Simon Cowell, Candy Crocodiles, and Shadow Friends

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!

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!

Sad Times! (But Some Glad Times, Too)

I hadn't started to process that my Extremaduran days are coming to a close until today when I was sorting my clothes into what goes with me and what stays here (limited suitcase space!) Suddenly I was like, "Wait, so I'm actually leaving." Getting settled into a city for eight months and then simply packing up and going is an odd phenomenon. But I don't think I'll fully realize it's over until the plane thuds onto the Logan runway.

Although I leave Cáceres in six days, I still have three weeks until I hit Boston. I'll be traveling with Phyllis, a dear pal from home, for a good while. Gotta make the most of being in this land where wine is cheaper than water and people shout rather than talk, where castles are as common as gas stations (well, almost) and highways are surrounded by dramatically angular mountains. The details of our impending adventure will be in the post that follows! I'll likely write it from my home in Massachusetts while munching on a burrito. (Burritos are non-existent here in Spain, so that's one thing I'm quite looking forward to.)

So, last weekend I soaked up Mediterranean rays (although Spaniards still make fun of me for being very "blanca") with Antonio in Fuengirola, Málaga, a town brimming with seafood, English folk, and souvenir shops. Since I'm used to the bitter, cold Atlantic waters, I readily jumped into the sea. But Antonio, who lacks the Massachusetts-bred tolerance of the cold, merely dipped in a toe.

Fuengirola!

 This weekend, I began my goodbyes. Yesterday, I went to the nearby city, Badajoz, to say bye to my chums, Cady and Dani. We lay in the grass and ate chocolate-covered Chips Ahoy, and then, just like that, it was time for me to take the bus back. They're from the Midwest, but hopefully one day in the future, we'll cross paths again. Last night, I went out with Caroline and her roommate, Noelia. As there was no dance floor at the bar, we swayed in our seats to classic 80s tunes, mostly American. Then I had to say a sad goodbye to Noelia. But not yet to my dear Caroline. I'll save that for the very last moment I'm here. It definitely won't be my favorite moment of my time here in Spain. That's for sure! Today, I had lunch with my intercambio, Honorio (I practice Spanish with him and he practices English with me) at his house with his family. Got to enjoy a typical, Spanish lunch of gazpacho and paella. And then more goodbyes. I'm sick of them already!

Sunbathing Seals, SEXO, and Madness for WOMAD

I have two blog-worthy events to report on: Valencia and WOMAD, the first being a beautiful city you've most likely heard of, the second a huge music festival in Cáceres.

So, Valencia. I went there for a long weekend two weekends ago with who else but the lovely Caroline. To start off the adventure, we went to the City of Arts and Sciences, where sleek, modern buildings are reflected in huge pools that surround them, and where crowds of people swarm to see...art and science! We went to the aquarium where I jealously watched carefree seals bask, belly-up, in the sun. And we got to see lots of skilled dolphins do synchronized leaps and flips at a dolphin show...impressive critters for sure. 

Such a Cutie

Building at Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

Our other days were filled with paella, horchata (delicious at the time but so rich it left me a bit woozy for the remainder of the day), art, architecture (the old part of the city has an overhwelming abundance of grand architecture), and the beach for a few quite cold and windy hours. For some reason we kept singing Sevilla's theme song the whole time we were there ("Sevilla tiene un color especial...") maybe because Valencia is a pleasant, pedestrian-friendly, and art-filled city just like Sevilla. There are just too many pretty cities in Spain. I'm going to miss this country immensely! 

Building in la Plaza del Ayuntamiento

Oh, and I can't forget to mention one other Valencian highlight: eavesdropping on the highly inappropriate conversation between middle-aged folk at a nearby table one night at dinner. Eme and her friends must have thought that since Caroline and I were speaking English to each other, we wouldn't understand their Spanish...inconspicuousness is always a highlight to being a "non-Spanish-speaking foreigner." ("Eme, no te preocupes. El sexo es el sexo.")

As for WOMAD, it's a worldwide music festival that takes place is loads of countries around the year including Russia, Sweden, Scotland, Poland, and even the U.S. Lucky for me, Cáceres is the designated WOMAD spot in Spain, so I had free music right at my doorstep. I can't say I enjoyed it much on Friday night because the quality of the music wasn't good enough to make up for the fact that I'd gotten up at 6am that morning, felt sick, and wasn't in the mood to be sardined between crowds of drunk people spilling beer left and right...not to mention the heaps of garbage strewn every two feet all over the plaza. (WOMAD is a big botellón, meaning it's a time when drinking is legal in the streets, hence all the garbage).

But Saturday was completely different. Maybe it was just that I was much more energetic, but it seemed to me that the music was infinitely better, thus distracting me from my agitation with the drunk masses. My favorite part was sitting in Plaza Mayor, the main plaza in the Old Part, and listening to Olivenza, a Spanish and Portuguese group I'd seen twice before and adore. That was early enough in the evening that it was still possible to move without elbowing people out of the way. Later, when the entire Old Part was swarming with Extremadurans and foreigners alike, another highlight was Ram Z, whose beat-boxing skills were impressive for sure. He gave me a free CD after the show, but it unfortunately reminds me of mosquitoes dying (not to be harsh or anything) and is nothing like the rhythmic and melodic energy I witnessed in real life. But no use complaining about a gift!


Anyway, I'm glad I got to squeeze in some of these final adventures before my time here comes to an end. A nine-year-old student, who's usually very quiet and serious, asked me for my address in America so he can visit me when I return. So utterly adorable...OK, I'll stop being sentimental. I still have weeks to appreciate this precious place.