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  • Las aventuras de Huckleberry Grimm: Queridos lectores…

    Bienvenidos, hispanohablantes, a este blog viajero de un llamado Huckleberry Grimm y sus aventuras reales e imaginarias del cual yo me encargo, como fiel narrador (pero poco omnisciente), del trabajo de traducir no solo el lenguaje propio que utiliza este necio sino tambien escurrir el liquido espeso de su conciencia para que salga una sustancia más transparente a la razon y digerible para la mente de cualquier hispanohablante quien atraviese ésta página. Pero, antes de adelantar la marcha necesitamos cambiar una cosita. Es que me sale rarísima la palabra hispanohablante y me repugna la distancia que emplaza entre nosotros. ¿Me atrevo llamaros Queridos Lectores? Ya ves, estamos mas tranquilitos y amigotes con una sustitución sencilla. ¿Seguro que no os molesta? Vale, me alegra tener vuestra confianza. Como ya sabéis, queridos lectores, con la puta mierda que es mi capacidad de escribir en castellano, el único recurso que tenemos para asegurar una comunicación (o intercambio) sin distorsión, sin equivocación, y sin salvación (para mantener el realismo del relato) es con fianza. Pues al final de la página hay un enlace que os dirige a un sitio donde se puede ingresar una fianza adecuada y entonces evitamos decepciones imprevistas con el alquiler de este blog en http://wordpress.com/. Bueno, supongo que es la hora de limpiarnos del cargo de la introduccion, y empezar con las aventuras. Ha sido un placer conoceros hoy, queridos lectores, ojalá que os guste lo que siga abajo.

    Un brazero fuerte que gasta poca luz,

    Vuestro Narrador, AJ Grimm

     

    Capítulo 13 – Garbayuela, no es país para vie-pijos

    Huckleberry estaba escudriñando la llorona litrona sudando pegajosas gotas en la superficie de este quitacalor que se encontró con frecuencia en españa. Sí, queridos lectores, en el estado de Wisconsin no hace ningun calor y entonces cuando la gente se descongela en marzo pa ponerselos al día con amigos normalmente se sientan en sillas, pero sin eses quitacalores blancos que tienen en españa. Qué lujo! En el invierno un brasero para quitar el frío, y en verano ( la otra estación ) una mesita blanca para liberar las piernas del castigo solar.

    Sí, Huck estuvo totalmente perdido en seria concentración y Tomás estuvo enseñandole palabras nuevas, las que uno se emplea cuando un machote como Gregorio siempre llega tarde. Sí hubieramos llegado antes a esta escena Huckleberriana, habríamos escuchado una conversación con el siguiente rollo, en plan colloquial versus extranjerial:

    -Pués me quedan tres cosas más que hacer en Extremadura – Huck le dice, la comprensibilidad de su castellano colgaba en el aire como una telaraña antes los ojos de un niño travieso – 1. Ver el monasterio de Guadalupe 2. Peregrinar a la Valle de Jerte mientras alforecen los cerezos 3. Visitar un pueblecito en la Extremeña profunda.

    -¿Ah, Sí? Perfecto, quería traeros para ver mi pueblo algun día. Yo sé que a ti te gustará, pero a ver si las francesas se apuntan- replicó Tomás en español más perfecto que yo, vuestro narrador humilde, puedo escribir. Tened libertad en descodificar las letras a gusto como la sopa hecha de alfabetos, agua, y polvo de tomate.

    Y así nació una conversación con el tema de meter un español, un americano, y dos francesas en un coche y ver cuanta distancia aguantan hasta que les haga falta detener el coche y tomar merecido descanso de la rabia y ira que fomente en la olla expres sobre ruedas. Pero, como hemos llegado tarde a la conversación- igual que Gregorio – os llevo hasta una semana despues cuando todos enteraron de que la paciencia dura justamente hasta Garbayuela, Badajoz. Y allí se acaba. Y lo que sigue es maravillosamente y milagroculturalmente  fabuloso. Repleto con dinosaurios, gatos, Slendermans, botellines, cocidos, tortillas de nuestra abuela y otras cosas que suelen salir en fábulas.

    Para vosotros quienes no conocen a La Siberia, posiblemente os preguntáis como será un finde en Garbayuela para un extranjero necio e inocente. Desde la información que la memoria de Huckleberry me ofrece, os digo que una visita allí será un vistazo a tierras ajenas del veneno total que es la feísima jungla urbana con sus aceras adornadas con la suciedad de la conciencia moderna.

    Será un cuadro de tierra naranja que estira hacia las sombras de pinos, cactus, helechos, encinas, y olivos que casan con el viento dando voz a la respiración terrenal.

    Será una oportunidad ver el corazón de la región o, como Manolo le dijo a Huck, “ver el culo de la tierra”. Sin embargo, quedó bien claro después que la naturaleza por allá tiene buen culo. Era precioso.

    Será un encuentro con todos. Todos. Todos conocen a todos. Todos te conocen, aunque todavía no tienes ni idea que el cuñado del tío de Tomás está echandote una fija mirada del plan, “Me temo que tienes la pinta de un imperialista diablo americano, ¿de donde eres machote rubio?” (Canada, le replicas – claro) y cuando acercas al bar para pedir unos botellines de cerveza su dentada sonrisa abre como una espada brillante saliendo de la funda y tu autoconciencia imagina aun más agresión del estilo, “No te cortes y habla con fuerza, quiero que todo el kiosco escuche tu acento ridículo.” Pero realmente te pregunta, “Venga, Huckleberry, a ver como te va el aprendimiento de castellano…¿Quien es la suegra de la cuñada de tío Rafa?” Ojo! No la arruines, Huckleberry! Una visita al pueblo para un extranjero es tan buena para aprender vocablo de la familia como asistir a un partido de fútbol sirve para aprender palabrotas.

    Será una oportunidá observar como anima la gente de un pueblo mientras van ganando el segundo partido en que van ganando. Y al fin, ganan. “Yo sé que alguna gente va a celebrar con mucha cerveza después de este,” dice graciosamente el hombre al lado, “alguna gente pero nadie en particular si me entiendes.”

    Será la primera vez que alguien en particular que no mencionamos aquí tiene la buena fortuna probar comida casera de abuela. Cocido. Tortilla. Arroz con pollo. Maaaeeee mía. O sea, no la madre mía pero la abuela – y específicamente la madre que le parió a su padre. ¿Qué? Eh? Pero que difícil es aprender el castellano. Seguimos. Allí, a los guiris les dan de comer hasta la hostia solo porque no asistieron a la misa. Sí, en este mundo malísimo y en este mundo cruel de microhondas y estufas electricas en un rincón de la abuela Tomasa uno se encuentra con refugio del ladron de sabor, Ketchup, y el recaudador de ingresos de grasa, Mayonesa.

    Será el ejemplo par exellence  de la hospidalidad española. Sobre tó, del campo del sur. Se ve que la Siberia no es país para pijos. Digamos que, a pesar de la crisis ahora, nunca ha sido fácil vivir en la Siberia de Badajoz. Cómo los siglos más aislados de Japón, confianza entre gente significaba sobrevivencia de todos. En un mundo donde la sobrevivencia viene de la convivencia (qué claramente no podemos decir de la edad moderna, todos sobreviviendo de la superperdición do otros), confianza entre vecinos y familia de vecinos y amigos de familia les importa mucho. No aceptar la hospidalidad puede decir, “Cuando hace sol hay calor para todos, pero cuando llueve, dios te bendiga, yo aprovecharé de la primera raya del sol.” Esta tradición es un mundo distinto al mundo donde nació Huckleberry. A veces cambiar entre normas de mundos distintos resulta un curioso lío de malentendidos. Pero, cuando tu amigo te pone dos cervezas enseguidas y dos platos de jamon criado y curado por su padre mismo, de repente la dificultad se reposa un poco.

    Una visita al campo de la Siberia será un quita-asfixion dado al aire fresco encima del castillo que todavía es un desconocido a la ruina turistica. Habrán extremos de llanura y sierra. Habrá un pántano rodeando el castillo de la Puebla marcando el horizonte curvada como rímel marca los ojos y provocando la imaginación como una larga falda flamenca.

    Será la única oportunidad para ver donde hicieron las pelis Jurassic Park, Dinosaur, y el mundialmente conocido La tierra antes del tiempo. Es genial. Quedan los edificios de estudios y todo. Puedes montar un Jeep y travesar las sierras donde grabaron videos famosos como la escena con los brontosaurios. In.Cre.I.Ble.

    Será la única oportunidad de andar por los olivares sin hacer la cosecha. Y eso vale por mucho! Eh? ¿Andar por los olivares sin el trabajo duro ni el puto frío ni la monotonía? Sí. Lujo puro.

    Será una prueba de fuego para los riñones.

    Es posible que te ofrezcan cerveza a cualquiera hora.

    Es posible que te pongan una cerveza en cualquier momento de por lo menos una vez cada hora.

    Es posible que te vas a tomar esa cerveza aunque para ti sea la mañana y todavía te quedan las malas pesadillas donde montaste un T-Rex para escapar los gatos Goliat-os en el patio enorme inhabitado por patatas cocidas rodandos a su caprichoso gusto y inhabitados por coqueteando castillos vestidos totalmente rojo. Sí, con esas pesadillas despiertas, y todavía te quedan 10 horas mas del día y estas en peligro incesante de ser liado a beber más porque, vamos, lo más pequeño el pueblo, más beb…eh, dondetá la lata mía? Tomás? Gregorio?

    Eh?

    Donde´toy?

    Queridos lecotres, como un fiel narrador me da mucha verguenza confesar que me encuentro desnudo antes los ojos de dios al cumbre del cerro del castillo celta arriba arriba, mirando despierto a este pueblecito. Puede ser que estoy bien lleno de amor borrachera, o puede ser que no, pero algo está claro: qué bonita es vuestra Garbayuela. Qué bonita es por aquí.

    Para leer Episodio 2…

  • Chapter 13: No Country for Old Men, Garbayuela

    As your narrator, please forgive me for letting my guard down and thus giving Huckleberry a chance to steal my thunder for the introduction to Volume III of this adventure. Rest assured that no more first person coup d´etat will overcome this blog. If this was a third person omniscent blog, perhaps I would have seen it coming, and we could have avoided offending you.
    Well, enough adoing about nothing.

    Chapter 13: Garbayuela

    One day over a raucous round of rapid cañas during la siesta here in Cáceres, Tomás and Huckleberry were talking about how little time he had left and all the things he had on his plate – besides the heaping mess of sweet and sour chicken over french fries next to the liter bottle of beer.

    They were waiting for Gregorio to show up when Huck was explaining the last three Extremeñan things on his list before he jets off to similarily green pastures. 1. El monasterio de Guadalupe 2. La Valle de Jerte 3. Visit any one of the myriad tiny-tiny towns that exist in the vast countryside that is Extremadura, a place so big that hardly anyone in Spain has heard of it. Mallorca – tiny, famous. Galicia – small, internationally known. The canary islands – pequeñitos bikinis, photographed for Sports Illustrated and shipped to people all over the world. Extremadura – fairly big and relatively huh? Extrema-Where? Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

    Huck was in luck. Tomás had gears grinding full steam ahead to get some of these guiris out to his family´s hometown. It just so happened that this train was headed for one of the tiniest everybody is everyones´ relative somehow someway type of boonie living country towns of Extremadura. Manolo, Gregorio, and Tomás are all from Garbayuela in eastern Badajoz. It´s as south as southern Spain gets without being Andalucía. Its as close to Castilla la Mancha as you can get without staining your hand with its rich history. And yet, it just might be the farthest thing from anything. Except for domestic animals. Here, you´re never too far from a sheep or a bull, a cow, a horse, a pig, or whatever. The usual Animal Farm suspects.

    What does that mean? That means you´ll be driving through shrubbery scaped horizons in yellow and orange colored dirt that skirts the shadows of pines, olive trees, ferns, cactus and all sorts of mixed mediterranean and midatlantic climate cliches. It´s beautiful. If you haven´t, dear readers, already gotten the jist from this run-on blog thus far – Extremadura is a gorgeous place to be in the winter. Everything is ultra green, mossy, wet, and on a day with that peculiarly low hanging winter sun everything is maximally illuminated from within.

    It also means you´ll be driving into the heart of the rocky, half mountain half sea bed plain, middle of nowhere land nicknamed the Siberia because it was once land where Europeans exiled people. This place is as gorgeous as it is empty of convenience. Manolo told Huckleberry that Garbayuela, and above all The Siberia, was the ass of the earth. However, once he got there Huck couldn´t help but notice how fine that a%& was. It was beautiful. Haters gonna hate, Extremadura so don´t let it get you down. Shine. Be somebody.

    It also means you´re going to get to meet everyone in the family. Everyone. And everyone will give you the life story of everyone in their family. Which is the life story of every person inhabiting the space between the at the end of grandpa Joe´s patch´a land by the pond and the nearest mountain. If you didn´t know your family vocabulary before, you will never forget it later. Trick question, who´s the suegra of someone´s cuñado? Don´t drop the ball now Huckleberry!

    It means you´ll eat some of the best homecookin left in this mean old world of microwaves and electric stoves. This abyss of ketchup and mayo. Yes, right in good old no where there´s a plate of cocido (traditional garbanzo and meat dish. RRRiquísimo) with your name all over it. Better clean up your plate with some of G´ma´s bread. The bundled masses of dried hot (MILD) peppers in the storage room celebrate with all sorts of conserved delights and preserved harvests.

    It means you´ll finally hear the birds backdropped by silence and dust rather than the constant flux of motors, screaming neighbors, and random modern “conveniences” berating your eardrums at every waking and dreaming moment. Ah, the city life! Yes, going to Garbayuela means sounds. Not noise.

    It means you´ll see the town´s soccer team have a win on home dirt.

    It means you´ll see said town get heavily slammed and sloshed to celebrate their second win ever.

    It means you´ll scale a couple castles left undestroyed by the rampage of constant tourism. One euro to see for miles where they filmed such blockbusters as A Land Before Time and Jurassic Park as well as the widely acclaimed Dinosaur? Yes. Huckleberry actually saw a dinosaur hanging out with the kitties on the patio deck backing up the house of Tomás´ grandma. Somehow, after the long drive to arrive, such a sight went without inciting surprise.

    It means you´ll see the biggest water reservoir in Europe. Not bad.

    Here, Huckleberry noted again how nice it is to be within view of large amounts of water.

    It means you´ll take a jeep ride through the set of Jurassic Park (which they just left there, buildings dinosaurs and all) to see the clouds hovering over cliffs and edges and saw like hills as one might paint the hills of middle of nowhere Japan on a nice, cloudy, and rainy day.

    It means you´ll get to stroll through lands of endless olive trees and no one will make you help harvest them. You won´t truly now just how good that deal is, until you get to know what harvesting olives is like. No one speaks affectionately of the harvest, save for the social time you get in compensation.

    It means they will make you drink at any hour, in any one of the three bars in town – two of which are rented by the government itself.

    It means they will ask you to drink beer at any hour.

    It means you will probably be drinking beer.

    Imagine drinking beer right now, where you are. All day long. Yep. Just imagine.

    Trust is established by you accepting hospitality. Better down that beer boy or we might get to thinkin u are wonuv them imperialist commies wavin that redwhiteblue. No, its not that bad. They´ll just stare you down until they´re absolutely sure that you aren´t somehow a danger of some kind and most absolutely sure that you´re not the devil American everyone told them about during 40 years of dictatorship and 30 years of democracy´s reconstruction.

    Don´t worry, Huckleberry, once they figure out you´re not here to intimidate anyone with your clandestine radical politics, art, and philosophy they´ll invite you to many, many more drinks and get along with you just like old pals. As Huckleberry once found out, the smaller the town – the more they drink. They were human after all, these Spaniards, he supposed.

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Grimm, Vol. III


    LINKS TO CHAPTERS 13-21

    CHAPTER 13

    CHAPTER 14

    CHAPTER 15

    CHAPTER 16

    CHAPTER 17

    CHAPTER 18

    CHAPTER 19

    CHAPTER 20

    CHAPTER 21


     

     

     

     

    As expected, the point of no return has arrived. The fourth act is on its way out and all strange mires foreshadowed by yesteryear´s exposition have found merry winds at their backs. This school year, Extremadura has rocked my world. I wanted to be challenged. I got just that. I´m a pretty arrogant, naive, stubborn, judgemental narcissist so let me tell you to weigh no grains of sand and believe that it has been difficult.

    Based on these experiments, and the gestation period of Intermission the Third, third person narrator AJ has gone on well deserved vacation. What you got now is pure Huckleberry. This first person narration is new to me, so bare with the learning curve. Yep, just as you´re thinkin´, “if we hit the learning curve at Huckleberry speed, we´re bound to go off the edge.” Too late, my dear friends, too late for such laments.

    I have recently been given the green light on this auxiliar program renewal. They say I´ll go to Andalucía for the school year of 2014-2015. Pretty good deal, seems to me. Though, I don´t know how much more these 25 year old bones can take. At the bottom of the barrel is fundamental boredom. It´s no news that my only talent and greatest pitfall is that I consistently push my limits to see who I can be, what I´m comfortable with, how I can expand my definition of my self. It´s a fun but often dangerous game. Some times people get the wrong idea and take me too seriously..can´t you see I´m playing here? Are you bored too? Maybe its just me.

    If there´s one thing I learned this year its that, at times, people deserve the respect of hearing your honest criticism, judgement, or biased immaturity once in a while. My parents raised me, perhaps unintentionally, to be a super nice person. Also, to be an idealist. However, since the route of being relentlessly accepting and respectful towards others like some sort of perfect priest or monastic monkey often leads to a gives-but-does-not-receives lifestyle, there comes a point when you should know that the first judgement I have against your fine person, while certainly not the last, is that I will probably be bored out of my mind. I´m sure the feeling is mutual – that is as it were how judgements work sometimes. Don´t worry, I´d probably feel the same way. It´s only natural. Nothing personal. However, the only thing as strong as my fundamental boredom, is my fundamental content. Yep, you know, that stupid happy face Huckleberry dons upon cascades of overwhelmingly beautiful simplicity. Nothing turns me on like a high dosage of humble sincerity, or a walk by the lake, or watching you twist a velvety crisp leaf between your fingers, or hearing the sound of wind catching the roof of your well gardened flat. Not even boredom inspires me to the same extent as conceptless tactile deviations through your hair.

    So, “What´s the point of all this, Huck?” is what you probably aren´t asking while fending off the boring sterility of this Volume III´s introduction.

    So the low down is, if I don´t get the chance to study Flamenco – more specifically, how to accompany the dance and song – I´m not sure I´d be able to spend another year in Spain.

    Or would I?

    Seems rather boring-like to just bank on the fact that my probability of finding quality instructors is VERY slim even if I get placed in Andalucía. On the other hand, hoping for such an opportunity is a huge gamble. Ya know, risky fuckin´business.

    Right.

    So, I have a job lined up for the duration of next school year, is what you´re telling me. And its in the south of Spain. Boy, sounds refreshing.

    So – just a few questions before I move on.

    1. Is it going to be difficult? Yeah? I see.

    2. Will it test me against my self, my limits? Right.

    3. Do I get to take advantage of perhaps the last opportunity I´ll have to live abroad, even if that means living here, in this country…again? Is that so?

    4. My spanish really ain´t that good. Venga, tomemos el “penúltimo” ahora y lo pensemos despues.

    Let´s be real Spain, I don´t have any romantic notions of who you are and what I want you to be. I´m not some youngin´hoping to get whisked away and married to a “romantic” Spaniard. In fact, it saddens me to say that I honestly don´t think I´d survive a marraige with any of your fine, fine Spanish women. Sometimes I downright dislike you. But, I sure liked coming back here after my visit to the gloriously gentrified consumerist capitol par excellence, Switzerland.

    You don´t seem to have any unrealistic romantic notions of who I am either. Great, let´s keep it that way, and see how things pan out.

    A year from now, I´ll be at the end of my time in Andalucía, and then – then – I´ll be homeward bound. Looks like I just booked a whole lot of crazy into my schedule between now and June 2015, a little over 13 moons from now.

    I still have no idea where I´ll be placed within Andalucía for the 2014-2015 school year – could be a big city or could be the middle of nowhere and believe me there is much middle of nowhere in Andalucía – but I guess I´ll just have to deal with whatever comes up. Until then, Volume III here will fill you all in on what goes down during my last few weeks in Extremadura, España.