Author: Kate Wilson

Wild Flowers of the Congost

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Here are some pictures of the walk I took with Bonnie last week.
We went all the way from home to the Vienna Cafe and back.
Past the church at Palou. It strikes every quarter hour and reminds you of the Catalan way of telling the time – un quart, dos quarts, tres quarts meaning quarter past, half past and quarter to. In the days before clocks and watches people always knew the time by hearing how often the bell rang.
Of course it helped if you had a vague idea of which hour it was too.

The whole walk was about 11 km, most of it along the side of the River Congost.
The flowers are incredible at the moment.
I wish I knew their names – I know the little blue one is Borage of course!

After four hours of walking we were very relaxed and began to see pictures and patterns in everything around us. I love that state of mind. It’s the first stirrings of creativity I’ve had for months.

Subtle language decisions that you can’t avoid in Catalonia

~ Kate Wilson ~ Leave a comment
My week of Castellano

It was quiet in the park today as so many people go away on a public holiday.
Today of course is May Day!  Or  El Dia del Trabajadors.
But Bonnie and I did meet a couple with two dogs, one a very lame German Shepherd and the other an unidentifiable tiddly thing. Ages – 12 and 14.
Of course I asked them which vet they use and we had a good conversation about dogs and vets and getting older.  They go to the Lauro 24 hour Vet Hospital where I took Bonnie a few months ago.

But I had to have this conversation in Spanish although they were obviously people who would normally speak Catalan and it was interesting how embarrassed I felt.  As if I was being  rude or disrespectful and I was tempted to explain my language challenge but really, Kate, not necessary! They won’t expect you to speak Catalan anyway.
Just get on with talking!

I’m sure if I had explained it wouldn’t have been clear and they would have switched to Catalan and that would be that.

But I wonder if I am being too rigid in this language challenge – I want to be disciplined but I have to take into account the particular language courtesies here.

Changeover Day

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Today is Monday and so I have switched languages from Catalan to Castellano.
I actually woke up remembering to say Buenos Dias rather than Bon Dia.
So far so good!

It was slow at first. What I have found is that the words get stuck behind a pile of Catalan ones. As if I am looking in my bag for my keys and they have sunk to the bottom so I have to take everything else out first.
So it is painfully slow and sometimes the Catalan word pops out first and then I replace it which makes for very long sentences.
(Potse) quizas (vull) quiero (llegir) leer (una mica) un poco (avants) antes de (sortir) salir!
Get the picture?

But suddenly as midmorning after much stumbling I felt it begin to flow. then it happened in reverse. Because I didn’t trust myself I was saying the Castellano correctly first and then doubting so changing to Catalan.
I think part of speaking another language is learning to relax and trust your own ability to speak without having to test and think about each and every word.

I have spoken before about a web site I have found useful, Fluent in 3 Months
I recently bought his Language Hackers Guide and have started reading it today.  You can get it in English but also in lots of other languages and as part of his philosophy is to use the target language from the very beginning I have it in Spanish and really pleased that I can understand it all, only having to look up a few words. I am reading it out loud so I can get back into the sounds and shapes of the words without having to worry about grammar and vocabulary.

And to follow one of his suggestions, which is to make concrete promises that give you goals to complete in a short time here are my tasks for the week.

1. I will give an acupuncture treatment speaking only Castellano
2. I will have my Photoshop lesson speaking only Castellano
3. I will do at least one intercambio in Castellano
4. I will take the van to be cleaned and speak Castellano (this one is scary)
5. I will make a short video of myself speaking in Castellano (scariest of scary)

Other snippets
Dogs – All peaceful this moment. No fights since Friday. We have a plan of action to try out.
House – This very moment all is peaceful. We moved the furniture around which can shift energy too.
Weather – Is lovely and rainy and cloudy.  Just a little, not too much, but nice and homey.

Thank you all for your support!  It has really helped me in these past months.

Dog Listener

~ Kate Wilson ~ 4 Comments

Today a vet is coming round to try and help us with the problem between Bonnie and Duna.
It’s not been good recently and it’s now impossible to let them be in the same room unless Duna is tied up.

On Thursday night we returned from a peaceful supper with family (in itself a miracle) and as we unlocked the front door Duna somehow got out of the patio and attacked Bonnie who was in the living room.
Blood.  Mostly Duna’s but she doesn’t mind losing, she just wants to fight.
Yesterday I took Bonnie for a long walk – 11 km – to relax her constant anxiety a little. And mine.
We came home, walked through the front door and Duna like a hound from hell launched herself at Bonnie with ferocious teeth and raving eyes.
I then went bonkers!  I can’t cope with it. I feel so powerless and so desperate for peace.

So the vet is coming.  I am not really hopeful but am interested to see what she says. All I hear from friends and on the internet is that it is one of the hardest things to resolve and probably one of them must go.

It won’t be Bonnie – unless I go with her.

On a happier note, for those of you who know something of my life here, I want to whisper that there is a girl upstairs in bed with the Resident Adolescent.   Today is also Day 1 of our new family-together-all-the-time life. By this I mean that his mother has gone back to Brazil and he is living with us permanently.

Is this something hopeful?  Perhaps showering will commence?

Santa Montse – the black virgin of Montserrat

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments

Today is Santa Montserrat!
Montserrat is a multi-peaked mountain very close to Barcelona.
It is one of the sacred mountains of Catalunya.
On a clear day you can see the jagged tops from Granollers.

High on the mountain is a Benedictine Abbey

Santa Maria de Montserrat houses the statue of the black virgin of Montserrat and has a world famous choir school which sings every day in the public area of the monastery.
Here is a video of them singing Virolai, words by Verdaguer (our little square is named after him)
When I first played this Someone Else in the room joined in with the singing!
‘All Catalans know this’
Montserrat is one of the patron saints of Catalunya  (Sant Jordi being the other)

Many many women are named after her.
The shortened version of the name is Montse and I would need all my fingers and toes to count the number of Montses I have met since moving here.
The statue is made of wood and is probably Romanesque.
She sits at the back of the monastery where people queue to visit her.
The story of her discovery is that a group of children were playing near a cave on the mountain and suddenly saw a light coming down from the sky and angels flying around them.
People came from the village and looking inside the cave they found the statue of a black Madonna.
Why black?
Here are some stories about that.
There are also stories about the connection between Montserrat and the Holy Grail which some people believe is hidden somewhere in the mountain.
You can get married in Montserrat monastery and in fact my partners mother, named Montse, had her wedding there.
There are wonderful walks around the mountain.
Most important of all – Happy Saints Day to all Montses!