Two weeks ago, we had another puente(long weekend) here, which means a day off of school. Lucia and I used it to go skiing in the Sierra Nevadas right outside Granada. It was so much fun, and incredibly challenging. I haven't been skiing in 4 years and even then I've only really been skiing at Swiss Valley in southern Michigan, which is great and all, but I don't think the terrain there qualifies as mountainous by a long shot. It's the first time I've ever had to pop my ears multiple times while skiing down a slope. We spent a wonderful day and a half riding ski lifts up the mountain and flying down the crystal white powder (and in some cases ice). It was a great time. I talked to a Spaniard on the bus up the mountain and he said that they'd never had as much snow as they did that weekend but that they ski year round in the Sierra Nevadas. In the summer, they walk up the mountain to the very top and ski in shorts! Crazy, eh?
This week was a lot of fun at school with all the activities and the festive air. Papa Noel (Santa Claus) came to visit the classes and brought candy for everyone. We sang Christmas carols in English. I taught my kids "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and they were all very excited about learning the song.
A plate of holiday treats mysteriously appeared in the teacher's lounge at school and refilled every night. I admit, I ate more than my fair share of cookies and chocolates. Los tres reyes magos (the three kings) came to visit, bringing everyone gifts and scaring the youngest of the children so bad that they cried. They brought me a beautiful bound agenda, which would be extremely useful if I had anything I had to write down, but since life is pretty simple here, I'm not sure how much use I'll get out of it. Baeza is also looking pretty festive. There are Christmas lights up all over town, a Christmas tree in the middle of the roundabout downtown, and a nativity scene you can visit. All this is made better by the fact that the weather has been gorgeous and in the 40's all week.
Well next time I update my blog, it's going to be 2009. It's weird to think that a year has gone by again and that this time last year, I was finishing up exams at Hope and now I'm hanging out in Spain. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to bother with the whole New Year's resolutions thing. Most of the time I just ignore the whole tradition because I can never stick to my resolutions and I don't kid myself about being able to. Either that, or I can't really come up with any good ones that seem worth my time and effort. However, I've recently decided to revisit the whole thing so I might come up with a resolution in the next couple of weeks. Who knows...new country...I might be inspired. Anyway, until next time everyone! Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! Celebrate with style and enjoy time with the ones you love!
2 comments:
You and Steve will be home for Christmas in my dreams too! Have a great time showing him around. The pictures of the Christmas lights are so pretty. And - I do believe that it is MUCH warmer there than here! Dad and I love you tons!
Hey! I read through your blog. I must admit it's been a while since I've ready it, but I felt like I was standing there talking to you. Ben and I just got back from Wisconsin this past week and we went skiing on Rib Mountain in Wasau. It was our second time being there. We went last year too! And it's definitely a far cry from Swiss Valley. More than half of the slopes are black diamond or double black diamond. Anyway, hope you're having fun and Steve too!
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