December 18, 2011

You know you’re assimilating when you start typing your blog in Spanish!  A little scary!  I’m sitting at the Vigo airport where a swim team member kindly dropped me off today after our meet so I can eagerly await the arrival of my son…and catch up with my blog whilst I wait!

Last weekend I had several nice opportunities…Friday night, my coordinator at my school, Blanca, and her husband included me on a drive to Pontevedra and San Xenxo where they were taking some madrileno friends to visit some mutual friends.  Unfortunately, the weather was stormy and the view wasn’t at its best….but, of course, we still had fun and I saw a very nice Spanish house on the coast.  We returned to Vigo (30 minutes away) to eat at a local taperia…..of course, when we walked in I saw a man I had met two days before on my javelin expedition and a woman who had been at our Thanksgiving dinner!  Everyone was teasing me that I knew more people in Vigo after only 3 months than they did and they had lived there forever…I enjoyed the teasing and of course, felt very “native” because of my encounters!

Saturday, after swim practice, my friend Teresa (PE teacher at my school and recently divorced) and I set out for a day of local sightseeing.  We had agreed that if she drove us places that I would buy our comida for that day and thus, it was a “win-win” situation.  The weather was still rainy but we set off for the nearby village of Baiona – an erstwhile seaside resort in the summer.  It has a very nice old town and a protected bay with the old fort from Roman times turned into a parador, which is basically an inn run by the Spanish government which turns places of historical interest into luxury hotels and restaurants. 

Exterior view of parador

Interior view of parador

We also scaled the Virgen de la Roca – an interesting statue by Antonio Palacios (famous Spanish architect) in which you can take a VERY small winding staircase up to her face and see the marble face and hands quite well.  Very exciting when you’re standing outside perched on a narrow space and the wind gusts (later we found out the gusts were up to 50 mph that day) and with your umbrella open you feel like you’re about to Mary Poppins to the ground! 

We were in boat in her right hand!

We found a special offer on paella in the old town and ate very well – my first paella since I arrived in Spain!  

Paella in the background and non-spicy peppers in the front

 We meandered our way back to Vigo checking out many beaches between Baiona and Vigo and a beautiful old church, also by Palacios.  Teresa then invited me up to see her flat (piso) which is in the building next to mine.  We chatted a while and then I headed for my piso because I was tired!!

Sunday was a wonderful day of sleeping late, writing my blog in another different café and talking to both kids on Skype on the same day!!

¿Estás contenta?

How many times a day in the US does a stranger ask you if you're happy?  I'd guess not very often.  As I sat earlier at a cafe working on my blog, I became aware that no one else was in the place except me.  Then, I noticed keys in the door.  I quickly jumped up and asked the woman behind the bar if they were closed?  She APOLOGIZED to me that only on Sundays did they close early but if I wasn't finished, I didn't need to leave!  Can you imagine this?  She and a man, probably her husband, were quietly waiting until I was ready to leave !  Then as I hurriedly paid for my coffee and toast and said I was through for now, she asked me if I was writing a book?  I said "no" just a blog to my family and friends in the US about my adventures in Spain.  Her next question was the title of this entry "Are you happy?"  I replied I was very happy and if it were not for family and friends, I would stay here forever.  She was so glad to hear that and suggested maybe I could retire to Spain some day!  As I walked home, I realized I needed to say the above because it so epitomizes the attitude of everyone I've met here.

For example, my dear friends Cristina and Fernando, who include me often on their adventures, invited me to join them on Thursday, December 8th (Dia de la Immaculada and a holiday), to go hiking in the mountains and eat a traditional meal at a small restaurant they knew of that doesn't even have a sign.  We drove about an hour to a site in the hills named Carballedo and commenced our hike following trail signs along small roads, wide paths and some narrow, steep ones that lead to a nearby village, a river valley and through a forest that made me think of the movie, Pan's Labyrinth.  We even saw an old cannon left from the Civil War.  Our group of 14 consisted of doctors, teachers, businessmen and a hairdresser.  They were very friendly and several asked the question I often get "Is Texas like the films or is there anything green there?"  I need to start taking my book about Austin with me so I have evidence!  Fortunately, Cris and Nando had seen it and backed up my assertions of hills and trees!

The group!

River and old water mill

older Galician house

We ended our hike back where we had started from:  the restaurant run by an 86 year old woman named Ines, my grandmother's name....when I told her this, she was delighted and insisted on taking off her apron before she posed for a picture with me.  We ate wild javelina shot in the hills nearby and cooked with potatoes, onions, wine and I don't know what else until it was so tender a knife was not needed.  The flavor was fantastic!  We also had a tossed salad, bread (of course!), wine,water and fried milk (tasted like French toast) for dessert.  The discussion was lively and enjoyable and I think I can really tell an improvement in my understanding of random conversations in a group.  They asked me what I was up to in Vigo and when I mentioned swimming they got a good laugh out of the fact that it took a foreigner to tell them about the adult swimming program in Vigo.  In fact, one woman, Soledad(Sole) was so interested that she will meet me tomorrow night at swim practice to give it a try!

Ines, the owner and chief cook

Spaniards always toast before beginning!

And, oh, did we begin!!

It was my idea of a perfect day:  good hike, good food and good friends!

December 3rd, A Visit to Santiago de Compostela

I took the train from Vigo to Santiago on Saturday morning - about 1 1/2 hours - and met Jenn, another teacher in our program who lives outside of Madrid.  Brian, another teacher who resides in Barcelona, flew in about 2 PM.  We played tourist and saw the beautiful old cathedral and other historic buildings while constantly checking out the endless array of shops.  I bought a Spanish flag and another "nacimiento" or nativity scene.  Before our evening entertainment, we sought out some tapas and wine or beer.  As the picture indicates, we did well!  They count your wooden sticks at the end of the evening and you pay based on the number and the shape of the sticks.  Basically an honor system that we never saw abused.  Our best find was a shop that exhibited women's crafts and had a traditional folk music show in the evening if 10 people signed up for it.  They did and we did!  The music was a young man playing the bagpipes which are the Galician folk music instrument of choice.  He also demonstrated his abilities on the tambourine and a small drum.  Part of the celebration was a traditional "quemada" or burning, in this case of a brandylike liquor which had sugar and various spices added.  Before we tasted the drink, we went around and read in Galician (interesting!) a chant to expel all the witches from the drink.  After flaming for a while, we all got a warm glass of this concoction - whatever it was, it warmed you up from the inside!  It was accompanied by sugar cookies made by a local convent.  Brian had booked us a cozy hostel called Casa Felisa (Happy House) where we spent the night.  The next morning after good coffee and wonderful large slices of pan tostado, we set out in our rental car for the Galician coast.

Bagpiper !

Jenn on the left and owner on the right during Quemada

Cathedral

Tapas Spanish style

We headed north from Santiago along the coast with the ultimate destination of Cabo Fisterra (The End of the Earth !)  My friends in Vigo had given me the details on where we should stop along the way to see certain sights and Brian was an excellent driver in our SEAT car model called 'Leon".  The more he and Jenn exclaimed at the beauty of the coast, the more I realized how lucky I was to be in Galicia and even starting acting like a proud native...hopefully not too obnoxiously!  After driving a bit, we decided food was needed so we picked a bar in a small town we drove through and entered.

As the picture shows, it was hopping on a soggy Sunday and mainly with men....we had an incredible platter of grilled shrimp and clams along with the usual free "appetizers"....in this case, cold boiled shrimp and 'callos', a seasoned (they use intestines of some sort?)garbanzo bean stew...yummy!  After our stop we resumed our journey north and found the 'horreo" or granary that is supposed to be the biggest in Spain.  There are many dotting the countryside and though not now used for grain storage, they are still used for general storage because they are solidly built of Galician stone and raised up in the air.  This one was located next to a gorgeous old church.

Horreo de Lira

After checking out these sights, we continued on our way to Cabo Fisterra with several picturesque stops along the way.  After several hours of our journey, we arrived at what was once thought to be the end of the earth.  Of course, we had to stop for coffee/tea and to check out the local crafts fair located in the lighthouse.

Cabo Fisterra

Finally, we headed back to the Santiago airport to drop off Jenn for her flight back to Madrid.  Of course, Brian and Jenn needed one more food stop!  I was so full that I just watched them enjoy a wonderful meal of pulpo (octopus) with clams soup - and tasted as well!- and a plate of chipurones (small squid )cooked in sherry - delicious as well!  See picture below!

After the airport stop about 9 PM, Brian, who had a long weekend, and I headed for Vigo - an hour's drive.  He stayed with me for 2 nights as he went to work with me on Monday and visited my school.  In his hometown of Calgary, Canada, he teaches math and science but in Barcelona he is teaching primary school - and loving it, he says.  Monday afternoon, my teacher friend, Felipe, drove us around the beaches of Vigo so Brian could see them and he even showed me some I had not seen.
We returned to my apartment and then set out after dark to see the city of Vigo including Christmas lights.  I made some spicy chili from the seasonings stash my mother and father have sent me and we both enjoyed some picante in our meal!  Tuesday morning, Brian left for a visit to Pontevedra on his way back to the Santiago airport and home to Barcelona.  He was my first guest and a very gracious one - loved having his company here!

Thanksgiving in Vigo on Saturday and a Masters’ Swim Meet on Sunday

Sitting on a train going to Santiago de Compostela at 8:30 AM on a Saturday morning!  I must be crazy!  Actually, I’m going to meet a teacher from Barcelona and one from Madrid to see the city and to rent a car to see the country…but I digress.  Last weekend is the subject of today’s entry.

If you’re a regular reader, you know about my friends Cristina and Fernando.  Several months ago, she asked me if I would cook a Thanksgiving turkey and trimmings at her house so they could experience a typical American Thanksgiving Day meal.  Of course, I said “yes!”.  As the day approached, despite my best efforts, I began to get nervous about upholding the honor of all American cooks on that special day.  And, before I knew how difficult/impossible it would be to get all the ingredients!  I found out where to order a turkey (El Corte Ingles) to pick up the day before I was to cook it.  Also, I managed to find there several small jars of cranberry sauce.  But no sage was to be found? Finally, someone at work mentioned checking with an herbalist at a health foods store.  I scored some “salvia” normally used for infusions (hot tealike drinks) on the Friday evening we were to begin cooking – we being Cristina and I.  After 5 hours of chopping, dicing, guessing at measurement conversions, finding enough large containers to cook in, washing foods, etc. we had the dressing and sweet potatoes made, cooked and in frig ready to be heated up the next day.  The turkey was washed and plucked – yes, it arrived with many small feathers or feather shafts still in it!!  I guess that was to prove it was fresh?  I can promise you that I had never seen a turkey with its feathers until this year.  We seasoned it inside and out, placed apples, celery and onion in its cavity and then put it in the “magic cooking bag” as the Spanish began calling it.  They had never heard of a ‘plastic bag’ that could be used to cook with in the oven!  I left with strict instructions to not place it in the oven until 10:30 the next AM because we were not eating until 2:30 PMish.  Well, Cris had read so much about how long turkeys took to cook that she panicked and placed it in oven at 9 AM!  Needless to say, when it was served, we didn’t really have to carve it, it fell right off the bones onto the platter!!

Cris made broccoli, a purple cabbage dish and baked onions…and, of course, bread and wine – the staples of any meal in Spain!  To my great relief, the meal was a hit – even the gravy I made out of the pan juices, trying to emulate the years of watching my father do that each Thanksgiving.  Probably the biggest surprise to them was how good the sweet potatoes were.  Most everyone out of the 12 present had never eaten one before even though I had no problem finding them at a fruteria down the street?  Two other Americans were present, Rebecca and Ed, a delightful young couple who are teacher assistants in Vigo – she’s at Cristina’s school and I have hung out with them a bit in Vigo as well.  She made a delicious apple crisp for dessert and another guest made lemon mousse.  Even though there are no pecans, pumpkins or mincemeat here, we ate well for dessert!!  About 6 hours after we sat down to eat – after going around the table and having each say at least one thing he or she was thankful for – the guests began to leave.  We three Americans stayed and tried to help Cris clean up but left her with a load of dishes as we departed with our treasured leftovers!  I think we did a great job of representing the US people as good cooks!!

The following morning, Sunday, I was up and waiting on the street corner at 6:30 AM for a ride from a teammate to the pool to catch the team bus to our meet.  The amazing thing to me was seeing a large number of young couples obviously just returning from their nights out!  I found out later that most clubs close at 6 AM!  Our meet was in Carballo, in the northern section of Galicia near A Coruña, about a 2 hour bus ride.  It was such a fun day of comraderie and encouragement even though I was very nervous about my first organized meet in a good number of years.  I won first place in my event, 50 breaststroke!  Of course, there were only 2 women in my age group!!  I am in the 60-65 year old group because it’s based on your age next December(I have no idea why?).  For once, this getting older thing is working to my advantage!  We all ate lunch together at a local café and reboarded the bus for Vigo where we arrived about 4:30 PM.

Another wonderful weekend in Vigo…

Meals, etc. in Spain

Today is November 20, 2011…almost 3 months here in Vigo…wow!!  Time has flown by…it’s Sunday and also Election Day here…beautiful sunny, windless 55 degree day.  Once again, after a short walk, I’m sitting at a bar/restaurant overlooking the Ria or estuary of the town – really the lifeblood of Vigo because fishing, canning, and shipbuilding are the major industries here.  And so gorgeous to look across at Cangas, with all of its red roofs, and out to sea where the Iles de Cites provide a mountainous backdrop for the Ria.  Several small sailing boats are playing follow-the-leader as their sailors learn their art.  I can even see the jutting out peninsula where I hiked with Cristina and Fernando a couple of weeks ago. 

During the past couple of weeks I have had the privilege to participate in two very typical Galician activities….both instigated by my school.  On Friday, November 11^th, classes were stopped after 11:30 AM…although all students and teachers were reminded to report to their last class of the day at 2:00 PM for roll call!  We had a “magosto” or chestnut roast in Gallego – there is no Castellano word for this, evidently.  The assistant director roasted the nuts over a fire of charcoal at one end of the covered patio.  Before you can roast them, each nut has to have a small piece of its shell removed so it doesn’t explode while roasting!  They are put into cones of newspaper after they are roasted to hand out to everyone.  I ate a few but have to admit that I prefer pecans!!  Meanwhile, there were soccer (futbol) games going on continuously, one class was having a bake sale to raise money for its field trip to Barcelona, someone else was playing the guitar, etc.  It was lots of fun and I had the chance to speak individually with many students who asked questions they would never ask in a group setting….more on that another time!  The day reminded me of the Garza school wide picnics we had each fall and spring.

This past Friday, November 18^th, the entire staff of the school was invited to attend a “cocido” at 3 PM.  It was all arranged at a small local restaurant but we paid individually.  Fortunately, one of the teachers I knew well was going and she lives near me so I had a ride in a car – a rare happening for me here!  The meal began with typical tapas of small bites of tortilla espanola and croquetas stuffed with ham and Bechamel sauce – they could be a meal all by themselves!!  Of course, red wine or beer accompanied everything.  We eventually made our way to the table for the main course of “cocido”.  “Cocido” literally means “boiled” which is what happens to the ingredients.  It reminds me of our meals of corned beef, cabbage and potatoes all boiled together.  However, “cocido” has cabbage and potatoes AND carrots, garbanzos and every part of a pig you can think of…yes, I tried pig’s ear and snout!!  I’m definitely not into crunchy cartilage!!  After all that food, they came for dessert orders…I had “natilla” which literally means “whipped cream” but is a very rich custard.  I could only eat a few bites I was so full…coffee followed and then, liqueurs!  There were two, one very similar to Kahlua and the other, to a White Russian.  Since they both had coffee in them, I could actually sip a little without putting my head on the table for an immediate nap!  By the way, the meal started at 3 PM and we left at 8 PM…just another typical Spanish meal!!

I also had the privilege last weekend of going out for two meals on Saturday, November 12^th, which were both very interesting as well.  My friends, Cristina and Fernando, invited me over to share their “comida” (midday meal) with them at their home.  This was/is my first invitation into a home here.  They live about 2 blocks from me on the top floor of their building with a wall of windows overlooking the Ria in their living/dining room.  They both love to cook and made an exquisite meal of “chocos” (type of small squid), shrimp, vegetables, etc. in a rice dish accompanied by a large tossed salad.  She made a flan for dessert!  He picked a local wine to have with it as well.  After being there about 2 1/2  hours and finishing my coffee, I said maybe I should be leaving and letting them rest because I knew she had had a cold the previous week.  “Oh, no!” they said, some friends were coming by to have coffee who wanted to meet me…so I stayed and talked with their friends ( a doctor and his wife, who is a special education teacher) who were lots of fun!  All of our discussions were in Spanish and I was sort of amazed that I could discuss politics, health systems, male/female differences, etc. in Spanish with Spanish people.  I finally excused myself at 8 PM (another 5-6 hour meal!!) so I could go  home and rest up a bit before my swim team meal that evening.

Before I knew it, it was 10PM and I was on my way to the swim team restaurant which was thankfully close by….we had 25 for dinner.  I ended up sitting near some of the women I knew better and it was lots of fun…the evening even included passing an apple from one to the next by placing it under your chin…I thought the cute young guy next to me might die of mortification, but he survived!  Next Sunday, Nov.27^th, is our first meet – they published on email the events by age and I found out under the Spanish Masters system I am considered to be 60 (already!!) because that’s how old I’ll be next year and the season extends into next year.  Quite a shock to see it in print for the first time !!  Then, yesterday at practice, the coach was weighing us and noting it down – I asked her if there was no privacy here?!  Good news was for my first weighing in 3months(after the “cocido”!), I was the same as when I left Texas.  Yea for walking everywhere!!

I think that’s enough for one reading….don’t want to put y’all to sleep….but stay tuned for a report on my Thanksgiving dinner on Nov 26^th at Cristina and Fernando’s where I’m cooking the turkey!!  And, also the swim meet the next day….Ciao, ciao!

Italy--Panamanian Style !!

What a great trip I had to visit my Panamanian friends, the de la Guardia/Calderons, who were transferred to Modena, Italy in July, 2011.  From everything they showed me, they have had to be traveling around the countryside each weekend! Friday, I trained to Santiago de la Compostela, 1 1/2 hours and then took a bus from train station to brand new, just opened airport terminal!  Ryanair got me to Milan-Bergamo safely and early....took Alex (my friend) and I a while to find each other but eventually, we did!  Of course, by then it was almost 1 AM and we had a 2 hour drive ahead of us to her home.  Needless to say, we did not rise early on Saturday!

However, that did not stop them from showing me the town on Saturday...we ate a bite in the main piazza of Modena after an earlier stop to stave off hunger with gelato.  The ice cream there is as good as everyone says and cheap compared to Baskin-Robbins type places here:  only 1 euro per scoop.  The chocolate was so rich it coated the inside of your mouth!  Ignacio, their 8 year old son, and I were co-conspirators in looking for gelaterias and opportunities to patronize them.  After walking round their quaint and gorgeous "non-tourist" town, we headed out to a "feria" in a small village about 30 minutes away.  I acquired another nacimiento(nativity scene) for my collection - it's in a scallop shell!
We supported the local Scouts by buying some roasted chestnuts and got Ignacio his first wooden rubber band gun - boy, did that bring back memories of my brothers shooting bees in the backyard!  He's so sweet that by the time I left he had not yet shot his 10 year old sister, Ana Lucia!  They both acquired silk worm cocoons with which they plan to spin silk.  A fun, relaxing day!

Sunday dawned chilly but with no rain!  "Dawned" in a very figurative sense...because we all enjoyed moving slowly in the mornings and Saturday night was 'Fall Back' the time night in Europe.  They took me to their favorite place to eat which was named (I think) Casa de Montale- an old villa turned into a restaurant with excellent and reasonable food.  We all enjoyed a fantastic antipasti platter and then my primer platti was tortellini stuffed with pumpkin - very, very flavorful!  My segundi platti was veal cooked in Modena's own, top quality balsamic vinegar which was the consistency of molasses.  Delicious! All accompanied, of course, with a glass of the house red wine.  Ignacio and I prevailed on the group to wait for gelato later for dessert-which wasn't very difficult because we were all stuffed.  I had my first macchiato after the meal.  Then, off to the city of Verona!

If you know where Milan is in Northern Italy, Modena is about 90 miles southeast.  Verona is 45-50 miles north and slightly east of Modena.  It is an old city (of course, as my Italian friend Chiara once pointed out to me, everything in Italy is old compared to the US!)  and has an intact arena or coliseum in the center of the town.  We walked through all of the old town:  shopping galore of all brands, stalls selling food and crafts, and streets full of people enjoying their town on a Sunday night.  At Ana Lucia's request, and my hearty endorsement, we went to Juliette's house where the balcony is from which Romeo courted her!  Also, there's a statue of Juliette which local lore has that if you touch her left breast and wish, you will have good luck in love - I did it, so we'll see!!  We toured the inside as well which was typical of the time but not extraordinary.  After another gelato, we returned to Modena with our excellent chofer, Manuel!  Alex and I had a glass of wine when we returned and then retired...after another wonderful conversation...poor Manuel had to work hard to get a word in with us!

Monday, Manuel was still off work and the kids had no school.  We decided to go see an Italian mall and Alex wanted to show me the store I had asked about, Decathlon - a giant Academy/REI combination.  We ate tigelles(sp?) which were mini-round breads, sliced like a pita and filled with all sorts of good stuff:  salami or prosciutto or caprese or mortadella or ... and we each had a big salad, too.  They finally let me get a meal!!  That afternoon we delivered Ignacio to his Halloween party (of course, he had his Ninja costume on since he got up)...they did a Harry Potter party and had a cell phone in the wizard hat and the dad had the other cell and was placing the kids in their "houses".  He, actually, was from the Houston area but had married an Italian and lived there 15 years....he was very amusing as the hat!  That's why they had a Halloween party, too, because it has not really caught on in Italy....just all the expats miss it!  We went around all day with rubber bats stuck to our car windows and got some interesting looks!!  After dropping off Ignacio, we took Ana Lucia to her riding lessons.  She is quite accomplished as a jumper as she rode in Panama, too.  Her trainer here wants her to enter the European Equestrian Championships-it was quite fun to be back in the horse environment(some of you didn't know me in my horse-crazy years when I actually owned a horse).  Alex also has ridden much more than I and in the English style.  We returned to their house and had a few trick or treaters and the kids ran around the neighborhood with some friends - a perfect Halloween Eve!

It's already Tuesday, the day I have to return to Vigo...I can't believe it!  But, of course, they can't take me the 2 hours back to the airport without a last stop to show me more of Italy.  We didn't have time for Lake Lagarde but went to a nearby village, Il Borghetto - as the Spanish say "que precioso".  Built over water and as quaint and picturesque as you can imagine - my pictures don't do it honor!

And, of course, we had to have a gelato there, too!  The chofer got me to the airport in plenty of time for my flight - I think he was really worried I would miss it and have to stay longer - at least that's what I kept threatening him with!  My return was blessed as I made each connection and got back to Vigo at 9:45 PM after departing Milan at 4:15PM.  There are few people in the world as wonderful as Alex and Manuel and their adorable, sweet, delightfully age appropriate children!  Os amo siempre...

Concurso de Tapas or How to Spend Weekends in Vigo

Concurso de Tapas means "Tapas Contest"....yea, that's right, we are forced to eat cheap tapas in order to vote on our favorites!  You go to several bars/restaurants (here, 'bar' is not just for drinks but for food and drinks)and each has a designated tapa which you purchase for 1.50 euros or $2.00 and then, you buy your drink, too....$2 for excellent house Rioja red wine or $1.50 for draft beer or $2.50 for a soft drink or water!  After about 3 bars, you are very full, feel no pain and have enjoyed about 3 hours of talking to group you are going around with.  A week ago Saturday, that group was myself and 2 young Irish girls I met here.  Last Thursday, it was the same 2 girls and an American couple(from Vail,CO)...all of us met at the meeting I went to in Santiago a couple of weeks ago.  Last night, I went with Teresa ( the PE teacher from my school) and 4 of her friends...and I learned the Spanish way to go "tapaing"....biggest difference was that we all kicked in 10 euros to the tapas fund at beginning of the evening, one person kept it and paid all of our checks during the night!  Great idea, I thought.  So, for 10 euros ($13.89), I had 4 different tapas and 4 glasses of red wine (with a glass of tap water with each!)...no taxes here, no tips.  Next scheduled tapas eve is this Thursday b/c contest ends October 29th after a month of fun!

Also, last weekend, I enjoyed being on the edge of a "manisfestacion" or protest march against the world's governments choosing businesses over the people - sound familiar?  The next day, on my way to the beach, our bus was stopped not once, but twice, by fun runs supporting different causes...I thought I was back in Austin!  As I sat at a cafe at the beach, I was asked by a man to take a picture of him and his friend...his friend turned out to be a Dutch young woman who is a star on the Vigo women's professional basketball team!  She gave me her jersey number and name and I promised to say hello when I came to her next game.  Her English was perfect but she speaks no Spanish and I think she was very happy to talk to me..she's Laura's age, 25.  Lastly, when I was waiting for the bus back to downtown, I heard a couple speaking to each other in English trying to figure out the bus schedule...when I asked if I could help them, they were very grateful!  Turned out they speak no Spanish but just moved to Vigo from Ireland to teach English at a private language school here.  So, we exchanged names and I hooked them up on Facebook with our small group of English speakers...Ed, guy in Colorado couple, and Killian are each glad to find another guy here!

Yesterday, during the day, I had a fantastic day trip with my friend Cristina and her husband, Fernando...he's a sweetheart! We left at 11:30 AM and returned at 6:30 PM.  Weather was perfect - chilly in AM but T-shirts by 1 PM and rest of the day.  First they took me across the Ria (estuary) and across the hill range from Vigo to the town of Buey to the local - right off the boat! - seafood market.  Unfortunately, even though they were ready to purchase an octopus, none were to be had...however, they got some squid there.  Then we went to the town of Cangas, opposite Vigo on the same Ria , to the "depuradora" which is where all the fisherman take their shellfish to be placed in large rectangular pools of circulating sea water which clean all the sand and grunge out of the shellfish.  There is a pool for each type of shellfish:  oysters, all sorts of clams, all sorts of mussels, etc. We were only people there b/c even most of the locals don't know about going here. They bought several different types, including "navajas" which translates as "razors" - a delicacy here.  They are about 6-8 inches long and only an inch wide with a critter inside that is good eating!  All of this shopping is to cook for a celebration today of her mother's 88th birthday...

Then, we headed to a lovely undeveloped area to hike along the coast.  We started at the Playa de Melide and walked cross country to 2 points of land with lighthouses on them:  Punta Baleira and Cabo Home.  Next. we overlooked the Playa de Nerga and its nudist beach...Fernando wanted to know if Cristina and I wanted to go there and he would accompany us at great personal sacrifice!  Like I said, he's a lot of fun.  After a nice long hike, we returned to the car (after almost losing it!) and drove to another nearby area they knew where there is an ancient Roman road, the Calzada Romana, up to a small Roman settlement at the top of a hill and near an ancient Facho, or lighthouse in Gallego.  How incredible to see 2000 years old house foundations and walls and a totally intact lighthouse!  Since there's no money to continue restoration, Cristina said, it's all just lying there exposed to the elements...unbelievable!  Such a raw, wild, unspoiled spot!  I will try to attach some pictures  but don't know how to make them follow my posts so you might have to look around for them!  Back to the car...

We then drove about 15 minutes to another Ria of the town called Hio where they used to have a summer house.  There we saw a beautiful old, Roman times, church and rectory.  In front of it is a "cruceiro", or a large cross/religious carving about 15 feet tall that is said to be carved out of one piece of stone by a prisoner during his many years in jail in Roman times.  It is exquisite in its detail beginning at the bottom with hell, up to the serpent tempting Adam and Eve, to the Virgin Mary and Jesus' birth to his crucifixtion and the archangels supporting him on the cross.  Once again, it's dirty and deteriorating due to lack of funds to preserve it...They then decided it was time for a "caña", a draft beer, so we found a little place on the docks there where we had 3 beers and an order of very fresh mussels.  The end to a wonderful day!!

Bueu Seafood Market

Squid or Calemares

Fernando and Cristina having a snack overlooking Playa Melide

Punto Baleira - notice the rock!

Facho - Roman lighthouse

Roman Road or Calzada romana

Cruceiro de Hio

Today, Sunday the 23rd of October, it's rainy and supposedly, a large storm will come Monday or Tuesday...perfect to write in my blog and finish my Austin power point...after a trip across the street to have a coffee and a tortilla española!  Also, all bars here have copies of the local papers which you are invited to read for free while you are there...OK, off to the power point...ciao ciao!

Lisa's Schedule at School - Finally!

Well, I started work on Friday, September 16th, and received my "final" (for now) schedule on October 10th - but it's cool because I like my school, my peers and the kids.  Here's a typical work week for me with a couple of other standing committments:

Monday

9:20-10:10 AM  Bachillerato 2 A (seniors in liberal arts) English
10:30-11:20 AM   Department Meetings (occasionally, it appears)
12:30-1:20 PM   ESO 2 Bilingual (8th graders) in Geography
Go home for lunch
4:30-5:20 PM  Bachillerato 1 A (juniors in liberal arts) English
5:20-6:10 PM  Bachillerato 1 B (juniors in math/science) English
7:45-8:30 PM  Bus and walk to Pool
8:30-9:30 PM  Swim practice w/Master's team
10:20ish PM   Arrive home!

Tuesday

12:30-1:20 PM  ESO 2 Bilingual (8th graders) Technology
1:20-2:10 PM   ESO 3 Bilingual (9th graders) English
Go home!
4:30-5:30 PM  Go next door to tutor an 11 year old, 6th grade girl- a sweetie!

Wednesday

9:20-10:10 AM  ESO 3 Bilingual (9th graders) Technology
10:30-11:20 AM ESO 1 Bilingual (7th graders) English
Go home!
Go to swim practice via bus/walk and return just like on Monday!

Thursday

9:20-10:10 AM  ESO 4 Bilingual (10th graders)  English
11:20-12:10 AM/PM  ESO 2 Bilingual (8th graders)  English
12:30-1:20 PM  ESO 3 Bilingual (9th graders) History
1:20-2:10 PM  Bachillerato 2 B (seniors in math/science)  English
Go home!
5:30-6:30 PM  Go next door to tutor same girl

Friday

8:30-9:20 AM  ESO 2 Bilingual (8th graders) P.E.
9:20-10:10 AM  ESO 4 Bilingual (seniors) P.E.
10:30-11:20 AM  ESO 1 Bilingual (7th graders)
11:20-12:10 AM/PM  ESO 3 Bilingual (9th graders) P.E.
12:30-1:20 PM  ESO 1 Bilingual (7th graders) P.E.
1:20-2:10 PM  ESO 2 Bilingual (8th graders) Technology
There is a swim practice this night, also, but I usually choose the one on Sat AM b/c it's closer - I can walk - and it includes an aerobic/weight component as well as swimming.

Saturday

Walk out the door at 9:35 AM to arrive at gym/pool for 10-10:45 workout and 10:45-11:45 swim practice.  Return home by 12:15 ish...

Sunday

4:25-5:35 PM  Skype with my Koinonia Sunday School class !! 

You may notice that the teachers here, including me, work a much shorter week than US teachers...and they're on strike b/c they don't want to add 2 more hours of teaching time per week!  What's wrong with we workaholics in the US?  Anyway, "hay que disfrutar" - one has to enjoy !  So, today the 12th of October, is the Dia de la Hispanidad when the Spanish celebrate Columbus finding America...it's a holiday here so I decided to accomplish a blog post.  Now I want to get permission to take pictures of the school to show you what it looks like.  All for now!

Hike and Beach Time in Cangas

Another beautiful day in Vigo, or rather cross the Ria (estuary) from it...Cristina is about my age and has one daughter and son-in-law and 2 grandkids who just moved to China - and also a husband out of town for work which is why she has time for me! She knows some English and we converse in a mixed way. We both like out-of-doors a lot so hopefully we can continue w/outings as she shows me her beautiful country.

Vigo Secondary Schools So Far September 20,2011

Vigo Secondary schools so far....
by Lisa Geibel on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 9:19pm
Well, after 2 days of school, I have a little better idea of what I'm going to be doing. I've met w/4 classes so far, from ages 12-17...not in one class! They have so few failures and so little moving that most kids go thru school w/their same classmates! I take 1/2 of the class - about 10-12 kids - to a separate room and engage them in conversation in English. These first few days have been me talking about Texas and asking them their name, what they like to do, Qs about activities in Vigo, what they are going to do after high school (for equivalent of seniors), etc, etc. They have curriculum in English classes very similar in content to what I teach kids in US about Spanish! So, my job will be to use their vocab, subject areas, skills that their teacher works on w/them in class in my time with them. Classes only meet 3 times/week...different days and times each time. Teachers don't have to be at school when they are not teaching or being available at their assigned times for potential sub duty. No outside subs are ever used!
Daily schedule is 8:30-9:20 1st
9:20-10:10 2nd
10:10-10:30 Break
10:30-11:20 3rd
11:20-12:10 4th
12:10-12:30 Break
12:30-1:20 5th
1:20-2:10 6th and end of day!
Except on Monday PMs, classes go from
2:10-2:50 Lunch
2:50-3:40 7th
3:40-4:30 8th and end of Monday.
No lunches served at school but there is a bar to get snack or more important, a great cup of coffee!
Kids have been exceedingly good for me and in classes I have observed..if this continues, it's amazing! I have not seen even one cell phone or earphones attached to anything in use at school...when I asked about it, they said they would get in big trouble at school AND at home...interesting, eh?
I am helping primarily w/kids enrolled in their bilingual program which means career oriented, but not necessarily University. School only has 275 kids so feels like Garza. Teachers make no copies - they have a small office w/3 people who do everything like that. No supplies like paper, pencils, etc given to teachers - kids bring all of their own supplies. Only 4 computers for teachers in the teacher workroom and none in classrooms. 4 more in the library. No wifi anywhere in the school. Bilingual dept just got a Smartboard and projector and several laptops - all is Dell that I've seen so I make sure to tell kids that he's from Austin! Remember, teachers move classrooms, not kids!
Most important, everyone is very nice to me and each other....there is a 3 day strike in Madrid right now to protest increase in teaching hours without increase in pay...I don't really know what teachers make here but their hours seem pretty good compared to US schools! Enough for now....

La Vista de Vigo

How's that catchy title?  I'm hoping that blogging about my year in Spain will be the way for me to never forget all my wonderful experiences....and maybe learn to type at the same time!

Founding date:  October 5, 2011