A Writer’s Eye

I have been home for a week now, and it has been wonderful! I am so happy to be back. Sometimes it feels like Spain was a wonderful dream, yet sometimes I still find myself thinking I am going back to Valdepeñas. The question of “home” seems to be much more complicated than I ever thought! Nonetheless, I am ready to move forward in life with my teaching career and I feel more content now than I have in a very long time. I accomplished everything I wanted to in Spain: my Spanish is much better, I travelled, I visited old friends and made new ones. Best of all, I can feel that Spain changed me, which is one of the most amazing things to take away from such an experience. I find myself ecstatic over the things I have missed (family, friends, cats, car) and missing people I might never see again (co-workers, students, friends). All in all, I am shaping up to have a great summer. I’m working as a Rec Tec I again (year 5!) and playing touch football. I have some camping trips planned and I have restarted my hot yoga account and my library card. Hopefully September will bring with it a new teaching position and with that a healthy dose of the passion I feel for my work. Until then…hasta luego, auf wiedersehen and au revoir!

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of travelling, and so my adventures will be trickling in slowly. My time in Spain is quickly coming to an end, but not before Kathryn gets here and we have one last trek around this country!

Despite the Icelandic volcano’s best attempts, I made it to Germany on time. I was so relieved to go on my trip and visit my friend Marie-Claire, and we had a great weekend. The weather was so nice — even nicer than Spain! I arrived in Munich and thanks to the help of no less than three English speaking strangers, I made it to the train station and on my train to Passau. I arrived that night and Mary and I visited with some of her friends and called it a night. I was pretty tired after my trip.

The next day, we took a walk around Mary’s university town with her roommate Eva. I was so lucky to be staying with such nice ladies!

We took a pleasant walk around their campus. It was a small campus, but nice and very clean. A very picturesque place to study!

Then we went for coffee at a cool coffee shop that was on top of a tall building. The view was great, and the waiter took our picture.

We continued our walk and visited the church. It was nice looking from the outside, much like the churches in Canada, but on the inside:

I haven’t really seen a church like this before. It was really bright inside and I’m used to the rather gloomy Spanish cathedrals.

Later that afternoon, we ate traditional Bavarian food. I had spatzel and pork. It was delicious — I even managed to say “Gut!” when the waitress came by. That night we headed to a birthday party and had a good time. They had a barbecue and I met lots of cool people.

The next day we caught the train to Munich and found our hostel. It was a really nice, clean place and well located. We took a walk around Munich and just chatted. Mary is definitely one of the most special people I have met here. I would love to see her in Canada!

Spring in Bavaria definitely beats spring in Spain, These tulips and daffodils made me think of my Oma. Oh I miss her! I’ll be home soon, Oma!

We had half a day the next day in Munich. We went shopping to find a dress for Mary. We really had such good luck this whole trip — good weather, good travelling, the volcano didn’t strand me anywhere. And when we came out of a bookstore, the glockenspiel on the tower of city hall was playing:

It was such beautiful music, and it sounded like handchimes. A little scene is re-enacted in the glockenspiel that involves two knights fighting. The German knight knocks the French knight off of his horse. All those figures were moving while the music played. It was a beautiful glockenspiel, and I couldn’t help smiling the whole time.

This quartet was playing beautiful classical music. It made me think of my Opa — I’m pretty sure I remember him listening to the song they were playing, but I have no idea what it is called.

Bavaria is one of the loveliest places I have visited so far, and I would say that I definitely did not have enough time there. I will be back to Munich — I never even got to see Neuschwanstein Castle! I can see why my Opa loves Bavaria, and it was interesting to see certain customs and habits that my grandparents still keep from their German roots. Mary helped me write a postcard home to my Oma in German. She was so surprised when it arrived! Next time, I will have to write that postcard myself in German. It’s definitely on the list of languages to collect!

My students are in top form these days. Maybe they are subconsciously trying to break my heart with their cuteness. Only three days of work left!

- In my second grade class, my students were lined up for Phys Ed. One boy goes, “Maestra, M wants to be your boyfriend!” I looked over at M, and he looked ready to die of mortification. I said, “That is sad, because I am going back to Canada soon.” Loudmouth student replied, “Well, he can’t be your boyfriend anyway because he would have to be a lot taller!”

- My fifth graders were running laps in Phys Ed while Jose Manuel and I chuckled in Phys Ed teacher glee at their suffering. They started to whine, saying “Ma-ae-stro!” in the most nasal way possible. Jose Manuel told them they could only complain in English. They asked me how to complain in English. I said you would say something like “Oh my goodness” or “I’m SO tired”. Instead one of my students says loudly and clearly: “Oh my chicken!”

- We are studying careers with the Infantil class. Last class, Isabel made them police hats. They loved this so much and as soon as they had their hats on, they began chasing each other.

- During assembly, one of my three year old students sat down next to me and hugged my leg. She sat like that for the entire assembly.

- I told my second graders that I was going to leave soon. They asked me why and I said that I am going back to my country for a new job. They paused thoughtfully. Then one boy said, “What is your name again?”

- I told my fifth graders that my best friend is coming from Canada. They asked me if they could meet her, and I said no, that we would be going to the south for a trip and there wouldn’t be time. They asked me what her name was and I said Kathryn. After many attempts to pronounce “Kathryn” they told me it was a very strange name. “Que nombre tan raro!”

- I am doing an art project with the sixth grade class. We are using tempera paints and I needed to come up with something. We are imitating the style of Canadian painter Ted Harrison. The project is very simple but beautiful and my students were fascinated with his depictions of the northern lights. They are so excited about the project that one girl told me she wanted to make a second picture at home!

Behold, the palmera:

Palmeras are one of my favourite things about Spain. They are a pastry the texture of a strudel crust and half dipped in chocolate.

They are a beautiful creation. I buy them once a week from the best bakery in Valdepeñas: Pasteleria Pilar. The bakery is relatively close to my house, but the journey is fraught with danger:

See that? That is the absence of a sidewalk. This means I must walk on the street, which is a risky venture in Spain. A pedestrian on the road seems to be a challenge to Spanish drivers. I swear they actually speed up.

But it is all worth it once I reach Pilar. The staff are so friendly. They always ask me how I am. This is one more place where I am known as La Canadiense. They are excited to suggest all manner of pastries typical of this region, and often throw in a free sample. Last time I went, we recieved an impromptu tour of the owner’s patio. It was beautiful! I hope I get the chance to take pictures and enjoy a cafe con leche and a palmera in the garden.

When I feel homesick, all I need is a moment at Pasteleria Pilar and a palmera! It has a great atmosphere and the decor is very cute. Note the trim along the ceiling. It reminds me of frosting.

And look at those delightful pastries!

And palmeras all ready to come home with me! The package is kind of big because I ordered three and they misheard me and gave me six. I guess as far as second language mistakes go, that is a pretty good one!

- Some of my students love the Cha Cha Slide dance. Some of them hate it, but nonetheless they are learning some English! Slide to the left! Slide to the right! Criss cross!

- I taught my 4th, 5th and 6th graders to fold origami lotuses. They really liked it and had varying degrees of success. One of my students came up to me with a bunch of lotuses she had made at home. She printed double sided origami prints off the internet, so they looked really nice. She made two big lotuses and two small. Then she came up to me and said in English, “Look, a family. Mother, father, sister, baby.” So cute.

- My four year olds were learning animals the other day. I asked them how to say “tortuga” (turtle) in English. The class was silent for a moment before one boy yelled out, “Purple!” I made the “t” sound and then he yelled, “Turtle!”. My students love this word. They run around saying, “Turtleturtleturtle.”

- One of my 4-year-old students has an English name that starts with a “T”. Inevitably, my accent shows through every time with this name. The “t” should sound more like a “d” but because it is an English name, I just say it with my accent. My students were laughing and mimicking my accent. The little girl turned to me and said, “You can call me that if you like. Or you can call me Turtle. I like that too.”

- They also love the word “Flamingo”…fla-MING-go. So cute.

- On Friday I met an older Dutch man in the airport. I was sitting at a table with him to eat my lunch because there were no free tables. He asked me where I was from and I said Canada. And he said to me, “We just had the anniversary of the Canadian liberation of Holland during the war.” That is possibly the best thing a person could say upon hearing where you are from.

- My plane was delayed two hours, so I also met a Venezuelan guy whose flight was also delayed. We talked about where we are from and he told me he has a daughter living in Toronto. At a lull in the converstation, he leaned over and said, “You come from such a good country…what are you doing here?!” Oh my homesick heart!

I know this post is a bit late, but I have been busy busy busy travelling and visiting friends. Nonetheless, Salamanca was a really beautiful place and deserves a mention.

I went with my friends Laura and Maria. It was so nice to have some girl time — we just talked away the whole ride there.

Some people say Salamanca has the most beautiful Plaza de España. It certainly is one of the nicest historical ones I have seen. However, I would say that Seville’s plaza is more visually stunning. The plaza was full of activity — people buying ice cream cones, students taking in the sunshine, shopping. Salamanca is a university town, so it has a really good vibe. And a good nightlife, as we discovered later.

This is a strange street cleaning machine we saw, as an aside. Looks straight out of the movie Brazil.

Salamanca also has a really spectacular cathedral. It has an older part and a newer part and both are available for public viewing. Our second day we toured the cathedral.

I liked this last picture…it’s a whole bunch of pieces of paper. Not sure what it is supposed to represent, but it was really cool. Maybe organ music?

There are some other cool parts of Salamanca. One of these is an elaborately carved doorway. There is a frog hidden in the carvings and if you find it, you are destined to return to Salamanca.

I found the froggy! Can you find him too?

Salamanca was really one beautiful old building after another. I will share with you some of my favourite pictures:

This lock was attached to the bridge. I thought it was quite romantic!

Casa de los Gatos…my future house for when I am a crazy cat lady.

Our last night in Salamanca, we went out. While we were out at this cool place that serves nice flavoured shots, we came across a bachelor party. The bachelor was dressed as Elvis. Of course I couldn’t resist a picture.

Us three lovely ladies! What a nice time with my dear friends.

When we arrived back from Turkey, we had the distinct pleasure of witnessing Semana Santa in Spain. When I arrived in Valdepeñas, the streets were absolutely deserted, except for some strange bleachers that had been set up along the main street. Later that afternoon, we discovered that everyone had been in church that morning (Good Friday) and that in the afternoon there would be a parade.

I discovered the parade after hearing a snare drum and the sound of marching. I looked out my balcony, and since we live just off the main street, I was able to catch a glimpse of the parade. I grabbed my camera and ran!

What greeted me was a crowd all dressed in their Sunday best. Let me remind you that I had just arrived home — no shower, sweat pants, ponytail. The good thing about being as obviously foreign here as I am is that people will stare at you even if you are wearing normal clothes. In other words, I have become accustomed to it, especially after living in Mexico.

The next thing I saw was, to be frank, a rather terrifying parade:

The military comes out for nearly every parade. Cool, but guns make me nervous.

These floats were so realistic looking! They depicted scenes from the Passion, and were life-sized. Incredible.

Now for the really fun part: Los Nazarenos:

Their costumes represent the suffering of Christ. Unfortunately they scare the garbage out of North Americans.

Semana Santa is always an interesting holiday, and the way it is celebrated in southern Spain is distinct, especially in Seville. It’s nice to have now experienced Semana Santa in two different Spanish speaking countries — Mexico and Spain.

I thought since I was writing about Semana Santa, I would add in my pictures from Carnaval. Carnaval was in February, right after I got home from France. A similar situation happened as with Semana Santa: I arrived home just in time to catch the tail-end of the fiesta. Carnaval is kind of a last-hurrah before Lent. This means debauchery abounding, wonderful costumes and parties parties parties. It also meant more parades and the strangest Spanish tradition I have seen yet: El Entierro de la Sardinia, or the Burial of the Sardine.

The Sardine, on its way to burial accompanied by mourners

The sardine wasn’t so much buried as she was burnt. But the Valdepeñas sardine wasn’t really burnt — they just danced around it with sparklers after a moving eulogy.

We had a burial of the sardine at my colegio as well. The third and fourth graders made a paper sardine and Luis gave a great eulogy. We actually burnt that one, which was fun once the wind kicked up. There are some things we do here that one would never get away with in a school in Canada…

While in Turkey, I turned 23. Dan and Ben wanted to go to Bursa, and while this seemed at first like a good idea to me, I decided I wanted to explore some history. So the boys went on a two day excursion, and I stayed two days in Istanbul. For my birthday, I planned a day trip to the WWI battlefield of Gallipoli. I had absolutely no knowledge of what had happened going into my day trip, and I learned so much.

What I learned about Gallipoli is that it is Australia’s Vimy Ridge, but with a much sadder outcome. Basically, the Commonwealth wanted to take control of the Gallipoli peninsula in order to gain access to a sea route to Russia and knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. The Brits sent in many Commonwealth soldiers, but mostly Australians. To make a long story short, the Australians met a strong Turkish resistance and were unable to complete their objectives, resulting in a stalemate. The soldiers were there for over a year with no major advances and resulting in many casualties. Eventually, they had to evacuate the peninsula.

There was also a battalion of soldiers from Newfoundland. It was amusing to hear the guide describe this: “There were soldiers from all over the Commonwealth: Australians, Indians and…Newfoundlandish? Newfoundlandians? People from Newfoundland!”

Most of our tour group was from Australia. I took the opportunity to learn a bit about why they had chosen to visit Turkey. A few ladies in our group had grandfathers who fought in the war. I learned all about Anzac Day, and how Australians celebrate it. I never knew that many Australians make the trip to Turkey for Anzac Day (April 25). Since we were close to the date, the Commonwealth War Graves Commision was busy preparing for a crowd — they were putting up stands for people to sit in while observing the ceremony.

I met a nice Australian family: Graeme and Tracey and their daughter Catherine, who are all living in Madrid. We chatted for most of the trip and hit is off quite well. It turned out we were staying close to each other, and we shared plans of what we wanted to do the next day and decided that if we saw each other, we would tour together. I was hoping to find them, but Istanbul is a big city!

I made it home after a long bus ride and hit the hay! Great day, lots of sun and interesting history — best way to spend a birthday.

The next day, I ended up running into the Australian family! I was quite happy to see them — their daughter is the same age as my nephew Samuel, and she was a very sweet girl. We decided to visit the Basilica Cistern together. Catherine, their daughter, said it looked just like the Chamber of Secrets.

The place was kind of scanty on information, but from what I can tell, the cistern is served by an aqueduct that brings water from a forest. It was built by the Emporer Justinian, and when the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople, they had no idea it was lurking beneath the streets. There were some interesting columns inside, including one that has the head of Medusa.

Afterwards, we headed to the Grand Bazaar to make some purchases. Graeme got me a good deal on a portable chess set and I bought myself a new scarf. I didn’t have much room for souvenirs, but I am happy with what I bought!

The next day the boys were back, and we spent the day just looking around and enjoying our last days in Istanbul. It was a very relaxing way to end the trip!

Our third day in Istanbul, we did what every tourist does: a cruise of the Bosphorus. Unfortunately, our guide didn’t really tell us too many useful things. I think I gleaned more information from the French tour guide. However, the sights were beautiful.

These last few are all houses along the banks of the Bosphorus. I think I have discovered where I am retiring.

Our cruise allowed us to scope out what we wanted to see for the rest of the week. Ben spotted Rumeli Fortress, and I immediately knew I had to go there.

After the cruise, our guides took us up to an area called Pierre Lotti, where we took some great pictures of the city and then took a somewhat lacklustre cable car ride down.

After the cruise, we found some lunch and wandered through the Spice Bazaar. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of this place because it was extremely crowded. We walked back to our hostel and hung out in the terrace bar where we met some new friends, Firat and Can. They took us out for some drinks in a part of Istanbul called Taksim. A wonderful day turned into a great night!

The next day, Ben and I made the trek out to Rumeli Fortress. It took us almost all day to get there. The busses were so crowded and moved pretty slow. The good news is that when we got off the bus, we had a pleasant walk along the Bosphorus through some nice parks. Rumeli Fortress was really cool. There wasn’t much in the way of historical explanation, but it was  fun to climb around the walls of the fortress.

Ben and I headed back to the hostel because of the rain, and we decided to call it an early night so we could hash out plans for the next day.

For any person who knows me well, you would know that one the most influential people in my life has been my Oma. My Oma has travelled all over the world, and I remember hearing about her experiences at every age of my life. Before I had travelled much, I thought Europe was where it was at. I wanted to see France, Germany, England, Spain more than anything. All these countries are great, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are very similar to Canada and the United States. I feel like in order to really appreciate these countries’ differences, you must live there and then they will be revealed to you. I remember my Oma talking about South America and Asia. “Things are so different!” she would always say.

Now I understand her completely. France, England and Spain are rich with history. So is Turkey. The difference is that for me, the history of Turkey was not the most interesting thing. We did some sightseeing. But my favourite parts of Turkey were trying the food, hanging out with people, walking through the streets. I saw less things than in previous trips, but I feel like I took in more.

Our first day, we didn’t do much more than arrive and check in to our hostel. Our hostel was located right in between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia, two of the most spectacular sights in Istanbul. Also, tourist central. Our first night we were in a private room. Upon arrival, we discovered that there was a double bed and a single bed. Dan and Ben, being gentlemen, let me have the single bed.

Dan assessing the bed situation

We did some wandering around, and found a place to eat. Dan tried a tasty dish called Sac Tava.

Afterwards, we investigated the terrace bar of our hostel. The view was spectacular. Then we called it a day, since we were at the airport early early early and didn’t sleep much the night before.

The next day, we did some sightseeing. We checked out the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sofia since they were nearby. Neither had alot of historical information available without hiring a guide. One of the beautiful things about Istanbul, though, is that you can feel the sense of history and culture around you.

Some of the more interesting things inside the Blue Mosque:

I had to cover my hair while in the Mosque

A faucet for Muslims to wash their feet before praying.

Across the street, we visited the Hagia Sofia. The Hagia Sofia was built originally as a church. It was destroyed twice and rebuilt. Once the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, it was converted into a mosque. This makes it very old. Unfortunately I can’t remember how old, but I’m sure wikipedia could help.

Inside was really spectacular. Ben overheard a guide saying that the Statue of Liberty could fit inside the Hagia Sofia.

The most famous things in the Hagia Sofia are the mosaics. These mosaics are Christian in nature and were later covered by the Muslims after the conquest of the Ottoman Empire. Luckily, by covering them up with a sort of plaster, they actually preserved them

When the Hagia Sofia was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire, they added this staircase for prayers. The staircase must face Mecca. Being a church, the Hagia Sofia was not intended for this. The result is that all the Muslim additions are slightly off centre.

There is still restoration work going on now, and as we toured the site, we saw archaeologists hard at work on scaffolding, working to restore the mosaics.

After looking at the Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque, we went for a walk through the shops located in the sultan’s harem. We found some great things:

An incredible carved pipe

I loved these hats. They made me think of my cousin Coral -- they would have looked great on her!

Finally, we had a great dinner at a nearby restaurant. As I mentioned before, Spanish food, particularly Manchegan cuisine, is good, but a bit bland. I ordered a delicious mince-meat dish with yogurt. The food was spectacular. After dinner, we were exhausted and headed home!