Methinks this protest doth party too much

01/09/2012

As previously mentioned the University is within walking distance of my digs.  Yesterday I decided to take another walk around the city just to get my bearings and pop by the college to take a few photos for you folks back home.  At the moment I have an infinite amount of time to fill as college doesn’t start for another two weeks.  I will have to register with the college next week (that will probably be a whole blog on its own; I have been warned about Spanish bureaucracy) but as it is the weekend I can just sit about drinking wine and waffling away on this blog.  I am very close to the bus and train stations, below is a photo of the road outside the station.  The station is to the left of the photo and the cafe I sat outside waiting to meet Moises is to the right.  So as you can see I am pretty central for when friends come to visit.

I was making my way along the street when I heard a huge explosion and then the wailing of a siren.  ‘What the hell?’ I thought, ‘World War III has broken out and I haven’t cleared my credit card’.  The people around me carried on about their business as if nothing had happened.  To them it seemed normal; almost as if they had been expecting it.  Turning the corner I saw a large crowd gathered outside a building.  They were chanting something up at people who were leaning out of a window of the building.  Whatever they were chanting must have pleased those at the window for they were waving down to them and unfurling a banner that never completely opened.  Some of the people below carried banners too, while others had horns and whistles and proceeded to make an incredibly loud racket.  Occasionally more bangers were set off with the sound bouncing off the nearby buildings and then making a bee-line for my eardrums.  Police were diverting traffic and constantly speaking to each other on walkie-talkies.  I could have asked someone what was going on but I wouldn’t have heard any reply; it was that loud.

One of the banners read: ¿Quieres que te den por el culo? Apuntate al SESPA.  I’m not exactly sure what it means, I know it is subjunctive (private joke) and I know it is a bit rude and involves an orifice and the placement of some unnamed object thereof.  I’m not sure whose orifice and I didn’t ask because I didn’t want my culo getting involved.  I know that SESPA is Servicio de Salud del Principado de Asturias.  So it is something to do with the health care system.  There are 17 autonomous regions in Spain and I think that instead of the health care system being administered from a central government body each region is responsible for their own.  I think some people are having problems with the Asturian health care system.  Either that or they are telling everyone who has problems with the health care system to inform SESPA of their feelings.  I’m not sure.  My ignorance of things that don’t directly affect me on a daily basis can be astounding to some.

The crowd then moved on towards the roundabout just beside the University and proceeded to block it by stopping all oncoming traffic.  The police allowed them to do this and simply diverted motorists down other roads.  One or two motorists got out and approached the crowd but I don’t know if they were arguing with them or lending their support.  It seems to me that even when Spaniards are protesting there is still some sort of party atmosphere about the place.  There was a lot of shouting and waving of arms but no angry expressions or threatening behaviour.  I shall have to work very hard on my Spanish communication, both verbal and physical.

I left the party goers / protesters to it and made my way around the corner to the University of Oviedo.  The University was founded in……. (sigh) you can look all that stuff up yourself if you are interested in that sort of thing.  I just know it is one of the oldest in Spain and I will be studying there this year.  There is more than one campus around the city but my money is on this one being the one I shall be attending.  It is the Humanities Campus and the subjects I am studying, Spanish Language, Spanish and European Literature and Latin fall under that banner.  

This campus is made up of a big old yellow building (it could do with a lick of paint) with graffiti on the back wall, a modern looking library and a fairly modern administration building.  Of course it is all locked up at the moment but I think the doors will be open on Monday for registration.  It is right in the heart of the city and is surrounded by flats and shops; much like Trinity College but with no wall acting as a barrier from everyday life. 

I wonder how I shall get on with lectures.  Will the pace be too much for me?  Will I understand a word the lecturer is saying?  How will I cope when I have to write essays in Spanish?  Will the modules be marked on continuous assessment or will it all depend on one written exam at the end of term?  Will my head blow up in class leaving blood and grey matter upon the walls and floors?  Will that cranial explosion make it harder to make friends?  Thank Christ I’m not a teenager anymore and I don’t have to believe any of that actually matters.

What amazes me about the city is the proximity of the hills around it.  In Maynooth there is not a decent hill or mountain to be seen for miles.  Anyone walking around Maynooth on a cold and windy day will appreciate how surrounding mountains would be a welcome barrier against the forces of nature.  The hills here in Oviedo encroach upon the polis like sentinels, watching inferior mortals jostle about on a day to day basis while they stand resolute and timeless.  I have included a photo of a fountain which is in a plaza about 100 metres up the road from the college and in the background you can see how close the hills are.  Not a big deal some of you may say but sometimes, just sometimes, I get this feeling that I would rather be standing on those hills looking down rather than scurrying around down here looking up.  From the plaza above the train station a statue of Christ can be seen standing upon the hill close to my flat.  I wonder if it is accessible by foot.  I shall have a word with Moises when he returns from work today.

Hasta la vista baby.