Sevilla is hot as hell. It is close to 100 degrees everyday and by 3pm it is unbearable to be outside. No wonder the Spaniards nap for so long. The students arrived yesterday and so far things have been going well.
The night before they arrived Pancho and I went out to dinner along the river where we had some Albanian guys make us the best tabouli I have ever had. We walked back checking out a couple of things and stopped to eat some ice cream. As we were enjoying our tasty desserts we crossed through a plaza and noticed this really young kid who appeared unconscious. We exchanged a look and decided to eat our ice cream and see if anything changed in his condition. It did not.
As we approached the kid, his pulse was hard to find but he was clearly breathing, reeking of alcohol and perspiring a cold sweat. We tried several times to wake him but to no avail. Pancho called the equivalent to the US 911. We quickly learned that the emergency vehicles are in no real hurry. It took about 40 minutes and two phone calls from additional passersbys for them to arrive. As we waited, a crowd began to form. Young kids trying to smack the guy, one kid even kicked him, two older women went threw his pockets and found his passport. We learned he was Russian and about 24 years old. People mumbled about not knowing any Russian so there would be no way that he could understand us anyway. They returned the passport to the front pocket of his shorts just as a girl´s parents arrived to pick her up. She called over her father who apparently is a doctor. The doctor leaves his car running in the middle of intersection and comes to do the first evaluation of this drunken character. This entire time the guy never indicated that he was conscious. The circus clowns continued to surround him (add appropriate music here.) Some left, others stopped to add their two cents.
Finally, the ambulance arrived. They approached the guy and they began to punch him in the chest. The Russian only then began to stir. They did nothing. They decided that he didn´t need to be taken to the hospital. They waited. For what? For the police to arrive which took another 25 minutes after the arrival of the paramedics. (Spain is not the place to need speedy assistance in any area of life.)
The police arrived and it was a female and male partner team. Immediately, the female cop clearly had something to prove because she went right into his face and started yelling at him tell him to stand up. "Stand up! Don´t make me tell you again. I said stand up!" The guy barely was able to sit up, let alone stand up. She takes out her baton! And makes like she is going to swing but she places it under is arm and lifts him up. The male cop helps her hold him and they toss him into the ambulance for questioning.
The "Good" Samaritans wandered back to the hotel.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Frankfurt
Mother f@#^@ing airports man! So I arrive to Germany, this time with a nice slumber in the air. They push us onto a bus, which always gets my feathers ruffled then through a weird doorway that leads up a set of stairs. When you arrive at the top there is a security terminal attempting to check more than 100 people at this point and I glance at my watch to notice that I have about 45 minutes to get through this, go through passport control and find my next gate so I can catch my flight to Madrid.
The cracker jack team here only has a guy with a set of wands and one security thingamabob that looks into your baggage, just as I am approaching the front of the roaring grumbles of the crowd some small airline woman ushers in a small Indian family. First of all, it wasn't like she nicely explain their circumstances, she is German afterall, but I can't help if they are racial profiling this family as well or if they are diplomats of some kind and if they are, why are they in this line?
After getting felt up, I made a mad dash for my connecting gate since it was on the other side of Guatemala and it was about to leave and all just to encounter another security check point. What the hell were they thinking? I bought the water bottle bomb from their airport quickie stand! As I make it though I realize that I have 5 minutes. 5 precious minutes to Madrid and I must get on that damn plane if it is the last thing I ever do in Germany, that is. So I sprinted. I sprinted as I was about to be killed or desperately trying to take down a striker headed towards the goal. On my last breath, I made it. I made it to the gate only to learn that the plane had been delayed by an hour. I sat and had a smoke. I love Germany.
Finally, I am in Sevilla now after planes trains and automobiles. All is well. More soon.
The cracker jack team here only has a guy with a set of wands and one security thingamabob that looks into your baggage, just as I am approaching the front of the roaring grumbles of the crowd some small airline woman ushers in a small Indian family. First of all, it wasn't like she nicely explain their circumstances, she is German afterall, but I can't help if they are racial profiling this family as well or if they are diplomats of some kind and if they are, why are they in this line?
After getting felt up, I made a mad dash for my connecting gate since it was on the other side of Guatemala and it was about to leave and all just to encounter another security check point. What the hell were they thinking? I bought the water bottle bomb from their airport quickie stand! As I make it though I realize that I have 5 minutes. 5 precious minutes to Madrid and I must get on that damn plane if it is the last thing I ever do in Germany, that is. So I sprinted. I sprinted as I was about to be killed or desperately trying to take down a striker headed towards the goal. On my last breath, I made it. I made it to the gate only to learn that the plane had been delayed by an hour. I sat and had a smoke. I love Germany.
Finally, I am in Sevilla now after planes trains and automobiles. All is well. More soon.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
The End of Prague
I am sitting in the tiny laundry room waiting for my cab to arrive to take me to the airport. It is 3 AM my time and it has arrived. More later.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Stupid American
A stupid American story starring...me! I ventured out a bit today on my own because I was feeling a little introverted and wanted to explore some of the real Prague, or at least at was the goal. I set out south of my hostel because we usually travel north also with expectation to find a major city park that was depicted in the guide book. After crossing the equivalent of I-275. the park I found was shady to say the least. It was built up on a hill and every 50 yards or so there was a large set of concrete stairs that would take you deeper into the park. Since my gut was tell me that it was probably best not to trust the blind man and the cracked out looking woman that I had passed I retreated back the area that I began this journey only after spending about 45 minutes exploring this particular park.
Upon my return I noticed a nice enclosed park that had many of shady benches which would be perfect for sitting and reading. I look around and all the benches seemed taken, so I walked through some giant engraved doors attached to a building that in my Czech reading abilities said it was the Police Museum. And in fact it was exactly that. The inner courtyard had charming fake streets with vintage street signs and old cop cars displayed proudly. I found a bench and sat. A while passed and I noticed that it was about to be 5pm on a Sunday and surely a museum would be closing at any moment. Not to mentioned that there was no one else in there. So I got up towards the same door I had entered only to find that it was tightly shut. I tried the handle and to no avail, I was trapped inside the museum.
I turned and followed a couple of Czech voices. There were two young individuals that were in the process of cleaning up the concession stand which clearly they had been working for many hours. I approached the baby-faced lad and asked him where the exit was. He replied, "We are closed." I said, "Yes see that so I was hoping to leave?" He said, "You wait." I really didn't have much of a choice so I sat down and waited. The girl that was actually cleaning and throwing out the trash was yelling at baby-face with anger in Czech.
I kept telling myself that it had nothing to do with me, but I have no idea. I just sat there and tried not to stare, so I looked at the ground which was only inches aways since I was sitting on a tiny curb that lined the walkways. In my gazing towards the earth, I noticed a tiny black and red bug that I had seen before elsewhere that must be kin to our ladybug but it was slightly different. I almost took out my camera but I feared that if the Czech bitching had something to do with me that I better sit still and not aggravate the situation by documenting Prague bugs in that very moment.
Suddenly the girl locked up the ajar doors and stomped over to sit on a bench. Baby-face grabbed his laptop bag, backpack, bag of tomatoes, two packages of Sam's club like cheese, a spindle of cds and a magazine that featured a prominent zippo advertisement on the back. He shuffled over and sat next to her. Both completely ignoring the fact that I am sitting inches away looking at bugs. He says something to her and she gets up and stomps away. He gathers all of his things and I look at him and say, "I am so sorry." He saids, "It is OK. We go now to exit." I am thinking why didn't you tell me where this was to begin with but instead I smile and nod my head.
The girl that is a few yards away makes it through the first set of doors but is stopped when she reaches the second because of a giant pad lock. She is still angrily ranting in Czech as she walks towards a building, to get a key which I assume. Baby-face sets everything down again and follows her as I once again am standing not knowing what exactly I should do in yet another part of the closed Police museum. Suddenly, an old man sporting a silk white shirt that is open allowing his large beer belly to breath comes through the first set of doors. He is carrying a trash bag and looks at me, rightfully so, with a "who the hell are you?" expression.
I call out to baby-face and say, "hey!"
He turns and asks, "a man?"
I say, "yes."
At this moment, the girl return and baby-face speaks Czech to the man who simply walks over and releases us all. I thank them profusely and return to the safety of my hostel.
Upon my return I noticed a nice enclosed park that had many of shady benches which would be perfect for sitting and reading. I look around and all the benches seemed taken, so I walked through some giant engraved doors attached to a building that in my Czech reading abilities said it was the Police Museum. And in fact it was exactly that. The inner courtyard had charming fake streets with vintage street signs and old cop cars displayed proudly. I found a bench and sat. A while passed and I noticed that it was about to be 5pm on a Sunday and surely a museum would be closing at any moment. Not to mentioned that there was no one else in there. So I got up towards the same door I had entered only to find that it was tightly shut. I tried the handle and to no avail, I was trapped inside the museum.
I turned and followed a couple of Czech voices. There were two young individuals that were in the process of cleaning up the concession stand which clearly they had been working for many hours. I approached the baby-faced lad and asked him where the exit was. He replied, "We are closed." I said, "Yes see that so I was hoping to leave?" He said, "You wait." I really didn't have much of a choice so I sat down and waited. The girl that was actually cleaning and throwing out the trash was yelling at baby-face with anger in Czech.
I kept telling myself that it had nothing to do with me, but I have no idea. I just sat there and tried not to stare, so I looked at the ground which was only inches aways since I was sitting on a tiny curb that lined the walkways. In my gazing towards the earth, I noticed a tiny black and red bug that I had seen before elsewhere that must be kin to our ladybug but it was slightly different. I almost took out my camera but I feared that if the Czech bitching had something to do with me that I better sit still and not aggravate the situation by documenting Prague bugs in that very moment.
Suddenly the girl locked up the ajar doors and stomped over to sit on a bench. Baby-face grabbed his laptop bag, backpack, bag of tomatoes, two packages of Sam's club like cheese, a spindle of cds and a magazine that featured a prominent zippo advertisement on the back. He shuffled over and sat next to her. Both completely ignoring the fact that I am sitting inches away looking at bugs. He says something to her and she gets up and stomps away. He gathers all of his things and I look at him and say, "I am so sorry." He saids, "It is OK. We go now to exit." I am thinking why didn't you tell me where this was to begin with but instead I smile and nod my head.
The girl that is a few yards away makes it through the first set of doors but is stopped when she reaches the second because of a giant pad lock. She is still angrily ranting in Czech as she walks towards a building, to get a key which I assume. Baby-face sets everything down again and follows her as I once again am standing not knowing what exactly I should do in yet another part of the closed Police museum. Suddenly, an old man sporting a silk white shirt that is open allowing his large beer belly to breath comes through the first set of doors. He is carrying a trash bag and looks at me, rightfully so, with a "who the hell are you?" expression.
I call out to baby-face and say, "hey!"
He turns and asks, "a man?"
I say, "yes."
At this moment, the girl return and baby-face speaks Czech to the man who simply walks over and releases us all. I thank them profusely and return to the safety of my hostel.
A bit more Prague
In light of some new laptop issues I write once again without visual aides, so you visual learners forgive me and keep your fingers crossed that at some point I will be able to add those. These photos here were borrowed from the internet. Today marks a week that I have been in Prague. Even though, I have enjoyed the city a great deal and my travel companions along the way, I am feel rather ready to go on to the Spain. I have 4 days left in the Czech Republic and all that is left for me to see is the spectacular Castle district which I have reserved to do on the first full day free after the class is over.
There is much to process about this art course and I suppose one of the greatest triumphs is that I have been writing nonstop. It has been a long time since I have allowed my imagination to take me into the world of created characters and place them in stories. Yesterday (after skipping out of class early in a huff, which is a totally different train of thought that you may enjoy at some point) I sat at a cafe for 2 hours, sipped on a cappuccino and sketched and wrote vigorously. Matter of fact, I can't even remember the last time I wr
ote with pen and paper.Anywho....
Last night, my friends and I went to the Blacklight Theater which is a huge thing here and saw a show called the "Aspects of Alice" based on Alice in Wonderland. Parts of it were sorta creepy, others were mind blowing and some may be considered pornographic by Southern Christian conservatives. The imagery was a philosophy teacher's wet dream. There is no dialogue only music and was described in our reflection conversation as "Old World" like. In the image on the right, Alice (a live actor) is flying over the life size city that illuminates the entire stage.
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