observations

1. People in America like to dress like people in Europe to be a little bit different and more trendy. The thing is, when you live in Europe and you wind up looking like everyone here and not looking different and trendy. Now, what is trendy is to where clothes from the United States.

2. Spanish people use white out all the time. The kids even have little bottles of white out in their pencil cases for when they make mistakes.

3. This is probably because they teach the children to write in cursive from the time they first learn to write. Even a little 5 year old, who I tutor, writes in cursive and never in print. Also, the cursive they use is different. They keep some letters in print like the capital "G" or the "k" and then continue on with the rest of the word in cursive.

4. The students have pencils and erasers. This sounds like the American students except for the fact that NONE of the pencils that they use have erasers. Did the concept of putting them together not reach Spain yet...? :)

taking Spain for granted

After biking through the city of Munich, climbing the Alps in Salzburg, and riding pedal boats up and down the Vltava river that runs through Prague, there is still something sweet and serene about running through the rolling hills of Spain, surrounded by millions of olive trees. With only a little more than a month left, it's easy to begin to realize how much has been taken for granted. I remember when I first got to Spain, everything was foreign and exciting and different. I used to go for walks or runs on this path that sits above my little town, just to be in the mountains, to breathe in the fresh country air and see the sun set over the sea of olive trees. Of course, with the colder weather, came fewer and fewer walks but also less appreciation for everything. The characters in my story slowly became real people with real families and jobs and problems and dreams.
About a month ago, groups of people from France, England and Germany came to Spain to work with the teachers in my school on a project that links the 4 elementary schools, internationally. They come up with ways the children can learn about each of the different cultures by sending each other things and doing the same activities despite the difference in languages. In order for everyone to communicate, English was the languaged used, which meant that Michelle and I had to translate everything for these few days. Taking the people on tours of our little town of Cabra and then to Granada to tour the famous Alhambra, made me realize how much I have gotten used to seeing things here and how much I have taken for granted. Watching their faces change with appreciation for the architecture and the cultural traditions that are so different from their own, made me realize that I am lucky to still have more than a month left in Spain. So often have we (the American girls here in Cabra) complained about so many luxuries that we miss about the United States that, in turn, we forget that there are things we will never find in the States except maybe in Epcot, Disney World or a restaurant imitating this foreign culture. When we were driving back from the airport after our wonderful trip to Munich, Salzburg, Vienna and Prague, I was overwhelmed with the landscape we were driving through from Malaga to Cabra. I felt as if I had just arrived for the first time all over again. Everything was so green and the mountains were glistening orange as the setting sun spewed its purples and blues and pinks all around us through the clouds.
I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to live here and experience the people, the typical food, the architecture, the traditions and the amazing landscape. I look forward to embracing this next month and a half ahead of me and appreciating the moments I have left. :)

on the bonnie banks

After Ireland, we went to Scotland. It was neat to be at Loch Lomond and teach the other girls the lyrics to the song about the lake. :) We had fun singing it in a round.

O you’ll take the high road and I’ll take the low road

And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye

For me and my true love will never meet again

On the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

We spent the next couple of days in Edinburgh where we saw the place where J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter and we also got to explore the underground city. There used to be a wall in Edinburgh to keep the English out and all the people had to live behind the wall. There was not enough room for everyone to live so they started building up toward the sky. It is said that these were called the first skyscrapers. Once the building reached four stories high, they started to move in the wind because they were made of wood so the people had to start building underground. We took a "ghost tour" of this part which was pretty fun.

One day, we left Edinburgh to take a tour of the Highlands of Scotland. The landscape was like nothing I've seen before in my life. It was absolutely breathtaking. The trip was topped off with a visit to Loch Ness to see the Loch Ness monster. No luck...

sittin' on top of the world with my legs hangin' free

I spent Christmas with my friend Tess's family in Madrid. We sang lots of Spanish and English Christmas carols with her Dad playing guitar, me leading the English songs and him leading those in Spanish. It was wonderful to be around a Christmas tree, a big meal and a family, even though it wasn't my own. Since I know them from New Jersey, it felt like a taste of home.
Then, the day after Christmas, my Dad came to visit for a week to make me feel even closer to home! We spent time in Madrid and Barcelona and Toledo, overdosing on Spanish food and sightseeing. :)
We got to spend New Year's Eve together also.
New Years Eve in Spain is a little different than in America. First of all, in Spain they don't count down from 10 and unfortunately, there is no ball to drop.. :( But, instead, they count the 12 bongs of the clock when it strikes midnight and on each bong you are supposed to eat a grape. Now some people have said that you make a wish with every grape and other people have said that you think of one wish the whole time. The point is there are 12 grapes and you must eat them all. Also, families eat dinner together to ring in the new year and then the "young adults" go out around 2 or so to party until the restaurants open in the morning to serve them churros and chocolate. (I didn't make it that far...)

In Madrid they also have a rehearsal New Years Eve. (Any excuse Spain can find to party will do...) This happens on Dec. 30th in the Puerta del Sol, which is Spain's version of Times Square. It's basically the same thing as New Year's Eve except you can eat anything but grapes when the clock strikes midnight. Dad and I got to experience this fake New Year's Eve.














On New Year's day, I flew to Ireland to meet up with my roommate, Michelle. We spent 5 days touring around Ireland. Everything was so so green even though it was the middle of Winter. I think one of my favorite parts was exploring the Blarney Castle. I felt like a little girl in a fairy tale. The whole trip was pretty spectacular. It was great to bask in some of our comforts from home. For example: speaking English again, having several coffee options, find couches and comfy chairs at coffee shops, having dryers to dry clothes, bagels, central heating....
I loved learning about Irish history especially hearing it while in Ireland because so much of our history and heritage comes from Ireland. Almost every single person I know in the United States is "part Irish." It was unbelievable to hear the stories of the potato famine and how people were put in jail for stealing food and then sent to the United States and exiled from the country. Some people were forced to leave everything they knew behind just to try to start a new life in America. The potato famine is the reason why so many Americans are there today. I guess it was very impacting to be on the land where this all took place and to walk along the beach of the Atlantic, looking out, knowing that the other side holds New York City.
Another impacting day was when Michelle and I went to Cobh, a small city outside of Cork, from where the Titanic left to make it's way to America.

The reason Michelle and I got to see so many things in Ireland is because we signed up for a 3-day tour with about 20 other people our age that took us to all the main sites in the country. It was crazy to get so close with these people in only three days and to learn about their stories and share such awesome memories of Ireland with them. We were all from different places with different backgrounds and reasons for being on this trip.
One of the guys on the trip had been dating a girl for 3 years and they were about to get married. He had money saved up to buy a house but the girl left him so he used the money to travel instead. He's from Australia and had been traveling for 5 months. His time in Ireland left him with 2 weeks left before he would be out of money and have to go home and face what he left there 5 months ago. Another girl had spent several years as a linguistics specialist and was burnt out. She needed to escape for a while to try to figure out what to do next with her life that she thought was all planned out and perfect. Two of the girls were from the States and on their Winter break from college. They weren't there to escape anything or reflect; they just wanted to have a good time. There was a girl who had never traveled by herself before in her life and who's fiancé is in the army. She hadn't seen him in months and has always wanted to travel so he encouraged her to go ahead and do it. This trip was her first trip by herself.
Another married woman had come on this trip because she and her husband had just had affairs with other people and she needed to clear her head. She had always wanted to go to Ireland and he thought it would be a good idea for her to get away before they reunite and commit to working things out. So, she grabbed a friend and left. There was a brother and sister from the mid-west. The brother was in his first year of college and had never been anywhere out of the country and the sister was in her fourth year. They wanted to travel together before they parted ways again to go back to their schools. There was an Italian guy who had been living in London for over a year learning English. There was a German guy who was born and raised by his German family in Africa but was back in Germany for college. He spoke 5 or so different languages. Then there was me and Michelle. Michelle from California, me from New Jersey, both of us 2 years out of college, teaching in Spain, both of us not wanting to start "real jobs" in the States, both of us wanting to see the world. Michelle is planning to go to grad-school for the next 2 years back in California. Me? Who knows...


Oh, when I step into the light my arms open wide
When I step into the light my eyes searching wildly
Would you not like to be sittin' on top of the world with your legs hangin' free?
Would you not like to be ok?

I can't believe that we would lie in our graves
Wondering if we had spent our living days well
I cant believe that we would lie in our graves
Dreaming of things that we might've been.

-Dave Matthews Band (Lie in Our Graves)

..and to all a good night.. :)

1. Me with my first graders at the Museum in Cabra for a field trip.
2. Students I tutor and their Christmas tree.
3. Students playing instruments for the Christmas show at my school.
4. Students singing for the Christmas show at my school.
5. Nativity Scene (described below).
6. more nativity scene
Christmas in Spain is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I will try to explain as best I can...
First of all there is a HUGE nativity scene, called a Belén (Bethlehem) in the center of town with fountain type things and real
live plants, (some towns have live animals, too) and many different buildings with other characters that I don't remember reading about in the Bible. If you were wondering what else was happening outside the manger area while Jesus was being born, look no further. :)

In one of the other towns close to me there is a huge Belén made of chocolate.


Every street has lights hanging from above and during the day, all doors are open, welcoming shoppers. Here is a picture of one of the streets in my town on a Monday night. There are people on the street selling lottery tickets and passing out little candies and gifts. I'm specifically thinking of this one girl who stands outside the perfume store in a female version of a Santa suit, but in blue and white. I now have a fake rose from her.

There is a Christmas train for little kids. They ride all around the town clanking the bells of the train and waving at the the people passing. There is also a group of people who march around banging drums. My roommates and I ran out on our balcony to see what the commotion was and they were dressed up as different characters, like Shrek, Minnie Mouse and Bart Simpson. I guess Santa wasn't invited...











Speaking of Santa, he is trying to climb over everyone's balconies here. What happened to the chimney? Can you see him in the picture on the left? :)














In Spain, they also celebrate Reyes Magos in January. This is when the three kings come and give presents to the kids as well. So, some people have 3 little stuffed kings hanging from their balconies so it looks like they are trying to get inside also!

My favorite part is the music. There are speakers in the streets so everywhere you walk, there is Christmas music playing (in Spanish and in English!) and you feel like you're in a movie.
And speaking of movies, I did get to see one Christmas movie this year- It's a Wonderful Life. It was in English but of course I read the Spanish subtitles the whole time to see how different the translation was.

I'm spending my Christmas this year with my friend Tess and her family in Madrid. The day after Christmas, my Dad is coming to visit for a week! We're doing Madrid, Barcelona and hopefully some surrounding towns. When he leaves, I'm flying to Ireland to meet up with my roommate Michelle for 5 days. Then we are meeting my other roommate, Claire, in Scotland for another 5 days.
I will be back on January 10th.

Sorry this post is so rushed and that I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to the layout of these pictures. I really wanted you to see some pictures and I promise I will try harder on my next post to make them look more organized. :)

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

to give light

"Dar a luz," in Spanish, means "to give birth." Literally, the word "luz" means "light" in English.

I love this because it makes me think that mothers everywhere are giving birth to little lights. :)

It also brings me back to the Bible, where Jesus said, "I am the light of the world." I wonder if the origin of the phrase "dar a luz" came from the idea of mothers giving birth to light; Jesus as light in each child entering the world. I've found this in other Spanish words, too. For example, the word "adios" means "goodbye," but literally, "to God.")

I write this tonight because my sister had another baby today! I have Amira, my niece, who is 21 months old, and I now have Emeka, who is about 7 hours old. Emeka is pronounced "uh-meh-kuh" and is Nigerian for "great deeds."

Ironically, the other Bible verse my mind had gravitated towards, when thinking about the Spanish translation for "dar a luz," was this:
Matthew 5:16
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Interesting.

One more thing-
Today, I taught my 1st graders about Christmas caroling in the United States and we learned the song "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." Then I took all 25 of them to the other 1st grade classroom to knock on the door and sing the song for the children in that class. I think it was the first time any of them had ever been Christmas caroling and it made me really happy. :)

When in Rome... I mean, Spain...

Tonight we went to an “authentic” flamenco show with our friend, Josecarlos. Apparently the shows in Sevilla are not as real as the ones in the little towns because there aren’t tourists in the smaller places. This makes sense… :)
It was so awesome. I think, for me, it was especially wonderful because I was a flamenco dancer for Halloween when I was little; the polka dotted dress with frills and all. I have looked forward to coming to Spain and seeing the flamenco shows for so many years now and even though I’ve been here for two months, I still can’t believe that I’m actually here. Sometimes things feel routine and other times I feel like I have to pinch myself.


Okay so it was cool because of what I was feeling but also because I was blown away by the breath support it takes to sing in the style of flamenco. The men held phrases longer than any singer I have ever heard. Seriously. It was so intense and impressive, not to mention the guitar playing. The rhythms are so unique and hard to catch because they change so much and their fingers move so quickly. There are distinct types of rhythms in flamenco and they announce which one they will be playing before they start.
I love that not only is it a style of music that so very much represents the culture and heritage of Spain, but it is a challenging style to conquer technically, as well. I do think it makes a larger impact if seen in person.
I've been wondering about where the castanets were, though. This is the third flamenco show I've seen now, 2 in Sevilla and now this (real) one. I thought the dancers always used castanets while they danced but it seems like the clapping noises that the castanets made is found in the rhythm that is clapped with the shoes and the hands instead. I need to learn the Spanish word for castanets so I can ask someone about this… :)