Happy Halloween! Or is it Samhain?

This week has been insane! I'll try to cover one thing at a time...

At school, I made a presentation for the kids about Halloween on Monday, and then baked them cupcakes to decorate on Tuesday and Wednesday. I don't know if I have explained this before, but I actually have five different classes of children that I work with. So, I have to memorize close to a hundred names, and I am just now finally getting down the different grade levels. Because the school is a little larger, and they wanted to keep class sizes down, the fourth and sixth grade classes are divided into two separate sections. I teach 4A, 4B, 5, 6A, and 6B, one hour a week with each English class, and one hour of "plásticas" or arts and crafts with each level. I wanted to do the Halloween activity with all of them, and trying to keep track of the schedule was crazy. Qué Rollo!!! (Basically means "What hell!!")

I also started dance classes this week (which I'll cover more in depth later), so my evenings were full, and I was baking cupcakes until two in the morning on Monday and Tuesday. All for the children, though, right? It ended up being incredibly worth it to see their excitement the second they sensed sugar in the classroom.

Sunday I put together a quick Powerpoint with a song from Disney's Halloween so they could learn and practice vocabulary in a fun way, and then made a fill-in-the blank worksheet with the vocab they learned. The kids loved it, and it was great because I was able to learn more about their fall celebrations here as well. They celebrate Samhain in Galicia (not all of Spain), which is actually the holiday from which Halloween evolved. Samhain was the ancient Celtic pagan holiday in celebration of the winter solstice, a day in which it was believed that the barriers between the human and spirit world thinned, and the magical otherworld beings came out to stir up mischief. The Catholics later adopted it as the Catholic All Souls Day, as tends to happen, and which means that we get a day off of school on Monday. In the States, the holiday became absorbed as Halloween, and in Galicia and I imagine Ireland as well, it is still Samhain.

On Tuesday and Wednesday we decorated the cupcakes, which they have no translation for here. In recent years, "magdalenas," which are little pre-packaged muffins, have become somewhat popular across Spain, but the idea of a cupcake is almost completely foreign. The kids loved them. Granted, it was my first time backing cupcakes from scratch ever, and the consistency of the butter here is really different, so they were kind of more muffin-like anyway, but they went over well regardless.

I also made orange frosting to go on top, which they were all really confused about, because they don't use food coloring here for anything really (all the better I suppose), but once they tasted it, they piled it on.
Here are some photos of the kids. These are two of the five classes I have:










So that was on Tuesday. On Wednesday they dressed up!


Here are one of the older classes with Macamen, the "real" English teacher.


...and here I am! Look! I'm a teacher too!!


This is Ramón. He's in the 6th Level, and is a born Theater Major. He gave me this Jack-O-Lantern after class, and it's now sitting on our table. It has a real cigarette in the mouth, attached with a toothpick. Brilliant.

And here's the classroom:
I finally feel like I'm teaching! It has been so stressful to get adjusted here, and I haven't felt very contributive, since I haven't planned any activities or had much of an idea of the curriculum. Finally, I had the opportunity to organize, plan, and execute a lesson with the kids that allowed them to have fun, and HOPEFULLY they will retain some of the vocabulary/ cultural exchange!

Got to go, will fill in on other stories later. I'm off to A Coruña for the long weekend, so I should have some photos coming soon!

The Beaches of Ferrol

Galicia is world-renowned for its beaches. When I studied abroad in London two years ago, I remember asking one of my professors where the best beaches were in Europe, and she told me that the North-Atlantic coast of Spain was the best kept secret of the continent. Go figure that I ended up here for a year! When Sheena and I stayed with Maria our first week in Ferrol, she drove us out to a beach near her house in Covas (the village she lives in just fifteen outside of the city itself), which was absolutely gorgeous. To be honest, it reminds me of the stretch of cliffs along Highway 1. So here are some of the photos I took three weeks ago, my apologies for the belated post.

This building is an old house. Apparently there is no one in it anymore, but according to Maria it isn't worth walking around. I beg to differ, and plan to return here some time to check it out. The coast here is peppered with old lighthouses (or faros), and abandoned military outposts built centuries ago. I hope to visit as many as I can. It isn't illegal to walk around most of them, as they are all on government-owned public land, and as they aren't serving any purpose anymore, spectators won't be bothered. (...Don't worry, ma!)

This is more or less looking northwest. It's difficult to get a perfect sense of direction here, as the coast is full of so many tiny inlets. The water is unbelievably translucent and gorgeous.



..Northern California, or Northern Spain!? Does this not look like Carmel?
















Ok, that was three weeks ago. Now for the more recent beach photos!

David and Laura drove us along the coast after we toured the Castillo de San Felipe last week, to the more popular beaches (also completely pristine). I'm curious to see how full these places will get during the summer months, because I fear the fall might be slightly deceiving. I was impressed by the fact that there was no one in sight at most of the beaches we passed, but I assume that when the weather is better, they'll be relatively full. Here we are, just around the bend from the castle.

We wound through breathtaking views of the mountains, sky, and ocean, through small towns and farms, and arrived after a short time at this beach. I believe it's called San Xorge, and according to David, this beach has the best sand in the world. As I am a Santa Cruz girl, my shoes were off before I was even out of the car. Naturally, I had to test his theory. Honestly though, I might believe him, this may be the best sand in the world. It is divinely, yes DIVINELY soft, fine, and clean. I felt like I was walking on clouds. I've truly found heaven. (Were the water ten degrees warmer...)




Naturally, I had to put my feet in the water also, and I ignored the fact that my companions regarded as a crazy person. It was sweet, David and Laura kept warning me that the water would be freezing, and I would regret it, but it wasn't THAT terrible. I'm used to the frigid Pacific seas of Northern California, so for me, this water was warmer than what I'm used to. Barely, I'll admit, but slightly warmer still.


... and I arrive! Welcome home!


That is all for now, photo-wise. This week has been busy, though. I met the director of the Language school in Ferrol, Maria José, she's a close friend of the woman I am assisting, and she is wonderful! I had hoped to enroll in Gallego classes, because I obviously won't learn the language at any other time in my life. (The basic level is also free!) Unfortunately, the scheduling conflicts with work. However, not all is lost, as I think I found my connection to the world of theater in Ferrol! Narón, a town that borders Ferrol much in the same way that Capitola borders Santa Cruz, has a relatively good-sized theater school and performance arts center. Maria took me to the center on Friday, and helped me figure out what my options are for becoming involved. Matriculation in the acting school is more or less full time, but there are a few classes offered that I'd like to get involved in. On Monday I'm going to a modern dance/ performance art class, to meet the professor, and see how I might do! I'm really hoping the instruction is in Spanish, and not Gallego, but we shall see. More updates soon!

After that, Maria took me to three grocery stores to find food coloring. It's not something they use here, but I want to make cupcakes for the kids in class to decorate in honor of Halloween. We finally tracked it down, and I was able to find some cupcake holders in a Chino. Cupcake pans are out of the question, but I'm going to try to MacGyver something out of tartlet tins. Should be interesting...

Ciao for now!

Castillo de San Felipe y las Playas Alredoras!

So, last weekend David and Laura, our overwhelmingly wonderful landlords took us out to the Castle of San Felipe, one of Ferrol's most widely known land marks. They share an attitude of disdainful indifference in regards to the castle, as they think it is poorly restored (which it is) and ugly. They joked upon entering that the Castle wasn't worth the Euro twenty entrance fee. Of course, Sheena, Callie and I were elated to be walking around in any castle, even if it was crummy by Spanish standards. People in Europe are just spoiled!! (See how excited we are? This photo is looking inward toward Ferrol)

Honestly though, San Felipe is really quite interesting. It was constructed by King Philip II in the late sixteenth century, along with a sister castle across the river, the Castillo de La Palma (in the picture to the right). The king had decided that the location would be perfect to house the Spanish navy, as the windy nature of the river and mountains surrounding make it virtually impossible for ships (or armies) to enter the area without permission.

At one point, the military actually strung a huge metal chain between the two castles, and would raise it to prevent ships from entering. Genius. Apparently, you can still see the chain stretch across the fjord when the water is clear.





This is the view from the castle toward Ferrol.(Once again, I love colorful boats!) In the foreground is Mugardos, a village across the bay from Ferrol, and behind the initial hill is where I live! You can kind of make out the cranes in the distance....


Look! Our Landlords, David y Laura, enjoying a cigarette (how Spanish) on a 16th Century castle. No big deal. They're absolutely incredible.


This is basically the view they were looking at. The rocks are COVERED in muscles. yum.


I don't know why, but David thought this was a really good idea. He took about ten photos of us around this well, none of them turned out that well, but what-a-do?


This is the sign for the womens room. Perhaps one of the reasons Laura didn't think this place was worth the entrance fee....
Just to keep consistent with the creepy, David wanted us to stage this photo, because he's artsy. It's a good photo, except that I can't help but notice the giant puddle on the ground in front of Callie. In reality, it's condensation from the stalactites forming in the archways, but in black and white it's a little Macabre, no?


Ok, onward! After the castle we drove up the coast to the beaches. We've had uncharacteristically good weather, and I'm still waiting for the storm clouds. We drove north along the coast, passing beach after pristine beach. I can't wait for the warm weather! The water is teal and gorgeous, and there is NO trash anywhere. I'll have to put those photos up tomorrow, though, because I'm off to see our wonderful Spanish friends. Look! I have a photo of them! (I promise, there are girls in our group also, they just didn't want their photos taken...) This is us in the Bar Irlanda, a small pub-ish place that's owned by a couple, and has REALLY good food that comes with the drinks. (Tapas are the best thing ever.)


Ciao!

Las Meninas de Ferrol

I find myself in the Bla Bla Café, and can't decide if I'm in Spain, Paris, or London right now. Architecturally, the place is reminiscent of a Parisian café... with a fully stocked bar. The marble floors are alternately checkered black and white, and the molded ceiling dates back to the 1800s. (I know this because it's one of the Modernista buildings in the downtown of Ferrol, right next to one of the city center's three primary plazas.) The walls are red, with black wood paneling, and there's a sophisticated yet funky feeling to the place. The London vibe comes from all the Brits that are here. Apparently the food is good, because I can hear more British English being spoken right now than I have since living in London two years ago. But don't worry, the Spaniards here talk louder, so the English is easily drowned out.

This weekend was absolutely wonderful, but at the moment, my spirits are a little low. On my way here, I went to take out this month's rent from the ATM (cajero), but the machine decided it was hungry, and it ate my only debit card that has been functioning in this country... My other account won't let me withdraw cash, as the bank (despite my letting them know that I was abroad) put a security hold on my cards after I used them in Spain. Thank you faulty American banking systems!!! I can't be very upset, though, as I have accepted this as one of the joys of living abroad, and am somewhat entertained by my luck. At the moment that the ATM ate my card, a Gypsy woman was pinning a Spanish and Galician flag to my coat, telling me that it would bring me good fortune, luck, and love. Oh Irony!

ANYWAY, I have much more interesting things to recount. We've been blessed with a week of uncharacteristically beautiful weather, and I have made it a point to explore as much as possible in the fleeting sunny days here. Thursday and Friday I explored the Northwestern district of the city, the neighborhood known as Canido. For lack of a better word, it was so COOL!! The area is older, and slightly less restored, which, as an American whose not used to old derelict buildings, I love! I wandered the alleyways and found a series of graffiti art of "Meninas." Apparently, last year, a community group sponsored a project in which participants painted the walls with colorful versions of their own "meninas" based off of Velazquez's famous paintings from the 1600s. Last week in Arts and Crafts we studied the painting with the sixth grade class, and I was elated to see the painting reincarnated all over town.

Here's the original painting for reference:


...And one of Picasso's famous reinterpretation just for fun:



....and the Meninas de Ferrol! (I realize that I went a little crazy with the number of photos, but I love them!)

This one may be my favorite: iMenina anyone?

...Wall of Meninas!



Commentary on gender expectation Menina:


"Street Lamp" Menina:



This is my other favorite. It says "The Intruder Menina"I think it should be called GODZILLA MENINA, but whatever. The painting on the left side of the building is of Marie Antoinette from a previous year of mural painting in town.


Hope that was an enjoyable stroll through Ferrol's meninas. There were about thirty more, but I don't want to bore you all. As I was taking my first picture of the meninas a local woman saw me, and started telling me all about the project. Unfortunately, her accent was so thick that most of it was lost on me, but she did point me in the direction of more meninas. As you can see, I found quite a few. This is what I like about Ferrol. Around every corner there is something unexpected. This "sleepy and grey" port town as so many call it is proving itself to be anything but. It may be a little sleepy during the day, especially during siesta, but people here live in the streets. The city livens up in the evening, and on the weekends, people stay out until the sun rises at nine in the morning. The people, the bars, the food, and now even the walls are colorful, loud, lively and diverse.

Up next... the Castillo de San Felipe!