Christmas in January...???

Well, I guess I should begin by noting that my blog was featured in a local blog here in Ubrique, Spain (http://loscallejones.blogspot.com)! I was completely unaware of the fact until several people came up to me and told me "I saw your blog!" I must say I was slightly embarrased, but also quite proud. I mean, it's not everday that someone writes about you or your blog :) But...because of this, I decided I should probably try to write a few things in Spanish as well...

Anyway, as many of you already know, I spent the holidays here in Ubrique. My Mom sent me a package of Christmas gifts on December 8th. I wasn't too worried, because typically pacakages arrive in two weeks. However, on Christmas day (Dec. 25) I still didn't have the package. On December 30th, I received a letter from Customs saying that the package had been retained in Madrid Customs and that I would have to hire a third party to assist me in claiming it. First I was told it had been retained because it didn't have the proper paper-work (which was not true) and then I was told it was because it exceeded the dollar limit for packages shipped from outside the European Union and as such I would have to pay taxes. I finally got in touch with Speedtrans, Int, who helped me through the process. I had to pay 25 euros to Speedtrans, write a verbal declaration of the contents of the package, and fax a lot of paperwork. However, it has paid off! Today is Thursday, January 14th...and 36 days after the package was sent, I just received a call that I would be getting my package in the mail! I'm super excited to open my gifts from Mom and Dad (even though I now know what they are haha) and can't wait to have my Christmas in January. I guess this is just another one of the challenges of living in a foreign country so far from home...

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AVISO: No puedo poner tildes, asi que, lo siento! Espero que se entiende aunque no haya tildes

Supongo que debo empezar por decir que algo fue escrito sobre mi blog en un blog que escribe un Ubriqueno! No tenia ni idea del asunto hasta que algunas personas me dijeron que "he visto tu blog" y "he leido tu blog." Tengo que admitir que me dio un poco de verguenza, pero tambien soy un poco orgullosa jaja. Quiero decir que no es cada dia cuando alguien escribe sobre tu blog o sobre ti :) Pero, a causa de eso, decidi que debo intentar escribir en espanol tambien, por si a caso.

Bueno, como algunos ya saben, pase las navidades aqui en Ubrique. Mi madre me envio un paquete de regalitos el dia 8 de diciembre por navidad (el dia 25 de diciembre). No estaba preocupada porque solo suele tomar dos semanitas para recibir un paquete de los eeuu. Sin embargo, mi paquete todavia no habia llegado el dia 25. Luego, el dia 30 de diciembre, recibi una carta de aduanas en Madrid diciendo que el paquete llego en Madrid el dia 24 pero habia sido retenido y que yo tendria que ponerme en contacto con una empresa (Speedtrans, Int) para reclamar mi paquete. Primero me dijeron que habia sido retenido porque faltaba algunos papeles necesarios (lo cual no era verdad) y luego me dijeron era porque el valor del paquete sobraba los 150 euros y porque venia de fuera de la union europea, tendria que pagar impuestos. Despues de mas de una semana intentando ponerme en contacto con Speedtrans Int, y me ayudaron con el processo de reclamar el paquete. Tenia que pagar 25 euros a Speedtrans, Int, escribir una declaracion verbal de los contenidos del paquete, y enviar por fax un monton de papeles. Pero...ha merecido la pena! Hoy, jueves el 14 de enero...y 36 dias despues del envio del paquete, he recibido una llamada y me han dicho que Aduanas me han enviado el paquete!!! Ahora solo hay que esperar! Estoy super, pero super emocionada para recibir mis regalos de navidad (aunque ya se que son jaja). Voy a tener otra navidad...esta vez en enero, pero no pasa nada. Supongo que eso es solo otro de los desafios de vivir en el extranjero tan lejos de casa...

Goodbye 2009

Goodbye 2009 and Hello 2010!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!!!!

Well, this is going to be a short entry just to wish you all a very happy new year! I hope 2010 is the best year yet! 2009 certainly left a lot to be desired...

Once again I am celebrating the arrival of the new year in Ubrique, Spain. I am having dinner with a coworker and her family. Dinner will include an assortment of shrimp (normal and tiger shrimp!), crab, fish, pork chops, Spanish ham, cheese, bread...etc. :) And in the seconds leading up to midnight, we will each eat 12 grapes (as is tradition in Spain) and make a new year's toast with champagne. It should be a good evening...

Also...I put a few pictures up in my last post of the "after-flood clean up" in Ubrique when it flooded on Dec. 24...but check out these videos (see below). They do a much better job showing the gravity of the situation. And yes, if you were wondering, it is still raining - for the 12th day straight.

A Christmas Eve Not to Forget

Well, once again I’m spending Christmas in Spain. This is my second year celebrating Christmas without my family, and I just have to say it’s not quite the same. But I make do. This evening I will be going to dinner with Reme, a teacher at my school, and her family. They invited me last year as well, and we had a really nice evening. Not to mention, ate quite well: lots of Spanish ham, cheese, shrimp, prawns, mussels, chocolate turron, etc. I have to admit I am quite excited for dinner…I’m already hungry and it is only about 4:30 pm in the afternoon…unfortunately, dinner is served around 10:00 pm. After dinner, most people go out to the bars on Christmas Eve (and celebrate till about 6 am or later Christmas Day). You can pay to enter a bar with a cotillion (an open bar and some minimal snacks) for about 30 Euros/40 USD, or rent a salon and just meet up with friends and family (and pay about 10 Euros/15 USD for beverages). I opted out of dropping 30 Euros on a cotillion, but was invited to meet up with some friends in a saloon they rented. However, I don’t quite feel like going out and celebrating tonight, so I think after dinner I will like just come home and watch a movie. Not to mention…it’s been an interesting day and many Christmas plans have been altered due to good ole Mother Nature. Let me explain:

I woke up about 5:00 am to a torrential downpour and extremely gusty winds. Since I have been in Ubrique (since October 1), it has only rained about 8 days…6 of which have been in the past week. As I woke up to the noise of the thunder, rain, and windows clanking around, I got to thinking that it was really really raining hard…and I wouldn’t be surprised if the river that runs through Ubrique overflowed in a few areas. About 30 minutes later, I feel back asleep.

At 7:00 am I was once again woken up by the wind and rain. I looked out my window, but to my surprise nothing was flooded. Lots of puddles, but for the amount of rain fall, very little water seemed to be on the ground. Then again, it was dark…and I couldn’t see much.

I left my flat to go for a walk and pick up a few things around noon. I walked by a pub near my flat, and was surprised to see it filled with about 6 inches of water and lots of people working hard to clean it out. There was a river of mud flowing down the street. Nothing else seemed to be flooded, so I kept on walking and figured it was just a bit of bad luck that water had entered that pub. I was quite wrong. I got to the Avenida Espana, the main street in Ubrique, and there were police cars, fire-fighters, and lots of heavy machinery running around the streets trying to clear the water and the mud. I saw the aftermath, but apparently missed the two feet of water that went running down the Avenida and parallel streets from about 7 am until 10:30 am when the rain finally let up. Restaurants, bars, and shops were flooded, thousands of euros in damage. When I was walking down the street, I was walking in about 2 to 3 inches of mud, and shop-owners and bars were working quickly to clean out their properties as best they could, and cementing a barrier in the doors and windows to prevent further flooding. After all, the rain continues to fall…

The north of Spain has been inundated with rain and snow for the last few weeks; however, in Andalucia (the southernmost region of Spain) we were still enjoying relatively good weather. Now the torrential and relentless rains are making news around Europe. The south of Andalucia has been (and will continue to be ) hit the hardest…and for those of you that don’t know your geography, Ubrique is situated in the southernmost province of Andalucia…so it sounds like we are in for an interesting and very wet Christmas season. However, we aren’t the only ones, much of Granada is flooded and without electricity, Malaga is getting swamped with rain, and Ubrique, well, for now we are hanging in there with just a bit of flooding. Merry Christmas…right?!

I hope the weather is a bit better for all of you! Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!! I miss you all and hope the New Year brings each of you good fortune, health, and happiness! Take care! Feliz Navidad from Spain!!!! Love to all – especially Mom and Dad (miss you tremendously).

Belen Viviente

Although I no longer live in the casco antiguo (historic district), I was invited to participate once again in the town's production of the Belen Viviente (or "living bethlehem"). I had the same task as last year, and worked in the Census, selling hand-made pottery cups and asking people to sign the guest book. The event started at 6:00 pm and we started cleaning up around 1:30 am...but there were still plenty of people at the bars. It was a great atmosphere - people buying handmade gifts, enjoying local tapas, and passing the night at the bars. The best part is that all the money we make, goes to a charity! Now that's the true point of Christmas, right?! In all, this year everything went flawlessly - it was not too cold, the lights didn't go out, and the turn out was good. In fact,there were lots of people from outside Ubrique - Jerez, Cadiz, Sevilla, Tarifa, Huelva - who came to see Ubrique's well known and beautiful Belen.

While there are Christmas lights and decorations adorning the streets, without snow and Christmas carols playing endlessly on the radio, it just doesn't quite feel like Christmas here. At least after the Belen Viviente, I'm a bit more in the Christmas spirit. :) I hope this post finds you all well and enjoying the holiday season. Be merry, spread joy, and pass along some holiday cheer!! Love to all!

Excursion to the Castle of Aznalmara

On Monday, November 23, I went on my first excursion of the school year with my fifth grade students. We walked from Ubrique to the ruins of the Castle of Aznalmara, a castle that sits on the top of a mountain (okay, hilltop) overlooking the small nearby town of Tavizna. In order to get to the castle, we had to walk in a single file line for about 2 kilometers along the highway and a service road, and spent the other 4 kilometers gallivanting across the countryside and through various "private" farms. Let's just say I was shocked to be taking my fifth graders on an excursion in which about an hour was spent walking along the shoulder of a highway/main road. That doesn't happen much in the US. In fact, I would be willing to bet it flat out doesn't happen, ever! However, I seemed to be the only one even remotely concerned about it. The other two teachers treated our hike along the highway as completely normal. For me, it was quite the experience :) Once we finished our highway hike, we meandered through the countryside and through several farms full of pigs, goats, and cows! I much preferred this part of the journey. And I swear Spanish pigs are unlike any other pigs in the world...they are MASSIVE! And quite funny! :) I have a new found adoration for pigs and baby goats!


Despite the fact the castle was only 6 kilometers away, which should take the average person somewhere between an hour and an hour and thirty minutes to walk, we took over 2 hours to arrive, and almost three hours on our way back to Ubrique. Fifth graders like to take lots of breaks (as in every 10 minutes) and tend to walk very slowly and lag behind.

After a frustrating two hour walk, we finally arrived to the base of the Castle of Aznalmara. From the base of the mountain/hill, it was about another 20 minutes (steep!) climb up to the castle. However, the views from the top were incredible, and the castle, despite its condition, was very impressive. Here's a bit of background for you: The Castle of Aznalmara was a military construction that dates back to the nazarí time (around the 13th and 14th centuries). Like most things in Spain (and probably the world), it was conquered and destroyed by the Christians in 1410 and 1485. Unfortunately it is pretty much in ruins today, but the foundation and tower of the castle still stand tall and are reminiscent of the original grandeur.

While it made for a very long Monday, it was well worth the headache of corralling my students and protecting them from highway traffic and massive Spanish pigs. I would definitely do it again! It was enchanting to stand inside a structure basically untouched by humans for centuries...and to imagine what was once there only seven centuries ago...

Random Anecdotes

Random, slightly incoherent anecdotes that I just felt like sharing with the world.

(1) **The New Socialite** I’ve officially been converted into a Spaniard. Thursday night out on the town until 8:30 am. Friday night, rest. Saturday night out on the town until 7:30 am. What in the world is going on?! I’m amazed at my new found stamina, and thankful I’m still young enough to bounce back the next day. :) In bed by 8 am, and awake by noon. It’s incredible. Don’t misunderstand me – I am by no means a party animal. Let’s just say that I know when and where to have fun – and I am making up for the times I made the choice to study in college instead of party. There is a time and a place for everything, and in Spain, well, it’s my time to truly live (responsibly, of course).

(2) **Lecture on Adaptability** I guess I am fortunate that I have liked everywhere I have lived in my life for an extensive amount of time (Denver CO, Portland OR, Washington DC, Granada SPAIN, Ubrique SPAIN). Don’t get me wrong, all are beautiful cities/towns (and not hard to like), but to truly adapt and like a place, one really has to have an open mind, be WILLING to adapt, and just jump into things. I’m lucky that I have an open mind, find the positive in most every situation, and don’t mind a little mishap here and there and a little spontaneity every now and again. My self-proclaimed “easy adaptability” could explain why I am so in love with Ubrique. In love, and also quite defensive. Some people don´t like Ubrique, and I respect that. But I don’t really understand it. Haha There are millions of people who would give anything and everything to have the opportunity to live, study, or travel abroad. And I am fortunate to have this opportunity. Yes, Ubrique is a small town. Population 18,000. No movie theater. No mall. No bowling alley. One park. Two plazas. A handful of restaurants. A bit cut off from the rest of the world. …get my drift? But it is full of wonderful people, surrounded by two incredibly beautiful national parks, and has plenty of things to do. The problem is that some people don’t take the time to truly get to know the people or the pueblo. Some people get annoyed when someone comes up and says “I saw you yesterday, I know what you did last night.” Well, yes. Everyone’s business is everyone’s business here. But embrace it. Don’t fight it. If you are a foreigner, of course you stick out. People pay more attention to what we do, than what the typical ubriqueno/a does. Just go with it. And despite appearances, there really are plenty of things to do...(1) Go to the bars. Spaniards live in the street. And yes, even in a small town, you can stay out ALL night until 7 am or later mingling with the local townsfolk and make friends you may potentially have for life. (2) Go for a hike. You can pass hours and hours wandering around the mountains at your doorstep. Or, pass the day at the reservoir. (3) Hop on a bus and hit up another neighboring pueblo. I’ll be the first to admit that catching the 6:00 am bus is not too appealing, but hey, it adds to the adventure. (4…) Study Spanish at a local hang-out. Walk around town. Join a dance class. Join a gym. Join the choir or the band. There are plenty of things to do here – but you have to make the effort to find them. Life lesson: ADAPTABILITY and acceptance will take you far in life…or at least make your journey a lot more enjoyable.

(3) **Mind Blowing** The other day I was waiting outside the grocery store for my friend to pick me up. As I was sitting there, a sweet little ole lady wandered in front of where I was sitting. She looked right at me, so I said “hello, good afternoon.” She continued walking. She stopped. Reversed. And said, “You aren’t from here are you?” I said, “No” (haha, what was your first clue?! The blonde hair? Blue eyes? Accent? Apparel?) Anyway, she said “Well, where are you from?” I responded, “Colorado/USA.” She asked/proclaimed “Is it normal that young people greet and speak with the elderly there? Because here, the youth just ignore us. They run around like they own the streets. I’m quite pleasantly surprised you spoke to me as I passed. It truly is a rarity.” I looked at her and didn’t really know what to say. It’s true, I talk to most everyone. And I see it as perfectly normal. What a quiet world it would be if we all just ignored each other and never greeted or smiled as we passed one another. But do the youth in America ignore the elderly as well? I guess I would tend to say yes. However, I was happy to know that my friendliness (what I tend to view as pure politeness) made a little ole Ubriquena smile. Not to mention, I may have chalked up a few points for Americans… :)

(4) **Challenges** Just wanted to add that applying to Law School is no easy task. Nor is it cheap. And applying to law school while living in another country half way around the world is an extra added challenge. Yes, my fault, I know. Hey, I wonder...do I qualify as an "international student?" Haha.

La Linea: Party on Thursday, Recover on Friday

Since I do not have to work on Fridays this year, I've started taking advantage of my three day weekends. I usually run errands, go to a Spanish language class (voluntarily), or rest up on Fridays so that I can enjoy the rest of the weekend. This weekend, however, I did something a little differnt.

Two of my friends currently work and live in La Linea de La Concepcion. One of them (Manuel) has a boat, so they invited me down to go fishing on Friday. On Wednesday, I received a text saying: "I'll pick you up tomorrow (Thursday) at 3, ok?" So I responded..."Ok. What do I need to bring?" And Sergio (my other friend and my ride to La Linea) responded "Clothes to go out in, and something comfortable for fishing." Hmmm...I thought to myself. I hadn't planned on "going out," but what the heck, it couldn't hurt to have a little fun, right? So I packed up some clothes, pjs, and was ready to go on Thursday.

After a lovely hours drive, we entered La Linea. We met up with Manuel, and headed another 30 minutes south-east to Tarifa. We bummed around a bit, had a coffee, and admired the crystal clear views of Marrocco, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic. Around 9:00 pm, we headed back to La Linea. We made some pizza for dinner, bummed around a bit longer, had a few more people over, started drinking, and the night flew from there. At about 1:45 am, we left the apartment and headed out...ready for a night of fun. We entered our frist bar, which closed at 3:00 am. From there, we went to the discoteca, and when that closed at 6:00 am, we went to another bar...a more "chill" bar to wind down the evening (or in my opinion...the MORNING). Finally around 7:30 am, we started heading back to the apartment, and stopped for breakfast. Around 8:45 am, we finally made it home.

I attempted like crazy to sleep, but the fact that the sun was shining straight into my room didn't make it an easy task. I rested (emphasis on RESTED vs. slept) for a couple hours. At 12 noon, we were all up and about. Some in a better state than others. :) I was doing pretty good considering I didn't sleep a wink. At 2:00 pm, we left for Tarifa to head out fishing. I wondered how that would go, since a few of us were hungover and/or sleep-deprived. Two of the girls decided not to go out on the boat, and instead went up to the bar to have some appetizers and a drink or two. Manuel, Sergio, and I took the risk and headed out. Unfortunately, no fishing. The water was a bit too rough to sit their idly. So we sped around the peninsula a bit, enjoyed the sunshine, then met our friends at the bar.

We eventually made it back to La Linea...and another hour and a half later, back to Ubrique. It was probably the craziest Thursday night I have had in the past 22 years, but I wouldn't change a thing. I've never spent so much time laughing in my life. I've never been so tired. And I've never stayed out so late...or early? Haha. Once again, I'm convinced the Spaniards know best how to live, laugh, and have fun.