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!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Spain Is Very Different Amigo…Very Different!
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
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
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”.
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”.
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