Another story from Jerez...

Getting in

One day in bulerías class Ani asked me to tell the ladies that getting in is the hardest part.

And so I did.

A couple of days later my parents and I rented a car to drive to Gibraltar.

We asked the agent how to get to the freeway.

Es fácil, he told us.

For him, perhaps.

Confusion

Jerez is confusing.  It has all of these roundabouts.  And getting in and out of them is not so easy...

Until you get used to them and understand how they work I suppose.

It’s kind of like that with bulerías.

At first, it's confusing.  And unfamiliar.

With so much to consider

The cante

The compás

The steps

The complexity of it all.

But after awhile, you just go in, without thought, and you're good.

La Carretera

Finding your way onto the highway in an unfamiliar city.

Obstacles and streets that might not go where you expect them to.  All of the possible wrong turns you can make.  Especially in a city like Jerez with all of its roundabouts.

Trying to get onto the carretera with my parents.  There were opinions.  A bit of arguing.  There was trial and error.  Going the wrong way.  And driving the same wrong loop over and over again.

But once we managed to get onto the highway going in the right direction, we just followed the road and were fine.

Well, until it was time to get off.

A bulerías

It's not so different.

It can be kind of scary figuring out when to start and how to do it.

But once you’re in there, you can just follow the cante and go.

I know, I know.  Until it's time to leave.

But please don't fret.  We'll deal with this and all things in-between at the workshop.

And for you?

What's the hardest part for you?  Let me know.  You can leave a comment below.