A lot has been happening since my last blog update, but the number one thing is the arrival of Kimberly! She got in on Wednesday and we have been exploring Galicia and testing the sink or swim method in Spanish immersion. She's a good swimmer. Wednesday she arrived to Vigo and I went to meet her there. Seeing someone from back home was an overwhelming feeling, I couldn't even talk to kindly ask the man next to me move so I could run and jump on her, instead I kind of squeaked and pushed him, then ran and jumped on her. Kim is quite the trooper so we took a bit of time to explore Vigo, a nice city, but ultimately just a city. Then we came back to Santiago de Compostela, where she was greeted by rain. We went for a walk through the old town, but stopped to buy umbrellas first. I broke three this last week and the new one from Wednesday is on it's last leg. The following pictures are typical Santiago shots. Rain, coat, gloves, umbrella and the cathedral. It does not get more authentic than this.
Kim in the Alameda
Me in the Alameda
On Thursday Kim came to school with me and watched me teach the students about Christmas in Idaho, and the students were so intrigued by her. Everyone was staring and asking me who she was, but some were really excited to practice their English with another American. I was also given this Christmas card from the 7th grade class, and yes, it made me go "awwwwww"
After class, Kim and I took some time to walk around Santiago and look at the Christmas lights that are hung up everywhere. All the towns are decorated for Christmas with intricate lights hung over the streets on the telephone poles. A process that looks quite difficult, but that leads to an amazing result. Along the way we also stopped for tapas, in a restaurant that had an overwhelming selection for Kim (not so much for me, as tapas don't cater towards vegetarians).
Ever plaza has a tree like this one
Lights above the plazas in the Old Town
Me on my street
Iberian Ham with Pepper from Padron, something fishy, stuffed pepper
A happy pre-tapa Kim
My tapa, red pepper, eggplant and goat cheese
Bon appetit!
Friday we went back to the school for the winter assembly. Holy cuteness. There were preschoolers trying to dance. But mainly just bounced. Elementary students dressed like seasons quoting poetry and doing interpretative dance. Middle schoolers and high schoolers playing the recorder, singing Christmas songs and dancing. The big bang was a 'surprise' ending with the 10th graders (the oldest) dancing Gagnam Style.
Gagnam Style. Spanish style.
After the assembly was the Christmas meal for the teachers. And this is where Kim showed her true ability to swim, and not sink. 32 Spaniards, Kim and me. Kim does not speak Spanish. Most of them do not speak English. We sat by Rodrigo (the principal), Paco (PE teacher), Julio (math teacher) and a few other teachers, but who did not partake in the same exact activity as we did. In typical Spanish style there was an abundance of food, only surpassed by the amount of alcohol. I was informed by our waiter that our little group was the only group asking for more bottles of wine. And this was a frequent request. Rodrigo made it his job to ensure that my glasses never actually emptied. If it neared the dangerous point of empty, I was told I wanted more. As the wine flowed, so did the jokes. At one point Rodrigo offered a toast to Idaho, it went around our section with glasses being lifted "FOR IDAHO" and when it reached Paco, with a limited English speaking ability, the toast became "FOR OKLAHOMA". Wrong. And as I explained after I was able to control my laughter and tears, of the 49 states that are not Idaho, Paco had picked the one with which we have a rivalry (Fiesta Bowl anyone?). This means that the rest of the night toasts were made (like the official one of the night) to wonderful company, the teachers, the students and Oklahoma. Kim and I were dying. After the meal we went bar hopping with about half the group, we were the youngest by about 10 years, and I acted as a translator most of the time between Kim and the group. Kim and I talked about how not many tourist are that lucky, she had the chance to be fully immersed in the culture, without speaking the language, and wow did she come out like a champ. Couldn't be prouder. It was clear that the teachers adored her, and she really enjoyed getting to meet them too. We both agree that Paco took the cake for life of the party though, as seen below.
In England, double yellow line, no parking anytime
Today Kim and I went to A Coruña to enjoy the historical monuments the city has to offer along with the amazing views of the ocean. A Coruña is located on the Northwestern most point of Spain, in Galicia, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bay of Biscay. We spent the day walking the outline of city along the boardwalk to see the monuments. Here are our pictures from today.
Clock Bush
Sunken boat (blue and orange Mom, just for you)
Panoramic view of the coast
La casa de las palabras, an old Moorish cemetery
Kim snapping a shot of the tower from a distance
Plaza de Maria Pita
