Jamie Fehr

December 1st came and went. A lot happened. I didn’t realize this until I actually experienced it, but December 1st is the official day to turn on Christmas lights in Spain. I really wish I had realized this sooner for reasons that will be explained further along in the document. Anyway, last night I went downtown with some coworkers and spaniards like I do most every friday. We normally duck out early and head downtown to check out the scene, eat some food, and go to the comic book store (I have be going nearly 4 weeks in a row and I still don’t understand the comic book crowd) and then we break up around 9pm, some people go home, other people linger around downtown, and other go to congregate elsewhere.

Brandon and I were on our way to congregate at my place and watch a movie when I got a message from Kirsten saying that we needed to get on down to the Plaza de la Constitucion pronto! (They normally have cool stuff there I just didn’t think that anything would have changed since I was last there not more than 2 hours previous) Curious and intrigued we both decided that pronto sounds like fun and turned one hundred and eighty degrees around and journeyed to that place from which we just came.

The end of this story is that when we did arrive at the Plaza de la Constitucion they had just turned on all the Christmas lights downtown and there was a band playing drums. We stuck around long enough to find out the band had nothing to do with Christmas and everything to do with the World Anti-AIDS day. Then we went to lounge at a bar for a while and talk.

Very soon the evening was done and we all headed home. I am excited about Christmas

Musings

When I get passed the fact that it’s the Christmas season already, I am again reminded that I still don’t understand much about the culture here in Spain.

Botellones

(bo-tay-YON-nes) I never really talk about these before, and I still don’t know that I understand the situation well enough to articulate my thoughts on the subject, but here goes nothing.

A botellon, at least here in Malaga, is more or less an organized public tailgate party or something of that nature. What happens is all the students at the university and whoever wants to get drunk meet in some big public square with a lot of booze and drink until all hours of the night.

I have been told that, here in Spain, drinking in public is illegal, including in Malaga, but you wouldn’t know that visiting the Plaza de la Merced on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night after 11pm. To my understanding that is the official botellon gathering point. It’s a giant Plaza where normally on the weekends you’re shoulder to shoulder with drunk university students, but not this weekend.

I am not exactly sure what happened, but there are a few things that I know for sure:

1. The Police have officially blocked off the Plaza.
2. The sign on the police barricade says the botellon has moved to Los Curas.

Now, a friend of mine told me that, now, as of December 1st botellones are illegal. Which leaves me a little confused, is a botellon somehow different from drinking in public? Because drinking in public is already illegal, just poorly enforced here in Malaga. Also, if botellones are now illegal why is there a big official notice saying it’s been moved instead of indefinitely suspended?

However at the end of all of this, only one thing is certain; there will be less alcohol in the streets in the downtown area.

Españoles y Viajar

A very interesting fact that I have discovered while staying in Spain is that Spanish are not a well traveled people. I like to ask people where they’ve been because I am always on the prowl for a new spot to visit but here in Spain, hardly anyone has left the country. It’s just shocking, you can fly to London and back for less than $50. Why wouldn’t you get out and about? I guess maybe they don’t like to step outside of the comfort of their own language or maybe they just have really strong family ties but at any rate I am by far the most traveled person I’ve met here in Spain with the exception of some other missionaries I’ve met.

La Lengua

331 million (CIA World Factbook) live in North America, and all of those people are expected to speak english. No wonder the job of translator doesn’t seem to exist in my North American world.

Yet, in Europe every other university I meet is studying language for the purpose of becoming a translator and already knows around three to five languages. It’s such a foreign concept to me, we’ve all learned to speak the same language over in our continent and it’s becoming a modern day, pre-babel.

Every now and again this concept of language really seems like a dream, a dream that gets confused every time I get back in touch with North America.

Where do I go from Here?

Again, on the topic of travels, I really want to do a big trip this spring. I am thinking of either exploring some of the middle east or heading on down to South Africa, and right now I am leaning towards South Africa. Plane tickets are cheaper and lodgings cost next to nothing. That coupled with the fact that it’s not as violent of an area really makes it an attractive destination, the only downside is the mandatory vaccinations I would need to get, I guess I need to do a little more homework.

Travel from Europe is really a lot cheaper than flying out of North America and I want to take advantage of the savings while I can.

Upcoming Events

Being the busy man that I am, I have a lot to look forward to, here are two events that I have elected to add to my schedule that you should be excited about.

Jan. 14th

I am going to speaking in my home church during the morning service through the incredible broadcast medium currently known as the “Internet.” I will be utilizing a few different technologies to put together a presentation that should be interesting and informative. For those of you who can’t be at La Crete Christian Fellowship that morning I will be posting an online version after it’s all said and done, it’s just that I already promise it will be edited from what actually happened.
Darn that internet latency.

The True Spanish Christmas

As I’ve said before, this is my first Christmas away from home and outside of Canada. In light of this, my coworker Kirsten and I have decided that we need to document what Christmas in Spain is really like.

So, in the new year you can look forward to a seven part mini series on what we have determined is a spanish Christmas. There is a lot of tradition that is really different from what we know in North America and we are looking forward to sharing what is to come with those are interested in learning a little about our adpoted culture.

That’s it! I think normally here I would have put a list of prayer requests but in the spirit of the season I have decided to close with a big:

Merry Christmas to All!

And may you all enjoy a time of profound personal and spiritual growth in the new year.

Go make some ones day and spread some Christmas Cheer.