Hello! Sorry (probably not the right word) for the lack of a post but I have been busy. It is exam time for the kids again. It seemed like only yesterday that I first got to see their happy faces drop into despair but its here again. They have all done well, including one 100%! The exams are good as you dont have to do anything in class but the marking and report writing that follows always makes up for it. I have used the same six stock phrases rotated to ensure they all have a different one from last time and that the kid who sits next to them doesn't have the same.
What free time there was this weekend was taken up by Alice, selfish. In fairness there has been a lot of watching a download bar like a spectator sport. We went out on Friday evening with Felicity and Lukash and it ended up being pretty heavy. On Saturday morning I was physically sick like a thirteen year old girl. It was a time of mourning though as the beautiful barmaid will no longer be working there. I don't think the owner knows quite the feelings he has unleashed. The weekend was more productive as with a great deal of help from Marc and Kathryn we headed out into Navarra. Shamefully in the time I have been here I hadn't ventured far into the countryside. The most obvious thing is that, there is a LOT of it. Navarra is really, really empty. It's most notable towns can't be too much bigger than New Ash Green. Very beautiful nonetheless.
We started in Javier, named after the Patron Saint of Navarra San Javier who was born there. He was cannonized for his missionary work in Asia, he is buried in Goa and Japan, it's probably not best to ask why seperate. He also encountered something called the miracle of the crawfish but my Spanish failed me. Onwards into Aragon, as in Catherine of, to a village called Sos, which was absolutely beautiful. It's one of those strange Spanish things that they come back to their home village and the population of these tiny villages swells during the summer to fall away to virtually nothing in the winter. A German friend in Pamplona came interested in these peoples sex lives, he was thinking somewhere between Hot Fuzz and Eyes Wide Shut.
It was lovely to have Alice here though I'm glad to not be sleeping on the floor anymore, I think one night I slept directly on my left kidney, if thats possible. Put some photos up in the next few days.
Its a three day week, I finish tomorrow and I can't wait to be honest. Be great to have a break. My heart has really not been in it this week, showing DVDs, that sort of thing. I remember watching the Disney Tarzan in German and it did me no good but these kids seem to be into it. When one lesson the DVD didn't work the look on their was like they had just realised their own mortality, but it was X-Men 2 so it was understandable. My half arsed week is best summed up by the fact I now need to go and work out just exactly what I'm teaching in a few hours time.
Home on Friday, I'll be in time for Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles. See you there.
love love love x
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Sunday, 21 March 2010
The French Open
There is espionage afoot! If you were a spy you would think you would make an effort not to look so totally shady as the guy above but hey I'm not Bond. While rooting around the internet, something which usually leads to trouble, a blog was found about CLEN. Mysteriously posted in January by someone under the name "Black Pig" it is less than complimentary. A blog being used for evil, unthinkable. CLEN is far from perfect there are plenty of annoyances as there are with many if not all jobs but the person who wrote it is just unfair. They claim that Alfonso pretends to speak no English which is just wrong. They also complain about delayed pay something which hasn't happened once in my time here. Neither has their other complaint of not having the hours to fufill your contract. They also whinge about travelling, which is part of the job. My favourite was crying about the wind and that its cold in winter. I found myself getting defensive about it.
The question is who wrote it? I'm going to invoke the spirit of Jessica Fletcher to find out and then I'm going to go all Jack Bauer, for we no criticise, we make work for glorious leaders. I want to meet Black Pig, preferably under a clock tower, I'll be Red Fox and be carrying an empty brief case. That's far too much effort and I'll probably forget all about it in ten minutes but nonetheless intrigue.
We have our third new housemate! Her name is Gloria she's from Madrid. She's very nice. She's a bit older than the rest of us and everyone was worried whether she would enjoy living with three guys in their early twenties but she seems to be fine so far. She has been very polite in hiding her distaste with some of our ways, for example a fridge without a system, but I'm wearing trousers in the house so we are all making sacrifices.
It was Fathers day here on friday which is taken about as seriously as it is at home. BUT! In true Spanish style, you can't be expected to work so it was a lovely four day week. All of my young students have taken great pride in showing me their gifts they have been making in class. They do all involve pasta and glitter, but most important material of all is love, sob. Friday is my planning day so without it I have literally nothing organsied for tomorrow so we're going to be winging it. I used the day productively by going and getting horrifically drunk, which was the first time I had been so in ages. Pamplona subjected to the full force off my dance moves. Saturday also turned out to be heavy as we watched more rugby. I actually felt a bit bad when England lost, mostly as Antoine was sitting there being French all up in my face. He is less of a rugby than me and didn't care either way but still. The real highlight was Dan throwing sixty years of European cooperation back in their faces by listing all the reasons why losing to France would be unbearable to a French man. He didn't realise he was French until he noticed everyone around him laughing.
I've also been looking masters, my word they are expensive. I told myself to be brutally pragmatic no airy fairy courses just cold hard career courses. Though looking through the opitions I'm instantly drawn to Poltical Ethics or Imperial History. I'm not ruling out puppetry or dance thearapy.
It appears I will be home for Easter so if anyone is around let me know, I can bore you in person
love love love x
Sunday, 14 March 2010
If its Tangy and Brown You're in Cider Town
Cider, sweet, sickly and the favourite choice of skint drunks everywhere. The Basques however claim cider as an important part of their culture. Being cultured a a few of us decided to partake in some real culture by spending all Saturday drinking cider, imagine that on the South Bank Show, Melvyn Bragg would drink anyone of us under the table.
All over the Basque countryside there are places called, Sagardotegis or in Spanish the infinitely more pronouncable Sidreria. They tend to be on farms where the stuff is made, with an instrument with the greatest technical name ever, "a piece of wood with a nail in it".
To get out of Pamplona into the countryside a mini bus was hired which was very exciting, a mini bus really helps the feeling that you are off on a trip. We also got the share the bus with a guy who had been out all Friday and hadn't slept it was now 2 on Saturday and he was no where near finished. The countryside is beautiful and hopefully soon there will be some pictures. It's actually very British, but with mountains. When we headed into the mountains it changes to a more Alpine feel. There are lots of isolated white houses and high up there was still some snow. It looked the Sound of Music but without the Nazis.
The place itself is a small wooden building attacthed to a farm. The cider itself is kept in a huge barrel. You need to go up and turn on the tap but as amatuers we weren't expected it to come out at a force horizontially. You position yourself where you believe the cider will shoot out and have to catch it. Then you had to move the glass towards the barrel because apparently that makes a huge difference, only a cretin doesn't alter the distance. It's a process that gets more difficult after a few ciders.
You also have a meal which is virtually always steak. Our place was exactly the same, its rough being a Basque vegetarian. The meat is very rare its like biting into a cow but they smoke it so you don't have all the blood and it has the texture of being well done. It was fantastic and they keep bringing it and bringing it until you concede defeat (for thats what it is) or die from meat poisioning.
On the way back we stopped in a village the tenth of the size of New Ash Green but still had a bar that was rammed at six. Metal appears to be the Basques first choice of musical genre which explains the unacceptably high level of mullets. The night finsihed as all nights should with a running race around the block where I claimed a perfectly reasonable third place. As Any British sportsman will tell you, that will do boys, let's go home.
love love love x
All over the Basque countryside there are places called, Sagardotegis or in Spanish the infinitely more pronouncable Sidreria. They tend to be on farms where the stuff is made, with an instrument with the greatest technical name ever, "a piece of wood with a nail in it".
To get out of Pamplona into the countryside a mini bus was hired which was very exciting, a mini bus really helps the feeling that you are off on a trip. We also got the share the bus with a guy who had been out all Friday and hadn't slept it was now 2 on Saturday and he was no where near finished. The countryside is beautiful and hopefully soon there will be some pictures. It's actually very British, but with mountains. When we headed into the mountains it changes to a more Alpine feel. There are lots of isolated white houses and high up there was still some snow. It looked the Sound of Music but without the Nazis.
The place itself is a small wooden building attacthed to a farm. The cider itself is kept in a huge barrel. You need to go up and turn on the tap but as amatuers we weren't expected it to come out at a force horizontially. You position yourself where you believe the cider will shoot out and have to catch it. Then you had to move the glass towards the barrel because apparently that makes a huge difference, only a cretin doesn't alter the distance. It's a process that gets more difficult after a few ciders.
You also have a meal which is virtually always steak. Our place was exactly the same, its rough being a Basque vegetarian. The meat is very rare its like biting into a cow but they smoke it so you don't have all the blood and it has the texture of being well done. It was fantastic and they keep bringing it and bringing it until you concede defeat (for thats what it is) or die from meat poisioning.
On the way back we stopped in a village the tenth of the size of New Ash Green but still had a bar that was rammed at six. Metal appears to be the Basques first choice of musical genre which explains the unacceptably high level of mullets. The night finsihed as all nights should with a running race around the block where I claimed a perfectly reasonable third place. As Any British sportsman will tell you, that will do boys, let's go home.
love love love x
Monday, 8 March 2010
It's Getting Boring By The Sea #1
Spain it turns out really isn't one country, it is actually a number of small countries stuck together. What we think of as Spain, the bull fights, paella and flamenco dancing is actually mainly from only one part of Spain, its largest region, Andalucia in the south. The regions are all very very proud and generally people in Spain don't see much of a reason to leave their region for any real period of time. Travelling for a prolonged period isn't the big deal it is at home. Sometimes it's really inspiring that they take so much pride in their home and it makes different parts of the country truly different. Different food, traditions and attitudes. Sometimes its really annoying, when they treat something an hour down the road as foreign. I thought I'd try and paste together a brief discription of each, starting with Navarre, Catalonia and Galicia. So strap in for am exciting journey through Spanish regionalism. Generalization ahoy.
Navarra, my own little corner of Spain.
POPULATION: 620,337
FAMOUS FOR: Bull running mentalness, The Sun Also Rises
FAMOUS PEOPLE: Miguel Indurain (5 Times Tour de France Winner), Manuel Almunia
Navarra is small, rural and sparsely populated. It gets to be autonomous due to the fact that a mere few centuries ago it was an independent state, that actually joined Spain through mutual constent. I say mutual consent, they were at the end of the sword, but let's not quibble. Thus they are basically left to govern themselves and have their own president, Miguel Sanz. It's one of the strangest things about Spain, that to keep all the regions happy they devolve so much power that the Spanish government only controls about 40% of Spain's finances. Navarra leads Europe in renewable energy and is boldly attempting to be 100% renewable by the end of this year. It's not going to happen but theres nothing wrong with outlandish claims. Its people are regarded as being reserved, it takes a long time to become friends but when you do you have a friend for life.
Catalonia
A CAR ACCIDENT: Every 19 seconds
FAMOUS FOR: Arcitecture, Barcelona FC, Art
FAMOUS PEOPLE: Salvador Dali, Antoni Gaudi, Joan Miro
Catalonia and Madrid have been in eternal rivalry and will be forever due to their tendacy to automatically choose the opposite side in every debate on principle. The current example is bull figthing, Madrid declared it an art form to be defended as an iconic image of Spanish culture, swiftly Catalonia swore to destroy it and are in the process of banning it. They need each other, like Holmes and Moriarty, to destroy the other would be to destroy themselves. Catalonia also has its own language which can annoy other Spaniards so claim that in Barcelona events are advertised in Catalan and English but not Spanish, ouch. Barcelona is a city full of immigrants many who become so attatched they become honourary Catalans, Colombus, Picasso, Sam Bloomfield. Johan Cryuff the great footballer became so attacthed that he waged a war on the state to get his child's name spelt in Catalan, Jordi, rather than the Spanish, as Catalan was banned. How did Jordi pay his father back? By having his own football career that ended in Malta, it must be terrible to be so horribly horribly outshone by your father. I get the same feeling when I play my dad at Risk, "SIAM IS WEAK MARK!!" Catalans also have a reputation of being tight fisted and romantic, a strange combination.
Galicia
FAMOUS FOR: The Way of Saint James, emigrating,
FAMOUS PEOPLE: Franco, Amancio Ortega Gaona (founder of Zara, Spains richest man and 10th richest in the world)
Galicia (the bit above Portugal) is cold, windy and desolate. It is cut off from Spain by mountains and is closely related to the Celts. They have their own language Gallego, which is the first language over Spanish. It is poorer than a lot of Spain despite having its richest man, and is superisitous and are often the butt of jokes like the Irish in Britain. People say they never give a straight answer and never allow someone to know what they are thinking. Due to being poorer they are big emigrants. So much so that in Argentina and Uruguay Spanish people are called Galicians. There are more Galicians in Buenos Ares than Galicia. Descendents of Galician emgriants include Fidel Castro, Enrique Iglesias, the Sheens and most importantly Emilio "the mightest duck" Estevez.
There you are three complex regions reduced to nothing before your very eyes.
TODAYS POST WAS SPONSORED BY THE NUMBER 5 AND THE LETTER K
love love love x
Navarra, my own little corner of Spain.
POPULATION: 620,337
FAMOUS FOR: Bull running mentalness, The Sun Also Rises
FAMOUS PEOPLE: Miguel Indurain (5 Times Tour de France Winner), Manuel Almunia
Navarra is small, rural and sparsely populated. It gets to be autonomous due to the fact that a mere few centuries ago it was an independent state, that actually joined Spain through mutual constent. I say mutual consent, they were at the end of the sword, but let's not quibble. Thus they are basically left to govern themselves and have their own president, Miguel Sanz. It's one of the strangest things about Spain, that to keep all the regions happy they devolve so much power that the Spanish government only controls about 40% of Spain's finances. Navarra leads Europe in renewable energy and is boldly attempting to be 100% renewable by the end of this year. It's not going to happen but theres nothing wrong with outlandish claims. Its people are regarded as being reserved, it takes a long time to become friends but when you do you have a friend for life.
Catalonia
A CAR ACCIDENT: Every 19 seconds
FAMOUS FOR: Arcitecture, Barcelona FC, Art
FAMOUS PEOPLE: Salvador Dali, Antoni Gaudi, Joan Miro
Catalonia and Madrid have been in eternal rivalry and will be forever due to their tendacy to automatically choose the opposite side in every debate on principle. The current example is bull figthing, Madrid declared it an art form to be defended as an iconic image of Spanish culture, swiftly Catalonia swore to destroy it and are in the process of banning it. They need each other, like Holmes and Moriarty, to destroy the other would be to destroy themselves. Catalonia also has its own language which can annoy other Spaniards so claim that in Barcelona events are advertised in Catalan and English but not Spanish, ouch. Barcelona is a city full of immigrants many who become so attatched they become honourary Catalans, Colombus, Picasso, Sam Bloomfield. Johan Cryuff the great footballer became so attacthed that he waged a war on the state to get his child's name spelt in Catalan, Jordi, rather than the Spanish, as Catalan was banned. How did Jordi pay his father back? By having his own football career that ended in Malta, it must be terrible to be so horribly horribly outshone by your father. I get the same feeling when I play my dad at Risk, "SIAM IS WEAK MARK!!" Catalans also have a reputation of being tight fisted and romantic, a strange combination.
Galicia
FAMOUS FOR: The Way of Saint James, emigrating,
FAMOUS PEOPLE: Franco, Amancio Ortega Gaona (founder of Zara, Spains richest man and 10th richest in the world)
Galicia (the bit above Portugal) is cold, windy and desolate. It is cut off from Spain by mountains and is closely related to the Celts. They have their own language Gallego, which is the first language over Spanish. It is poorer than a lot of Spain despite having its richest man, and is superisitous and are often the butt of jokes like the Irish in Britain. People say they never give a straight answer and never allow someone to know what they are thinking. Due to being poorer they are big emigrants. So much so that in Argentina and Uruguay Spanish people are called Galicians. There are more Galicians in Buenos Ares than Galicia. Descendents of Galician emgriants include Fidel Castro, Enrique Iglesias, the Sheens and most importantly Emilio "the mightest duck" Estevez.
There you are three complex regions reduced to nothing before your very eyes.
TODAYS POST WAS SPONSORED BY THE NUMBER 5 AND THE LETTER K
love love love x
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Charm Offensive
What an eventful few days. Costas has gone, he couldn't handle the CLEN heat and has removed himself from the kitchen. He decided on Sunday night, he spent Monday avoiding going to class and was gone at three this morning. Protocol be damned! Notice period to the wind! CLEN are lucky he didn't do the classic TEFL/love rat move, the "Bolt in the Night".
I had phone calls all day, getting angrier and angrier. They came to the conclusion that as I had been living with him for a few weeks I must share some mental link. Like twins, I sense when he was in pain. When my last class finished Alfonso was waiting for me. He drove me home and was hoping to find Costas in the flat so he could do something bad ass. I opened the door praying Costas wasn't in and thank God he wasn't. Though his bags were still in his room and like a big game hunter Alfonso knelt down and muttered about him still being in the city.
Due to his decision I've spent the last few days being treated with a degree of suspicion. They think I have had some part in helping him to decide or have been holding information back. It's like the great escape, I expect Celia to come up to me and say 'good luck' but I won't fall for it. It's a bit annoying that they think I forged him a passport and smuggled him over the open border in a hay cart. The jokes on them, I killed him. Should I be worried that I've driven away two flat mates, the second in record time?
Other than that, now the severe weather warning has passed, it has been mighty windy, the sun has come out! I'm so excited! My spirits raised instantly. I even went and sat on the balcony, your damn right we have a balcony, proper continentals. It does overlook a roundabout but that doesn't matter as when you sit down you stare straight at a concrete wall which acts as a barrier.
Due to the antibiotics I have also spent a lot of time not drinking. This is more of a problem when you have to spend time watching rugby. I have to say I am really enjoying it. I had a whole weekend with a clean head, I feel refreshed and whisper it was even a little productive. It is truly eye opening spending time with drunk people, everyone knows drunks talk shit but nonetheless so much of what is said is just repetition, pointless or terrible ideas to resolve the middle east problem.
I hope guys are all well
love love love x
I had phone calls all day, getting angrier and angrier. They came to the conclusion that as I had been living with him for a few weeks I must share some mental link. Like twins, I sense when he was in pain. When my last class finished Alfonso was waiting for me. He drove me home and was hoping to find Costas in the flat so he could do something bad ass. I opened the door praying Costas wasn't in and thank God he wasn't. Though his bags were still in his room and like a big game hunter Alfonso knelt down and muttered about him still being in the city.
Due to his decision I've spent the last few days being treated with a degree of suspicion. They think I have had some part in helping him to decide or have been holding information back. It's like the great escape, I expect Celia to come up to me and say 'good luck' but I won't fall for it. It's a bit annoying that they think I forged him a passport and smuggled him over the open border in a hay cart. The jokes on them, I killed him. Should I be worried that I've driven away two flat mates, the second in record time?
Other than that, now the severe weather warning has passed, it has been mighty windy, the sun has come out! I'm so excited! My spirits raised instantly. I even went and sat on the balcony, your damn right we have a balcony, proper continentals. It does overlook a roundabout but that doesn't matter as when you sit down you stare straight at a concrete wall which acts as a barrier.
Due to the antibiotics I have also spent a lot of time not drinking. This is more of a problem when you have to spend time watching rugby. I have to say I am really enjoying it. I had a whole weekend with a clean head, I feel refreshed and whisper it was even a little productive. It is truly eye opening spending time with drunk people, everyone knows drunks talk shit but nonetheless so much of what is said is just repetition, pointless or terrible ideas to resolve the middle east problem.
I hope guys are all well
love love love x
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Raging in the Plague Age
I can finally be more specific about what I've been doing for the last week. I've not had the best of week as I've been to the doctors twice and today the hospital. I have tendonitis. I have had no idea what was the matter until todays little visit to the hospital. My poor tendons (the little things that attatch bones to each other) are INFLAMMED, meaning I ache like a bastard. It's like the ache you get from a long gym session but all day and without the smug satisfaction. The way they test for tendonitis is what makes the whole trip memorable. The doctor makes you lie down and then pokes you below your belly button but above the most sensitive of all male autonomy and tells you to try and sit up. I struggled and strained and honestly really fucking tried but despite him only exterting small pressure through one finger I couldn't sit up. It was actually pretty scary and I know its a medical test but its hard not to feel emasculated as you battle unsuccessfully with a man's index finger. I've been poked, pulled, elbowed and at one point even flicked, the man's a pro. He's given me some pills which I plan to make a huge effort of taking and making a huge meal of in front of the children, and hopefully I'll be right as rain in two weeks time.
This is how I discovered I wasn't registered as when I went to the doctor they found no record of a Mark Jonathan. They can't get their head around my name. In Spain you have both your fathers and mothers surname, they can't understand that Jonathan is my middle name and thus goes unsaid. The language was a bit of a problem but we made it through, though on their form at first it did say I was 11 which gave the doctor a shock when I came in.
Feel free to send cards, grapes etc and if anyone wants to sit by my bedside thats fine with me. Admittedly I won't be in bed, I'll be at work like normal but no harm in trying your luck.
love love love x
This is how I discovered I wasn't registered as when I went to the doctor they found no record of a Mark Jonathan. They can't get their head around my name. In Spain you have both your fathers and mothers surname, they can't understand that Jonathan is my middle name and thus goes unsaid. The language was a bit of a problem but we made it through, though on their form at first it did say I was 11 which gave the doctor a shock when I came in.
Feel free to send cards, grapes etc and if anyone wants to sit by my bedside thats fine with me. Admittedly I won't be in bed, I'll be at work like normal but no harm in trying your luck.
love love love x
Monday, 22 February 2010
RE: The Fonz
I have had a very frustrating week. It turns out the guy in charge of money at CLEN and my landlord are the Spanish version of Del Boy and Rodney. When I arrived I was led to believe I was a fully registered citizen of this fair city. I am not. This is because my landlord doesn't want to declare my existence as it would cost him some cash and the CLEN guy who has no problem with that. Which means despite paying tax that if the time comes I can't use the doctor etc. When I asked about it people jumped into action, so I have spent a lot of time in offices being passive aggressive and signing various bits of paper. It's not resolved as now I'm registered as living in someone elses flat. I should have known they were shady when Nick once mentioned he was thinking of buying the car and the money guy at work head snapped up, "I can get you a car".
The weekend was mainly spent falling in love with the beautiful barmaid who works around the corner. Four of us, two of which were women, sat at the bar trying to look nonchalant, with varying degrees of success. She told us a little of her life we couldnt help fall into awkward silence.
It was also Ana's birthday. She had people to her flat for dinner. As she is a vegetarian I have to confess to being wary as everyone knows few meals without meat are worth eating but I needn't have worried. Her French boyfriend made beautiful food and then we had a look at a collection of things he had whittled with his bare hands in a real demonstration of what a real man should be like. We also met her famous rabbit, making jokes about stew will be more difficult.
My horrible class has restarted after they had a weeks break to go skiing. Taking the kids skiing is a yearly tradition as Pamplona is so close to the Pyrennes, I do not envy the guy who had to take them. They were alright day one of them informing me he had spent the weekend drinking marijuana, my first reaction was to laugh but maybe I'm out of touch with the kids these days.
It's actually been a very eventful week but more details hopefully after Wednesday.
To make up for this lack of anything very good, I'll post this historic moment as the internet reaches perfection
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0upFdNVlA
love love love x
The weekend was mainly spent falling in love with the beautiful barmaid who works around the corner. Four of us, two of which were women, sat at the bar trying to look nonchalant, with varying degrees of success. She told us a little of her life we couldnt help fall into awkward silence.
It was also Ana's birthday. She had people to her flat for dinner. As she is a vegetarian I have to confess to being wary as everyone knows few meals without meat are worth eating but I needn't have worried. Her French boyfriend made beautiful food and then we had a look at a collection of things he had whittled with his bare hands in a real demonstration of what a real man should be like. We also met her famous rabbit, making jokes about stew will be more difficult.
My horrible class has restarted after they had a weeks break to go skiing. Taking the kids skiing is a yearly tradition as Pamplona is so close to the Pyrennes, I do not envy the guy who had to take them. They were alright day one of them informing me he had spent the weekend drinking marijuana, my first reaction was to laugh but maybe I'm out of touch with the kids these days.
It's actually been a very eventful week but more details hopefully after Wednesday.
To make up for this lack of anything very good, I'll post this historic moment as the internet reaches perfection
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0upFdNVlA
love love love x
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