Romer Travels

¡Que Suerte Tenemos!

2009-05-20T02:31:00.000-07:00

How lucky we are! We have officially decided the Spain has to be on the list of the top 10 best countries in the world! We continue to be amazed at all this beautiful country has to offer. It is diverse in both its landscape as well as its people. It seems to offer a little bit of everything for everyone.
Jeanna and I decided that we needed to take advantage of one of our last weekends here in Espana. As you all can imagine by now, the bicycle played a role in our plans. The second Copa de Espana took place in Oviedo, Spain. Oviedo is a medium sized city that sits in the province of Asturias in the northern part of Espain. Jeanna and I planned our trip around this area to incorporate the bike race into our tourism. We took advantage of our four day work week and headed north immediately after school on Thursday. This was the part of the trip that Mr. Romer was dreading the most! Eight hours in el coche is not so bueno for the gentle giant. We decided to get the majority of the driving out in one day so that the remainder of the trip could be filled with more than the giant’s whining and complaining! Our first of many adventures was making a stop in Aranda del Duero (un pueblo a little over half way between Jaen and Santander). This beautiful little pueblo came highly recommended by some friends as a great place to stop and eat. They did not lead us astray although they did not warn the driver that the co-pilot would be offered an entire botella de vino tinto! The bottle made for a happy, then very soon sleepy, essentially worthless co-pilot but the dinner was enjoyed thoroughly by both sides. The rest of trip was made in the dark. We arrived in Santander some time between midnight and two. The early morning hours made for easy navigation within the city.
A good nights sleep in a cheap hotel by the port, which seemed to be directly from a seventies porno (did not look like that online) had us ready to hit the ground running. We decided to spend an hour or two walking around Santander. This turned out to be time well spent. Santander was absolutely beautiful and left us with the desire to return one day. It was nice to see different styles of architecture, and of course, being a gorgeous city on the beach didn’t hurt us either. Unfortunately, we had to move on as we had lots to do with poco tiempo! This would be a good time to say that this entire trip was done “Eli Style”. “Eli Style” is a glorified way of saying absolutely no planning whatsoever… Well, that is not entirely true, he knew that he was going to race his bike in Oviedo on Sunday. The rest was improvisation. Jeanna (doing her best to not be an organized little Debbie) did an amazing job of going with the unorganized flow!
As it turns out, luck was on Eli’s side. As he drove aimlessly towards the area where he thought that he had heard that maybe there was something cool or something like that (insert Eli Style) a GIANT road sign said this way you unorganized slacker! Whew, saved by the GIANT sign once again! The next several hours involved following the unorganized idiot signs which come and go at will! The luck continued as a stop for un café con leche and a short conversation with the bar tender led us to an incredible little town in the Picos de Europa called Potes. It also turned out that the entire drive had us crawling through some of the most beautiful scenery the two of us had ever seen. The Picos de Europa should be on everyone’s “bucket list”! We are both putting it on ours and we have already been there (yes, it is that amazing)!
Luck continued to be on our side. We headed from the Picos (and in case you want to do some research, some cool towns we saw were: Cangas de Onis, Covadonga, Potes, Santillana del Mar, and Ribadesella) to the Playa hoping to find a place to stay for the night as captain procrastination (Mr. Spontaneous for those who see the glass half full) had not thought that far ahead! It just so happens that Co-Captain On Top of Everything had a book of all the youth hostels in her handy dandy purse of organization. This magic book lead us to a beach front hostel that was almost free! Yes, we stayed on the beach…and I mean ON THE BEACH…back door to the boardwalk… for less than 30 bucks! Go Miss Jeanna, Go! Ohh yeah, and we had an incredible evening learning about the Sidrerias de Asturias and sampling some of the local cuisine (completely different from the food in Andalucia…let’s just say they like their vaca, along with all the other animals that might possibly contribute to the making of a yummy cheese!)! We had a great evening and a great nights sleep with the sound of the oceans waves bidding us good night!
The mission the next morning was to make it to Oviedo and start thinking about the bike race! This was a mission that was easily accomplished even without planning! Captain Organization put a creative spin on the lack of planning and sent us to another city on the beach for breakfast (she is on top of things)! Gijon, was a beautiful stop and was less than 30 miles from our final destination. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast on the ocean front followed by a little walk around the town.
We made it to Oviedo just in time for an amazing lunch! We stuffed ourselves with great Asturian food! We then went for a little walk around the old city center. It was absolutely beautiful and great to walk around as it was limited to foot traffic only! The city was spotless and the architecture was great! Pictures cannot really do it justice…this is one of those places that one should just visit. Some of our friends came up on Saturday afternoon and a small group of us headed out to pre-ride part of the course. Miss Jeanna came along and went for a run while the boys took off on the bici’s…
Race day did not go quite as planned but we all had a great time. Mario (Eli’s Spanish Coach and good friend) won in his category and took the leader’s jersey. Eli was a little too fat to make it over the decisive climb (maybe a little less “sampling” new food next time?) and found himself in a small chase group behind the leaders, finishing fourth in his category. He ended the race saying something along the lines of, “man I should not have eaten all of that food… but man was it good”!
We had an incredible weekend. We had the opportunity to see more of this beautiful country we have both grown to love. We had the opportunity to see some new towns, try some new food (although some of us could have done without hahahahaha), and meet some great people. Maybe one day Eli will learn how to eat less and ride more but until then, we will continue enjoying and making the most of every moment we have left here in Espain! Thank you again to all of those that have supported us in this adventure. We look forward to seeing all of you again!

¡Andale, Andale!

2009-05-07T00:42:00.000-07:00

The virgen! It is amazing how quickly time seems to fly by when you are having a good time! It has been awhile and a lot has happened since the last time we posted! We are extremely sorry for having the time of our lives over here and not taking the time to write a word or two on the RomerTravels blog… On second thought, not too sorry as we have both decided that the more fun we have here now the better our stories will be upon our return state side. I am sure that none of our family can wait to hear us talk about how little we worked, how much great food we ate, how many breathtaking places we saw… Then again, they might just revert to be monkeys and start throwing… well you know… the brown stuff at us!
Our lack of postings began with the remodeling of “our internet café”. It was during this same period of time that Kristy Elaine Moore and her OHH SO PATIENT HUSBAND ROB-O FLEW ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN TO VISIT! Yes, you are reading correctly; Kristy “You are going to fall and break you neck”, Kristy “that won’t get within 100 miles of water without a life jacket”, etc. Yes, that same Kristy made it across the Atlantic Ocean. I hope that you all purchased stock in Captain Morgans Rum before her departure! Rob was more than happy to “take care of ol nervous nelly” as he heard that Spain was the capital of decent beer that comes with free appetizers (aka. Tapas). With her last living will in the hands of older brother Jeremy, Mom and Rob took off for the adventure of their lives! They said that they wanted to hit the ground running and that they did. Jeanna and I visited more places with the two of them in one week than the two of us had seen in the sixth months prior. Eli’s school also spoiled them with an incredible lunch in the CASTLE! Yes, they ate in a castle in Espain. Mom didn’t even make a comment about the possibility of it collapsing while we ate! We also managed to get the two of them out for a drink or two! Cheap drinks and free food made it difficult to get the two of them to come back home to our apartment, but we somehow managed! We sent them off to Madrid in a train and the two of us headed for the beach with some friends (I know terrible hosts). We hope that the two of them had a great time and now have a better understanding of why we have grown to love this place.
Jeanna and I took one big deep breath before our other loving parents took their big leap over the pond. The leap from T-Lake to Espain was a long one but this was a trip that Mom had been waiting her whole life for. She to was ready to hit the ground running upon exiting the aeropuerto en Barcelona! With camera in hand and elk pepperoni never too far away, Mom and Dad set out to see their first of many magnificent cities. 1000 (yes that is three zeros) pictures later Mom and Dad headed south to Denia. They had scored a beautiful little place on the coast for the week and invited Miss Jeanna and myself up for a visit during yet another Spanish holiday! With bikes in tow, we headed up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. The weather was not as cooperative as it could have been but was perfect in the eyes of two recently retired teachers who spent the last 30 plus years of their life in a place that would give the Amazon Rain Forest a run for its money! We saw some incredibly beautiful places with Mom and Dad. One week later found us back in Jaen. Mom and Dad did an incredible job of exploring the city we have come to call home, while Jeanna and I went “back to the grind” (all twelve excruciating hours of it). We even hit Granada and the Alhambra for a day (maybe you’ve heard of it?) They said that the tapas were nice but were most thankful for the opportunity to have met an incredible Spanish family. A teacher and good friend from Jeanna’s school invited all of us over for dinner…twice! The food was to die for and the company even better. The Spanish/French cuisine left the two of them longing for more of Europe. They left us two weeks into their trip and headed northeast for France and later Italy! I am sure that they will have some great stories and a “couple of photos” upon their return!
Beyond catching up with family and working like dogs (albeit dogs with no legs and pampering owners) Jeanna and I have been enjoying every moment we have here. We spend the majority of our time here on a bike or walking around…ohh yeah and working! Race season is finally in full swing. Eli will be spending the majority of his time traveling around with all of his team mates disputing every race within 1000 miles of our apartment! As much as Miss Jeanna loves playing the role of the bike fairy she will be opting out from time to time in search of the next, “most beautiful place she has seen in her entire life”, or, “the most amazing food she has ever tasted”! Instead of having a baby, Jeanna and I have decided to “pollinate” our two objectives and make a little “Touristy Bike Trip” up north this weekend. Eli likes to think of it as disputing La Copa de Espana with blood, sweat and tears, while Jeanna likes to think of it as great photo taking opportunities, memories, new food to try, and time with her husband in his little “happy place”. The most important thing is that we are truly BOTH loving every minute of it and are incredibly happy to have one another along for the ride. We both realize how incredibly fortunate we are to have one another and to have had this wonderful opportunity! Thanks again to all of those who have helped us make this dream become a reality! We hope that you enjoy the photos and forgive us for not writing with more frequency!
PS: Kristy flew back over the ocean and she is still alive! Reports say that she was seen walking out of PDX with a flotation device around her neck singing “Praise the Lord and Praise Captain Morgan”!

Chiclana de La Fontera (Cadíz)

2009-03-20T04:42:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was filled with great friends, awesome food, incredible weather, visiting new places throughout Andalucia, y la primera carrera del año para Tito Elias (and the first race of the year for Uncle Eli)! Yes, it is true that Uncle Eli has officially finished his first race in Europe!
First things first... None of the aforementioned greatness would have ever been possible without the kindness of two AMAZING FRIENDS De España! A BIG THANK YOU TO PILAR AND LUIS! These two people gave up their entire free weekend to drive all the way to the western coast of Andalucia with a crazy cyclist and his guapetona mujer (aka aunt Jeanna)! Not only did they offer to drive us four hours to the race but they made the hotel arrangements and showed us an amazing time in neighboring Cadíz the Saturday before the race! Their company honestly made the trip for both of us. They are incredible hosts and great friends. We look forward to having them visit Oregon where we will spoil them rotten trying to repay them for all of their undeserved kindness here in Espain!
Racing in Europe? It was FANTASTIC! There were over 100 participants lined up for the 100 k (leg breaker) course. This was the first race in the series for the Copa de Andalucia. There were many eight man teams, all of which were fully equipped with team cars and race radios! The teams were all willing to work for one or two riders and that kept the pace very high. We were given the entire road with a "rolling enclosure". This made moving up much easier. There was a fierce head wind for the first 50 kilometers and a few 2 and 3k climbs that started thinning out the field. Unfortunatly, there was a crash about 40k into the race. The crash probably cut out one fourth of the peloton. The crash was followed by a 3k climb into a head wind! This climb shattered the remainder of the field. The last 40k of the race was fast and furious. Somewhere during that time a small group of six or seven escaped. I did not see that move go and made the decision to set in with what was left of the field. I took second in the final sprint! I was super excited to have finished. I never would have expected such a good result but was ecstatic to have it. We were in a bit of hurry so we were unable to stick around for the celebration. We showered, ate some lunch, and hit the road. (offical results are still not up).
The trip did not end with an uninterrupeted four hour drive. It easily could have but Luis and Pilar decided to spoil us once again and treat us to un Café in a Castle from the 8th century! Yes, they stopped in Carmona, a beautiful little pueblo of Andalucía! The entire walk through the pueblo was beautiful. The views of the valley were breathtaking and the company was great! We are truly lucky people to be here and to have found such amazing friends along the way! Pictures are to come. Love and miss you all,
Elias y la Guapetona!

PS. Please forgive the lack of posts. "Our internet Cafe" has been shut down for repairs making it a little more difficult for us to use the internet. We are trying!

Spain Is Very Different Amigo…Very Different!

2009-02-26T03:53:00.000-08:00

This is a very popular quote here in Espain! We hear it most often in reference to the frequent tardiness or the lack of organization that exists in different aspects of life here. There are also many positives to this famous “dicho”; it is almost always sunny, there is very little precipitation, the people are incredibly nice, there are hundreds of cyclists and millions of cycling fanatics, there is a ton of racing, and there are many teams out there that love to sign new riders…These are just a few of the very different parts of Espain that we do not mind.
Yesterday was my team presentation. Yes, I have joined a cycling team here in Jaén, Spain. Yes, they actually have team presentations at this level of racing. And last but not least, yes, they do give you A TON of free clothing to ride on their team. I was given a full winter outfit, two summer outfits, arm and leg warmers, gloves, a track suit, a t-shirt, a balaclava (which is ironic considering it was 70 degrees here today) and a vest! There is also a helmet on the way! Espanish people take their racing very seriously. The team all got together yesterday morning for a 120-kilometer ride through the valley. We were all looking very sharp rocking the brand new kits! The ride finished at the castle here in Jaen where we took some team photos to give to the sponsors and for the article that the paper ran on Monday morning. We then all went down to one of the local bars and had lunch together with friends, family, and sponsors! The team and I are all looking forward to the first race of the season in Cadiz (where our friend Mrs. Mavis Hartz lived for a year). Nobody knows if we will win or not but one thing is for certain; we are going to be one of the best looking teams at the start line!
Cycling has pretty much defined the month of February for both Jeanna and me. The weather has been absolutely incredible and it has been nearly impossible for either of us to stop soaking in the sun. Jeanna finished her first metric century ride in less than four hours last Saturday. I just finished a 21-hour build week and we are both still finding time to spend with one another…ohh yeah, and work every once in awhile! We realize how incredibly fortunate we are to be here and we are having no trouble at all make the most of this experience. We have a few trips planned in the near future. Keep checking back for updates and more photos. We hope that all of you are doing well. We love and miss all of you and look forward to seeing you this summer! We will be home in just over three months! Until then, we will continue doing our best to take full advantage of our time here in Espain, where things are berry differentay amigo!
Saludos
Elias and La Guapetona Señora Jeanna

My Wonderful School

2009-02-26T03:40:00.000-08:00

I should start by stating that I am fortunate enough to be working at what could possibly be one of the greatest schools in Andalucia (you’ll notice my bias right off). The school itself is bright, clean, and an incredibly positive environment for not only the students, but staff as well. I’ve come to the conclusion that job satisfaction must be quite high here in Andalucia, as the primary teachers work an invigorating schedule of 9-2. Yep, almost five brutal hours of work a day. It’s a rough life. Mine is made even more difficult in that I am required to be there a whole 12 hours a week. During my 12 hours at school, I am swarmed with smiling students shouting, “teacher, teacher!” and rewarded with not only thousands of abrazos y besos (kisses and hugs), but also with fine works of art with profound statements like, “la major seño de Estados Unidos”. Perhaps you’re beginning to understand the temptation of returning?
I teach English classes to students ranging from 5 years to 11 years old. With the older students, I typically ask questions regarding stories we’ve read, explain the workbook assignments, and carry on conversation practices (or practises if you’re from England. By the way…I quickly learned that trousers = pants, rubbers = erasers, lorries? = semis, and have got = have…just a couple of the quirks, that and the British feel the need to add a “u” to quite a few words like: favourite, colour, mum, and honour). I also get to teach units on special themes like: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Children’s Rights Day, International Day of Peace to name a few. For the latter I made a big poster and had all my students (and actually all the students in primary school) read a story I wrote about accepting differences in others, and then, after learning about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we made a “dream chain” that held all of our dreams for a peaceful happy world. We also all made “peace” bracelets to wear for the assembly.
With the younger students I have actually taken on the role as the sole teacher. This requires me to be a little more on top of my game (imagine being five years old and listening to words you’re not sure that you understand for an hour: ADD much???). Needless to say, we play lots of games and every day I find myself being a train, a lion, a monkey, a hungry crocodile, or a human tagging machine. Did I mention I smile a lot in my job? All my students keep me laughing, smiling, and definitely on my toes.
Last week was the carnaval celebration. It was during this parade that I again took note and time to be thankful for how wonderful and special my school is. Everyone took on the theme of “inventions” for their costumes. We had robots, calculators, cell phones, ovens, washing machines, scientists, clocks, currency, and yours truly came as a cyclist (no surprise there -in all honesty I was trying to squeeze in a ride before the parade and had no time to change clothes). But who would have thought that the students would go crazy at seeing their “seño” in a costume for carnaval? Due to my not so serious attitude in the classroom and my ability to constantly make a fool of myself in front of the students, I feel like they’ve come to accept me as one of them. My 5th grade girls are constantly asking me about music and t.v. programs while busting out their MP3s so we can sing Rhianna together, and the boys think it’s so cool that I actually touched the saltamontes (grasshopper). The teachers are beginning to joke that I am more famous than Madonna.
If there is one sentiment that I am constantly reminded of here, it is that life in Spain is very different. There seems to be less stress and more smiles (not to mention louder, more animated conversations and rowdy kids). Perhaps it’s the sunshine, perhaps it’s because there is time to spend with family, perhaps it’s the social healthcare system or any number of possibilities. It could even be the aceite (olive oil), vino tinto, y jamon. Whatever the reason may be, Spain definitely leaves one feel thankful and encouraging one to always “enjoy the life”.

Please Join the Two of Us In Welcoming the Newest Edition to Our Little Family…

2009-02-13T09:20:00.000-08:00

Halcón Verde Romer was kindly brought to us on Wednesday the 11th of February in this new year of 2009. We have taken this little bici in with arms wide open. These last two months have been difficult for the two of us. Eli did not take the loss of Big Yellow very well. Jeanna spent many a nights trying to comfort poor Eli assuring him that their family would be back together very soon. That day has finally come with the arrival of our 16-pound bundle of joy. The arrival of little Halcón Verde could not have been timed any better. Halcón arrived less than a day after the famous Andalucian sun decided to come back to Jaén. It appears as though both the sun and new bici are here to stay for a while. Eli could not be happier with the new addition and Jeanna could not be happier to finally have an end to all of the “moaning and groaning” from her anxious husband!
The arrival of Halcón, in combination with the sun, has kept both of us extremely busy. Eli feels the need to spend all of his free time playing outside with young Halcón, spending good quality time together, until the sun goes down. Jeanna has already taken note of the doting, proud, and protective side of Eli. She feels equally happy to see that bright orb in the sky and has been spending her fair amount of time outside as well. It is amazing to see the number of smiles that the sun has brought to this little city we have come to call home.
Jeanna and Eli have both picked up a few extra private English classes to support their habit of having a good time! They give us something to do in the evenings and give us a few extra €uros to spend. The added income normally goes towards trying different Spanish food (one of our favorite past times), movies, or…yes, we still spend some money on the bicicletas! Jeanna did have the opportunity to check out a dance class, and she has also decided to join a women’s gym for the next month. The “dance class” tuned out to be more of a retirement center activity night than what she had envisioned but in true Jeanna form, she rocked out with all the little Espanish Abuelas. They fell in love with her, of course, and hope that she will one day return… In the meantime, Jeanna is truly enjoying her new gym membership. She still rides her bike while the sun is out but has signed up for a pilates class that starts after the sun goes down. For those of you who know Jeanna she loves lifting weights. Between the bike, pilates, lifting, and a little bit of “work”, Miss Jeanna has no problem sleeping through the night (as if she ever did). She is an Eastburn after all.
We are both having an incredible time here in Spain. Thanks again to all of those that have helped make this opportunity a reality for both of us. We have less than four months until we are back home in the states. We look forward to seeing all of you but still feel like we have a lot to accomplish before leaving here. Race season will be here in a couple of weeks. This means traveling throughout all of Andalucia, and of course racing (Eli’s favorite past time)! We are also looking forward to entertaining some visitors over the next couple of months. Hopefully this will give us an excuse to get out and see some different parts of this wonderful country… Hasta luego
Elias and Miss Jeanna
We felt it also important to mention that we have started a trust fund for little Halcón for those of you wanting to contribute to this wonderful addition to the family. We’re hoping the fund will converge into a lovely set of carbon wheels for young Halcon to play with. Just think of it as diapers…for a REALLY long time.

A Decision Has Been Made

2009-02-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

So, what does one do with “demasiado tiempo libre” (too much free time)? DISFRUTAR es como se dice “ENJOY” en el ingles! Jeanna and I have been doing our best to Disfrutar our time here in Espain! The twelve-hour workweek continues to take its toll on us but we somehow manage to squeeze in some extra curricular activities from time to time. The pictures are from last weekend when we went out with some friends to enjoy the local tapas y raciones scene and celebrate Eli’s birthday. Then the following day, Jeanna showed some other Spanish friends the joys of peanut butter-oreo cheesecake. And because of THESE “extra-curricular” events…
Physical activity continues to take up a large amount of our time. Eli is still riding around all of Andalucia like Forest Gump on a bicycle (minus the beard and lack of social skills). Jeanna has officially traded in the running shoes for her blue Trek bicycle. She has found a training partner and the two of them are now famous throughout all of the province of Jaen. Las dos guapetonas continue to turn the heads of Spanish men from the beginning until the end of their rides (one might begin to believe that some of these men had never seen a woman riding a bike in their lives)! Jeanna and Andrea have decided to pretend that the men are cheering them on and use the “piropos” as a form of encouragement! Andrea also happens to be an awesome rock climber and has started trading her climbing expertise for Jeanna’s cycling experience. The trade has worked out very well for both of them. Jeanna had the opportunity to go bouldering last weekend and will begin climbing with Andrea once the rain stops…
Yes, you did read correctly, there is rain in southern Espain! We too are having a hard time wrapping our heads around this concept but our experience back home in Oregon is helping us make it through. The rain does not even come close to matching the torrential down pours which define the west side of our home state. In fact, there is almost always enough of a break in the weather to get out and train. The most frustrating thing about the weather is that we have been told by almost everyone we know here that this is the WETTEST winter EVER in Jaen. They have actually started to blame the Oregonians for bringing this… “less than ideal”…weather to Espain with them. The general consensus tells us that spring should be here within the next couple of weeks. Lots of sun and little to no rain…We can hardly wait. Climbing and cycling anyone?
Truth be told; even with all of the work and all of the playing/training, we both have a fair amount of tiempo libre (different from Nacho Libre for those of you not so hip to the Espanish). El tiempo libre brings us to the title of our blog posting. Decision making; for those of you who know us best (family, especially the madres y papa too), Jeanna and Eli are not the best when it comes to los decisiones! Furthermore, we are famous for cambiando (changing) los decisiones muchas veces (A LOT). Regardless, we have made a decision and for that, you should all be PROUD. Moreover, for the time being, let us PRETEND that we will stick to the plan. Without further adieuuuuuuu, the Romer’s post Espain plan of accion: 1st We are planning on moving back to LaGrandy land! Yes, the beautiful little city in the Great Grande Ronde Valley where young little Eli was born and raised…Why on earth would we do something like that? Great question, but the simple answer is that Eli has decided that he enjoys being un Maestro and EOU happens to have a great MTE (Masters in something or other that helps you teach…I think) program. Yes, Eli the school hating maniac is going back to school. He likes to refer to this as “giving into the man”. Jeanna is hoping to find a job during the time that Eli is fighting with the man (and you all know that it will literally be a fight to the bitter end) while at the same time applying for as many PA (Physicians Assistant aka. almost a doctor aka she is the smart one, aka she is the one that actually enjoys school and excels at it, aka does not fight with the man, aka school-lover) programs as she feels necessary to ensure her acceptance into at least one (not a problem).
There you have it! A decision has been made. Please do not waste your time engraving any of this in stone. Chances are very high that by the time you have read this blog the plan has already changed (that is just the way the we roll). In the mean time, don’t expect us to make any more decisions for at least another two to three years. We are going back to our cave of indecision where we will continue to bask in the good times and good weather (soon to come). Hasta la proxima
Elias y la Guapetona Senora Jeanna (La Mejor Seño de Los Estados Unidos-according to her students)!

Three Kings, Úbeda, y San Anton

2009-01-19T01:28:00.000-08:00

Winter break in the States generally ends on January 2 of the New Year. People back home are given a day to recover from excessive consumption of “beverages”, staying up just a “little too late” and having just a “wee bit more fun than they had planned on”. One day to recover here in Spain? Como se dice "insufficient" en español?
That is correct. Jeanna and I had one more holiday to celebrate before heading back to work. January 06th es el Dia de Los Reyes Magos (The Three Kings Day). This holiday is actually as big if not bigger than Christmas here in Spain. Christmas involves church and family dinners and is generally celebrated on Christmas eve (La Noche Buena). The Reyes Magos bring the presents here in Spain! Much like Santa Clause, the Three Kings spend the entire evening of the 5th bringing presents to all of the good boys and girls. Yes, they even bring coal to the “bad children”! They also managed to make an appearance at the parade along with the other floats, where massive amounts of candy were thrown out to the spectators. This year the Reyes Magos brought Jeanna safely back home to Spain. They also gave us a few more days without work to spend together!
Unfortunately, all good things must end. Our winter break ended on the seventh and we were forced to go back to work for two entire days! It was difficult, and at times, we did not know if we would make it, but we helped one another pull through. We decided to make the most of our three-day weekend and bought a bus ticket to Úbeda. Úbeda is on everybody’s “must see before you leave list”. It is a quaint 16th century pueblo. Walking through the streets is much like stepping back in time. Very little has changed in the past FIVE centuries. The streets are very narrow and almost all made of cobbles! We had great time spending the day together and taking photos of many of the historic buildings. We hope that you enjoy the photos. It was a beautiful day although it was fairly “cold” (just above freezing).
One more week of work brings us to last night, January 16th, 2009. Yes, another fiesta here in Espana! This time the fiesta came in the form of a running race, La Carrera Urbana Internacional Noche De San Anton. Jeanna and I had heard that this was a very popular race but neither of us realized exactly what that meant. San Anton is a 10k race that starts at eight o’clock at night. The streets were literally lined sometimes two and three deep for the entire 10 K, many spectators holding torches. That means six miles of people cheering. There were also more than 5000 participants. All this made the race incredibly beautiful and memorable. Simply watching the race and cheering would be too boring for a Spaniard. Bonfires are built all around the city to make things more entertaining for everyone. It is typical to eat popcorn and drink “beverages” while watching the race. Keep in mind that this is Spain and this is simply the pre-party. After the race is over you meet up with all of your friends and head to the bonfire of your choice (normally the one closest to your home). You can buy little sandwiches and beverages at the bonfire and spend the rest of your evening singing and dancing around the fire!
Miss Jeanna did awesome. She chose to run with one of the teachers from my school (Manolo) rather than to shoot for a personal record time. This made the race more memorable for her. Manolo is an x-professional futbol player from Jaen and the whole town knows him. She spent the entire six miles having people shout and cheer for “them”! Manolo was known as “Leyes” as a professional. For many the name stuck and Jeanna’s run was highlighted with people shouting, “Leyes, Leyes, Anda,” but also with some “guapa, guapetona, rubia (blond)” and I am certain a few others she neglected to tell me (other than vamos and venga)! People here in Jaen love Leyes and everyone loves la Rubia! It was her night to feel like a super star! She finished very strong in her first 10K, almost killing poor Leyes! We all headed up to one of the bonfires after the race. We had one of the famous bocadillos de patata and una cervecita! The cold forced us to call it an early night (midnight)… A truly unforgettable experience for both of us.

Bienvenidos al año 2009

2009-01-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

Life as a teacher definitely has its “benefits”. One of the more noteworthy comes near the end of the year. Winter break and/or Christmas Vacation is a period of time that all of us have experienced throughout the entirety of our lives as students. For many this period vanishes upon graduating from college and entering the “real world”. This is not, however, the case for teachers who in many regards can be thought of more appropriately as “life long students” or simply “lifers”. This entry is not about to tackle the great debate about whether or not this is “fair” or whether or not teachers are deserving of this large amount of time off. No, no, no… That would be a waste of time. Instead we would like to fill you all in on what we have been up to with all of this “free time”.
Jeanna: As many of you already know, and the rest of you probably suspected, Miss Jeanna is the wiser of the two. She is also much more adventuresome, and knows how to have a good time. What better way to “carpe the diem” than fly to Norway to visit a good friend? She could not think of one either so off she went to “visit the penguins” (and her friend Cristina). It was not enough for Miss Adventure to head out on this journey sin el esposo; she found it necessary to try smuggling SIX bottles of vino tinto in her baggage just to make the flight, “more interesting” (she also mentioned something about alcohol being VERY expensive in Norway and “presents” for her gracious hosts (caca de toro? maybe). FIVE bottles later…she Arrived and decided that the life of a drug/wine smuggler was not all that she imagined it to be!
According to Jeanna the next two weeks were spent missing her wonderful husband (caca de toro). I believe that her experience would more accurately be described as; being spoiled daily by her wonderful Norwegian friend and her family, spending plenty of time soaking up the heat inside the house (long hot baths with tea), eating great food, partying all night long, and catching up on the times with her long lost friend all; this better describes the reality of the situation. She also had the opportunity to spend some quality time in the snow and bitter cold, something that she had missed much more than myself! She would at this point like to think her friends Whit and Mavis for teaching her how to cross country ski. Those lessons kept her from making a total fool of herself while heading out with an x-pro! She spent her Christmas learning about the different traditions/customs, trying new foods, and meeting new people. As if all of this was not enough, her and her friend then took a train to Oslo (the capital) to pass the new year with Cristina’s sister. This entailed a rather large party with more food, drinks, and FIREWORKS! Somehow, Jeanna was able to “endure” all of this time away from me (she is a strong women). January 03, 2009 found Jeanna once again traveling to another country. She just could not stand the thought of only having been in one country in the first three days of the new year. She decided to add Spain to the list of countries visited in 2009. She claims that she was ready to see me but I believe that she was just hoping for yet another stamp in the ol’ pasaporte (as if the ones from Lisbon, London, Granada, and Lufthaven Torp weren’t enough)!
Eli: If Jeanna is the wiser than Eli is the…lets just say less wise! OK? Yes, the buffoon stayed in southern Spain all by himself (insert song “All By Myself”). The answer to this “less than wise decision” can most easily be summed up in the words of a cave man; “me like to ride the bike, me like the warm weather, me want to be fast on bike, me no like the penguins”… Yes, I passed on the once in a lifetime opportunity to visit another beautiful European country with my beautiful loving wife so that I could ride my bike (training)! So what did I do with all of this free time? Yes, believe it or not, I rode my bike. What did I do with all of the time I was not on my bike? Rest, so that I could ride my bike the next day. Yes, to some of you this might sound ludicrous, absurd, preposterous, etc. To me, this was Eli’s Winter Training Camp 2008 and a little bit of ‘09! I ate, I slept and I rode my bike. I spent hours upon hours chasing the local pros around every road that was rideable within 200 km of my apartment. I rode my bike until I could not ride anymore!
We are now back together here in Jaen, Spain. Eli is happy to have his wife back, and Jeanna is happy that Eli has a rest week coming up. We both look forward to spending some time with one another and sharing our stories and adventures with one another. We hope that all of our friends and family back home had a wonderful holiday season as well and that 2009 brings us all health and happiness. Hasta la proxima.
Elias and Jeanna

This one is for the madres....

2008-12-19T02:44:00.000-08:00

Let the good times roll! Jeanna and I have finally made it through our very first trimester of school here in Jaen, Spain! It was hard work at times; it is hard to believe that we made it. We will now partake in a “well deserved” three-week hiatus.
This first semester was so stressful for Miss Jeanna that she now feels the need to leave the country for a while. She believes that two weeks in Norway with her good friend Cristina will somehow relieve the stress before returning to work next year. The people here in Spain say that she is going to play with the penguins! When Jeanna says Norway they say, No Gracias! Que frio Jeanna, porque quieres jugar con los pinguinos?
I have decided to stay back and let Jeanna and Cristina have some good quality “girl time”. This time is no longer referred to as Christmas Break…It is now Eli’s winter training camp 2008! I will be sleeping and training for the next two weeks. It sounds like a rough life but I am willing to give it a try. Hopefully I will be able to muster up the energy to walk down to the internet café and communicate with the Pinguina Noruega!
My school’s faculty Christmas party was last night. We all piled into a bus after school. The bus took us to a cave in Pegalajar (a pueblo just outside of Jaen). There was a RESTAURANT BUILT INTO THE CAVE! Yes you did read that correctly. Jeanna and I had Christmas dinner in a cave. Pegalajar sits high up in the mountains. The views were spectacular and we could not have asked for a better day. We really enjoyed the meal and the time spent visiting with co-workers. It was truly an unforgettable experience!
Jeanna and I tried taking a little bit of video with our new camera. This idea was prompted by some comments left on the blog by a certain mom of ours…We both decided that we would try cheering up our poor lonely mothers with a little video of their Spanish children. For those of you who are not mothers, don’t worry about watching the video. We were just trying to keep the madres happy.

The other video is taken inside the cave. Two of my favorite teachers are standing beside Jeanna and wishing all of you a Merry Christmas/Happy New Year from Jaen Spain! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Feliz Navidad Desde España

2008-12-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

Feliz Navidad y Un Prospero Año Nuevo a Todos
Amigos y Familia
I suppose that Miss Jeanna and I will consider this blog our "Christmas Letter". Life has been very difficult for us here in southern Spain but we are "making it". Day by day we get used to the lack of snow and the longing for endless rainy days. We are also growing accustomed to the demanding work schedule here in Jaen. Monday through Thursday is hard enough but expecting us to work until two almost pushes us over the edge from time to time. Good thing we have the bikes here as a positive form of stress relief! I actually spend more time on the bike than I do in the classroom. It is a little difficult at times but I think that I could get used to it. Miss Jeanna finally got tired of hearing about all of the cool things that I have seen on my rides...She has officially been converted into a ROADIE!!!! Jeanna finds herself wearing cycling shoes more often than running shoes! AS you can see from some of the photos it did not take much convincing on my part. The rides speak for themselves! She has become a true novelty here in Jaen. Very few women actually ride road bikes! She is known as the "rubia que anda en bici" and almost everyone knows her. She is also refered to as the "mujer de Elias" (Eli´s woman)which Miss Jeanna prefers over "hola guapetona!" (hey there hottie)! I prefer to be whistled at and referred to as guapeton (male hottie) but so far no takers...I always knew my wife was hotter than me!
Life other than cycling? Yes it does exist here but we dont talk about it much. Work is work no point to be labor the point (pun intended)...Christmas does exist here with lights, candy, santa claus and all. We have decided to view Christmas a little differnt this year. Christmas for us has always been about family. With our family half of a world away we decided to do something a little different. Miss Jeanna is headed off to visit her good friend Christina in NORWAY over the christmas break! Yes she has a Norweigan friend. Yes Norway is a country other than spain. Yes it is in Europe and yes there are a few profesional cyclist from there! No Eli is not going with his guapetona! No need to start any rumours here (although it is fun to do from time to time...ohh go ahead and start them we are in spain anyway)! This is an opportunity for Mrs. Jeanna to have some girl time and for me to...Yep you guessed it RIDE MY BICICLETA (no I rarely think about other things, yes I am an obsessed idiot, yes I should go with my wife...Iknow). Miss Jeanna is anxiously awaiting her once in a lifetime chance to go see more of the world. I am looking forward to some awesome stories and photos upon her return!
Jeanna and I did do a little Christmas shopping the other day! I bus trip down to La Loma (the local mall) was just what we needed to find the christmas spirit. I scale, a radio alarm clock, two frying pans, pate, cheese and bread! We took a picture of all of these incredible gifts with our BRAND NEW CAMERA! Ohh yeah more pictures will be posted now. Say good bye to the cannon and hello to the sweet new Fuji! We had no intentions of buying another camera but our other one gave up on us! Bitter sweet but we are really happy with the new one. Just in time for Norway!
This blog is too incredibly long. My sincere appologies. Jeanna and I would like to take a moment to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. We are thinking of all of our friends and family at this point and miss you all very much. We hope that you all have an incredible holiday season and enjoy the time with friends and family! Sorry about the bad weather but just remember you all have eachother! Hugs and Kisses to all and to all a good Night!
PS the scenic pictures were taken on a bike ride December 15, 2008 at around five in the afternoon! It was cold but absolutly beautiful!

Whatever happened to those little piggies anyway?

2008-12-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

Children and those still young at heart please do not continue reading…Assuming that I am now speaking to adults who can handle the truth I will start by stating the obvious; Santa Clause is not real, the Easter Bunny does not lay candy eggs in your lawn on Easter, and the Tooth Fairy does not come and put money under your pillow when you have lost a tooth (however some crazy mothers do hold onto those rotten baby teeth (I know…WeIrD right?))… Anyway I believe that you now get the point. Sometimes the story does not always have a happy ending.
Jeanna and I had the honor of tasting the end of “The Three Little Pigs”. The wolf may not have had his way but, Rafa, the Spaniard, was able to trick the wee ones into the Spanish horno! According to Senor Rafa (the host of the party) he was able to get these little pigs to “train with him” before he took them to the “little pig candy store” or butcher as we like to say back home. These were some “fit little pigs” and as a result they were tasty! Cochinillo was the name for the fire backed little pigs. As you can see in the photos they put the whole thing in the oven…nothing goes to waste when you are talking about the cerdo here in Spain!
This was another cyclist get together! That makes one per month since we have been here. A lot of this has to do with the holiday season but Spanish people never need much of an excuse for a get together! Jeanna and I had a really good time practicing our espanol with the people and trying some new food with a Spanish twist. The meal was wonderful and the company was great. Jeanna and I are really fortunate to have found these people who have taken us in and treated us as part of the group.
The cochinillo was in a little pueblo outside of Jaen. In fact, it was only twenty kilometers from the city of Granada! The pueblo was called Colomera and it is Rafa’s pueblo. He raised the pigs and he invited the people to eat them! After the meal was finished, Rafa decided that we all must see “El Santo” de Colomera. “El Santo” was Jesus crucified on a cross in a small little Iglesia at the top of the city. According to Rafa el Santo is very important in the town of Colomera and the people come to see him often. When they need rain for the olives, etc… It was very beautiful and Jeanna and I were both happy to walk off a little of the cochinillo!
The holiday season is now officially upon us and poco a poco the Christmas décor is making its way out. Jeanna and I are looking forward to the long Christmas break and all of the Spanish celebrations that will be taking place this month. Next week is another long weekend (four days) for the celebration of The Virgin Immaculation. We are officially done teaching on December 18 and do not have to come back until the 7th of January. It will be difficult finding things to do here in Andalucia with all of that free time but we will be sure and keep you up to date on the difficulties of a month off in Spain.
We hope that you are all doing well and that everyone had a wonderful Turkey day back home. You are all on our minds this holiday season. Enjoy the time with friends and family and know that are hearts and minds are there with all of you during these times of celebration!

¿Dónde Esta El Pavo?

2008-11-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

El Pavo is Españish for The Turkey! We have not been able to encontrar the pavo and so we have decided that we must modify a few of the T-Day customs/traditions to fit the Espanish manera de vivir. What better way to change it up than to head to the PLAYA!?! Como se dice “Road Trip” en espanol? I don’t really know but it starts with buying a ticket at the bus station and heading to Almeria!
Jeanna and I met the “Almeria Girls” back in Seville during orientation week. We shot an email and asked for a floor to crash on. They were more than willing to give us a place to dormir and even offered to show us around a bit! We arrived in Almeria late Friday night. Just in time to check out the local Tapas scene. The girls showed us a couple of Tapas bars that we both really enjoyed. We ended the night with a midnight Kebab run! Ohh yeah, that is right…Kebab in spain…What is a kebab you ask? GYRO baby GYRO…SOOO good! Tortilla, lamb kebab, tiziki sauce, tomate! Love the kebab!
Saturday morning came a little later than normal but we were amped for a day on the beach. I must say that a mi me gusta the playa aqui en espana un poco mas que la playa en OREGON. Keep in mind that it is the end of November. Miss Jeanna was able to rock a skort and T-Shirt from ten o’clock in the morning on! You cannot do that in August on the Oregon coast! I cannot imagine what it is like in the summer but I am guessing it is awesome! Jeanna was excited to see the Mediterranean Sea while soaking in the rays. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day.
After a long walk down the beach front we headed to the local market of greatness! This was a market filled with fresh fruit, veggies, fish, meat, meat, and more meat (check out the fotos of the Jamon Serrano and Chorizo). We both enjoyed checking out all of the local food offered and the amazing varieties of meat, and fish! We picked up some fruit along the way but decided that the cabeza de sword fish was a little too spendy…Maybe next time, for now the foto will have to do! We then tried a new restaurant for a Spanish lunch @ the normal time of THREE in the afternoon! We are turning Spanish poco a poco! The meal was great and allowed us to finally try some of the Spanish fish. Four different types of fried fish served on a plate; head, tail and all! Unfortunately we forgot the camera for this expedition but rest assured it was an experience. The fish was great and it was cool seeing all of the little heads staring back at you!
From lunch, we headed to Alcazaba. This is Almeria’s fortress/castle that sits above the city. There are gardens inside and the views from above the city are amazing (check out the fotos). We really enjoyed the experience and were delighted to find out that it would not cost a dime (always a bonus)! We then had an American/Spanish dinner back at the girls’ apartment. A few other participants from the program came over and we all prepared a favorite dish. We all shared and had a nice visit/late night potluck. All and all it was a great experience. Did we mention that we were able to wear shorts comfortably on November 22, 2008? I am sure that it was nice back home as well…
The other fotos were taken at a party we had last Sunday with some Spanish friends we have made over here. Jeanna and I have been taken in by some “Spanish Angels”! These friends have been incredibly kind to Jeanna and I. Their family wanted to make Migas (a very traditional Spanish meal) for us. We all got together on Sunday (after training of course) and had Migas. I was given the opportunity to help and now know how to make Migas for everyone upon our return. It was an incredible experience that we both really enjoyed. We have truly been blessed on this journey in our lives and are constantly reminded of all the things that we have to be thankful for. Even though we have been unable to find the Pavo, we will attempt to make a Spanish/American Thanksgiving dinner and we will be thinking about all of you back home. We wish you the best this Thanksgiving and hope that you all have a wonderful time with friends and family! We miss all of you very much and wish that we could be there to share the holidays with you. In the mean time we will try to make the most of this hard winter we are having here and most importantly try to remember the sunscreen… It would be miserable trying to deal with a sunburn in December…Is that possible? I don’t know but we will keep you posted. Enjoy the warmth of the fireplace, or heater for those more “modern” peeps! Love you all,
Eli and Jeanna

¿Invierno?

2008-11-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

It is very hard to believe that we are half way through the month of Noviembre already. It is difficult for us to not be thinking of the upcoming holidays and the family we will not be spending time with this year. Although the thought of missing out on quality time with our families is a little sad we realize that we have a lot to be thankful for and that it will not be all that long until we are back in the states. Who says you can’t have a Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner in July? Sounds good to us!
For those of you who have forgotten the year of Español you took back in high school or, even worse, have forgotten that you even attended high school “some years ago”… Invierno is the “Espanish” word for winter. We decided not to refer to this time of year as winter, rather we will forever refer to it as invierno andaluz (Andalusian Winter). Winter vocabulary for us before coming to Spain included the words: cold, miserable, wet, snowy, icy, scary driving, dark, gloomy, etc… As hard as it will be to let go of the vocabulary for this year, we have decided to share our new vocabulary with all of you. Clear blue skies, brisk in the morning, pleasantly refreshing in the afternoon, a little on the warm side from time to time, dry, lack of wet, not much precipitation, not snowy, and rather nice! Please refrain from sending us comments like, “you suck”, or “lucky you, it is awful here”…we can imagine what it is like over there and we are thankful that we are here. We enjoy exercising in shorts, and our legs certainly appreciate the sun. And the sun must definitely be needed, as last week Eli received the comment that his legs were “white as milk” (notice that milk is used in place of snow, as the latter is as rare as a sunny winter day on the Westside of Oregon). Not much to get lost in translation on that one!
All kidding aside it is very humorous for us to watch the Jiennenses “people of Jaén” react to the arrival of winter. We are constantly holding back smiles/laughter brought on by the comments about how cold it is, and how it is hard getting used to “winter” which has apparently come early this year according to the locals! Ohh yeah and the three days of rain that we have seen are…”very rare and we probably should not expect more than once a month from here on out because we received so much early on”… I know it is doubtful, but please believe us when we say we think we’ll survive the winter! I was training with the boys last night in a short-sleeve jersey. I had started the ride with arm warmers but decided to shed them after a decent-sized climb. All of the people in the group told me I was crazy and let me know that it was a bad idea. When they finally realized I was not kidding and was truly hot they began to ask me what I planned on wearing when spring/summer arrived…I kindly replied that I plan on riding my bicicleta desnuda! They all got a kick out of that. They all find my butchering of the language quite humorous and love teaching me all sorts of dichos that I would be wise to never repeat! They love hearing the foreigner say “naughty words”! I don’t mind being the one to give them their daily dose of laughter!
On a different note, Miss Jeanna Lynn was introduced to the Mercadillo last week! The Mercadillo could be compared to a weekly flea market of sorts. She found a second home but lucky for us you must have a car to make it out there! We might be able to save a little money after all! Honestly, for those of you who know Aunt Jeanna she has the opposite of expensive taste and no problem saving money rather than spending like somebody else in the fam (who happens to have excellent taste in cycling apparel might I add). She did however find a rock-star pair of pseudo leather boots (that are all the rage here in Jaén) for a smoking deal. She was also conned into buying a couple pair of the infamous calcetines barratos del Mercadillo (cheap socks)!
We are both having an amazing time here in Espain. We hope that all of you are doing well and getting excited for the upcoming holiday season. Know that we are thinking about all of you and wish that we could have you all over here for the holidays. Until next time
Eli and Jeanna

Tranquilo Por Favor!

2008-11-11T08:28:00.000-08:00

Pictures with no writing? That is like a book without words. I am sure that many of you might be wondering why the word Pomegranate and how the hell did we make that upside down question mark! Well the question mark will have to reamain our little secret but let us fill you in on the title.
Granada is español (¿how do you like that n?) for pomegranate! Granada is where we went last friday and the pictures/slidshow that you are looking at are of Granada...or the city of Pomegranate in el ingles! Absolutley amazing. We left Jaen at noon and were back by midnight! Subtract two hours driving time and that means that we were only able to spend eight hours in one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. Ohh yeah, you might as well subtract another TWO hours we spent inside an authentic Italian restaurant eating the best food we have ever had in our lives. This restaurant made the famous olive garden seem like a dirty Micky D´s (sorry grandpa Rob). De la puta madre! as the people here in Jaen say! This restaurant was unbelievable and we will surely be going back. Anyone that comes to visit will have to head to Granada to see/taste what we are talking about!
The Sierra Nevada Mt. Range is in the background covered in snow. The cool looking building is la Alhambra (look it up in a book or on the web for more info). We were unable to go inside but the view from outside was increible! We truly enjoyed every moment spent in this city and will be planning more trips over that way in the near future... Not to rub it in too much but it just so happened that friday through monday was short and t-shirt weather with blue bird days ta boot!
Jeanna and I are having a really good time here in Spain. We would like to say thank you to all of those that have helped make this dream a reality for both of us. WE are both truly enjoying this experience to the fullest. I get my spainish lessons on the bike and Jeanna has made a few spanish friends that take her differnt places and present her with an opportunity to mejorar her español as well! Poco a Poco we are learning the language/culture etc. We look forward to the next couple months and all that we have in store. Los Vacaciones de Navidad are just around the corner!! WOOOOOzeR!! Ohh yeah...We work...everyonce in awhile! (insert big queso smile)!
Love and miss you all
Eli and Jeanna

¡Viva la aceituna con chocolate!

2008-10-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

In three short weeks, we have officially gone through our first 750ml bottle of extra virgen olive oil. In Spanish, oil is aceite, and olives are olivas, but since olive oil is used on top of pretty much everything, olives are also known as aceituna. We’d like to think that the main reason for this rapid consumption of olive oil is because we don’t have a toaster, and as such we “toast” our bread in a frying pan that has a thin layer of oil on the bottom. In reality however, the olive oil over here tastes really good. We still haven’t become complete true Spaniards though, who we’ve seen (not even kidding) put half a cup of oil on their one piece of toast, followed by a couple teaspoons of salt. This heart-attack on a plate is what the Spaniards like to call breakfast. It is consumed around ten in the morning and washed down with a cup of café con leche.
For those who enjoy the sweeter side of life there are ample places where you can buy churros con chocolate for breakfast! The churros have been calling Miss Jeanna’s name since arriving in Spain. The thought of eating something so sinful for breakfast has held her back, but upon realizing that Spain would not change for her (and serve them as a dessert after dinner) she broke down and we gave it a try. Elias la idiota que se habla un poco mas que su esposa (the idiot that speaks a little more than his wife) took the honors of ordering these delicatessens. He ordered two churros con chocolate and two cups of café con leche. Makes sense, right? There were two of us sitting in the cafeteria/churreria after all. He should have thought about it a little more when the waiter repeated the order to him twice to make sure that he was understanding it correctly. Si, Si, he said like a stupid American who had never in his life been to a churreria. Vale, he replied (the Spanish equivalent to okee-dokee!) and to the back he went. Five minutes later there appeared two, let me repeat TWO, coffee mugs filled with warm melted chocolaty goodness and un monton de churros (I think you can figure that one out without translation). Apparently when you say that you would like a churro it means a plate of churros. And when you say that you would like them with chocolate it means half of Charlie’s factory!!! Needless to say there was un monton of churros left over as neither of us could bring ourselves to indulge in more than one. Thankfully Jeanna’s school is relatively close and we were able to take the remaining plate of food to the teachers’ lounge! Seven euros will buy you enough churros to feed an army and enough chocolate to keep your wife happy for at least an entire month!
We are continuing to have an incredible time here in Spain. Little by little we are picking up parts of the language and culture and we are getting to know the city a little better everyday. We have been invited to several peoples’ homes for lunch/dinner and are hoping that this will open the door to more invites so we can begin to make some friends here in Jaen. The training has been going very for both of us. We have ample time to workout and the weather/location could not be better. We will continue to try and update this blog as time/internet connection permit. We hope that all of those back home are doing well.

Hasta la proxima
Elias and Jeanna (Apparently her name is easier to say…go figure)!

Settling In

2008-10-20T08:35:00.001-07:00

With two weeks now behind us, Jeanna and I are beginning to get the rhythm of things here in Jaen/Spain. Life is, without a doubt, different here than in the US of A. One of the major differences is the Siesta! I am sure that many of you have heard the word before and maybe used it to describe a little thing we like to call a “nap” or “little snoozer” in el idioma ingles! Siesta is more than a time to rest, however. It is a time to eat, a large break from work, and a time to visit with friends. Siesta lasts from 2 o’clock until 5 in the afternoon. Siesta is not a time to try to get things done (like we would in the US), rather it is a time where life almost literally stops! Siesta is great if you have friends and or family to share it with, but for Jeanna and I it is a time where we have absolutely nothing to do. We have started using this time to begin working out or to do our grocery shopping (the only store that is open during siesta). It is honestly amazing. You can be at the busiest intersection in all of Jaen at 1:30 pm and see thousands of people driving around like MANIACS! Wait a half an hour and safely go lay out in the middle of intersection! Slight exaggeration but it is honestly something to see. It’s a great time to ride your bike downtown!
Feria! Feria directly translated means fair. Feria en espana is nothing like “the fair” in the United States. Feria started last Friday and will continue through Sunday night. It goes from sun-up to… sometimes sun-up once again! Feria includes: carnival rides for the kids, fair like food for everyone, booths selling all kinds of junk and junk food, and casetas (tents) that are literally “pop-up” disco-techs! Loud music and LOTS of drinking/dancing the night away…Did I mention REALLY loud music? Each caseta has its own dj/music. There appears to be a competition between casetas to see who can play their music the loudest. This competition makes it very un-enjoyable to be in any of them! Needless to say, Feria is not really our idea of a good time but it was a cultural experience and both of us mentioned to one another that it would have been more fun if we had friends/family to pass the time with. We went to Feria with the faculty at my school. We all had lunch together and then spent the next couple of hours dancing and trying to visit (did I mention that the music was REALLY loud?). Jeanna was in heaven as she had finally found a place where she could bust out her funky white girl dance and everyone was too drunk to notice that she was in fact a… funky white girl! All joking aside, I looked more out of place than Jeanna as I do not really enjoy the bailando. I had several people ask me if she was born in Spain, as she appeared to enjoy dancing even more than the natives!
Everyday we are learning more about the culture and more of the language. We are both getting used to teaching in Spain and becoming more familiar with the city everyday. Eli has finally found some riding partners (who happen to be… we will save that for another blog) and Jeanna is finding more and more places to run. The mountain biking here seems to be rather incredible. We have also found tons of hiking/ Mt.Biking trails and have spotted some bolted rock climbing routes right below the castle. Rock climbing directly below an ancient castle???? (Whit and Mavis- this us telling you to come visit us ASAP!) We miss you all very much but it might be difficult for us to come home
From Jaen To all of You (Or ya’all in the vosotros form)
Eli and Miss Jeanna

Hills, Hills, Hills!

2008-10-20T08:33:00.000-07:00

We have a home! We are the proud renters of a 40 meter-squared apartamento outside city limits en el campo. While most would think the location is in the middle of nowhere, it is approximately a half-mile walk to Jeanna’s school and just under a mile to Eli’s school. Thankfully, the walk in the morning is downhill.
Jaen has more to offer than we were originally expecting, and everything seems to be within walking distance. This may or may not be a good thing as we spent our first two days here walking over 20 miles combined while looking for an apartment. Eli asked for a city with hills, and HILLS WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN! The majority of the streets have an average grade of 3-6%, but it is not unusual to find those with 15% or greater (which by the way, Eli thought would be “fun” to run yesterday…we choose a flatter course today). To put things into perspective, Meacham has an average 6% grade. On the bright side of things, we should come back to Oregon with calves of steel.
The people here are VERY nice. Although it is a town of 115,000 people, it feels much smaller. We both feel very safe and comfortable. Grocery shopping without a car has been exciting for us. We essentially live at the top of the hill and the grocery store conveniently sits at the bottom. The walk is just under a mile, but is literally straight up hill. For the La Grandees- taking groceries home is much like hiking to the “L”. As a side note: Hiking packs make for great grocery-getters. In all honesty, we are very happy with the location of our apartment. It more than meets our needs and is much bigger than our first. Our only complaint is that our apartment is not furnished with an oven. No baking for eight months might limit meal options; we have already mourned the loss of our lasagna and turkey enchiladas.
We’re both quite pleased with our school assignments and after only one week have repeatedly been stopped on the street with the greetings of children saying, “Hello, teacher”. The teachers here have an incredibly rough, back-breaking schedule of 9:00-2:00. Thank God that siesta is from 2:00-5:00 or they might not make it through the week. It’s a good thing that because of Feria of San Lucas they only have a 3-day work week coming up or undoubtedly we’d be seeing early retirement. We’ll save Feria and tapas for another day.

Alcazar and Flamenco

2008-10-02T07:57:00.001-07:00

The days here have been gorgeous! It is true...there is a lot of sun in Andalucia. Funny thing though, Spaniards love to have bottled water. In fact, that is about the only water they drink, and they look at you all crazy-like if you ask for it from the facet. This could prove to be difficult for us, because we could end up using our entire stipend to simply fill our bottles!
Yesterday was a really nice day. In the afternoon we went and walked over to Alcazar. It is near the cathedral, which we unfortunately weren't able to really see. But it was SOOO impressive. The tile work, and designs, and gardens, and architecture....WOW! It is truly breathtaking. We were fortunate enough to have a girl who helps our organization act as a tour-guide which was really informative. It was so beautiful and we were so happy to see it. Later that evening we went to a Flamenco show. It was so intense. It was definitely an experience, and kind of neat because the dancers actually ended up at the same bar as us afterwards. After some "vino tinto" and a good plate of paella we decided to call it a night. Tomorrow we head out for Jaen where we have a few days to find a place to live. Unfortunately, one of those days is on a Sunday, which in case you didn't know...is the Sabbath! Which means...nothing happens. School starts on Monday. Wish us luck!
Eli and Jeanna

Viva la Lisp!

2008-09-30T11:19:00.001-07:00

After three years of hearing ourselves talk about leaving the country we have finally made it. Let me start by letting you know that 18 hours on a plane is a LONG TIME. In case you have already forgotten one of us is a minature giant. Planes were not designed with 6'3" men in mind. In fact I do not belive that planes were made with people in mind. Probably money on the mind with no consideration for comfort...
So what is Spain like? First impressions are good. The weather is good the people seem nice and the hotels that we are staying in are nicer than a tent! We have not had much of an opportunity to leave the hotel as our days have been filled with orientacion (that is how you say orientation en espanol...hard one I know)! Spanish people love the pig. We have already eaten pig also known as pork or puerco (en espanol) in more ways than I ever thought possible. Raw pork, cooked pork, bacon (not cooked like we do at home...RAW with a little warming), pork soup, pork pork pork!!! We have also had la oportunidad (opportunity en espanol...another hard one try to bare with me) to try some of the famous tapas. Amoung the favorites, octopus, raw pork slices, pork ka-bobs and some other things that we were not quite sure about...tasted good though and that is what is important. Unfortunatly we have not yet had the opportunity to take any pictures but we promise to get on it! The food has been great the people are nice and we are loving the lisp! Hopefully the next post will be a little more enjoyable... You know one with fotos and what not. None of you really want to read you just want pictures!
Peace Out Hommies (As Miss Tylie Would Say)
Eli and Miss Jeanna

A New Chapter is on the way

2008-09-22T21:50:00.001-07:00

Trying to remain calm...

So today was the first day that I actually awoke with a little bit of panic. I could hardly believe that it was already Monday and we are flying out in a few days. Thankfully I was finally able to put together a list and get some things accomplished. I guess we've kind of put off packing, but we finally buckled down and got it started tonight. I must say that the bikes pack up quite nicely. I just really hope that we're able to get the most out of them and our time in Spain. I would hate to look back on these coming months with any regrets. Knowing us, Eli will just be reminding me to live in the moment and not worry too much about the future. I'm so excited for this new time in our lives. I feel like I've been waiting so long to have an experience out of the country, and now I can hardly believe it is really here. Hopefully afterward we will finally feel like we are able to move forward in our lives. We are truly blessed in so many ways. We have been so thankful for one another, as well as all our incredible family and their unending support. None of this would be possible without them...

Are we there yet?

2008-09-16T14:50:00.000-07:00

I think this time in Triangle Lake is making us even more excited to leave for Spain. It's not that we don't love spending time with the family, it's just that we've never been in a situation where we've had so much free time with nothing to do. At this point, we are definitely ready for our flight. The first two weeks are undoubtedly going to be incredibly stressful, what with orientation, finding housing, talking to our new bosses at our new jobs, getting moved in, getting our Spanish residency and having to deal with the Spanish police and then all the banking stresses on top of it. Today I found out that one euro is equal to $1.42. Not very good news for us. Anyway...we have a couple decisions to make and things to get situated before we leave, but nevertheless, as you can see from Eli, we are anxious and excited for things to start getting underway.

2 WEEKS!

2008-09-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a trip to La Grande and can hardly believe we only have two weeks until we head up to Portland for our flight!
We had a really great time in La Grande. Time and distance do truly make the heart grow fonder, but all we made La Grande out to be in our minds quickly dissipated upon returning. True, it was beautiful, and the small town feel where everything is in walking distance was nice, but everything closing at 3:00pm and nothing being open on Saturday was a reminder that cities definitely have something going for them.
It was really nice getting to see Eli's side of the family again. His sister definitely has her hands full with her 5 kids, but they are great and the twins keep things interesting. Avila is adorable as always, and the older girls seem to be enjoying school. We were able to spend more time than ever before with his sister, Mallory, and that was an absolute treat. She has been awesome with the kids and is gearing up to start nursing school in a few weeks. Time with her was definetly one of the highlights.
While we were there we spent a day with our friends Whit and Mavis, and headed up to ride the mountain bike trails up by Anthony Lakes followed by some rock climbing. It was an incredible day. It really doesn't get much better than that.
On the way home we stopped in Portland and got together with some friends for the night. Portland was great and it was so nice to be in a place with options and culture and things to do. For dinner we went to this AWESOME Cuban restaurant called Pambiche. I think Eli felt like he was back in Panama. The food was remarkable and it was so wonderful to spend some time with friends.
We're back in Triangle Lake now. Eli spent the day up on the hill, helping Dad fall some trees, and I've been helping out the museum that my parents help run. My mind has been spinning with all the things I need to do before we leave and all the things I need to make sure I have together. I got the web address for the school I'm going to be teaching at and to be honest, it sounds amazing! The address is: http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/averroes/navasdetolosa/
The kids seems so smart and I can hardly wait to meet them all...I just hope I'm not a disappointment to them. I'm hoping to get some teaching materials from my sister that might be able to help us out...now if only I could figure out what to pack...

RAIN in August?!?!

2008-08-20T20:46:00.001-07:00

Who knew that it could dump several inches of rain in the middle of August? Of course, we are on the west side of Oregon where I'm beginning to recall that it does indeed rain 300 days of the year.
We're gearing up to head on a camping trip with Eli's brother and his family. It will be interesting to see how things hold up with the two little ones...but we're really looking forward to getting to spend some time with them before we leave. Hopefully we'll be able to get a break in the weather.
After the omnium Eli officially came down with strep throat and had no sooner finished his antibiotic than I had to go get some of my own. Sickness is such the pits! Illness seems to have gotten the better portion of Eli's racing season. We're considering the possibility of him getting a coach so he can get the most out of his training while we're in Spain. Just one of the many decisions we should probably make sooner than later. Who knows...maybe we'll be able to put some off until we get back from Spain and reality really sinks in...

High Desert Omnium

2008-08-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, after having this blog for a few months, we've finally decided we're ready to begin posting. We'll probably play catch up and fill you in on previous details of our summer as time progresses. However, for now we'll start with Eli's race this weekend.
We were fortunate enough to stay with Derek and Kim again while we were in Bend which was a huge bonus. It's always awesome to get to see them and spend some time together. After arriving on Wednesday evening, the four of us drove in to Redmond to get together with Eli's brother, Jeremy, at the Cascade Lakes Brewing Company. After many beers and greasy bar food ( a great way to prep for any race) Eli and Derek thought it would be a good idea to play horse shoes in the dark. Needless to say, after hitting the tree 9/10 times and the stake 2/10 times, they decided to call it a night.
After Jeremy came over on Friday morning, Derek took us to COCC to have our first-ever experience of Frisbee Golf. Half of the participants were clearly inebriated which created for some interesting rounds...however it was ironic that those of us who were sober ended up with the worst scores. Craziness, I know.
Afterward we met up with Mom and decided to...wait for it...go to another bar! It was here that Jeremy and Jeanna taught Derek and Eli how to play a serious game of shuffleboard. Let's just say that Team: Switzerland + Derek couldn't handle the shuffleboard finesse of Team: Dominators. Later we spent some more time with Mom, but it was kind of scrambled and random. Since she came down all the way from La Grande, we really wished that we could have gotten some more quality time with her...but so it goes with short weekends and LOTS of family.

Fast-forward a day and it's Eli's crit from the high desert omnium. Ross Weaver came out to watch along with Mom, Jeremy, Aunt Charlotte, and Jerry, so the "Eli cheering section" was huge (thanks also to Erik Edgar who finished 2nd overall this weekend!). Brian Bartel and Tim came down from la Grande to race, and it was great to see them and they only added to the Eli fan club. The race was awesome to watch and those guys went crazy- fast, averaging 28mph for 50minutes. That afternoon we met up with family at the Deschutes County Fair. It was fun to see the niece and nephew and their interaction with all the animals, but we were pretty exhausted so decided to head home with Derek and Kim.

This morning we got up and headed to Edison Sno-Park for the start of the road race. The field wasn't huge (44 riders), but it was kind of exciting because Ryan Trebon, aka TreeFarm, aka Kick a** cross racer, showed up to race. Eli managed to catch a break with 10 miles to go and ended up finishing 7th on the day. It was so awesome to see him do so well.

After the race we stopped by Lapine to say hi to some family and now we've finally made it home and are ready to get some SLEEP! Eli's throat is starting to bother him, so hopefully he can stay healthy for the State TT next weekend and Eugene Celebration in a few weeks.

Here's the link to some of our photos from this year's cycling season. We've got A LOT more, so let us know if you'd like to see them. http://picasaweb.google.com/Jeanna.Romer/2008CyclingSeason