In search of spring

We drove into the mountains in search of spring. The skies were gray, that was a good sign. We didn't know where we were going. We ended up in a little village, completely deserted at siesta time. We parked the car across from an abandoned farm house; our curious feet decided to explore. It must have been a handsome home at one point; some obstinate blue paint still clung to the walls, attempting to maintain its dignity. The only remnants left behind were a decaying briefcase filled with tiles, a lonely shoe consumed by ashes and a shiny new red tractor. Feeling like trespassers, in this tiny hidden town, we quietly picked our way up a hill towards the mouth of a cave. As we scuttled our way through the rocks, I can across a wild flower in bloom.
The cave was small, no more than a cubby hole really, but if offered us refuge. The dirt and musty sent had a calming effect on my whirling mind. Outside the wind was picking up, signaling the start of the late afternoon and limited daylight; there was still more to explore. One path lead up and the other down. A teatherd donkey skeptically watched us make our way up the next hill. Suddenly, like an alarm clock going off in the village, the ice cream truck announced the end of siesta.

Carnival

Sorry, things got a bit out of order. This was supposed to be the first entry about carnival in Aguilas which explains the "Musona". The next day are the pictures in the wig, the last day was the parade. Then there was a picture of the parade here in Vera with my students.

Carnival is ushered in by the “Releasing of the Musona”. A mythical and terrifying beast that is half human, half animal, half civilized and half wild, representing the duality within all of us. Although its form varies from year to year, it is often related to that of a bear which comes out of hypernation about the same time of year. The musona must be coaxed down from the castle to the town below through the chants of “musona-na, musona-na” and the bellows of conch shells. Those who take part in the theatrical coaxing, dress in pegan-like costumes adorned with shells, straw, and bones giving the event an eeri, ancient feel.

Artzy pics of the mining town and mountains

Carnival

Carnival was to be repeated on Saturday. We bought our last minute costumes at the corner store (for me this involved a pink wig and mask) and headed back to Aguilas. This time, however, there was no Musona nor morbid, pegan costumes; instead, it was a blaze of bright colors and feathers. The true spirit of Carnival lies in the freedom of the costume. Once the costume is put on, the wearer is filled with a certain sense of liberty that accompanies the shedding of one’s normal appearence and adopting a new, more excentric one (whether it be a crossdressing nun, a disco queen or Waldo). Carnival is like Halloween for adultes, except instead of candy you get alcohol (and it’s not free). It was a theatirical night which ended with a scene of us, make-up smeared, feathers limp, and strands of synthetic pink hairs everywhere, waiting over an hour for a plasticy hamburger (literally, mine had a piece of plastic on it).
However, that didn’t stop us from coming back the next day to see the parade. Having danced in a parade myself, I know how much energy and pep is necessary, but this parade lasted 5 hours! I have no idea how the dancers did it, in heels no less and most of them being children. Apparently, the Rio de Janeiro style is really in now: Samba, sequins, feathers, and flashy colors. Some of the costumes were amazing and some of the adult dancers were very talented, but on the whold, there’s only so many (1) little kids you can see in too much make-up and skimpy outfits before it becomes just plain creepy.
Luckily, for the kids in the pueblo where I teach, “parade” still means dressing up in adorebly goofy costumes and being lead down the street through the camera flashes of the parent poperatzi. By the end of the week I was so carnivaled out that I now understand why the 40 days of lent suceed it.
Aside from carnival, a decectible earthquake and working on my c.v., life has been pretty tranquila here. I’m still making a fool of myself salsa dancing once a week and I tried to trim my own hair (it went about as well as the time I tried to cut Kehlen’s hair and then had to pay for it to be fized at a salon- only this time I lack the funds to cover teh damage). This past weekend a group of friends and I went to this deserted mining town. The houses were all in ruins and there was a beautiful, yet ghostly feeling; I kept waiting for a tumble week to roll by but none did. We also stopped at the space obervatory up in the mountains, and although it was day and we couldn’t enjoy the unubstructed view of the sky, the view of the surrounding mountains crinkling their way to the sea was breathtaking.
Oh, and I’ve been out sick for the past two days with my weird throat thing (those of you familiar with in know my treatment, it’s rather gross)

Carnival Pictures:
- The Musona (This will be explained later, the program I'm currently using doesn't recognized the entry I wrote about this day of carnival since I used a different computer program, what a pain!)
- Participants of the "release of the musona"
- Me, pretty in pink
- A cute group of witches
- Rio style