Snow Day Haiku

We will be doing haiku this week, and as I have the Monday off because of the snow (yet again), I thought I'd practice a bit.

I.

Petals from grey clouds

floating down to grace the earth

blanket all with white

II.

Frigid flakes melt

on my cheek, not to blanket

the cold, barren ground

III. 

Snowflakes like dancers

flit and giggle while children

slip and slide on sleds

IV.

Winter is a long

bedtime in which the world sleeps

to awake in Spring

The hardest part for the kids is going to be coming up with similes and metaphors for their haiku and keeping the 5, 7, 5 syllable count. Hopefully they will be up to the challenge!

Rare Snow Day

Monday began with me telling my incredulous students that we weren't starting ISTEP until Tuesday. I say incredulous, because they tend to be pretty incredulous about anything, even about the fact that six minus zero is NOT the same as zero minus six. Seriously, I've had a girl argue vehemently that I was doing it wrong. In fifth grade. Well, this Monday morning they were willing to put aside their doubt for the feeling of relief that there was no testing that day. Only one was still worried, since, as she told me, we weren't going to have school on Tuesday, and we wouldn't be able to take ISTEP. It was going to storm. And she KNEW we wouldn't have school. I guess she should be a fortune teller or weather forecaster when she grows up. I might have believed her if she wasn't the same child that, given evidence of "nothing" or quantity of zero, thought that she could take 6 pencils away from thin air.

Tuesday morning came, and she came to school on time, mentioning nothing about our certain cancellation. Wednesday, however, the storm she had scheduled for earlier rolled into town. I knew that universities had been cancelled in Chicago, that my brother working in Chicago had been sent home from work early, and that we were expecting around 6-9 inches overnight, so I eagerly awaited at least a two-hour delay. Most of Fort Wayne's area schools and schools in the surrounding counties are cancelled today, leaving me with an extra vacation day. It's sad though, after rejoicing that I could sleep in, the next two thoughts that went through my mind were the following, "maybe this means that "Michael" who went home sick Tuesday will be back to take ISTEP Thursday," and, "I'm so glad I brought work home so I can get some grading done." So sad, but true.

6 + inches of snow on our balcony

Icicles

Tenía Isma miedo de que los carambonos hagan daño a alguien.

Así que tomó la oportunidad para jugar con ellos. 

Isma was afraid that our icicles would fall on someone.

So he took the opportunity to destroy and play with them. 

June and July Storms

June 29th, my friend Beth and I were just ready to run to the grocery store to get a surprise for Justine before her wedding rehearsal, when the sky turned black and it started to rain. Not keen on looking like a drowned rat, I decided to hold off until the rain subsided. Rather than calming down, though, a wind picked up and began to howl. As we looked out the window, we saw the patio umbrella swoosh up into the sky and land on the other side of the house. I guess that was the sign to get away from the windows. Soon, Mom, Dad, Beth, and I were all huddled in our "tornado shelter," which is actually our downstairs powder room, to wait out the storm. Beth sat on the toilet seat, Mom and Dad on kitchen chairs, and I perched like a monkey on the bathroom sink. After the winds ceased, we walked outside, pulled a gigantic branch from under her car that the wind had shoved there like a child cleaning his room by shoving the mess in a small closet, and drove to the store. As we went I could see the damage the storm had wreaked: trees down, collapsed roofs, curled shingles, a fallen pillar, and a twisted gutter. The most amazing thing, I think, was the McDonald's sign. The plastic had completely blown out, leaving only an outline of their colossal sign. The power was off in most of the city, as well as the grocery store (failed mission for Beth and I), but luckily the church and Justine and Justin's reception hall was unaffected. I have some pictures of the effects (our table) from the first storm, and my dad and I cleaning up from the second big storm of the summer.

The table shattered, and the umbrella broke when it flew over the house.

Mom and Dad vacuumed up the glass for Chula. :P

"Proof" that I helped carry the pine branches to the trailer.

The blue spruce out back came down.

Dad chopped, and I carried.

Crazy Weather

It feels like summer is here, though it's technically spring. 85 in April...almost 90! Isma says that all that Madrid has is winter and summer...that Spain forgot about spring and fall. I'm starting to believe he might be right. I haven't been melting yet, but almost. The third story classroom heats up nicely and by the afternoon the kids are hard to motivate to do much. They say (you know..."they") that it will get a bit cooler, but we'll see. Either way, I have been enjoying the warmer evenings to go for walks without shivering and the sun. Who knows, maybe I'll spend enough time outside to get a slight tan.

Reindeer Brunch

Saturday:
Up before the crack of dawn. Isma's dad accompanied us to the airport at 4:45 am to drive the car back to their house. Bleary eyed and with bags on our backs and in hand, we waited in the long Easy Jet check-in line until both Ricardo and Isma's cousin Marcos joined us. First we flew to London, then caught a plane to Inverness, in the Highlands. The first flight was packed, and we all had to sit separately. Much more luck on the second. After landing in Inverness, it was a couple hours' drive on a windy highway bordered by green fields to Newtonmore. Green fields covered with rain.

Sunday:


Our guide

Wishing I had my snowboots. After a breakfast of toast, tea, and milk, the four of us set out to see the reindeer in the Cairngorms, a national park. In the Scottish language, "cairn" means "stony hill" and "gorm" means "blue / green." We rented some wellies (rainboots) to make the short muddy walk up the mountain to where the reindeer were grazing. I loved the trek: the black earth, the bright green grass that reminded me of snake grass, the purple heather, and the low hanging tree branches bejeweled with rain drops. The reindeer were enclosed in a fenced area that covered several mountains and valleys...enclosed but free. The guide brought the reindeer to us in a way that evoked images of the Pied Piper of Hamilton. We fed them grain by hand and they greedily ate, occasionally brushing up against us with their antlers. It surprised us all how small the reindeer were after imagining them bigger with Santa's sleigh. With antlers, they came up to my shoulder perhaps.




Loch An Eilein

After eating lunch at the cottage, we explored the area a bit more, stopping to walk around Loch An Eilein to see some castle ruins when the rain stoppped for a bit, and stopping by Ruthven Barracks on our way home. We tried to have tea at a much recommended nursery/tea and cake shop, but they closed at 5, like everything else. And we thought teatime started at 5. Apparently one must have tea at home.



Ruthven Barracks

by yon bonny banks and by yon bonny braes

Can you hear me now?? If you look in the glass door, you should see Isma's reflection as he takes the picture.

I'm back now from a week in Scotland. The four of us (Isma, Ricardo, Marcos, and myself) arrived in Madrid about 9:30pm and Isma and I were in house a little before 10:30. We had a little bit of all weather: rain, snow, blizzard, sleet, fog, sun, and wind. It's kind of like going to a weather buffet...you try a little of everything before deciding what you want. The only thing that didn't change was the temperature: the thermostat stuck on "cold." I kept a journal, so this coming week I'll leave a basic itinerary and upload the photos so you can see. I enjoyed the journey back to ancestral lands throughly: between the breathtaking landscape, the heavy white snow, crackling fires in the fireplace, and good travel companions, it was just wonderful.

A la Vuelta

I've been back in Madrid for about a week now; today was to have been my first day back at work. However, due to snow last night and into the wee hours, the government cancelled classes in the public schools, though the kids still could go to school. Huh? I was one confused girl about 7:15 this morning, trying to decide whether I was supposed to go to work or not. Luckily, I was able to get ahold of Rosa and she told me to not bother coming in for the half day I work today. I suppose that tomorrow everything will be back to normal and I can give the books I got for my class to Rosa and the kids.

I know that I haven't written a lot about my trip home, or put up pictures. Mom has the pictures held ransom, so those will come later. (just kidding Mom) I do have some pictures of my adorable brother though!

Driving home from Lafayette


Same old, same old: stealing my money, taking up all of the relaxing room on the bed, stealing my pen, and teasing me about it. Did I say I minded? Well, he did give me the money back. And if he hadn't, I can always threaten to tickle him.

Here's a "quick" list of my almost 3 week stay at home:
-Christmas with the Vances (Rick, Pam, Shannon, and Brandon): Shannon played photographer and took this photo of us that Mom used for the Christmas cards.



-Sleepover with Arielle and the girls. Outdoor hot tub + snow = kind of crazy but fun. Arielle fell asleep and I ended up talking to her
husband, José, for awhile. Then pancakes, hot chocolate, and "The Office" in the morning
-Making Christmas cards
-Visit with Ana at Borders
-Shopping with Justine at Glenbrook Mall and a long talk about everything from A-Z over Sbarro's pizza. Spent a long time looking at calendars and gourmet food.
-Christmas Eve at church and then early to bed to wait for Santa Claus
-Christmas!! Cinnamon rolls, scavenger hunt with Colin, blindly guessing what the gifts were (I said a light-up Christmas sweater for teachers, but didn't get one. I think I'll live)
-Christmas in Michigan and visit with wonderful and brainy cousins (and with whom I share a slight eccentricity)
-Isma coming!!

-Lots of card games and Sequence. The new one for this year is Rook. Barely any euchre, which is odd.
-Tour of Fort Wayne for Isma's benefit
-Attempt to go skiing at Pokagon and subsequent fail when I got sick (or passed out would be more accurate)
-Sad farewell to parents at the airport and time relaxing before in the new airport
-First plane trip to Spain with company! (much better this way, I must say)

I've spent the last week trying to get over jet-lag and relaxing. The only time I went out was last Friday. Right now is the "rebajas," the sales in Spain that last from January - March. I went with Tamy and Sara, which was fun but not something I think I need to repeat soon. So many people!! We waited in one line to pay 30 minutes. At least. The best part was probably the conversations we had in that same line and eating supper with Sara's husband, Angel, when he joined us after
getting of work.

Let it snow...let it snow...let it snow

Mira! Ha nevado aqui...pero os tengo que decir que no es tanto. Continua nevando. A ver si esta tarde voy afuera o si me quedo adentro cocinando con mi madre para la reunion con la familia de mi padre esta tarde. He puesto unas fotos de las decoraciones que ponemos todos los anyos, que desafortunadamente no llegue con tiempo ayudar. Pero me gustan igualmente.


del porche de mi casa









pueblo que hizo mi madre










mi familia

I'll Be Home for Christmas...

That song (see title) ran through my head throughout the day Thursday. Unfortunately, I only know the words, "I'll be home for Christmas...da da da...if only in my dreams." It's pretty, but pretty repetitive after awhile also. Nice reminder of where I was going.
My flight left Thursday around lunchtime, and I got into Indianapolis about 11 pm. My day went pretty much like this:
Tamy dropped me off at Barajas Airport in Madrid. Got through security really quickly, changed euros into dollars and looked happily at how much they gave me, waited an hour for the flight to take off. Translated an article, finished a book, and watched Julie and Julia. I had to pay $5 for the headphones. Which, I suppose is less than watching a movie out, but the screen is a looooot bigger in the movie theaters. The movie made me forget about the earphones, I couldn't help smiling through almost all of it; the couple was really sweet and I liked the comparison between the character Julie and Julia Child. Then, customs and a five hour layover in Philadelphia. There was a fairly interesting exhibit about collections. One woman had collected dryer lint. Dry lint? Or perhaps anything is interesting on a five-hour layover. I read "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" in about 1 and a half hours and I'm not sure what I did with the rest of the time. Stare at people I suppose. The day was kind of lonely. I think the 2 longest conversations I had was with an ex-pat was asking about the plane loading and then we talked for a bit. Then later in Philly by the smoothie shop, I talked for about 5 minutes to a Kenyan man. But that didn't do much for company. In Indy the plane came in about 20 minutes early and Colin was there early as well. After almost 24 hours in transit I was tired, but still managed to stay awake and we talked almost all the way to Purdue in West Lafayette.

The next morning was Colin's last exam, and I woke up a little before he finished and came back to his apartment. We left around 1, ate a really good pepperoni pizza, which probably wasn't the best possible, but tasted like heaven to me. We got to Fort Wayne a couple hours later, ahead of the snowstorm that started up last night. Dad had to go into work sometime last yet, not quite sure when since I didn't wake up all the way. We haven't got much more than an inch though, and hopefully we'll get enough snow to have some winter fun, but that not so much that Dad has to do lots of night shifts.

Summer's Here

Now that we have half days of school, 9-1 instead of 9-12:30 and 2:30-4, I've been eating more at home, which involves more cooking and grocery shopping. I've discovered that eating at home in this manner does not always give me more time. But, I've enjoyed cooking some. Despite two more free afternoons than before, I don't spend much more time at home. I do note that I have more time to relax and see my friends, to read and to rest and organize.

I officially have 12 more days of work before summer break and 20 days until I depart for the US. It is so close. I have mixed feelings about it. I'm really excited to see my family and friends back home, but know also that I will miss people here. I remember that it's goodbye for just the summer. At school, I've been learning to be more assertive (aka not a doormat). It was kind of stressful to stand my ground, but the situation has cooled off and things are good.

In other news, the church Angelita goes to, which is the mother church to mine, was robbed last week, though they only were able to run off with a laptop and something else. They had everything ready to take, but a neighbor called the police and they headed off further loss. This past weekend I went to a play/musical downtown Madrid to see some of my students and their parents perform. Thursday (yesterday) was a holiday, and I spent my day off visiting friends in Alcala and then walked around downtown Madrid with some friends. The best part of walking downtown in 90 degrees was stopping to eat pineapple and raspberry sorbet (one scoop of each) in a waffle cone. I have to say that it's scorching hot here, so I don't even want to see what it's like in July and August. It's been getting up to 95, though it's bearable since it's fairly dry heat. Imagine that...95 degrees three days in a row in June.

Mercury Rising

It's hot! You know, the temperatures here now are about what I'd expect in Indiana at the end of June, July. Today it might have gotten up to 84 F (29 C). I haven't got any shorter pants to wear to work, so I dressed up with a skirt today and sleeveless shirt. Much better than long pants.

Last Friday, after sleeping in and all that jazz, I went into Madrid with Tamy and we met up with Kristen in Atocha to find what people were doing for San Isidro. Apparently, midday, not much. I saw one of my first grade students, but didn't say hi because he obviously didn't recognize me. I realize that to them, I'm a teacher, I belong in the school, and do not exist outside of it. When Isma got off work, he met up with us beside the Reina Sofia museum and we all saw an automatons theater, basically a mechanized puppet show from the 1920s,(I dragged them to see it). It was cool how they moved, wires attached even to the lips, to make satirical comments about the society back then. After the show/exhibit, we enjoyed some sangria with calamari sandwiches and patatas bravas (potatoes with a spicy sauce). Mmmmm.

Saturday morning, I went to a rastrillo, or flea market, with Tamy and her family at ECA. The junior class was trying to raise money for their end of the year trip next year. Each year the seniors go somewhere abroad, and the planning starts now. For supper, I went with some friends to Domino's pizza. Yeah, one of the few Domino's pizza joints in Spain is in Alcalá de Henares, right by where I live!! It was good. Not as good as in the states, but nearly the same.

Sunday, I had invited Laura, Guille, and Isma to eat at my house. I made macaroni and cheese (your recipe, Mom), salad with chicken cooked in the frying pan (not fried), and strawberries. Angelita was eating at her son's house, so we had the house to ourselves. I loved having guests and cooking for them.

Tuesday was Angelita's birthday and she's been celebrating all week, having family and friends over to eat. I celebrated with them on Tuesday evening, after work. On my way home, I stopped in a flower shop to buy some carnations and a small vase to give her. To get it into the house unseen, I put the flower stems in the sleeve of my jacket, and covered the flowers with the body. I felt sneaky, but she did like it when I got to cut the stems and put everything together.

Wind storms and snails

About a week ago Spain was having very high winds, and a huge sign was knocked loose from a building near a highway, making the road dangerous. They couldn't take it down until the winds calmed down, and the highway was blocked off (perhaps partway, I'm not sure). All this is fine and dandy, but when I arrived at the bus stop that morning, I knew something was wrong when I saw the line, as long as a freight train. Oop, the buses weren't running well, I thought. I had planned to buy minutes for my cell phone at the tobacco stand that day after work, but it turns out I needed them sooner than that. Luckily, I had enough to send an instant message to a friend, who called my school for me. I ended up walking/running to the train station, and made the 30 minute walk in 20 minutes, arriving before the first bus. Everyone was very understanding, since the traffic jams were all over the news. I got to school and substituted in the first grade class, enjoying the day and not yelling at the class even once. They must have been all sleeping, since I had no problems whatsoever.

Last Sunday, I went with Kristen and her friend Carmen to el Retiro to relax and eat lunch in the park. It was about 70 degrees, weather which has stayed with us throughout this week as well. After eating and taking a stroll through the paths crowded with lovers and baby strollers, we went to the Prado to see the Francis Bacon exhibit. His paintings are interesting and good, but I can't say that I enjoyed them because they are quite disturbing. The carnality, violence, despair, and confusion of the artwork makes me utterly thankful for the hope that I have in God. Later, during the evening, I got to talk to Colin this afternoon for almost an hour. Colin, that was a wonderful end to my week (or beginning according to English calendars).

This week I have enjoyed walking outside in t-shirts and talking with other assistants and teachers during breaks outside in the sun. This week I talked with Oscar, another assistant at my school, and he said that he would like to be with the first graders next year. I love the first graders, but I also immensely enjoy my time with the fourth graders. It would be wonderful to be with the fourth graders alone, especially since I like to work with the fourth grade English teacher. We have a good relationship and I feel like I would have more freedom to be creative and contribute to the class and instruction.

My last news (very important!!) Last week I ate snails. And...they taste good! I was writing something on the computer, probably an e-mail, and Angelita poked her head into my room. "Do you like snails?" she asked me. How was I to know? It's not common the American that has eaten snail. So, I went to the kitchen and tried. Here's a list of things that I have learned to eat/have eaten in Spain.

snails
unpeeled shrimp with their heads
octopus
squid
rabbit
all varieties of fish (with heads and all the bones...each one uses a different technique to cut it)
sardines
cow stomach

Here comes the sun...nanana

After a week of rain and gray clouds, the sun has finally scrounged up the courage to show it's bright face this morning. Yesterday it snowed a bit, minuscule crystals of ice floating through the air as I rode the bus across the river to a meeting about the exams the students will be taking. Asking a dumb question with a more than obvious answer to an older lady who was easing herself into the neighboring seat, "Is it snowing outside?" I gained a willing conversation partner until my stop by the plaza de toros. She told me a bit about the school/palace where I was headed, where her daughter had gone to school many years ago. Bidding her goodbye, I found myself amongst other English speakers hurrying to get in out of the cold as well. These meetings are almost surreal sometimes in the sense that the whole walk there and inside the building are so full of English that you can almost forget you're in Spain.

The meetings covered renewing contracts (for those of us first-year assistants), visas for those who were having problems, the exams, and included a workshop that some students hijacked to ask about problems they were having at their school...things that many assistants were having. Mostly inconsistencies between their official job responsibilities and restrictions and what they were (in reality, not on paper) expected to do at the school...discipline and things. It was good to hear what the other assistants were doing at their schools and what problems they were coming up against. My group, the end of the alphabet group, ended about 8:00 pm (the meetings began at 4 pm), and I headed off with a group walking toward the metro. On the way to my small group meeting in Canillejas, I enjoyed the company of another teacher (3 years teaching in Florida...then she hopped over here to be an assistant so she could live in Spain) and we talked about teacher-y things. That was encouraging. Gave me some more things to think about.

Ups and Downs

I found a post-it note on my computer from a few weeks ago, and there was a link for this article on it. Apparently, I had meant to share it on the next post I wrote (back at the beginning of January). It's about home, and where you consider home. It's intriguing to think about. When I was at Ball State, I remember saying, "I need to go home now," meaning the dorm, my room. Jenny, my roommate corrected me and said, "This isn't home," meaning that home for her was back in Cincinnati, in the house where she grew up. I usually use the word home to refer to wherever I am living, but is it really home? I wonder when our childhood home or our hometown ceases to be home. When does "our" place become home? Does it ever?

This week has been a slight struggle discipline wise at the school. I'm used to having difficult moments...that's normal. One kid (ADD?) has been extra defiant and squirrely since he stopped taking his medication and another ran from the classroom Wednesday and hid in the men's restroom. But, this is out of the norm for my class, and I know that every class has it's ups and downs. I've had mostly ups. Speaking of ups, where I help with the after school program, we had a really good day Wednesday. It can be depressing, especially for Ester, who is with the kids every day, to work so hard and love on the kids just to end up feel like you are making little difference. That's not to say that there aren't good moments every time I'm there. Just sometimes getting after the kids takes all the fun out of it. Because of this, I am extremely thankful for the mood Wednesday, that the two of us could be a little more relaxed.

Tomorrow is el Día de la Paz (Peace Day I suppose), and so there is no school tomorrow. I thought it was Teacher Appreciation Day, but that's later on in the semester. The music teacher made a poster filled with the hand prints of every student from the school, 1st to 6th grade. Today I got to watch some presentations with the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders and then hear them all sing "No dudaría", a song against violence. I love the smiles from the girls when I sang along (I can explain it away because they too can sing in English) and did the motions that they had learned in class. I would have loved to see the presentations in the afternoon, to see my kids reciting poems and singing songs for their classmates, but I couldn't stay around that long. The rest of my day was last minute printing for my class this evening, going to the bank to figure out taxes and residency and my account (re a letter I received), cooking, and relaxing a bit. Tomorrow I'll go to ECA (American school) to visit and see everyone that I haven't seen in months.

I'll leave you a picture from my window last Sunday. I like clouds!
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Amazing Animals

I know I'm a nerd, but ever since some friends of mine mentioned the documentary series, Planet Earth, back in the fall, I had been antsy to see it. I remember watching it intermittently at Gary and Margie's house with Mariel and Tim. This Saturday, four of us met for a early supper (early for Spaniards, still late for Americans) and then to Guadalajara to enjoy hours of animal footage. I hadn't seen the part about the shallow seas or the jungle, which was quite interesting. And, of course, the polar bears and penguins are always a favorite, although I could scarcely keep my eyes open during the last part. You can see some of the pictures through the link, though it's not as cool as the videos. British accents, amazing animals, and friends...good times.

Today the weather was quite odd. Although it was a bit windy and nippy, I decided to take advantage of the sun and walk to Atocha (the train station) from school instead of taking the short train ride there. When I stepped out the front door, cold mist-like raindrops hit my face. Confused, I looked at the completely cloudless blue sky above me. I have seen rain torrents on sunny days before, but never rain without clouds.

Halfway to Atocha, I remembered that Madrid is host to Cows on Parade, and that there were supposed to be some in front of the train station. I took a nice walk down Paseo de Prado, looking in at the barren botanical gardens and then stopping to look at the cows before catching the train back to Torrejón. It reminds me of the mastodons that they put up in Fort Wayne. Similar idea. Apparently this same exposition (or similar) has been all over the world. They were in Chicago in 1999. I might look up the map to go see some more cows; we'll see if I feel like it. It would be like a treasure hunt!

The snow in Spain falls mostly on the plain.

My last day of vacation I spent working, planning lessons at a friend's house. I surprised myself at how focused I was, knowing that the next day, three weeks of little responsibility were ending. It was great to get a head start on lessons, since it sometimes seems to pile up. Before I headed home, we took the telescope out to a soccer field to see the stars. The frozen ground crunched under our feet as we trudged up the hill to the flat field. We did manage to see what we set out for, but at the cost of numb and stinging fingers and feet, and several frostbitten toes that crept away to search for a warmer place while we weren't looking. Perhaps we'll try again when it's a bit warmer.

Friday it snowed! As I walked down the stairs to catch the bus, I stopped on the second floor landing, as usual, to look out the window. As of 9:30 AM, the ground was already covered with snow, and huge white puffy flakes were floating down steadily from the clouds. Jumping with joy, I ran upstairs to change my shoes, grab a scarf for my head, and then ran down the stairs again. It was the talk of the city the entire weekend. Snow. In Madrid. And inches (or centimeters, I suppose, even though they're teensy tiny). Paqui, the mother of two of my private students, told me that it hasn't snowed this much in Madrid in 100 years. I could scarcely get Sergio to concentrate during his class, his eyes diverting to the window, looking longingly at the snow every 30 seconds. Upon arriving in Torrejón, I learned about the complications that arise in Madrid when it snows. Because it NEVER snows, or at least never lasts more than a half day, the city is not prepared to deal with the wet stuff. The trains were super full, since the buses from Madrid to all the surrounding towns weren't running. The buses in town weren't running either. I was lucky to get a ride home from the train station, but otherwise, I would have had a 30-minute walk (on a good day) in the snow. Some highways were blocked off because the cars already on could neither go forward nor exit due to the traffic and slick roads.

In the evening, I called my friend Tamy, and we took advantage of the weather to have a snowball fight, make snow angels, make a snowbunny (see photo), and then drink hot apple cider. I sledded down the hill in the park on a piece of cardboard we found, feeling exactly like a little kid. Besides sledding on purpose, we also both fell down the hill during our many vane efforts to climb the slick slope. The next day we could finally use the highways, so Tamy and I went up to Guadalajara to meet some friends and play in the snow there. Snowballs in the face. Ouch. But so much fun! I think Spain loves me. Snow in Madrid, not just in the mountains, just for me.

Snow Days!

Christmas Day

Christmas morning seems synonymous with stockings, Christmas music, and cinnamon rolls. Cinnamon rolls? In my family, we buy the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and put them in the oven just before we begin to dig through the stocking hung by the fireplace. So then, it seemed more than fitting that my adoptive family would also eat cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. Amazing how such little things can remind one of home and make the day more special. The morning began with stockings, and after we finished unwrapping presents and reveling in our peanuts, mandarin oranges, and chocolate and eating the delicious cinnamon rolls, the pajama gang gradually dispersed to shower, play with new toys, or to take a Christmas morning jog. I passed on jogging with Anna and Nate, deciding that wheezing through a run in the cold, while I can't breathe out of my nose, wouldn't be fun. Instead, I tied up my shoes and set out to walk through the countryside. The fields were mud and the trees bare, but still the serenity of the morning and the gentle hills in the background seemed fitting for a Christmas morn. I returned rejuvenated, with mud up to my knees, and in urgent need of a shower.

About 2, Pía and Chino came over for lunch. Afterward, while the majority settled down to play ping-pong, Pía, Jodi, Nick, Andi, and I set out for a round-about walk to the park. They've built a new park between Multiva Baja and Multiva Alta, which I enjoyed seeing, along with a bike path connecting the two villages. It's interesting to see what changes when one has been gone for a few years. When we got back, the population in the house had multiplied, and by the end of the evening, we were 20 people strong. We passed the hours playing Settlers of Catan and poker, having a white elephant gift exchange, eating food and sweets, and enjoying plenty of talk and laughter. After the guests left around 8, we girls tortured the guys by finishing the last 3-hours of the 6-hour version of Pride and Prejudice. I'm proud of myself for staying awake. Luccas did say at the end that he thinks he likes the movie. Thinks...perhaps he said it hesitantly that to keep Nate and Luke from teasing him too much.

Friday morning, due to Amber's request, the whole family (and I) sung Christmas carols, accompanied by Luke on the piano. Pía arrived halfway through and sung like Luccas did, that silent form of singing where you don't open your mouth. We couldn't even get Luccas to sing the Latin choruses like "gloria in excelsis deo" or to honk or quack or bark when we substituted animal noises for the words in the carols (only after singing the words to all those we knew by heart). That was the most fun, singing the old Christmas carols from the hymnal in three part harmony, replete with the whole barnyard's voices. You would have to hear it, I believe, to fully appreciate the beauty. Pía bid us goodbye, probably wondering about the sanity of her American friends, and we went on to have a much more normal rest of the day.

It snowed last night here, but none stuck. It's been fairly good weather, a bit nippy at times, but nothing to complain too much about. I called my family on Christmas, and Mom said that she is happy that I'm here in Spain instead of trying to head home. I would probably be stuck in an airport somewhere. From Friday till Tuesday afternoon, my family was without power along with about half of Fort Wayne. The ice storm took down a bunch of power lines and tree limbs, keeping the power company extremely busy. Dad has been on the roads plowing and salting, and yesterday, it took my family about 6 hours to drive what normally is a 2.5 hour trip to my grandparents house in Ann Arbor, Michigan because of the icy roads. People were going 15 mph on the highway where the limit is 70 mph. My grandparents said that at their house I would need cross country skis to walk through the countryside. Now that's an idea I wouldn't mind acting upon. Next year, I suppose, I'll get the skis out.

Thanks for all the Christmas cheer and wishes you've sent me! Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2008

Halloween Week

This Monday I began giving English classes to two girls from my small group. I struggled with what to charge them, but ended up deciding on 1/4 of the rate I would charge others. Sara and Tamara told me they would feel bad taking so much of my time without compensating me, so I hope that this compromise will keep both them and me from feeling like we're taking advantage of the other. This week I started with a quiz and questions to get a grasp of their grammatical and vocabulary levels. I gave them each a list of vocabulary for the bedroom, we practiced pronunciation, and we'll go from there. I think it's going to be quite a challenge teaching them, but I'm excited to start planning for next Thursday's class. They really want to work on speaking and listening, so I'll be trying to structure conversations to build upon existing vocabulary.

This week at school we have been doing Halloween activities. For the fourth graders, I ask the teacher to make flashcards with some pictures she had of Halloween vocabulary (ghost, Dracula, skeleton, etc.) and to ask the students to dress up. She gave me a story (in Spanish) to read to the kids. Over the weekend, I bought a sweets and a pumpkin, was given another on Sunday, and translated the Halloween history into English. In class, I began by telling the history of Halloween and showing the pumpkin/ Jack-o-Lantern. Then, I had all the kids go out of the room, shut off the lights, and make them say "trick-or-treat" (and thank-you) before coming in and receiving candy. That was a lot of fun. Then, we played hang-man with the vocabulary. The fourth graders got activities on Monday, while the first graders got to celebrate all week. It was quite a project, but with the kids' help, each class first made paper Jack-o-Lanterns, then helped me make a real one. I cut off the top, and cut the face, but the kids took out the seeds in small groups, decided whether to have a nose, and did other activities with the pumpkin. It was a lot of fun, taking the kids out in groups of 4 to scoop out the seeds. I love it when the kids, even the boys, wrinkle their noses and cry, "Qué asco!" How gross! Tomorrow the last class finishes carving the pumpkin, and then we will "rap" a Halloween poem.

The volunteering at the elementary school La Alameda (with my church) has had it's ups and downs. I had the best day with the kindergarteners Tuesday. They participated in the activities without whining, probably because I told them that we would do these activities (English development) and THEN I had coloring sheets for those that played or participated in the aforementioned activities. Today I found out that this class that I teach is ending this week, so that is a disappointing. I was starting to figure out what to do with the kids, and they were just starting to get used to me. The city is taking over and doing some activities with the little ones that had been long promised. I didn't realize that this young class was just to fill in the gap until the city followed through. The good thing is, it frees me up to lend a hand elsewhere, probably in the classroom (1st-2nd graders) where I am on Wednesdays. It's been pretty rough with these kids, so I'm praying for wisdom for what to say to the kids and how to handle disruptions/discipline. There are many who lack respect for others, bother others, hit, and/or have difficult home lives. We're there to help the kids and to be there for them, and it is not easy. I haven't dealt with kids (or so many at once) with so many behavior problems.

This week in Madrid it has gotten a lot colder. It's been about 35-40 in the morning, and 50 during the day. I've gotten out my winter jacket, and bought a lighter jacket (I got my paycheck!!) for when it isn't quite so cold. Today was clear and cold, but yesterday was rainy and wet all day. Tuesdays aren't good days for it to rain, because if my socks get wet, I don't get home until 9:15 pm. Actually, I had extra socks with me, but I figured with wet shoes, it wouldn't matter much. I was thankful that the mother of my young English students drove me to the train stop.

Tomorrow I leave for Pamplona to visit the Veldts. I'm excited! I'll get back about about 6 pm Sunday evening (which means about 6:45 at home).

College cancelled?

I just received an e-mail from President Gora saying that school is cancelled today due to the extreme weather. The locals here are complaining that it's cold, and I can't tell them for certain how cold it is in my state to compare (without doing ciphers in my head to convert the temperature scale). Having the university cancelled must mean it's pretty nasty out.