frequently asks me if the certain phrasing of a spoken sentence of British English is the same in America. He is ridiculously hip because he wears flannel button-up shirts over T shirts, short sleeved shirts over long sleeve shirts, mentions flower power, free speech, The Flaming Lips, Wilco and the White Stripes, and the last three times I saw him at the library he was watching The Colbert Report. I don't have classes with him this semester.

Encounters with Chinese stuff

1. First of all, when I was in Madrid with The Mom and her Sister, we went to the Royal Palace and there was a room decorated with in Chinese style, with people in robes posing near plum trees, pagodas and such, and it was obvious that the decoration and artists were European and trying to imitate Chinese art. There was another room which had Chinese tapestries and the placard said they came from China as gifts.
2. I get a couple of ¨Ni hao"´s every week. They tend to come from guys who are walking in groups and younger than university age. I found that if I make the slightest eye contact with them as I walk in streets there´s an approximate 75% chance at least one of them will say it. On the other hand, it´s good to see that Spaniards are culturally appreciative.
3. Then there are the convenience corner shops that are scattered every 10 blocks or so in Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo, Valencia and Segovia. They are almost uniform in appearance; cold fluorescent lights, Chinese pop songs, a lack of ads telling you of discounts, Chinese lanterns and calendars, and the general impression that they just took a bunch of kiosk items like canned food, magazines, drinks and snacks, and brought in some shelves on which to place the items to create a corner shop. In smaller cities you can find a couple of these Chinese corner shops as well as places called "Bazar Oriental" or "Bazar Chino" that are just as minimalist in decoration and sell cheap decor, clothes and electronics. Additionally, of course, are the takeout stores which I'm told specialize in sweet and sour sauces and spring rolls. There is no escape. In Almansa and other cities these places tend to be family-owned, and in some they speak to each other in a dialect that isn't Mandarin or the other three dialects that I can identify by the way they sound: it might be Shanghainese. In Segovia The Mom asked the Chinese corner shop cashier why there were so many Chinese corner shops and if the shopowners of a store tended to be relatives of another store, but the cashier didn't know anything about it.
4. Dia de los Difuntos is similar to both Dia de los Muertos and a Chinese festival that takes place in April. In both Dia de los Difuntos and the Chinese festival you're supposed to visit graves of your relatives and clean them, but the Chinese festival also recommends that you place food and chopsticks on the grave.
5. The Spanish churro tastes almost exactly like the Chinese churro because it is crispier and doesn't include cinnamon and sugar. Both have a crispy outer surface, lots of hollow spaces inside and a doughy flavor. I also had pig ears: the Spanish version is pan fried briefly in an orange oil, while the Chinese version is cold and served with sesame oil.
6. People like to bring up the subject of how China is affecting the local shoemaking industry. On the one hand, China is buying more Spanish shoes and on the other hand Spanish factories are operating in China because of their lower wages. There's this Colombian immigrant Adriana in an advanced English class who says that Almansa probably has 1,000 immigrants out of the total population of 25,000 and that a lot of them are Colombian, Ecuadorian and Chinese. She also said that there are undocumented Chinese people who live in the shoe factories who have to endure tough working conditions and demanding bosses who would send them back to China if they don't comply and such.

Es muy difícil entender la lengua española. específicamente si la frase contiene las palabras relacionadas con el verbo "haber" porque no son destacadas cuande se pronuncian. Creo que el español se pronuncia más rápido que el inglés y el inglés se pronuncia más rápido que el chino mandarín. No me gusta decir las frases en que la letra final es la misma que la letra primera de la siguiente palabra porque es difícil de decirlas y entenderlas. Una vez todos los ayudantes como yo fueron a un curso para orientación y yo pregunté una latina de Norwalk sobre las diferencias entre el español de España y el español de México. ella me dijo que hay diferencias entre la pronunciación de "j," "z," y "c" y diferencias en vocabulario, pero no hay mucha diferencia en intonación u otras modas de hablar. Para mí, si alguien habla una frase que no tiene las letras "j," "z," y "c" no podría saber si esta persona es de España o México.

Una vez yo pedí un jugo de durazno pero el camerero no me entendió y el profesor de inglés Pablo me corregió, diciendo que yo quisiera un zumo de melocotón.

Este mes estoy probando la pronunciación española. Tengo una teoria que puede explicar las diferencias de pronunciación entre la America Latina y España. Pienso que puesto que la letra "y" quiere decir "i griega," y vino de Grecia, la letra "z" es Θ (Theta), y no se debe pronunciar como "zeta."