A Por Ellos!

Last night, Spain beat Germany in the semi-finals of the World Cup.  For the next two hours, I heard the song of Spanish celebrating: "A Por Ellos!".  "Yo soy espanol!".  "Espana!".  Apparently, parties occurred in the center of the city well into today.  This Sunday, Spain will see it's first World Cup final against Netherlands, creating what could possibly be one of the most memorable moments I have in Spain.  If Spain wins, it will be the first time, ever, that it has won el Mundial.  If Spain wins, people will swarm the streets in frenzied hordes, starting riots and celebrating in the name of Espana until they can no longer stand.  If Spain wins, the city will transform into something completely awesome.  

If you had asked me back home, "How do you feel about the World Cup?", my answer would have been, unequivocally, "I don't".  The same goes for all other sports.  Football?  Don't care.  Hockey? Nope.  Basketball?  No way.  Soccer?  Don't -- well, didn't care.  But here, in Spain, with the country going to the finals. . . It's hard not to be swept up into the mania.  Here in Europe, soccer is a big deal.  Everywhere I go, the only thing anyone seems to want to talk about it the final round.  It's a huge part of European culture and I'm right there with them.

Soccer's not the only new thing I've absorbed since I've been here.  I also saw my first bullfight.  Although it's not what I always envisioned (it's much bloodier than I was anticipating), it actually turned out to be quite an experience.  In the beginning, each torrero has a team which he uses, basically, to make the bull angry enough to want to gore him to death.  At this point, everyone is using pink capes and the basic point is to confuse the bull and get make him want to stab things with its horns.  The second stage pits the bull against men with colorful, barbed weapons and spear-wielding men on armored horses, still with the aim of inciting the bull.  On a side note, I've never seen a bull up close before.  Seeing on from the side of the ring really let me see how powerful they actually are.  The bull nearly threw the horse to the ground, armor and all.  Only at the end very end did the torrero come out with the red cape and his sword.  After he does some flashy manuevers around the bull, with the bull finally being too tired out to continue, the torrero charges the bull head on and attempts to kill the bull with a single blow.  Like I said, a very bloody, but very unique, cultural experience that I'm glad I had the opportunity to see.  

I also went to one of the biggest art museums around here, El Prado.  I do not consider myself a very culturally sophisticated person.  Usually, art museums are the last thing on my mind, but I figured, "Hey, it's Europe".  For me to go of my own free will is a first.  With that in mind, it turned out to be a very good time.  Forewarning: You cannot take pictures in the Prado.  If you do, a giant, mean looking security guard will hustle towards you as though he means to tackle you.  So just don't.  After I jumped that hurdle, though, I really enjoyed seeing the art.  Some of the canvases were large enough to cover entire walls, which was incredible to see.  I highly recommend seeing the paintings the "2nd of May" and the "3rd of May".  Both depict events that are very important to Spanish history and are a must-see in Madrid.  I also had a chance to make it to the Reina Sofia, which is basically a modern art museum.  At first, I felt jipped.  Modern art.  But on the upper floors, there are paintings by Dali and other famous painters, so I recommend going there as well. 

Will all this cultural enlightment last when I get back to the United States?  Well, yes and no.  I don't envision myself going to art museums on the weekend, sipping expressos in coffee houses and talking about Dali's use of INSERT ART TERM HERE.  But I feel like experiencing all these new things has really taught me something about myself, something I can take with me anywhere: I can adapt.  I can blend in.  Sure, I'm easily identifiable as an American, but I've learned that when you approach a new culture with an open mind, its people tend to welcome you in.  So, while I'm in Spain, "Yo soy espanol!".