first blush of velez...

the bus zips along the freeway, speeding me closer to my final destination: velez. along the way i see a rolling countryside with miles and miles of olive trees, followed by rolling brown hills with scrubby green trees. after an intermidable traffic jam (when the 4 lane goes to 1), around a corner the city of malaga spreads at my feet and in the distance the sea.
coming into velez i feel the warm sun with the cool sea breeze, less humidity than sevilla. expecting a tranquil town i find myself thrown into the once a year weekend royal feria, dedicated to a san miguel--some saint that no one really knows. en realidad, it is simply an excuse for fiesta. the city itself climbs into the hills, fleeing the endless blue of the sky and sea. the roads get narrow as they climb, winding to the castle seated high on the hill before the city ends and the country begins.
sunday i sit waiting for church to begin, watching the crowds walk to and fro. noticing at this relatively early hour of 10, the sidewalks are full of elderly gentlemen, ambling along chatting amiably. some use canes and all walk slowly, wearing casual dress shirts and slacks. dogs wander in and out of the walkers, some on leashes, many not.
i explore the town everyday, getting more and more acquainted with it's mostly unlabeled streets. many areas boast of progress, dozens of apartment complexes under construction.
underneath the protective shelter of the hilltop cerro san cristobal, i see a pobre caballito (little horse) tethered in dry brown grass. suddenly, he manages to pull his rope to allow himself to go off the hillside onto the sidewalk, finding lush bushes carefully cultivated. laughing, i watch as he helps himself to a nicer snack, until his master yells from several winding blocks away and he whinnies in response but neglects to obey and return to the dry hillside. still conditioned to notice horses from my summer's experience, i watch the magnificent parade of caballos down the street, amazed at seeing the carriage drawn by twelve burros!
overall, i find myself blessed already by my time in velez. the small evangelical churches (2) welcomed me with (as is tradition in spain) not open arms but kisses on the cheeks...a practice that will take some getting used to. the school visit today went exceptionally well, as they are eager to make use of my english knowledge and improve their school. many people have promised to keep a lookout for housing, and i am hoping something will turn up soon.
para sumir, Dios nos dice que (Ex. 3.9) y este es todo lo que necesito saber.