el caganer

Today, in my second to last orientation class, we were talking about cultural differences when the professor introduced us to el caganer.













El Caganer is Catalan and roughly translates to "defecator." We had to describe it in Spanish and then we were asked where we thought it was placed. I had no idea where she was going with this, but it turned out to be a good lesson on "things aren't always what they appear to be at first."

In Catalonia, el caganer is placed in the Nativity Scene, usually in the back or behind the stable/barn. Seems rather outrageous, no? Borderline offensive. However, she explained that back in the 18th century, this guy was being used because it represented someone fertilizing the fields for Jesus, I guess... Not all of us can offer gold, but the common person can pitch in by pinching a loaf. The Pope placed his stamp of approval on it and people have been using it ever since. The Catalonains are very proud of their figurine, and they even come in celebrity shapes (Yes! Now I can finally place Scientologist Tom Cruise squatting next to baby Jesus!).

In more personal news, I've got a nice sinus infection going on. I'm really glad I brought all of my drugs, even the ones that I didn't really use anymore back in the States. Out here, I'm needing them. I was feeling pretty crappy last night and when I woke up this morning, but I'm feeling a lot better now.

I also took my first real metro trip today. It was a pretty interesting experience.

That's all for now. Take care, everyone. Oh, and if you'd like bigger versions of the pictures I've posted, I just realized you can just click on them. A new page will open with the actual size (they are quite large...)