(Originally written Wednesday, September 5, 2007)
Hola a todos!

Spain does not slow down! The quality of life is important here, so Spaniards
have to work just as hard as Germans and the English, but they also go out at
night and have less time to sleep. The earliest I've gone to bed since I've
gotten here is 1:30am, and that is early for some people. Unfortunately, the
siesta is a tradition sliding into myth. Only the American students take
siestas. The Spaniards can sometimes take one on a Saturday afternoon, but
that's about it.

Now to tell you about other Spanish Traditions. Let's start with the Catholic
Church. 90% of Spaniards are Catholic and the majority of their kids go through
Catechism until their first Communion. After that, they basically drop out of
the Church. Only the most devout go to Church every Sunday, about 30% of
Spaniards. The churches are so beautiful here I wonder why they drop out, but I
suppose they're used to the heavenly settings in which they worship. Here in
Alcala, we have a Magistral, one of two in the world, if I understood the tour
guide correctly. This means that the priest has to have gone to the University
of Alcala or is enrolled there now. I have not yet gone to church here (I know,
I'm bad) because my first Sunday here I went to a bull fight.

Many of you may not have expected me to go to a bull fight, much less enjoy it.
If that's the case, then you're in for a surprise. Not only did I like the bull
fight, but I'm going to another one in Madrid next weekend. I don't think I
would have liked it had I not read Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway
(my dad's recommendation) before I left. Even if you're not planning to come
visit me in Spain, though I recommend it, you should read this book. If you
live in Tucson, it's easy to hop down to Mexico and go to a bull fight there.
I'm thinking about going during Spring Break. It's an unorthodox decision for
vacation, but fun. I could fill you in about all there is to know about bull
fighting, but it's all covered in the Hemingway book. Unfortunately, the
matadors I saw were old and not the best. Of the 6 bulls, only two were killed
correctly. The first two were stabbed incorrectly, causing blood to pour out of
their mouths and nearly make me sick. Two others were not stabbed hard enough
and the sword fell out, so you know those bulls did not have an easy death. The
picadors were the most impressive. They have to stick sharp sticks in the bulls
shoulder without hitting the horns, and then run away as the bull charges them.
No human got hurt (to my dismay. Only the best matadors are gored). I sat midway
up, above the arches, which is a good place to sit if you want a good view of
the entire ring, but you're close enough to see blood and not smell it. I took
pictures and video. Let me know if you want to know more about bull fighting.

Now that las ferias (the fair) is over, La Plaza Cervantes is pretty quiet.
After school starts, everyone, excepting Americans and other foreign students,
buckle down to study. Spaniards will go out for a drink during the week, but
they are home by midnight or shortly thereafter. There is no more music in the
plaza and the streets are not filled with people, though there still is
nightlife.

Vale. Until next week,
Yours,
Lily