TECS Redux

07.17.11 - El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain - Don't worry, your RSS feed isn't broken. I haven't been updating the blog recently because I started another summer working for TECS Summer Camps. This year, I'm producing a video project documenting their 6 summer camps. It keeps me busy enough (and far enough from wifi), that keeping this blog going is proving more difficult than merely overcoming my procrastination. Fear not dear readers! I will hopefully have some good updates in August on how the project is going. I know you're all waiting with baited breath.

Until then,

Will

Final Show

06.22.11 - Robledo de Chavela, Spain - We finished the school year at CEIP Nuestra Señora de la Navahonda with a morning of performances from each of the grade levels. The pre-schoolers of course stole the show with a version of Beauty and the Beast.

-Will

15-M in Madrid

06.19.11 - Madrid, Spain - On the way back from Toledo, we caught the end a big 15-M organized march on the city. People entered from four or five directions and converged on the Plaza Neptuno, right across from the Prado. People were strewn all over the Paseo del Prado and the area around the parliament building eating packed lunches and napping with their signs and dogs (there are always dogs) in the shade. Per usual everything seemed incredibly peaceful and well organized.

-Will

Indeed.

The scene in Puerta del Sol.

Lunch

06.17.11 - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain - For the second year, Eunice and I's last two weeks of work were filled with great lunches to say goodbye. We passed countless hours at the table swapping stories, laughing and eating great food.

We're fortunate to have made great friends and even more so, fortunate to have friends who like to eat as much as we do. The highlight was Maribel's melon salmorejo.

-Will

Carmen and Ana.
Melon salmorejo.
Carlos and Maribel.

Carol, Paco and Marivi.

Galicia Redux

06.05.11 - A Coruña, Spain - My parents came to visit and Eunice and went with them up to Galicia the first weekend. We saw A Coruña and toured Santiago de Compostela on Sunday morning. We nearly got blown off the Tower of Hercules, but besides that we at well and took in some rays along the boardwalk.

Adios,

Will

Paseo Maritimo, A Coruña
Tower of Hercules
Pilgrim's Mass
Tapas in Santiago
Eunice on the trolley in A Coruña
Mom eating percebes (goose barnacles)

Cultural Week

06.03.11 - Robledo de Chavela, Spain - We spent our Cultural Week at CEIP Nuestra Señora de la Navahonda studying film. It culminated in a version of "Bienvenidos, Mr. Marshall" or as they called it "Bienvenidos, Mr. Will." It is a famous Spanish film from the 50s about a small town in central Spain that converts itself to look like a whitewashed Andalucian town to impress the U.S. Government officials coming to give out money. At any rate, we converted our school in a similar fashion, all the girls wearing sevillanas dress and the boys in torero outfits waving American flags. I wore my best "American" tourist outfit -- a Hawaiian shirt, camera, baseball cap and cargo shorts.

Each class also performed a film (mine did Mary Poppins) and we recorded scenes to be shown on the last day of school. Below are some photos.

-Will

Semana Santa Redux

04.15.11 - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain - We were able to catch one of the first processions of Semana Santa (Holy Week) on Friday night. The ones early in the week are pretty low key, but I did get some shots of cute kids with trumpets.

If this is your first look at photos from Spain's celebration don't be alarmed at the "klansmen." They invented the outfits before the KKK, so to be fair, they don't think anything of it.

-Will

I call this "Attention Span" or perhaps "Attention Spa[i]n".
"This hood wouldn't be so bad, if they just made these darn holes bigger."
Jesus making rounds.
The monastery on a clear night.
Trumpeter.

Madrid

04.11.11 - Madrid, Spain - Eunice's parents came to visit and we spent Saturday and Sunday tooling around Madrid. We went to el Rastro (Madrid's flea market) Sunday morning and had tapas along the way. The weather was perfect and the crowds were out.

-Will

El Retiro in the spring.
Mr. and Mrs. Woods having some padrons (green peppers) and calamares in La Latina.
The view from Plaza Mayor early Saturday morning.
El Rastro.

Shoes for sale.
Eunice in the Retiro.
Tapas during El Rastro.
Photographer meets English teacher. See if you can spot the slight grammatical error.

A bar in La Latina. Snails for sale.

Sevilla

03.28.11 - Sevilla, Spain - Eunice and I went to Sevilla to visit Ella, Ali, Christina and the rest of the TECS crew. Can't beat it in the springtime. What else to say?

-Will

Album cover?
Eunice.
El Burladero plaza which was redone and should be finished now. Got a pretty great market below it and looks like yet another example of interesting architecture in Spain.
Full view. Kind of looks like a honeycomb to me.
Purple haze.
Plaza de la Alameda.
Giralda Tower.
Ella and Christina.

Cool bookstore near El Burladero.

Carnaval (Fat Tuesday)

03.08.11 - Robledo de Chavela, Spain - We celebrated Carnaval (Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras and Carnival) at school today. The theme was the Middle Ages, so everyone dressed up as knights, kings, queens, etc. I dressed up as the Burger King, fitting, I thought, given it was probably America's only contribution to that time period (hehe), not counting Robin Hood Men in Tights or the Kennedy's "Camelot."

We were forced into the town's sports center because of rainshowers. Alas, one day, the winter will end.

-Will