Cosas de Navidad y El Belén Viviente

First semester grades were due yesterday afternoon. Grades are quite different in Spain than in the U.S., and instead of sending report cards out, parents come to school to talk to the teachers and get their child(s)'s grades. I guess you could compare it to parent-teacher confrences...with report cards thrown in the mix. To celebrate the close of the semester, and in preparation for Christmas, the Director (Antonio) invited all the teachers to an afternoon chocolate (i.e. "afternoon tea" if you will). All 30 or so of us got together for a light snack of churros with hot chocolate, followed by some home made mojitos, and topped off with an hour or so of chatting and singing Christmas carols (in Spanish of course). While it is well known that the Spanish really enjoy and know how to have a fiesta, it must also be noted that they are fabulous singers. Something about Spanish music just energizes anyone and everyone. It just warms you up inside and makes you want to get up and dance (especially after a few mojitos)... Each day I am realizing more and more that I truly am enamored with the Spanish way of life - and while I am going to miss my usual Colorado Christmas with my beloved parents, I am excited to experience something new.

Vale...ahora, tengo ganas de escribir en español, así, voy a hacerlo. Pero no os preocupéis, hay una traducción debajo.

I have the urge to write in Spanish, so, I am going to. But don’t worry, there is a translation below. :-)

Este año, como estoy viviendo en España, voy a participar en una costumbre española: el Belén Viviente. El Belén Viviente de Ubrique es famoso por Andalucia, y cada año más de 10,000 vienen a Ubrique para verlo. De verdad, es algo muy bonito. Este año, el Belén Viviente es por el sábado, el 20 de diciembre. Vamos a empezar a preparar por el Belén a las 8:00 por la mañana el sábado, y empezaré la obra a partir de las 8:00 por la noche, terminando a las 3:00 o 4:00 domingo por la mañana. Estoy emocionada quedar la noche entera participando en el Belén! Aunque la siguiente pagina de web esta escrito en español, merece la pena visitarla: http://belenvivienteubrique.wordpress.com/ También hay que ver el video de YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-H75omvWf4&eurl=http://belenvivienteubrique.wordpress.com/&feature=player_embedded


Since I am living in Spain this year, I thought I would participate in a truly Spanish tradition: a “living nativity.” Ubrique’s “living nativity” is famous throughout Andalucia, and every year, more than 10,000 people come to Ubrique to see it. It really is something beautiful. This year, the event will be held on Saturday, December 20th. We will be setting up and preparing for the event starting at 8:00 am Saturday morning, and will begin the “living nativity” around 8:00 pm, finishing around 3:00 or 4:00 am Sunday morning. I’m quite excited to make a night out of it…! Although the following webpage is written in Spanish, it is worth checking out (see above link). You also should check out the video of Ubrique’s “living nativity” on YouTube (see above link).

On a side note: the first link will take you to our main web page, and the top photo is a photo of the plaza del ayuntamiento and my house! You will see three red roofs in a row at the top of the photo, and I am in the middle, the top floor.