Well friends, or myself who is the only one who really reads this, the fact that I am leaving in 6 days just hit home. I was sitting outside at Bar Spinnaker's with a San Miguel in my hand and looking out at the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. What a sight indeed. Today was my final Monday here which meant that it was my last buffet at Spinnaker (the curry chicken is out of this world). I almost cried. Almost. Ha I think this week is going to be a lot harder than I have been thinking. Wednesday is our "surprise" going away party and I'm sure that night will be full of tears. Plus Friday when I have to leave my kiddies :(
Today was hilarious though. We walked into class and only 4 kids were there. Yesterday was a big day for the 3rd graders. All but 3 or 4 of them celebrated first Communion yesterday and apparently they were so exhausted from their parties that they could not make it to school. These kids made bank though - 2 of the 4 kids at school today had Communion and they are now 600-800 euros richer. Ridiculous. It makes sense though that first Communion is a big deal. Confirmation is big too (like in Episcopal circles) but Communion is huge (not as big a deal in Episcopal circles - I do not understand why). So we chatted with them for 45 minutes about their weekend and then we all got on computers. The kids were so cute and excited to get to play computer games for so long! I did something pretty cool online - I decided to start a family tree and found my Kenion ancestry back to the man I think was the first settler of our family over here. Walter Davis was his name from Charles County, MD. He's not the Kenion name (which was once Kenyon and Kinnion) but he is definitely my ancestor. My dad's parents both have documented ancestries so hopefully when I get home, I will be able to get in touch with those people and see what there is in our history! Elam (my mom's mom) is a bit harder. But we'll see what I can find!
Let's see - funny things. Dave (owner of Bar Spinnaker) has a new electric fly swatter. He waved it over tables last night and you could hear it zapping little flies and actually see a bright flash whenever they got struck. It was hilarious how much he enjoyed it. The puppies today were cute as ever - still need to figure out how I am going to fit Ellie into my suitcase. She is adorable.
Now it is officially less than one week that I have here. I will never get tired of seeing our view of Aguadulce and Almeria across the sea, but alas the time is coming to an end. Tomorrow is my last day at the high school. Hopefully the tears will not begin tomorrow - I'm thinking they will.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A hike with a view
Yesterday, Stephen and I joined Guillermo, Pepe and Maite for a hike up into the mountains near Aguadulce. We finally saw mountain goats (!) and a bunny! Up at the top, we could see the entire coast of our towns and even the sea of greenhouses. It was beautiful and the first moment where leaving actually hit me. I live in a beautiful place. Beach on one side, mountains with hiking trails on the other.
After the hike, we all met at an Argentine cafe for tapas and I had a delicious lomo with chimichurri sauce - yum! Little Guillermo was there and kept throwing his little toy at the glasses on the table haha In other food news, today Asun came back and brought treats from Zamora - roquilletas del angel (angel halos) which were delicious little mini rings of flour and almonds. Mmm. We ate them while watching jota dancing, the traditional dance of her town.
Yesterday afternoon at school we were talking to the 6th grade about music. We asked them what their favorite type of music was and why they liked it. I thought about mine, country obviously, and came up with a few reasons:
1. it matches the pace of my life - i prefer the slow and observant lifestyle haha
2. no better choice than a good country song with the windows down during the summer
3. good songs to belt out to
4. songs about things that are important to me
5. reminds me of home
6. makes me think of farms - i love farms
Tomorrow I am headed to school - only 6 more days of working WOW - and am translating "We Go Together" for Amador. He wants his kids to learn the lyrics (half of which are made up) and a dance for their end of the year party in June. Nine days until my family is flying towards me :)
After the hike, we all met at an Argentine cafe for tapas and I had a delicious lomo with chimichurri sauce - yum! Little Guillermo was there and kept throwing his little toy at the glasses on the table haha In other food news, today Asun came back and brought treats from Zamora - roquilletas del angel (angel halos) which were delicious little mini rings of flour and almonds. Mmm. We ate them while watching jota dancing, the traditional dance of her town.
Yesterday afternoon at school we were talking to the 6th grade about music. We asked them what their favorite type of music was and why they liked it. I thought about mine, country obviously, and came up with a few reasons:
1. it matches the pace of my life - i prefer the slow and observant lifestyle haha
2. no better choice than a good country song with the windows down during the summer
3. good songs to belt out to
4. songs about things that are important to me
5. reminds me of home
6. makes me think of farms - i love farms
Tomorrow I am headed to school - only 6 more days of working WOW - and am translating "We Go Together" for Amador. He wants his kids to learn the lyrics (half of which are made up) and a dance for their end of the year party in June. Nine days until my family is flying towards me :)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
This just in...
Sarah just gave me one of the Dr. Pepper icy pops her Mom sent and it tastes like an ICEE! Delicious :) And incredibly refreshing on our warm Spanish afternoon!
A few days here and there
It's been a good few days recently. Today at school, we talked with the 5th grade for the entire hour about Harry Potter. It made me so happy! I showed Yolanda the puppet pals, of course, and the kids were nuts with all of the info they could remember! They started spouting out spells and they even said the name of he-who-must-not-be-named. It's pathetic how that makes me cringe. But it does.
Yesterday was an interesting day at the high school. The time actually flew by because I was doing work the whole time. I didn't have class with the kids, silent YES, because they were on a field trip. I started doing typing work for Carmen and had class in the cafeteria with Maria Angustias and just listened to music/typed all day. PS Jordin Spark's "Battlefield" is hot stuff.
Last night I watched the finale of One Tree Hill. It was a fantastic episode. I had given up on said show earlier because it had quasi turned to crap but that episode was a wonderful ending to a season, and possibly my viewing career.
Also yesterday, I started a devotional about leadership that should get finished right as I leave Roquetas. I'm excited to dig into it with upcoming YL leadership stuff and yesterday's lesson was cool.
To speak of cool, though, would be to speak of Monday afternoon when John Piper shook my soul with two of his sermons. The first was on Jesus being raised like Moses raised the snake on the staff. It was so cool to once again see the OT connecting with the NT and it got me fired up. Such an AWESOME message. The next one was about the recession. So necessary to hear people. In recent weeks I have become more and more aware of the sad state of our world and how easy it is for people to ignore others. If we love Christ, that is not what we are about. We are to bring light to the dark, to bring love to the lost, to give to the needy, etc. This sermon was baller status. It reminded me a lot of the Gandhi quote - Be the change you want to see in the world. I know I am sick and tired of reading about parents killing their children, sexual abuse, greed of corporate executives, hysteria over the swine flu that has killed 10000 people TOTAL but ignorance to AIDS which kills 6000 people EVERY DAY, etc. I'm saddened by how many people continue to turn away from love and turn to this world that is full of hurt and disappointment.
Oh my little soap-box blog. Gotta eat and rest up for a long hike this afternoon - possibly the last little prof hang-out we'll have. Crazy that I only have a week left of teaching. It still hasn't hit me. Probably a good thing. Bring on the fam!!
Yesterday was an interesting day at the high school. The time actually flew by because I was doing work the whole time. I didn't have class with the kids, silent YES, because they were on a field trip. I started doing typing work for Carmen and had class in the cafeteria with Maria Angustias and just listened to music/typed all day. PS Jordin Spark's "Battlefield" is hot stuff.
Last night I watched the finale of One Tree Hill. It was a fantastic episode. I had given up on said show earlier because it had quasi turned to crap but that episode was a wonderful ending to a season, and possibly my viewing career.
Also yesterday, I started a devotional about leadership that should get finished right as I leave Roquetas. I'm excited to dig into it with upcoming YL leadership stuff and yesterday's lesson was cool.
To speak of cool, though, would be to speak of Monday afternoon when John Piper shook my soul with two of his sermons. The first was on Jesus being raised like Moses raised the snake on the staff. It was so cool to once again see the OT connecting with the NT and it got me fired up. Such an AWESOME message. The next one was about the recession. So necessary to hear people. In recent weeks I have become more and more aware of the sad state of our world and how easy it is for people to ignore others. If we love Christ, that is not what we are about. We are to bring light to the dark, to bring love to the lost, to give to the needy, etc. This sermon was baller status. It reminded me a lot of the Gandhi quote - Be the change you want to see in the world. I know I am sick and tired of reading about parents killing their children, sexual abuse, greed of corporate executives, hysteria over the swine flu that has killed 10000 people TOTAL but ignorance to AIDS which kills 6000 people EVERY DAY, etc. I'm saddened by how many people continue to turn away from love and turn to this world that is full of hurt and disappointment.
Oh my little soap-box blog. Gotta eat and rest up for a long hike this afternoon - possibly the last little prof hang-out we'll have. Crazy that I only have a week left of teaching. It still hasn't hit me. Probably a good thing. Bring on the fam!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Cabo de Gata
Yesterday Sarah and I went to Cabo de Gata with one of the 2nd grade teachers from her school. She is hilarious! We drove over to the natural park, about an hour away from Roquetas, and headed to Playa de los Genoveses. It's a pretty secluded beach with beautifully clear water and palm trees :) We laid out for a few hours and then drove a few minutes to check out Playa de Monsul. The sand there was black, oh yes there was real sand at these beaches and not the rocky type of Roquetas, and Monsul was just a unique beach. There were rocks and cliffs surrounding it and people were camped out in the shade of them cooking BBQs and sitting out. There were tons of people there and it looked like a cool place to chill. Unfortunately, we were illegally parked so we just took some pics and left. Also, we were pretty hungry, so we headed into San Jose to a pizzeria. Man was that food good! I got a Hawaiian calzone that was stellar. And like true Italians, we were given complimentary limoncello before we headed off.
After 7.5 months of living here and hearing about how beautiful Cabo de Gata is (they filmed part of the latest Indiana Jones there!), I am happy to say that I finally went! It was a wonderful, relaxing day.
Today, I listened to Salem Chapel's sermon from last week on Romans 12 and it was incredible. Such a great message and something that has definitely been stirring within my heart. In all seriousness, it is great to be called out about things. No progress unless you call your crap and get a move on. Really great message on being a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice and what that actually means. Check it out here: My Understanding
After 7.5 months of living here and hearing about how beautiful Cabo de Gata is (they filmed part of the latest Indiana Jones there!), I am happy to say that I finally went! It was a wonderful, relaxing day.
Today, I listened to Salem Chapel's sermon from last week on Romans 12 and it was incredible. Such a great message and something that has definitely been stirring within my heart. In all seriousness, it is great to be called out about things. No progress unless you call your crap and get a move on. Really great message on being a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice and what that actually means. Check it out here: My Understanding
Thursday, May 14, 2009
SURPRISE PARTY
Wow what a day! And it's not even over yet!
Got to school this morning and after about 20 minutes of sitting in the computer room, Yolanda came and got me to come up to the 3rd grade room. Apparently, they were throwing her, Pepe and me a surprise "we love you" party! They were so cute! These 25 3rd graders had organized an entire party with drinks, food, t-shirts, etc. all by themselves! Incredible. So cute. We grabbed Stephen out of the 4 year olds class and all of the kids hid under their desks and surprised him too. It was truly a great surprise for all of us and meant a lot.
Then, Yolanda and I rode over to the high school so she could meet with one of the English teachers about some kids signing up for the bilingual program. It was fun to see people on one of my "off" days from the high school. They were confused as to why I was there. But I got to traipse around the school and figure out what signs still need to be made. Again, this was a wonderful break from the usual 2.5 hours of doing NOTHING on Thursday mornings. We got back to the school just in time for recreo and a trip to the grocery store!
When Stephen and I got home, Sarah and I headed straight to Bar Southern (the other British bar) for trivia and bingo. Wow we suck at British trivia. "Team America" was appreciated though for our attempt at familiarizing ourselves with our ancestors. Ha. Bingo was fun though. And their cajun chicken is 2 euros cheaper than Spinnaker so... I will definitely be there the last two Thursdays I am here! Now I am just waiting until Sarah's tutoring class gets finished so we can watch the 2 hour (unbelievable as far as I have heard) finale of LOST. We think we know who Jacob is. We'll see. Then it is a chat with two people I love and the day will be over. What a way to spend a day my friends :)
Tomorrow marks 2 weeks until I actually finish my job. That is unbelievable. As I sit here waiting for any new news as to plans for next year, this job is quickly coming to an end. I think the next two weeks will fly by (especially with a little beach/hiking trip this Saturday) and while I am beyond ecstatic to see my family, I know that the tears are a-comin. Wow I think I have blogged for a few days in a row now... that was about a month break. It's nice to get back into the swing of things - or I guess I am just starting to realize I want to record as many goings-on as I can remember. Toodles.
Got to school this morning and after about 20 minutes of sitting in the computer room, Yolanda came and got me to come up to the 3rd grade room. Apparently, they were throwing her, Pepe and me a surprise "we love you" party! They were so cute! These 25 3rd graders had organized an entire party with drinks, food, t-shirts, etc. all by themselves! Incredible. So cute. We grabbed Stephen out of the 4 year olds class and all of the kids hid under their desks and surprised him too. It was truly a great surprise for all of us and meant a lot.
Then, Yolanda and I rode over to the high school so she could meet with one of the English teachers about some kids signing up for the bilingual program. It was fun to see people on one of my "off" days from the high school. They were confused as to why I was there. But I got to traipse around the school and figure out what signs still need to be made. Again, this was a wonderful break from the usual 2.5 hours of doing NOTHING on Thursday mornings. We got back to the school just in time for recreo and a trip to the grocery store!
When Stephen and I got home, Sarah and I headed straight to Bar Southern (the other British bar) for trivia and bingo. Wow we suck at British trivia. "Team America" was appreciated though for our attempt at familiarizing ourselves with our ancestors. Ha. Bingo was fun though. And their cajun chicken is 2 euros cheaper than Spinnaker so... I will definitely be there the last two Thursdays I am here! Now I am just waiting until Sarah's tutoring class gets finished so we can watch the 2 hour (unbelievable as far as I have heard) finale of LOST. We think we know who Jacob is. We'll see. Then it is a chat with two people I love and the day will be over. What a way to spend a day my friends :)
Tomorrow marks 2 weeks until I actually finish my job. That is unbelievable. As I sit here waiting for any new news as to plans for next year, this job is quickly coming to an end. I think the next two weeks will fly by (especially with a little beach/hiking trip this Saturday) and while I am beyond ecstatic to see my family, I know that the tears are a-comin. Wow I think I have blogged for a few days in a row now... that was about a month break. It's nice to get back into the swing of things - or I guess I am just starting to realize I want to record as many goings-on as I can remember. Toodles.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Kids are hysterical
Today in class, the 5th graders had to make a flyer for a club they invented. Then, we put all of the flyers on desks and mixed them around and they had to find a club that they would want to be a part of. Next, the kids had to tell us about a day spent at their club and what kind of activities they would do. One kid was by himself and started explaining (in charades) what he did in his club. The thing he was trying to act out was "special food" (?) and no one could guess it. I mean, how do you act out special food? After a good 5 minutes of no one getting it, he shouted out (in Spanish) "Please someone guess and put me out of my misery!" We could not stop laughing. Hilarious.
I started a good book today... For Women Only. It's all about the secrets of men. Apparently there is a lot that men think we women should know that we don't (just like there is a lot we think men should just be able to get and yet they don't). I heard about it in a sermon a while back and have been really excited to read it! So far so good! Only 12 more days of work and Sarah and I are headed out of town on Saturday so the weekend should fly right by. Crazy, huh? Can't wait for June 1 :)
I started a good book today... For Women Only. It's all about the secrets of men. Apparently there is a lot that men think we women should know that we don't (just like there is a lot we think men should just be able to get and yet they don't). I heard about it in a sermon a while back and have been really excited to read it! So far so good! Only 12 more days of work and Sarah and I are headed out of town on Saturday so the weekend should fly right by. Crazy, huh? Can't wait for June 1 :)
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