A Guest from Pacific Grove!

Last weekend, Sally Baho, from our own St. Angela's parish community came to visit us from Córdoba, Spain, where she is studying until December.  She's here with the UC San Diego Education Abroad Program.  She's been in Spain since beginning of September and already her Spanish has improved so much!  It was really a delight to see her and to have another female in the house.

We went to the nearby town of Nerja with her to see the "Cueva de Nerja".  The cave was discovered 50 years ago by five local teenagers but it's actually thousands of years old.  Arqueological findings have found human remains  (cave paintings, et

c) from the paleolithic period (21,000-25,000 years ago).  Only a portion is open to the public and it took us about 45 minutes to go through it.   

We then went for a walk in Nerja to the "Balcón de Europa" (Europe's Balcony) where we enjoyed some beautiful views.  It's a small to

wn, but very artsy and a very cosmopolitan community.  It was a wonderful evening with breathtaking views!

Weekend in Madrid!

The weekend before last, Oct. 10-13, the kids had a "puente" literally translated to "bridge". It means that Sunday was a holiday and therefore the kids got the following Monday off.  We took advantage of this 3-day weekend and went to Madrid to visit Juan's brother and sister that live in the outskirts of Madrid.  Juan's mom was already there because Nacho, Juan's brother had shoulder surgery earlier in the week.  Ana and her daughter Lena decided to join us too.  They live in the city of Málaga.  Once Natalia, Juan's younger sister heard we were all going, she decided to drive up as well with her fiancé Oscar.  They also live in Málaga.  It turned out to be a Sanchez family reunion.  Grandma Carmelina had all 5 of her children and all 9 of her grandkids together.  

Juan drove up with his sister Ana and Esteban, while Pablo, David, Lena and I took the fast train, "el Ave" to Madrid.   It goes 270 km/hour and turns a 5 -6 hour drive into a 2.5 hour ride.  Pablo was so excited about the train!!!  We left at 8pm and got into the train station at 10:30pm.  where my 16 year old nephew, Nacho (Ignacio) greeted us with his dad.  He was so tall and had facial hair.  I hadn't seen him in a couple of years.  

We drove through "La Castellana" in Madrid.  It was so beautiful!  I reminisced about this city which had been my home for a year, exactly 20 years ago.  I loved to see all the lights on the elaborate fountains and the architecture.  Most of all, I love the life of the city - the people walking around, sitting at outside cafés, or pushing their baby carriage, as they go out for an evening stroll.  

Juan, Esteban, David and I would have an opportunity to do the same later that weekend, when we went to the "Museo del Prado".  It was amazing to see how David and Esteban took it all in.  They really appreciated seeing first hand, some of the paintings they had seen in art class last year or only seen in books.  We also saw "La Puerta de Alcalá" and walked through "El Retiro" park.  Pablito stayed with the cousins that evening.  We went on Sunday, which was "El Dia de la Hispanidad" so right in front of the museum, there was a parade with people in traditional dresses, and music, representing various Latin American countries.  Many more immigrants from Latin America, than I remember seeing 20 years ago.

As we drove through the city that evening, I thought about how much had happened in the past 20 years and now in this city, things were pretty much the same.  A few new buildings, but pretty much the same, with new foreign exchange students coming and being touched as I was by this experience.  My Madrid year had only been an instant in the life of this city and I took away so much from it.  There's something about being in another country that opens up your senses in a way that you don't always do at home.  Now, it's another instant that I'm here and I really want to enjoy it for what it is - a time to be with family, to be in the moment and find joy in the mundane.  It should be so simple . . . right?    I'm hoping to make this a practice that I can take home with me.

First Impressions

I'm very excited to be writing my first blog.  I only wish I could have started it sooner.  So I'll probably be jumping back in time a bit these next few entries and getting you all caught up.  First of all, I should explain that one of the reasons why I couldn't start this sooner is because it took the phone company close to a month to install our phone and internet connection.  It's one of those things that hasn't changed in the past 20 years, when I last lived here for a year.  

The first few weeks, I was also very busy getting the kids settled into their schools.  The families register their children here in May for the following school year.  We registered them on Sept. 1st, as soon as the schools opened.  The school year started here on Monday, Sept. 15th.  Unfortunately, we couldn't have signed them up earlier because the schools are closed in the summer and also, you need to present a certificate of "empadronamiento".  We had to officially register at City Hall and show proof of address.  Anyway, Juan dealt with that rather tedious process.  

First, we signed up Esteban at his school called "Instituto Besmiliana".  It's the local public school, which is only a 15-20 minute walk from home.  Even though this would've been his freshman year in high school, here he's an upperclassman.  E.S.O. or "Escuela Secundaria Obligatoria" (Compulsory Secondary School) is 4 years; starts in 7th grade and goes through 10th grade.  So here, Esteban is in his 3rd year of E.S.O.  He's been in school for a month now and is really enjoying it.  He's even gone out to the movies at the local mall, with a group of classmates; just like he used to in Monterey!  

David's school situation was not as simple.  Because of his December birthdate, we were told he should be in the 4th grade, not 3rd, which he hasn't completed.  There were no exceptions and there were also no more slots for 4th grade at that school.  To make a long story short, he was placed in a new school with ocean views, where a 4th grade class was created and so far, there are only 9 students in his class, the majority of which are foreigners.  There are students from Argentina, Portugal, Ireland, Brazil, Italy and of course, California.  Although David was a little apprehensive at first in regards to school, he's learning a lot and quickly making friends.  He goes twice a week to play basketball, as part of an after-school program.

Pablo is also at David's school where they offer preschool for 3 and 4 year olds.  He was very excited about going and I was surprised at how quickly he took the teacher's hand and walked in with her on the first day - no tears.  I was more nervous for him than he was.  It's a pretty big class of 25 little 3-year-olds and 1 teacher and 1 assistant.  Also, he's going from 9am-2pm, just like David.  Fortunately, he has a wonderful, loving teacher and he comes home happy from school; unfortunately, he refuses to use the potty at school and holds it until he comes home.  A few times, he hasn't made it home.  Anyway, we're still working on this.  

But all in all, we have been enjoying the warm weather (although now it's cooling down) and the time we can spend with the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.  I LOVE to see how the boys are developing their relationships with their grandparents.  This is the only grandfather they've known (my dad passed away when I was a teen) so it's very touching for me to see them warming up to him.  So even though we had a few bumps along the road at the beginning, as we adjust to the "systems" here, overall, my first impressions are that we're going to have a wonderful year with opportunities for all of us to grow.

I'm including some pictures of the beautiful beach days, and afternoon's at grandpa's pool before school started.