Yearly Archives: 2011

Spain Third Week – Weekend in Portugal

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It looks like the main topic for this blog is going to be my trip to Portugal last weekend, but we’ll see I might be able to squeeze in the class trip to El Escorial and Avila, and maybe if we’re REALLY lucky I’ll be able to touch on the fact that I am currently with my mom, dad, and sister in Barcelona. The problem is that my mom and dad are sleeping in the hotel room—jet lag—and my sister and I are trying to rest a little bit before we go out. So we’ll see how much I can get written down in the next our or so. At any rate, here is what happened in Portugal.

It all started on Friday morning when we had to meet at the bus station at 7 am, which means we had to wake up at 6. This normally would not be too much of a problem yet Eric, Jonathan, and I had an idea– that seemed flawless at the time—to try to stay up as late as possible so that way we would be able to sleep on the bus. This plan failed miserably as we all went to sleep at 5:30 and could not fall asleep on the bus making the entire first day extremely difficult. We got to the city of Coimbra at around 10 or 11 am and we stopped to explore for a few hours. Eric, Jonathan, Sinjun, and I decided to walk around and see as much as possible in the 3 hours of free time that we were allotted. As magnificent as the city was, it was nothing special in comparison to Lisbon. But if someone were to step off a plane from the states and see Coimbra before they saw Lisbon they would be blown away. We saw pretty views, mostly of housing or the beautiful river that runs through the city, and ate at a quaint Indian/Portuguese restaurant for lunch. At 1:30 everyone that was signed up for the trip went back on the bus and went on a guided tour of Coimbra and that left my friend Chayan and I to do some more exploring of the city on our own. We walked around for about an hour and showed each other some things that we found in the previous free time we had, but they best part was when we decided to go to the grocery store and get food and have a picnic by the river. Eventually it came time for us to wrap up our relaxing picnic and get back on the bus and head to Lisbon with the rest of the group.

We got to Lisbon around 7 or 8 I believe, and Eric, Jonathan, and I were still exhausted from the previous nights debauchery. We ended up just going out to see the nightlife a little bit and grab a bite to eat but we made sure we were in bed before 1 am so that we would be rejuvenated for the guided tour of Lisbon the next day. We woke up leisurely the next morning and got on the tour bus before 10 am. The tour guide showed us several different landmarks such as; the famous cathedral, the “white house” of Portugal—which happens to be pink, the dock that Vasco De Gama left from on his expedition, a castle looking land mark that serves some sort of purpose that remains a mystery to me, a museum that had famous pictures by Monet, Manet, and several others, and my personal favorite the castle de Jorge. Before I talk about the castle de Jorge I have to tell you about these pastries that we ate. There are these pastries in Portugal that are ubiquitous yet I cannot remember their name for the life of me but they are little cups that have some warm cinnamon-y custard, and they are to die for. If you are ever in Portugal I hope that my vague description will guide you to these delicious treats.

Anyway the castle de Jorge is known for its incredible view specifically at sunset as it overlooks all of Lisbon from the top of a hill. Most of the group was too tired to go but my friends Oscar and Jonathan agreed to go with me only so that when people tell them about a beautiful sunset they saw we would be able to say “oh really? That’s cool, I saw a sunset from a castle on top of a mountain in the capital of Portugal,” and instantly make any other sunset seem inferior. When we got up to the top of the castle and saw the view/sunset, it was even more beautiful than people made it sound. I was elated that I gave up the 3 hours of napping in order to see this view because it was like nothing I have ever seen before. Definitely the most stunning view I have seen on the trip thus far and I’ll be sure to let you know if there is anything that comes close. After the sunset we went back to nap for a few hours in order to rest up for the supposedly insane Portuguese nightlife.

After a well-deserved two-hour nap it was time to gear up and go see the nightlife for ourselves. We went to this part of town called Barrio Alto, which is basically a very condensed area that is littered with bars and young inebriated people. Literally every 4 feet there is another bar and the drunk folk in the street are shoulder to shoulder trying to get from bar to bar. The only thing I can compare it to is Isla Vista in Santa Barbara on Halloween, except every weekend. Once we were done there headed to the pier to see a concert that my friend Eric was adamant about attending. It was a dubstep concert, and normally you would not find me listening to dubstep even if you paid me. However, I decided to go for the experience and the other club we wanted to go to said it costs us 240 euro a person to get in, and no that’s not a typo. I probably stayed at the concert for a total of 30 minutes before I decided I have had enough and headed back so I can get some sleep.

Overall it was an amazing trip and I am so grateful that I was able to go on it. In fact I am going back to Porto, Portugal in a few weeks, so the Portuguese have not seen the last of me.

I have a 7 hour trip back to Salamanca tomorrow from Barcelona so I’ll tell you about El Escorial, Avila, and my Family trip. I found a valid excuse for not blogging about my family weekend, and it is because I still have one more day with them and I do not want to leave it out of the blog. So stay tuned and hear about it in the next few days J

p.s. I forgot to mention that Lisbon looks a lot like San Francisco, it even has a golden gate bridge. This is not just me being a tiny bit homesick its actually known to resemble SF, you can look it up for yourself 🙂

Spain Second Week – Toledo and Tapas

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So here I am on the bus back to Salamanca from Lisbon, Portugal hoping to write this blog before I get too carsick. As promised I will tell you about the Toledo trip even though millions of new things have happened since. It was about a week and a half ago at this point when we woke up at 7am to get on a bus to Toledo, which was said to be one of the 3 most beautiful cities in Spain along with Salamanca and Granada. Seeing as how I have only been to 3 Spanish cities, I can safely say that Toledo is one of the top 3 cities I have been to. The city itself is not very big as we were able to tour most of it on foot. We spent the day walking around looking at monuments on a guided tour, and the history behind the city is remarkable.

Toledo is a city where three religions used to coexist; Catholics, Jews, and Muslims. For me it was most exciting when we visited the Jewish square, no offense to the other religious monuments, I just felt a personal connection to the 500 year old synagogue. It was a foreign feeling that I could not wrap my head around when the tour guide explained to me that it was a place of worship for Jewish people from around 1180 until 1492, and today what is left of it is exhibited in a museum. We got to the synagogue itself towards the end of the tour, and my friends could somehow tell that I was antsy to see it. The first thing the tour guide asked in front of the synagogue was if any of us were Jewish, which immediately narrowed our group of 55 to my friend Kim and I. She asked a few trivial questions about Judaism in general, like how to say Spanish in Hebrew or what you would call a Jewish person of Spanish descent etc… But when we finally got inside I was overcome by several emotions for a reason that I am yet to grasp. I was engulfed by a combination of a sense of pride, connection to the Jewish people, and a feeling of being at home. I was wondering how I could feel at home if I am so far away from both places I have ever lived, and I was surrounded by people that I have only known for a week or so. The answer is up in the air but I like to believe it has to do with an unspoken and undying bond to Judaism and what it stands for.

As I was standing at the altar (I apologize if its not called an altar but you get the point J) I was trying to read the inscriptions on the wall, and imagine what it may have been like to be at a service 500 years ago. I imagine it would be very similar to an orthodox service today, but I would love to hear from anybody if they know a difference. My friend snapped a photo of me at the alter because he is incredibly into photography and he said that out of the thousands of pictures he has taken on this trip he believed this was the most powerful moment he captured. I’ll be sure to post it as soon as I get it from him.  The rest of the synagogue outside of the main room where people prayed, was turned into a museum that held several artifacts that were preserved from the synagogue. They had old books, menorahs, and the one thing I was most enthralled by was the torah. The cover of the torah, which is always beautiful from what I’ve seen, was incredible. Not just because it was exquisite in itself, but because it is more than half a millennium years old.

The rest of the Toledo trip was also magnificent I just chose to write about my personal favorite part subjectively. If I were to set my bias aside I would say that aesthetically the cathedral itself is a must see and just the city in general. My friends and I found a view point—which was kind of dangerous to get to and we got a scolding from the tour guide—that I will also post pictures of as it was a view that is to die for. I have tons of pictures from Toledo I’ll probably post them on facebook so don’t worry you will see exactly what I’m talking about.

As for the classroom aspect of this blog, this weeks culture class revolved around the food of the Spanish people. We had a very interesting two hour lecture by a man named Augustine that basically told us the Spanish eat pork, wine, and cheese. He showed us their food pyramid and I wish I got a picture of it because it was quite comical. They have a whole section of the food pyramid for wine—a rather big one—as well as a whole section for pork and a separate one for fish. I did however write down the different combination of cheeses and wines that go together so my friends and I could try it out. So far we have tried Manchego cheese on baguettes with Rioja wine and it was indeed delicious.

However, the most interesting thing about Spanish food culture is not what they eat it is their eating style. It seems that the Spanish look at their meals from a social aspect rather than a survival aspect as when they sit down to eat it can take hours. A typical lunch—which is usually the largest meal of the day—consists of several courses that are served over an hour or so. This allows for families to eat together and create closer family bonds as well as stronger friendships. I realize that is kind of bold to say but I honestly believe its true. Another thing that I found interesting was that the Spanish people rarely invite people over for dinner. Augustine told us that this was because it seems illogical to invite people over when you can just go out for drinks and tapas at a restaurant. His exact words were “why would anyone want to do dishes for 14 people that just does not make sense.” Unfortunately his logic does not have merit in the states because people like to invite people to see their homes, as they are reflections of who we are. Where here the homes are merely a place to sleep and everything else is done in the city.

On that note I’ll post soon about the Portugal trip I just got back from I hope you guys enjoy this entry 🙂

And my parents are coming with my sister this weekend and I cannot wait to see them I miss them tons!! See you soon Ima, Bushy, and Tal you have no idea how much you’ll love it here.

Spain – Salamance Cathedral and Settling in

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Hey guys,

Let me start off by apologizing in advance, as my words will not do justice to my experience so far. It feels like I have been here for a lifetime, as cliché as that sounds, and the friends I made have already managed to become among my best. We have gone out to the clubs/bars every night with the exception of one night when the sleep deprivation got the best of us. This lifestyle is foreign to me as I’m usually the kind of person that enjoys a mellow night with an occasional party every few weeks, yet here the drive to explore and learn everything always gets the best of me.

When I first got here to Madrid I did not fully wrap my mind around the fact that I was not in Sunnyvale anymore. Over night I went from being a substitute preschool teacher in Palo Alto to a tourist in the center of Europe. I saw famous paintings by Diego Velasquez and Francisco De Goya in the Prado museum in addition to getting a tour of the Royal Palace. If I were to delineate the palace for you, I would say imagine the most beautiful, enormous, fancy, and important castle you have ever seen in a movie, multiply that by 1000 and you would maybe be able to understand what it was like. Keep in mind this tour was on Saturday and I only slept one hour since I left San Francisco on Thursday, yet somehow I was not shaken by the sleep deprivation. As for the party scene in Madrid it was loads of fun but it was nothing that exceeded my expectations.

After the tours on Saturday we finally got on a bus with Salamanca being our finally destination. I was hoping to add a few hours to my sleep log but the excitement of seeing my new home smashed any shred of exhaustion out of me. The 2.5 hour bus ride that seemed to take several days finally ended and I was taken into my apartment where I settled into my own room with a giant bed—I got last pick on the room yet somehow managed to get the best one. The first few days were hectic as I was trying to settle in while still trying to figure out where everything is. My roommate and I went to get groceries and it took us 5 minutes to get the market and an hour and a half to get back—Just to give you an idea of how new this place is.

At the one week mark though I can safely say that I feel at home. I’ve made a solid group of friends and I’m excited to begin our travels around Spain. Every night they continue to surprise me with how awesome they are and I can already say I’ve made friends for life. We go out every night even if its just for a drink or two and we always manage to have a blast. For example my friend Eric and I entered a beer pong tournament and placed in third out of 100+ teams. All formalities aside, every night is full of exciting and safe shenanigans that cannot be relived back in the states. I wont attempt to recap a weeks worth of partying into this blog post but every time something notable happens I’ll post it up for you guys to hear about.

That’s all my computer battery is allowing me to tell you guys for now but I’ll be posting more hopefully daily so stay tuned.

P.S. This blog was started for homework purposes and I believe I am supposed to write about my experience during the tour of the Cathedral in Salamanca. Basically comparing this cathedral to a place of worship in the states is like comparing a puddle to the Great Barrier Reef. The architecture is so precise down to every square centimeter of the enormity that is the cathedral. The art work is breathtaking, not only the aesthetics of it but also the concepts—by this I mean how long it must have taken the artists to pain the roof of the cathedral as they were not allowed to make mistakes. As for the religious aspect of it, I was told to take off my hat because apparently it is disrespectful to wear a hat in a cathedral. I relieved the tension by assuring them that in my place of worship we are encouraged to wear hats on our head :)

That’s it for now my next post will most likely be tomorrow before class I want to tell you guys about the excursion to Toledo.

אמציה פורת זוכה בפרס ראש הממשלה ללשון

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 העורך והמתרגם אמציה פורת הוא חתן פרס ראש הממשלה ללשון העברית לשנת תשע”א. הפרס הוענק לפורת על ידי ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו ושרת התרבות והספורט לימור לבנת בטקס שנערך בהיכל התרבות בראשון לציון

הפרס הוענק לאמציה פורת על מפעל חייו בעריכה, בתרגום ספרותי משובח ובהעמדת דורות של תלמידים בעריכה ובתרגום, כך נימק חבר השופטים שבחר בו. “בכך, תרם תרומה חשובה מאוד לקידום מעמדה של הלשון העברית”. פורת, יליד ירושלים ובוגר האוניברסיטה העברית החל לעסוק בעריכה כבר בשנת 1956 ופעל במסגרת הוצאות רבות. הוא פרסם קובץ סיפורים בשם “אגדת הבקעה וההר” (1969), אך בעיקר עסק בתרגום ובהוראה. פורת אחראי בין היתר לתרגום העברי של “מאמרות” שכתב קונפוציוס, שעליו זכה בפרס טשרניחובסקי לתרגומי מופת, וכן לתרגום רבים מכתביהם של ויליאם פוקנר, גבריאל גרסיה מארקס, תומס הרדי, קורט וונגוט וסופרים גדולים נוספים

אמציה פורת הוא מחשובי המלומדים העוסקים בתרגום ספרותי מעולה ובעריכה ספרותית משובחת, שהנחיל את משנתו ואת כישוריו ומיומנותו לדורות רבים של תלמידים הממשיכים את דרכו”, הוסיף חבר השופטים. “מפעל חיים חשוב וממושך זה תרם רבות לחיזוק מעמדה של הלשון העברית”. פורת, פרופסור לשעבר באוניברסיטת בר אילן, הוא חבר האקדמיה ללשון העברית זה כארבעים שנה. בעבר הוענק לו גם פרס תוֹרְנְטוֹן ויילְדֶר על תרגום ספרות אמריקאית מטעם אוניברסיטת קולומביה בניו יורק, וכן פרס היצירה למתרגמים מטעם משרד החינוך והתרבות, לשנת תשנ”ז

בתגובה להודעה על קבלת הפרס הודה הפרופסור פורת לשרת התרבות, לימור לבנת, שבישרה לו על ההחלטה. “אני שמח על היוזמה הזאת. זכיתי להתכבד בכבודה של העברית, שאני עובד אותה בנאמנות זה עשרות שנים. בימים של חילוקי דעות בדבר טיבה של העברית, אני מקווה שהפרס יהיה אות וסימן לחיזוק מעמדה של העברית לרבדיה בחינוך, ולהרמת קרנה בציבור. יש לנו שפה עשירה, שפה יפהפייה, ואני מקווה שנדע לכוון תלמידים אל המכמנים הטמונים בה”.

טקס הענקת הפרס לפורת נערך במסגרת כנס “לשון ראשון” הרביעי, שחל ב-18 בינואר ונמשך עד ה-21 בחודש. בכנס השתתפו אנשי אקדמיה, חינוך ותרבות רבים בשורה של דיונים ומופעים בנושא הלשון העברית. לאחר הענקת הפרס התקיים אירוע לציון יום הולדתה המאה של הסופרת והמשוררת לאה גולדברג, בהשתתפות מוזיקאים רבים