Resurrection Fest

Hordes of people almost all in black t-shirts in the coastal town of Viveiro can only mean one thing: Resurrection Fest. From Wednesday to Sunday, the town (population: 15,000) swelled to accommodate over 100,000 fans of rock and metal music. And in my first time there, what stuck out to me was the atmosphere that engulfed Viveiro before even getting into the concert grounds. Because metalheads had come from around the world to see their favorite big-name bands, such as Alice Cooper, the Offspring, and Avenged Sevenfold in this edition.

Resurrection Fest is almost a way of life for some people. Tons come year after year, proudly displaying wristbands or t-shirts from past editions. Some folks show up days before and stay the whole week, turning it into their vacation. And who could blame them, with a nearby beach, great gastronomy, plus big-name concerts-- sounds like an ideal vacation. There is also the option to get married at Resurrection Fest's little chapel. Apparently this year over 1,000 couples applied, so there was a drawing. And just because you have kids doesn't mean your festival-going days are over. Aside from many families bringing their kids along, they have recently started offering Resukids where you can sign your kids up to be with babysitters, even to sleep over. We saw a group of these kid ¨campers¨ at one concert, when they came out on stage for the last song (decked out in protective ear gear, of course), most of them doe-eyed, but one girl was really into it and helping the guitarist.

Because we were only going one night, we opted to skip the tent and just sleep in the car. I'm sure we missed half of the fun by not staying at the festival campground. Anyways, after a stroke of luck finding a parking spot in public parking, we went to lunch. The three bars surrounding the parking lot were all full of festivalgoers drinking and dining. Some started conversation with other fans, as it was quite clear who was around for the festival (80% of the customers, approximately).

Not too many people for Wednesday's opening act

 

Once on the festival grounds, we walked down what they have set up like Main Street from the Wild West. It contains t-shirt shops and the aforementioned chapel. There were also plenty of food choices. At the festival there are 4 separate stages, with two concerts going on simultaneously. This was really useful, because if you weren't interested in the two options, you could stake out a spot to see the following concert.

Resu Main Street and Chapel

 

Alice Cooper for Prez

We saw the festival openers --a Japanese all-female band dressed in very frilly clothes, with the singer alternating between a high-pitched ¨girly¨ voice and deep bellows. Throughout the afternoon/evening we saw three other concerts, culminating in the headliner for the day, Alice Cooper. For that we were relatively close, perhaps six heads back. Since it was a Wednesday, the place was not packed. Pictures I've seen online from Friday and Saturday show the field overflowing with attendees. Alice Cooper put on a great show with numerous costume changes and tons of guitar picks flying to the crowd. Sum 41 played past midnight, but we just didn't have the energy to wait. 

Next year will be Resurrection Fest's 20th anniversary, and surely they'll book some great bands to celebrate. Maybe the lineup will be enticing enough for me to go back. And next time, camp out to experience the convivial atmosphere.

It's Tough to Be a Senior in Spain

While kids in the USA are probably out of school already, students in Spain still have another 2 whole weeks of class to trudge through. Except for the ¨seniors¨ in their last year of high school (called 2nd BAC or bachillerato). They finished their final exams at the beginning of May and have spent the past month studying like crazy. Today in Galicia they are in their last day of testing for the Spanish version of the SAT-- the EBAUs. That stands for Evaluation of Bachillerato for Access to University (hey, the acronym works in English, too!)

I say Spanish version of the SAT because it is an exam necessary to get into college. But the similarities end there. Whereas in the United States students can take the SAT or ACT as many times as they want--starting early, a few years before graduation-- in Spain you've only got one shot. Not only that, but there are several exams, one for each subject. In Galicia --since there is a co-official language-- there are five written tests: Spanish, Galician, English, History or Philosophy, and Math (or another exam related to the type of bachillerato you have been studying). You can also take up to four more exams on elective subjects to raise your score.

But what happens if you have a bad day? What if you're sick or just totally blank? There is the possibility of a redo, a month or two later. But you risk the spots filling up for your chosen major. That's another difference between Spain's college access system and the United States'. Here you get into college based on your chosen major and whether or not it aligns with your combined score. Rather than GPA and SAT scores being evaluated separately, here they are combined into one neat number. Your grades in the last two years of high school count for 60% of your score and the EBAU results make up the other 40%. The maximum score is a 14. Ten of those points are made up of the aforementioned percentage of grades and test scores. The other possible four points are from exams that are ¨weighted,¨ and related to your chosen field of study. For example, future med students might take the biology or chemistry exams. Future language teachers would probably go for some other foreign languages.

Beforehand, universities publish a cut off score for each specific major. As you can imagine, medical degrees require near-perfect scores, but these minimums vary depending on the college. Then after the exam, students look at their final score out of 14 and based on that, apply to colleges and their desired major. And just because you made the cutoff score doesn't necessarily mean you made the cut. If a college's program got more applicants than it was expecting and they all did better than you, well, you might have to choose a new major or school.

So basically, after ending classes early, seniors in Spain have to hit the books, maybe even more so than during the school year. Their future is depending on it. So much for senioritis!