Spain One - Text
Subject is a white female, 24, from Seville, currently at Western Maryland College in Maryland, teaching in the Spanish house--part of the Foreign Language Program. Her command of English is good, but her accent has remained quite strong despite her immersion into the American culture. Recorded by Elizabeth van den Berg, 5/16/00 and edited by Paul Meier, 6/10/00. Running time 00:04.28.
TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH
(Um) we used to live (um) in a house by the seaside, it was very pretty because we had (um) we weren’t supposed to live there (um) we, we got that house for the weekends and for the summer, but we fell in love with that place, it was very pretty and we have a beautiful garden a beautiful…? …you know walking so, it was very nice. So we got that house and (um) we ended up living there and all my friends are from different places, we had that house and it was very nice for us to grow up, because it gave us like a contact with nature, and also we had a lot of space to run and to jump and to play, it was much better than an apartment. (Um) my parents, both of them worked and it was very normal, it is still very normal there in Spain, like to have a maid that takes, takes care of the kids during the day. So, she lived there, we were at school but she always waited, (um) waited for us. And after school she made dinner and everything and then my parents came home. (Um) but I remember my childhood as a very, very happy one. We celebrated the feasts also, like very (um) well Spain’s a very traditional country so, every feast every holiday is very, very, its got a very big celebration, especially catholic, catholic (um) holidays because they are like (um) very important part of the culture, you not religious or whatever their, their still, you know being celebrated. And people it’s like a more social thing sometimes, so. And I remember, my mother still makes like for Christmas for example, she, she always, our house is full of relatives. It’s a lot of work too because a woman, didn’t realized, the maid always helped…? We helped with everything, we cooked with her and everything, and it’s so much work and you, all the dishes are very elaborate and we have turkey and stuffed turkey and a lot of little tapas, little dishes of Spain that we talk about, with that being very famous. And we have to cut everything and prepare, everything is ok. Wine also, you have to, to be very careful with wines (um) you know and store it, store it in May and …? And, (um) she always took care that, that was always very (um) very nice. And Christmas in Spain is like (um) like in the States a little bit, we’d have the big days but there are some differences, you know, we have the dinner on the twenty-fourth and then there’s a meal on the twenty-fifth, there’s a big meal also and we give little presents that night and we say that, but some people say its not Santa Clause and some people say it’s baby Jesus that brings the presents, it’s like a little thing. (Um) we, we also play sometimes secret Santa, what you call it the…? Invisible and you don’t know who in your family, they will tell you afterwards off course but you don’t know who is the one that is making you the present and, but the big day for presents is the sixth of January in Spain. It’s when the three wise-men come. And they, you have to leave your shoes, have to be very clean, you have to put them all under a chair, so you know, you know who is your place, which place is yours and leaving the presents. They put everything there and the following morning, and you have to leave water for the camels (um) because they come with camels and you have to leave water and some drinks for them, some snacks but the problem is like it’s so late you know it’s the sixth of January, and the kids start school like one or two days afterwards, so they don’t have enough time to enjoy your presents, and that’s why Santa Claus is beginning to be introduced in Spain.