Muchísima mierda literally means "a whole lot of shit."
Yes. I had the word shit in my last blog title too. Sorry, Mom.
Let me explain. It's bad luck to say good luck on opening night, right? Well, in the US, we say "break a leg" to send our best wishes to our actor friends and that doesn't make much sense either. In Spain, we say "mucha mierda."
It's because the Spanish theatre produced its most influential works in the 16th and 17th centuries. Back then, if there was a lot of shit on the streets - literally, shit - it meant a lot of people had come to the theatre. Because they had to come in horse-drawn carriages, their horses shat in the streets, leaving visible evidence that the performance had been successful, or at least that it had sold enough tickets.
I didn't say it was pretty, but at least we don't tell people to break their limbs.
Mierda has been on my mind a lot lately. In the first place, my theatre studio performed the scenes we had been working on over the course of the semester. As a non-actor, non-native Spanish speaker, I think it's safe to say I am not going to win a Tony for my performances as Yerma, Poncia (La casa de Bernarda Alba), and Silvia (Los intereses creados). Regardless, I am incredibly proud of the challenge my classmates and I took on - performing (some of us for the very first time) very difficult material in a language that was not our own. What's more, I am shocked that I was able to have the opportunity not just to see Lorca performed in Madrid or to visit his museum in Granada, but to actually be able to perform his works during my time in Madrid. I was in Spanish theatre heaven, and you can see some really embarrassing pictures below.
In the second place, the other mierda in my life has been my final exams. As it turns out, in this country, you do virtually no schoolwork until the end of the semester, when you spend the last month thinking you are going to die from the amount of projects and exams you are responsible for. It is for this reason that I have been relatively absent from Blogland as well as the night life in Madrid for virtually all of January. Regardless, I have officially made it through my first semester in Madrid alive and seemingly successful (although we'll wait on grades for a final decision there). I am relieved to have that mierda out of the way, and I am ready for the beautiful weekend in Salamanca I have ahead of me.
Sending all my love to the places where my loved ones are!!!!
Yes. I had the word shit in my last blog title too. Sorry, Mom.
Let me explain. It's bad luck to say good luck on opening night, right? Well, in the US, we say "break a leg" to send our best wishes to our actor friends and that doesn't make much sense either. In Spain, we say "mucha mierda."
It's because the Spanish theatre produced its most influential works in the 16th and 17th centuries. Back then, if there was a lot of shit on the streets - literally, shit - it meant a lot of people had come to the theatre. Because they had to come in horse-drawn carriages, their horses shat in the streets, leaving visible evidence that the performance had been successful, or at least that it had sold enough tickets.
I didn't say it was pretty, but at least we don't tell people to break their limbs.
Mierda has been on my mind a lot lately. In the first place, my theatre studio performed the scenes we had been working on over the course of the semester. As a non-actor, non-native Spanish speaker, I think it's safe to say I am not going to win a Tony for my performances as Yerma, Poncia (La casa de Bernarda Alba), and Silvia (Los intereses creados). Regardless, I am incredibly proud of the challenge my classmates and I took on - performing (some of us for the very first time) very difficult material in a language that was not our own. What's more, I am shocked that I was able to have the opportunity not just to see Lorca performed in Madrid or to visit his museum in Granada, but to actually be able to perform his works during my time in Madrid. I was in Spanish theatre heaven, and you can see some really embarrassing pictures below.
In the second place, the other mierda in my life has been my final exams. As it turns out, in this country, you do virtually no schoolwork until the end of the semester, when you spend the last month thinking you are going to die from the amount of projects and exams you are responsible for. It is for this reason that I have been relatively absent from Blogland as well as the night life in Madrid for virtually all of January. Regardless, I have officially made it through my first semester in Madrid alive and seemingly successful (although we'll wait on grades for a final decision there). I am relieved to have that mierda out of the way, and I am ready for the beautiful weekend in Salamanca I have ahead of me.
Sending all my love to the places where my loved ones are!!!!