Non-Spain Spain Photos

below are my photos from Spain that are not about Spain:

Three Months at Wuthering Heights

"Has Dublin changed you?" my friend asked me 10 minutes ago.

Only one week away from going back home, I try to recall everything that has happened here:

Apparently, a lot has happened despite the stagnant status quo / Most of it was unexpected / I wasn't surprised by what happened during this three months but the speed of them happening was intoxicating / I went in and out of loops several times... which was expected /

I was truly happy / My head was clear / Because of this, even at the wildest tide, my head was above the surface /

More savage than safe, this was my playground. I made very good friends in this playground which made all of this worthwhile. I also got to know a lot of bad seeds who were ridiculously funny. All my small talks turned into deep discussions in a matter of seconds and those added to my personal development. I'm more sure about the universal core characteristics of people now that I met people from very diverse backgrounds.

"No", I answered my friend, "I haven't changed but I am now more sure about who I am and what I don't want."

It all felt very different / Even the re-makes of the movies I've seen before had a delicious intensity / It all was funny / With its obvious upsides and downturns, it all was real / It all was wortwhile / Right before I move on / I'm glad to be here /

Spain - Brief

Spain is a cure full of pain. The country is distinct and unique. It has the capacity to become the dream country for a lot of people because it's so down to earth and solid.

I've been to Madrid & Barcelona and medieval towns, and beach towns, and artistic towns of Spain in the last 12 days. Based on numerous exaggerated feedbacks I got before I packed, I was expecting to be swept off my feet by its glamour. I was expecting dizziness, mind-blowing attractions and blinding fake experiences. I spared myself the usual touristic fanfare and found something even better.

Spain is a fine mixture that has a delicate and familiar taste. It's certainly Mediterranian, but than it's African too, and Indian American, with a slice of Brazil and Cuba, even maybe Mexican. Well, it's human. You can feel the streets breathing like no other. You can feel their anger, their genuine dirt, their hurried sadness, always bitterness and neverending joy.

On these streets, Spanish people look very much alike. Shiny black long hair: a certain cut for women and a certain ponytail for men accompanied by a certain beard. The clothing on their fit body is always consistent and elegantly designed. The wisdom you see in their eyes is generally understanding: when they look at you, they really are looking at you, only until you want them to stop looking at you. So you don't feel in danger, invaded or at risk. You feel... alike.

At the tip of the continent, Spain is a place where European life-standards somehow meet real human values. Of course there are downsides to living here, but these are so honestly and elegantly put forth that you can't really resist the whole offer. Sun, sand, dance and sangria seem to be there in Spain to save you whenever you need a dream that can come true.

Dublin - Intermediate

I've been living in Dublin for two months now. My naive-touristic phase is long gone, so I have a word or two to say about this place.

Dublin is like Dogville (if you haven't seen the movie, think of a village with no walls, no decoration, only plain people). The city is not attractive, it's not enlightening, it's not glossy. It's silent and peaceful and not-intrusive (well, except at midnight where the streets belong to drunk people).

This city looks like a kid's painting: green trees, houses and rainbows, with a sign that reads "we don't have much to offer but you are more than welcome". Just like a film set where you have low alike buildings, lots of gray clouds, greenest trees ever and a lazy river flowing... You walk for three hours and you feel as if you are on a treadmill. Red-old smiles come your way. It all looks the same. You have only the wind to listen to, and the noises in your head. You are never in a rush as the city never expects you to be quick. You never feel alone as the stillness of the city keeps you company. It all feels the same. Isolated yet secure.

But then it's very much like Dogville. Because there is nothing else to see, you see people. Or you stare in the mirror and see yourself.

If you keep staring in the mirror and start writing, you become a great depressed writer as your inner-thoughts grow within the silence of the city.

If you invest your time in other people, than your life is meant to get much more complicated for you. As the saying goes "there's nothing else to do, every me and every you". Thus, relationships are intense. Even the naive ones that seem to be shallow, they go deep. Weaknesses of people are easy to pinpoint or abuse when you are that close, so ego-wars are common. Much like any suburban community, status quo dominates all group dynamics. And much like any suburban community, this is a place where you feel home if you belong, and you feel banished and angry if you don't. Well, of course this is not a battleground and a lot of people feel home... I do... It's also not that you can't find a new place for your head or heart when you feel unfit, but unlike other cities, here, there is no clutter to distract you from your communal routine. The city is not attractive as I said, so people around you take a larger slice of the cake when you are allocating your attention.

And to compensate for this density, people drink :) That is the perfect excuse to loose consciousness and blame the pint for breaking any rules. The booze brings an air of levity and alleviates the burden of being visible. Dublin, in the end, takes things easy.

As the Irish saying goes:

May the light always find you on a dreary day.

When you need to be home, may you find your way.

May you always have courage to take a chance

And never find frogs in your underpants.