I was planning to write my next Spain post at the end of June when I return home, but quite a few amusing things have happened recently, and I've gotta jot 'em down before they slip my mind.
First of all, as I was walking down a street in Cáceres with Caroline the other day, I suddenly stopped, surprised, thinking I'd seen Simon Cowell (the infamous American idol host) standing outside a bar with his friends, having a beer. Then the absurdity of Simon being in Cáceres of all places, speaking Spanish, dawned on me, and I looked again, only to find it was just a random middle-aged dude who didn't really resemble Simon at all...Caroline and I then broke out in giggles at the idea of Simon being part of our teaching program in Cáceres and singing songs about the parts of the body with first-graders. If only it were true!
Caroline and I have had a few other interesting encounters recently. A few nights ago, we stopped at a street corner to say bye before continuing to our respective apartments. We noticed two human shapes in a window on the sixth floor of a nearby building. We couldn't make out their features, but they seemed friendly, and we waved and yelled greetings to them. We also shouted "paella" in unison (it's a very satisfying word to shout in unison for some reason...maybe due to the way it makes the jaw move like one of those boggle-headed animals people sometimes have in their cars...PAY-YAY-YA) which I think they appreciated. A few nights later, lo and behold, there they were in the window again, as if they were waiting for us to make an appearance! Unfortunately, two old men passing between us and the building where our silhouette friends live thought we were waving to them and gave us those jeering smiles and hellos that only old men with no lives know how to give. But once the old men were out of sight, we continued to bond with the window folk.
Anyway, my classes are coming to a close. I'm done with all my private classes (and already miss my students!) and today is my very last day of school. The students have been adorable...lots of hugs, cards, and "don't leave!"s...but a few goodbye moments stand out in particular:
-Two brothers I teach presented me with a pen they'd gotten engraved for me. Written in cursive on this lovely pen (which has blue ink, red ink, and graphite in it!) is the name "Muriel." I guess I'm now Ron Weasley's great aunt!
-I gave the first graders candy crocodiles on my last day with them. One girl told me she isn't gonna eat hers but instead save it forever as a reminder of me. A boy, by contrast, asked me for more so he could give them to his "brother" who was "in the class but sick that day." I asked him what his brother's name is, and he looked at me sheepishly and then ran away.
-The gifts I received from the first graders are as follows: two Pokemon cards and three rubber bands. I will treasure them always. To be honest, the excitement with which they gave me these gifts definitely made me tear up a bit. Plus, it's hard not to get emotional when in the middle of a 25-person hug.
I only have today and tomorrow, and then I'm off to begin my adventures. Just in time for my final days is the feria. It's basically a huge fairground, installed for the week, with rollercoasters, temporary bars and clubs, and lots of food. It doesn't sound exactly like my kind of scene (I'm not a big rides person, and I've been told the food and drinks are super pricey) but Caroline went yesterday and then arrived at my house on a high. Every other sentence she uttered was about the feria and how it's "increddddible" and she just can't wait to get back. She's generally a slightly more enthusiastic person than me over all, but if she loves it that much I suppose I'll have to go see what it's about before my 4:25am bus takes me away from this most pleasant of cities. Well, that's that. Stay tuned for my final post about whatever ends up happening in my adventures in Granada, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Madrid, and the Azores!
First of all, as I was walking down a street in Cáceres with Caroline the other day, I suddenly stopped, surprised, thinking I'd seen Simon Cowell (the infamous American idol host) standing outside a bar with his friends, having a beer. Then the absurdity of Simon being in Cáceres of all places, speaking Spanish, dawned on me, and I looked again, only to find it was just a random middle-aged dude who didn't really resemble Simon at all...Caroline and I then broke out in giggles at the idea of Simon being part of our teaching program in Cáceres and singing songs about the parts of the body with first-graders. If only it were true!
 |
| Good Old Simon |
Caroline and I have had a few other interesting encounters recently. A few nights ago, we stopped at a street corner to say bye before continuing to our respective apartments. We noticed two human shapes in a window on the sixth floor of a nearby building. We couldn't make out their features, but they seemed friendly, and we waved and yelled greetings to them. We also shouted "paella" in unison (it's a very satisfying word to shout in unison for some reason...maybe due to the way it makes the jaw move like one of those boggle-headed animals people sometimes have in their cars...PAY-YAY-YA) which I think they appreciated. A few nights later, lo and behold, there they were in the window again, as if they were waiting for us to make an appearance! Unfortunately, two old men passing between us and the building where our silhouette friends live thought we were waving to them and gave us those jeering smiles and hellos that only old men with no lives know how to give. But once the old men were out of sight, we continued to bond with the window folk.
Anyway, my classes are coming to a close. I'm done with all my private classes (and already miss my students!) and today is my very last day of school. The students have been adorable...lots of hugs, cards, and "don't leave!"s...but a few goodbye moments stand out in particular:
-Two brothers I teach presented me with a pen they'd gotten engraved for me. Written in cursive on this lovely pen (which has blue ink, red ink, and graphite in it!) is the name "Muriel." I guess I'm now Ron Weasley's great aunt!
-I gave the first graders candy crocodiles on my last day with them. One girl told me she isn't gonna eat hers but instead save it forever as a reminder of me. A boy, by contrast, asked me for more so he could give them to his "brother" who was "in the class but sick that day." I asked him what his brother's name is, and he looked at me sheepishly and then ran away.
-The gifts I received from the first graders are as follows: two Pokemon cards and three rubber bands. I will treasure them always. To be honest, the excitement with which they gave me these gifts definitely made me tear up a bit. Plus, it's hard not to get emotional when in the middle of a 25-person hug.
I only have today and tomorrow, and then I'm off to begin my adventures. Just in time for my final days is the feria. It's basically a huge fairground, installed for the week, with rollercoasters, temporary bars and clubs, and lots of food. It doesn't sound exactly like my kind of scene (I'm not a big rides person, and I've been told the food and drinks are super pricey) but Caroline went yesterday and then arrived at my house on a high. Every other sentence she uttered was about the feria and how it's "increddddible" and she just can't wait to get back. She's generally a slightly more enthusiastic person than me over all, but if she loves it that much I suppose I'll have to go see what it's about before my 4:25am bus takes me away from this most pleasant of cities. Well, that's that. Stay tuned for my final post about whatever ends up happening in my adventures in Granada, Barcelona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Madrid, and the Azores!
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