Thais en Cadiz

Una Cubana en Cádiz

The city of Cádiz shuts down this entire week for its famous Carnaval, Spain’s equivalent of Mardi Gras in New Orleans or the even bigger still Carnaval in Rio. My friend and I attended the carnival this past weekend, notorious for drawing immense crowds on the first Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. I’ll be posting more details and photos about our weekend, but Cádiz Carnaval is first and foremost a sensory experience that I’ve attempted to capture in the following video. Enjoy!

Playa Cortadura, Cadiz

Les Filles a Cadix

I once sang this song with my voice teacher, the incredible Hanni Meyers (a slightly different version, but same lyrics), and never did I imagine I would one day be living in Cadiz, or Cadix as the French say.

Leap of Faith

«Leap and the net will appear.» 

What is there to doubt? I am no stranger to Spain; Spain is in my blood and in my mouth. I have cut through many a tortilla‘s soft potatoes with the side of a fork. I once tattooed my body in Madrid. I have laughed, and laughed, and laughed in its open plazas and cluttered markets. Still, the hesitation lingered when I was presented with this opportunity, an at-times quixotic invitation to know Spain with more permanence. I am moving to a town I had never heard of, in a region I’ve never known.

Uncertainties aside, I leap. For a year, I am promised sunshine and expansive coasts; plenty of sherry and the furious heels of flamenco. But I am also ensured bouts of loneliness and bureaucratic upsets, and a definite lack of machine-dried clothing. I’d say it’s a fair trade.