Gerald Brenan was a English writer who travelled to a tiny village south from Granada. He ended up spending about six years there with two thousand books. 
He travelled around the area and fell for a local girl. The movie focuses a lot on the romance but I was amazed more by the village depicted by the movie.
The story occurred early in the century in remote Spain. I was amazed by the live style and the total difference of the moral context there. On the other hand, the hospitality of the villagers reminded so much of the field trip I made in the summer 2002 in inner China. We were invited to village events and seated with important people from the village. We got access to sacred places for the sake of research. The villagers treated us as someone really important. We really are not special, but in remote areas like that, outsiders from a more "developed" places are almost always treated so well. We tried our best paying back the hospitality by buying the most appropriate presents, melons we saw on our way, tea bricks, dry milk powder among others. Photos were amazingly popular for the villagers. I ended up taking a lot of portrays for each family and brought the photos when I visit the next time. Sincerity, however, is the best present in my opinion. Willing to try the things they provide and really spend time with the villagers to see how they live daily and translate the conversations so they don't feel left out is the best respect we can have for the villagers. The thing I hate the most is the honored guests laugh aloud about the villagers while they are around but not translating what is going on.
Gosh, the movie makes me wanting to travel so much....
If you can take all your books with you and stay in some remote village for six years, where will you go?
(picutre from www.rottentomatoes.com)
He travelled around the area and fell for a local girl. The movie focuses a lot on the romance but I was amazed more by the village depicted by the movie.The story occurred early in the century in remote Spain. I was amazed by the live style and the total difference of the moral context there. On the other hand, the hospitality of the villagers reminded so much of the field trip I made in the summer 2002 in inner China. We were invited to village events and seated with important people from the village. We got access to sacred places for the sake of research. The villagers treated us as someone really important. We really are not special, but in remote areas like that, outsiders from a more "developed" places are almost always treated so well. We tried our best paying back the hospitality by buying the most appropriate presents, melons we saw on our way, tea bricks, dry milk powder among others. Photos were amazingly popular for the villagers. I ended up taking a lot of portrays for each family and brought the photos when I visit the next time. Sincerity, however, is the best present in my opinion. Willing to try the things they provide and really spend time with the villagers to see how they live daily and translate the conversations so they don't feel left out is the best respect we can have for the villagers. The thing I hate the most is the honored guests laugh aloud about the villagers while they are around but not translating what is going on.
Gosh, the movie makes me wanting to travel so much....
If you can take all your books with you and stay in some remote village for six years, where will you go?
(picutre from www.rottentomatoes.com)
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