The Crane & The Cathedral
Friday, October 13, 2006
TiNet and Tarragona
In addition to the workshop series we’re planning to hold in Vilanova I la Geltru, I’ve also been exploring the possibility of holding workshops here in Tarragona. Yesterday David and I met with representatives of TiNet. TiNet is a province wide portal which not only has news and information, current events, etc. on their website, but also provides all Tarragona residents with free email, webhosting, and an online program called “webfácil” which allows people to make their own webpage. They work in collaboration with a network of Telecentros, aka Community Technology Centers, and offer courses in basic internet navigation. In order to reach the rural areas, TiNet also has a mobile lab that they set up for workshops. David had told them about the digital storytelling project, and they were interested both because they want to expand the types of courses they offer, but also as a way to gain content for their website.
I showed a few examples in Spanish during the meeting, and then a few in English since I realized that almost all the examples I have in Spanish are created by women in their forties addressing issues of overcoming adversity. There are some good ones there, but I generally try to show a fuller range, especially a few created by youth since they typically have a quicker pace and different aesthetic. It seemed to work fine to show 2 Spanish stories all the way through so people get the idea of the script work and then show pieces of a few in English to demonstrate options for graphics, editing, etc.
As in Vilanova, the folks at TiNet were interested in train the trainer work in order to incorporate this approach into their programming. We also talked a bit about collaborating with the public libraries, something I’m more and more interested in since hearing about the program in Scott’s County and now San Diego, and also working with Maya Castillo of the Valencia Library in Tucson. The Tarragona Library already has a type of oral history program online, so this might be a natural fit with them as well. While I’m a bit hesitant about overcommitting myself, I think at this point in the project it just makes sense to plant a lot of seeds and then see what emerges.
I showed a few examples in Spanish during the meeting, and then a few in English since I realized that almost all the examples I have in Spanish are created by women in their forties addressing issues of overcoming adversity. There are some good ones there, but I generally try to show a fuller range, especially a few created by youth since they typically have a quicker pace and different aesthetic. It seemed to work fine to show 2 Spanish stories all the way through so people get the idea of the script work and then show pieces of a few in English to demonstrate options for graphics, editing, etc.
As in Vilanova, the folks at TiNet were interested in train the trainer work in order to incorporate this approach into their programming. We also talked a bit about collaborating with the public libraries, something I’m more and more interested in since hearing about the program in Scott’s County and now San Diego, and also working with Maya Castillo of the Valencia Library in Tucson. The Tarragona Library already has a type of oral history program online, so this might be a natural fit with them as well. While I’m a bit hesitant about overcommitting myself, I think at this point in the project it just makes sense to plant a lot of seeds and then see what emerges.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Las montañas
I was looking forward to the coastal landscape of Tarragona, but I had no idea there were such incredible mountains here as well. Yesterday we drove up to Siurana, a stone village that was the last holdout for the Moors when attacked by the Romans. And it’s quite a hold out, perched on top of a dramatic mesa with only one approach up. The landscape is breathtaking--cliffs, canyons, vineyards in the valleys, terraces of olive trees. Enric and Angel are outdoors buffs, and they took us on a hike along after wandering around the streets of the village for a bit. We started off on a ridge that’s a favorite for rock-climbers, and went up through a pine forest, passing holly trees and horses on the way. The hike was followed by a four course meal in another village, and a slightly scary ride home down winding roads in immense fog. Yesterday was just a taste, I hope to go back and exploring more of the villages and trails.
See other photos on flickr!
I was looking forward to the coastal landscape of Tarragona, but I had no idea there were such incredible mountains here as well. Yesterday we drove up to Siurana, a stone village that was the last holdout for the Moors when attacked by the Romans. And it’s quite a hold out, perched on top of a dramatic mesa with only one approach up. The landscape is breathtaking--cliffs, canyons, vineyards in the valleys, terraces of olive trees. Enric and Angel are outdoors buffs, and they took us on a hike along after wandering around the streets of the village for a bit. We started off on a ridge that’s a favorite for rock-climbers, and went up through a pine forest, passing holly trees and horses on the way. The hike was followed by a four course meal in another village, and a slightly scary ride home down winding roads in immense fog. Yesterday was just a taste, I hope to go back and exploring more of the villages and trails.
See other photos on flickr!
Some things that are different…
a step beyond the obvious ones like coming home for three hours in the middle of the day and kids out with their parents for dinner at eleven…
* You can get Ben and Jerry’s here, but it’s a bit hard after the deep freeze…David and Silvia had to resort to desperate measures.
* Wine in barrels. Once a week we go down the three flights of stairs with our handy dandy plastic jug so the guy in the wine store on the first floor can refill it from the keg o’ wine. There are a few kegs of white, a few of red, and sparkling of course.
* Nakedness. Today on the beach just below they city I watched from behind a book as three generations in family stripped down and put their bathing suits on. Nobody seems to think twice about it, imagine teenage girls at home feeling comfortable
* No checkbooks. Bank transfers are the big thing here. I don’t even want to think about how many people have our bank information. The landlord, the utility companies, the gym….checks, they’re some archaic anomaly that unfortunately take three weeks to clear. Even Spanish ones.
* Street cleaning- back in Somerville, you had to remember to move your car to the other side of the street, but that was just once a week. I think they clean the streets here EVERY DAY! And, they seem to use soap, water, and multiple implements.
* Stuff is really old. Saturday morning Andrew and I had our first foray into Tarragona tourism with a visit to the Roman walls that bound the old part of the city. The first gated communities if you will. These walls date back to the second century B.C., the second Punic wars between Rome and Carthage. So I was wondering, since there’s such a strong ethic of historic preservation here, when did that start? I mean, even 500 years ago, the stuff around here was already 1,500 years old! Were they trying to preserve it back then? Maybe they just didn’t have very big bulldozers. What’s cool is how many of the houses/buildings just went with what was already there, making the walls part of their construction.
* You can get Ben and Jerry’s here, but it’s a bit hard after the deep freeze…David and Silvia had to resort to desperate measures.
* Wine in barrels. Once a week we go down the three flights of stairs with our handy dandy plastic jug so the guy in the wine store on the first floor can refill it from the keg o’ wine. There are a few kegs of white, a few of red, and sparkling of course.
* Nakedness. Today on the beach just below they city I watched from behind a book as three generations in family stripped down and put their bathing suits on. Nobody seems to think twice about it, imagine teenage girls at home feeling comfortable
* No checkbooks. Bank transfers are the big thing here. I don’t even want to think about how many people have our bank information. The landlord, the utility companies, the gym….checks, they’re some archaic anomaly that unfortunately take three weeks to clear. Even Spanish ones.
* Street cleaning- back in Somerville, you had to remember to move your car to the other side of the street, but that was just once a week. I think they clean the streets here EVERY DAY! And, they seem to use soap, water, and multiple implements.
* Stuff is really old. Saturday morning Andrew and I had our first foray into Tarragona tourism with a visit to the Roman walls that bound the old part of the city. The first gated communities if you will. These walls date back to the second century B.C., the second Punic wars between Rome and Carthage. So I was wondering, since there’s such a strong ethic of historic preservation here, when did that start? I mean, even 500 years ago, the stuff around here was already 1,500 years old! Were they trying to preserve it back then? Maybe they just didn’t have very big bulldozers. What’s cool is how many of the houses/buildings just went with what was already there, making the walls part of their construction.
