Siesta time!
The Hammock by Gustave Courbet (1844) One of the biggest differences between Spain and the States is the timing of the day and the concept of time in general. If you understand how time works here you can understand a lot more about why things are they way they are. To say that time runs [...]
Kissing in Spain
Source So I realized the other day that I have been making assumptions about what people know about Spain and Spanish culture. There is a huge difference in almost everything between America and Spain. In fact, I like to think they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, in terms of culture, politics, religion, food, [...]
Tortilla de Patata Recipe
So one of my blogging goals is to include recipes of traditional food from around the world. For my first entry I figured I would go with the easiest, most common dish in Spain-tortilla de patata. Now a tortilla de patata is known as a Spanish potato omelette, and you can find in almost any [...]
The Hobbit
Drawing of Smaug the Dragon by the wonderful Alan Lee I just finished rereading The Hobbit this weekend; and I have been an unabashed Tolkien fan since I was about 10 years old, and this was one of my favorite books growing up. Just as Bilbo Baggins leaves the comfort of his home under the [...]
Peter Pan comes to Spain!
So a few weeks ago I got to go on my first field trip with my first and second graders! We came to Córdoba for the day to see the Mezquita and a Peter Pan play for the kids in English. I started this job really hesistant about working with kids. I mean, I was [...]
Swiss Miss
Geraldine Chaplin once said, “It’s the change of rhythm which I think is what keeps me alive. In Spain I hear so much noise from my window I can’t stand it. In Switzerland it’s the lack of noise that drives me crazy.” I don’t think this could be more true for my situation this year. [...]
Gibraltar: Land of Monkeys
So two weekends ago I escaped from the chilly rain of Córdoba to head six hours south on a bus to the famous town of Gibraltar (pronounced He-bral-tar in español). The English poet Laurie Lee once described Gibraltar as looking as if “it had been towed out from Portsmouth and anchored off-shore still wearing its [...]
Why Dr. Seuss solves everything!
You are never too old for children’s books! So as much as I love being in Spain, sometimes it is very hard to be here. Unless you have lived abroad, it is very difficult to understand all of the complex emotions that you may go through. Homesickness, loneliness and sad thoughts will come in waves, [...]
Holidays
As the fall lingered on, I realized just how homesick I really was. I worked such long hours this summer, and I left the states for Europe in such a hurry, I felt I hadn’t properly said goodbye or even packed. So a Christmas present, my parents decided to fly me back home for the [...]
Ronda Ronda
“Ronda is the place where to go, if you are planning to travel to Spain for a honeymoon or for being with a girlfriend. The whole city and its surroundings are a romantic set.… Nice promenades, good wine, excellent food, nothing to do…” Ernest Hemingway Well, although I was not on a romantic getaway, on [...]
Would you like some cheese with that wine?
So after my trip up into the snow-capped Alps in central Switzerland, I decided I wanted to see more of the open countryside and quaint villages of the northeastern part of the country, right next to Germany. So I woke up at an ungodly early hour again to hop on a train to Appenzell. I [...]
Snowy Peaks: Swiss Alps
The next day I decided to take a day trip to the famous Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alps. It is the highest railway station in Europe at 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) with an atmospheric research station at the top open to tourists. Basically you get to ride a train to the top of a mountain [...]