Romeo e Xulieta

Jose and I have been going to the theater lately. Here in Galicia most cultural events are in gallego. Last night we went and saw a very modern version of Romeo and Juliet. The actors did a good job, but I think translating Shakespeare should be against the law. Here are just a few of the crimes:

Romeo: "O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?"
Poorly Translated: "Are you just going to leave me like this"

Juliet: "What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?"
Poorly Translated: "What do you want me to do?"

Juliet:"By and by, I come."
Poorly Translated: "I'm coming"

Mercutio: "A plague o' both your houses! They have made worms' meat of me."
Poorly Translated: "I curse you both! Tomorrow I'll be gone."

And the list goes on...

Sure, it means the same, but it's not the same.

Milk!

Those of you who have come to visit me...meaning my parents and Julie...know of my on-going plight to find skim milk that tastes like the milk I grew up on. Here in Spain, most milk is put through some funky process where it can be stored in what are called "TetraBriks" (airtight cartons) in the pantry for months until you open it up. The milk tastes really disgusting for some reason. Years back I did find fresh milk, but it was whole, and I don't like whole milk. Then came 2%...still too thick for me. But today I found fresh skim milk! I drank the entire liter in one sitting. My search has come to an end. Oh how I've missed you.

Saturday Morning...at work

Working on Saturdays sucks. It's a beautiful day outside...but I'm inside. I can't wait for 2:30 PM to come around and enjoy what's left of the day. Any other Saturday workers out there who want to join my pity party?

Much Needed Break

We're spending the night at a spa. It's only about 20 km away from Santiago, and we'll have three hours to relax in jacuzzis, saunas, heated pools, water jet massages, aroma therapy rooms, etc. I can't wait. Jose and I will be better people tomorrow :)

It comes with the territory

I've decided to just get used to being stressed out, because it comes with the territory. Today was an absolutely crappy day. Everything that could go wrong went wrong...everything. But, I've actually been in a good mood all day. Doesn't make sense, but it's true. God got me through the day. And I'm sure He'll be there with me to get me through tomorrow as well.

Sleeplessness

I'm usually sound asleep by now, 12:56 AM on a work night, but stress has gotten the best of me. Swarms of things dealing with work race through my head. After lying in bed staring at the ceiling, I decided to get up and make a list of what needs to be done tomorrow to try and clear my head. But, I still can't sleep. So, I'm blogging about how I can't sleep, hoping to become sleepy. Michu, my cat, just jumped up on the desk with me...she obviously can't sleep either...or maybe she's just nocturnal.

It's very rare for me to get insomnia, so I don't really know what to do to combat it. If I had a bathtub I'd probably take a hot bubble bath...but I only have a half-bathtub which my 6-foot body has trouble getting into, so that's out of the question. I could read, but ever since I finished the Time Traveller's Wife I haven't been motivated to start another one. Armagedeon's on TV, but I already know the end. What to do, what to do.

Ok. I just yawned. Blogging is working. I'm off to try and dream peaceful dreams.

Waiting for some Calm

As many of you already know, these past 6 months in my new job have been rather difficult. The job in and of itself is not bad at all, it's everything that came along with it. Imagine starting a new job and thinking, "Mmm, what are the worst things that could happen?" Well, everything imaginable has happened. Just when I think I can't get any worse...it does.

First, I begin my job at the most stressful time of the year, our fall classes campaign. During this time of year we are trying to "recruit" new students and it's extremely stressful and time consuming. Then all of a sudden two of my teacher's were taken right from under my nose by collegues in another town to teach in their center, and I was left with having to find new ones just three days before classes started. Right when the campaign is finally over and I think I can begin to relax, my right hand man (woman), Antia, has severe back pain and goes on sick leave for 2 1/2 months. Here in Santiago, it's just me, Antia, and the technician, Diego. The big chiefs are in La Coruña, and hour from Santiago. This means I had to do double the hours and double the work (mine and Antia's). But remember, I'm still new at all this. During this time, my dearest friend Jules comes to visit and I can't spend much quality time her. Towards the last week of her leave my boss finally decides to hire someone else to cover the administration at the front desk. The next week, Antia returns. A small breath of fresh air. But no, my boss wants to cut costs. Meaning, we have to reduce the technician's hours. He opposes to this decision and decides to leave the company. Now I'm left with no technician in an Information Technology Center where computer maintenance is a must. I keep saying, things have to start getting better, they can't get any worse. Yes, they can...

On Monday, February 5th, I come to work as usual, and I notice that one of my teachers is late... as usual. I don't think anything of it, except that I'm going to have to reprimand him again. All of a sudden, two people walk through the front door. One of them seems out of breath, but Antia and I realize he's actually trying not to cry. They proceed to tell us that Felipe, my late as usual teacher, was in a car accident the day before and he died instantly. Felipe, so full of life, so young, so full of hope for the future, had a head on collision and wasn't wearing his seatbelt. The whole academy was in shock and denial. I decided to close up for the day and we all piled into cars and drove 2 1/2 hours away to his funeral. 2 1/2 hours of silence.

Monday was the shock of it, but Tuesday the reality of it all set it.

What could be worse than the loss of a life. I think I can honestly say now that things can't get any worse. It's time for some calm.

If my first six months were like this, then the next six should be a breeze.

The Time Traveler's Wife

Wonderful book. I thought the title sounded a little stupid, but I'd heard good things about it through other blogs, so I wanted to give it a chance. I think I read all 533 pages in two days. Probably one of the most romantic and beautiful books I've ever read . I feel like I know Henry and Clare and can relate to the constant waiting that defines their relationship on so many levels. I'm experiencing withdraw now that I've finished it. I've chosen a biography to read now, because any other novel that I could pick at the moment has some huge shoes to fill. I might just have to read it again to enjoy the details.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Three Kings Day

I wasn't sure I'd be able to do it, but I managed to get two weeks off of work for Christmas, which was nice because my parents came over to visit.

Here are some pictures of all the festivities and trips we've taken over the past three weeks.

Over the years Jose and I have created our own Christmas and New Years traditions and every year we add some new ones. This year I made gingerbread cookies from scratch for the first time. It was fun. Now I have a new Tojo Edwards family tradition :)



We spent Christmas Eve with Jose's parents and Christmas day with the whole gang. There were 14 of us total. Christmas with the Tojo Ramallo family is very different than with the Edwards family. There's lots of noise, lots of arguing and shouting, and lots of food and partying. For someone who doesn't understand Spanish, one might think everyone was angry with each other from all the yelling and strange facial expressions, but no, just the opposite. That's just the way everyone is...no one's angry or upset, it's just a typical, boisterous spanish conversation! But maybe the most shocking are the various 6 course meals we eat on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and New Years Day. We all need to go on diets now.

Between Christmas and New Years we took my parents on a 3-day tour of Portugal. The four of us drove down in a small 1989 Volkswagen Golf to Lisbon and then worked our way back up stopping along the way at Fatima, Aveiro and Porto.

Lisbon is a giant city like Madrid that's pretty much in ruins. But like I told Jose, it's falling down, yes, but it does it so gracefully. We took a trolly ride through the old city and got a glimpse of life in Lisbon.

Fatima is where the virgen supposedly Mary appeared to three kids in the woods. Now it's a tourist attraction like Myrtle beach full of glow in the dark virgen Mary's.



Aveiro is Portugal's "Little Venice". A small beach town with canals and typical portuguese fishing boats.

We stayed the second night in Porto, which is most famous for it's Vinho do Porto wineries. We took a tour of two of the most famous ones, Ferreira and Sandeman.

After our Portuguese tour we came back to Santiago and rested up for our big New Years Eve bash. Prawns, lobster, fish, beef, mousse, wine, champagne, liquour, music, dancing, 12 grapes, party masks, hats, confetti and noise makers.

After all that partying we needed a little peace and quiet so we headed off on a day trip to the Ribeira Sacra (my favorite place in Galicia by far).

And last, but not least, the "Reyes Magos" (Three Kings or Three Wisemen). On the night of January 5th the 3 Wisemen come on camel and leave toys for the children. The kids write them letters telling the wisemen what they want and they give the letters to the Royal Postman who delivers them. Just like with Santa, the kids leave cookies and milk (or brandy :))for the wisemen and water for the camels. Then on the morning of the 6th all the kids run to the Christmas tree to find what the wisemen left them. The wisemen were in Santiago last night :)

(pictures taken from the newspaper, El Correo Gallego)

Why the lack of blogging?

The answer is simple. Time and energy. My co-worker has been on sick leave for the past month, so I've been doing my job plus some of hers. I'm hoping things will start to go back to normal soon, so that I can blog again. I've got tons of great pictures to share!

Mi Julia

In just 12 days I get see the coolest person I know. Julia Tayloe Sessoms. It's been almost a year since we've seen each other, and 5 years since she's come to visit. So needless to say, I'm a little bit excited. Jules is the type of friend that even though you don't them often you just pick right up where you left off the last time you saw them, like nothing's changed. There's no time gap. My life has changed quite a bit over the years, but Jules has remained a constant. She's family.

I can't wait to see you "Mutt"!!
Yours truly, "Jeff"

Door in the Floor (Part 2)

We decided we needed storage space, so we made an attic :)

Door in the Floor

If you've ever seen this film you know that it is the epitome of dramas. An exentric children's book author, a wife who's gone off the deep end after the death of her two teenage boys, an under-age affair, and a 4-year old daughter who's probably been scarred for life.

My life is by no means dramatic, however I do have a door in the floor. Actually, it's more like a hole in the ceiling. It all depends on your perspective. Pictures to come...

He's just plain GREAT

Ever since I started my new job a month ago I've been jittery, nervous, on edge, stressed out, too exhausted to cook or clean and too busy to spend quality time with my husband. But he hasn't complained once. He's taken everything in stride, puts up with me with a smile, and constantly tells me I'm doing a great job. Even after he's had a long day at work too, he makes me lunch and dinner and washes the dishes. Today he even had breakfast waiting for me with the newspaper when I woke up. He's an amazing guy.

Ada Pearl

My grandma. I didn't see her much, but I have vivid memories of her. All are good. I've already talked about her once in an earlier post with her dog "Hey you" and all her other animals. I also mentioned her in this post, with the old tin lunch boxes in her basement. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

She lived in an old, small, white house on top of a mountian in Cumberland, MD. There was a big grannysmith apple tree out back. The front porch had that old, green, fake turf stuff on the floor, and there was always a fly swatter nearby. In front of her house there was a plot of land for grazing and the highlight of my day was to see the cows come up close to the barbed wire fence to where I could pet them.

My grandma used to save pennies in a huge jar for me. So whenever we'd go visit her in Cumberland, she'd give my brother and sister 50 dollars each...in cash. She'd give me 50 dollars...in pennies. It was annoying, but special. I can still remember sitting in her living room rolling old, dirty pennies, and the smell of my hands afterwards.

She had an old organ in her house, and loved to write songs and sing them. I would call her on the phone, and after she'd told me 50 million times how proud she was of me, she'd say "Do you have a minute? I want you to hear this." Then she'd preceed to put the phone down, run over to her organ, and bust out playing and singing at the top of her lungs. She was a hoot.

One of my favorite pastime activities at her house was shooting old coke cans and fallen grannysmith apples with the bb gun. I would spend hours outdoors with her animals and the neighboring cows.

Even though I didn't see my grandma much (I think the last time I saw her I was probably 13 years old), and I'd roll my eyes everytime my mom passed the phone over to me to talk to her, I loved her and will always remember her. She was one of a kind.

I Must be a BAD Wife

Jose and I have gotten a kick out of this article that my mom sent for the past few days now. He's still waiting for the day I put a ribbon in my hair. My...how times do change.

Overwhelmed

As many of you already know, I got a promotion at work to be the new Director of Studies, which I'm very thankful for. It's a really big improvement, but as with any promotion, I have triple the responsibility as before. It happened right at the time when the academy is starting the Fall campaign. New students, new courses, new schedules. I've had to absorb so much new information this past week and I'm feeling really overwhelmed. We've got some major deadlines coming up and I'm beginning to freak out. Plus, I'm still teaching my summer courses that last until October. It's just plain crazy in my head right now.

Comercio Justo and "A Deeper Shade of Green"

FAIR TRADE

For those of you interested in buying Fair Trade products or just want to find out more about it, I found some good webpages online for Spain, the US, and the UK. The concept originated in Europe in the 1960s, and it is a movement to help:

·promote sustainable development

·alleviate poverty

·create transparency and accountability

·develop the producers' independence, eliminating the "middle-man"

·payment of a fair price, enabling a production that is socially just and environmentally sound

·gender equity

·safe and healthy working conditions

·children's rights

·encourage better environmental practices

WEBSITES:

Equi Mercado

Global Exchange: Fair Trade

Traidcraft Shop


"A DEEPER SHADE OF GREEN"

In my family I've always been picked on as being a "tree hugger". Now, I'm no Julia "Butterfly" Hill who spends two years of her life living in a California Redwood, and I am strongly against radical or violent activism, but I would consider myself an environmentalist in the sense that I think conservation and sustainability are extremely important. I'll also be the first to admit that I don't do all I should. I hate taking the bus and it's so much easier to go to the grocery store below my house rather than walk to the local Farmer's Market in the old city. But we are slowly destroying our natural environment and we,the world, need to change our practices and our way of life.

If you are suscribers to the National Geographic, there's a great article in the August issue by Bill McKibben (author of the best seller, The End of Nature) called, "A Deeper Shade of Green". He talks about the need for a new cultural environmentalism. The need for a new frame of mind and way of living and thinking. He deals with fossil fuel, energy costs, urban sprawl, farmer's markets, etc. Here are few exerpts:

"The old paradigm works like this: We judge just about every issue by asking the question, Will this make the economy larger? But endless economic growth is built on the use of cheap fossil fuel...We need to stop asking, Will this make the economy larger? Instead, we need to start asking, Will this pour more carbon into the atmosphere?"

"We've gotten used to eating across great distances. Because it's always summer somewhere, we've accustomed ourselves to a food system that delivers us fresh produce 365 days a year. The energy cost is incredible--growing and transporting a single calorie of iceberg lettuce from California to the eastern U.S. takes 36 calories of energy. What would it take to get us back to eating more locally, to accepting what the seasons and smaller scale local farmers provide?"

"What would it take to make us consider smaller homes, closer to the center of town, where we could use the bus or a bike for daily transportation?"

"Standard economic theory has long assured us that we're insatiable bundles of desires. That may be true, but more and more it feels like our greatest wish is for more contact with other people...We don't need to erase individualism; it is one of the glories of the American character. But environmentalists desperately need to celebrate community, too."

The Rain in Spain...

...is FINALLY falling softly in Galicia. I don't think anyone here has ever been so happy to see rain as we are now. It's direly needed.

Galicia is STILL Burning

The number of wildfires just keeps going up. There are now 135 dispersed all over Galicia, but mostly on the coast. Here are the two local newspapers if you want to take a look at what's going on:

El Correo Gallego

La Voz de Galicia