The 'Education' of Little Landon (and Cassie too)

Much of our time here, when not traveling with the students, is spent homeschooling Landon and Cassie (though admittedly my eleventh grade Trig class has long since become useful in anyway for Cassie's pre-calc assignments). Cassie is actually mostly teaching herself, with some occasional help from a student, and she and I study Spanish together.

Landon, on the other hand, takes most of my attention, and in addition to the enhanced respect I have gained for his teachers, I have also become more educated myself on some of the challenges of his learning disabilities. It's been a good experience all the way around.

Landon's daily homework position

Cassie's style is a little more laid back.

It's not actually his academic education that has impressed me most however, but rather the 'education'' he is receiving from being with 14 young adult girls everyday. Now admittedly, with three older sisters he had a good foundation already, much of which has given him the confidence (too much confidence, I might add) to further his 'studies.'  When he stepped off the bus on our first trip of the semester and said to the gathering of girls, gangsta hand motions included, "what up LADEEEZ?!" I knew we were in trouble. A week ago I came downstairs to find him demonstrating on Kaitlin to the two boys in our group how to properly play with a girl's hair. And all of the girls now been given Landon nicknames that include Beautiful, Cookie, Sweetie and Sugar, just to name a few. Heaven help us when he gets older.

Andy's catching on to Landon's hair playing instruction  on Emily

Despite the intent of all involved, his efforts to woo the ladies has not been without some gaffs. One of his many favorites (nickname Girlfriend) got on the bus before Landon one day and announced that he had just told her that her coat made her look pregnant. When I responded, aghast, that I clearly needed to talk to him, she replied, "Oh, don't worry, Julianna has already pulled him aside to explain AGAIN that you never comment on a girl's size or weight!" Thankfully they aren't afraid to give correction and genuinely like and include him, which has made our experience so much more fun. They all patiently attended a meeting he called in one of our hotel rooms to plan a party for that night. Notebook in hand, he made room assignments for various activities, figured out treats and promoted a dance party to end the night where he showed off his moves.

Taylor in her darling, non-pregnant looking, coat!

Landon with Juliana ('Beautiful'), Melissa ('Awesome') and Sarah ('Sweetie')

I'm well aware that he will need some counter training when he returns to his 12 year old world where everyone isn't patient and kind and thinks your funny no matter what goofy thing you do. Even here, of course, we have moments where we need to remind him that he is not actually one of the students and that they won't always want to do what he wants to do. I think its safe to say that an early game Faith (i.e. Cookie Dough) taught him, Four Men on a Couch, has outworn it's fun for everyone, despite his repeated requests to play it again.

I can't talk about Landon's 'college education' without talking about Cassie's as well, and in that regard it has been nothing but positive. She is included and welcomed and genuinely liked by the students, one of which told her early on that she liked her because she doesn't act 15. That may be as good of a compliment as you can get from someone in college. But what is most telling, is that despite her fears of leaving all of her friends behind, she has not once complained about being here and never seems to really feel homesick. This group is obviously doing a great job filling in as her new friends. It is because of that, I think, that last night we heard words we never thought we would hear come out of her mouth, "the time is going TOO fast!"

Nate, Tatiana, Taylor, Faith, Madeleine and Liz leaving Cordoba

I'll Take My Chicken Without A Head, Thanks

I seems like I cook more with hamburger meat here than I do at home, where every meal seems to center on chicken. It may be that I can just find more ingredients that I need for hamburger based meals than for chicken meals, but more likely it's the memory I have from our previous experience here:

Stan had gone off to the university to take care of some last minute items before the students arrived and I decided to bake a chicken for our first big midday meal (like the Spanish eat, only not with Spanish food.)  I was feeling pretty proud of myself for cleaning out the chicken--there was more there than I was accustomed to, if you know what I mean--and was preparing the final part of the cleaning when I lifted the chicken only to find that the HEAD WAS STILL ATTACHED TO THE CHICKEN!   Well, my abilities (or courage) only take me so far, so back into the fridge it went until Stan could return to clever it off.  It turns out he wasn't surprised and had already experienced the same thing during preparation of an earlier meal but had spared me the gory details.

We also had another interesting discovery during a subsequent meal.  I was in the middle of preparing some chicken noodle soup when I turned to my small bottle of pepper to add some flavor.  Interestingly, the pepper kept sinking to the bottom of the pan.  Now, we were gifted with many spices from former directors and the "pepper" I had been using was found in a small jar in a cupboard with the rest of the spices.  Kara had complained a couple of times about the gritty taste in some of our meals, but I had responded with something to the effect of, "maybe Spanish salt is just a little courser, it's nothing."  Since I had added "pepper" to virtually every meal we had eaten since arriving, and had tasted nothing very unusual, I really hadn't thought much about it.  But when I noticed its sinking nature in the soup, it caused me to wonder.  Still, I happily, even proudly, fed it to the family, despite their complaints about the texture.  Sure enough, as you may have already guessed by now, it was actually SAND, no doubt a souvenir left behind by a former director's family after a visit to the beach!  How it wound up in the cupboard, I have no idea, but it was a good lesson on the power of association. :)

We have laughed about that a lot over the years, and I'm grateful to say that (1) chicken breasts are readily available and I haven't seen one headed chicken (though I did tell Stan to double check when he picked up a whole chicken for me this week) and (2) I cleared out any odd spices from the cupboard when I arrived.
That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of odd foods in the store. Cassie and I were in line yesterday when we noticed this in the cart in front of us.



There is still plenty of meat hanging above our heads in the store, but they are actually less conspicuously placed than before (or I really am a true Spaniard and just don't see them as unusual anymore!)  We saw goat's heads, eyes and teeth included, in the market, and octopus is pretty common a lot of places.

Still, there is plenty to like.  Spanish are expert yogurt makers, the best I have ever tasted.  Delicious!

This entire aisle (about a quarter of the dairy section in the store) is yogurt.

And they are the absolute BEST at making olive oil. Spain is the biggest producer of producer of olive oil in the world by a long way and the students report that everything they eat is fried in olive oil.

Those bottles on the bottom are easily 2 gallon size and check out the prices.
(The varieties of olive oil are endless and some are more expensive, of course)

We mainly use it for making a dipping sauce for the delicious fresh pan from the panaderia.

Good thing I brought my own spices! :)

Spain Has Changed

Spain has changed and I not sure how I feel about it. In seven years globalization has made an impact and its hard to imagine what another seven or fifteen or twenty will bring. Yes, last time we were here we could find McDonald's and Pizza Hut and a few other random American things, but I am actually surprised by some of the other changes.

Big box stores are a lot more common and even one short train ride away we have access to a store that resembles Home Depot in size and scope. No more going all over town trying to find the little tienda that sells the little part we need to fix the shower. Ready prepared foods are easier...though still not easy...to find in the grocery store. I can't get refried beans, for instance, in any of the three stores I frequent but I can get frozen pizza. I got a Chinese delivery menu in the mail yesterday...that's new...and found a restaurant in the MALL that is a ten minute walk from our home (so shocked it was here that I didn't even know until the students informed me) that serves brownies with ice cream and chocolate fudge sauce (our Spanish teacher was shocked at such a concoction when we served it at a closing social in 2006!)  My struggling Spanish has invited store keepers to proudly speak to me in broken English (I don't think I EVER experienced that seven years ago) It's apparently not even unusual to ask for tap water in restaurants and we haven't had any of the weird looks we encountered last time from that request.

Pictures were taken by my students for an assignment on globalization. :)



These might seem little but to me they seem huge! It feels a little like a wave that's just starting to form. Fortunately, most things remain the same... Cobblestone, narrow streets with big beautiful plazas, grandparents with their grandchildren in the park, street artists and long siestas where most of the city shuts down, polite people that are perfectly fine sitting close to you on the bus, evening family strolls, museums, cathedrals and beautiful buildings everywhere you look.

I hope some things ever change.

Don't Look at the Graffiti!

I was feeling a little down about the day to day grind today.  Yes, that happens, even here in Spain.  The daily routine includes homeschooling (that often takes much more of the day than it seems like it should,) laundry (in a very small washer and a dryer that has two settings:  'don't dry' or 'rapidly shrink',) walks to the grocery store (a half mile away for one simple forgotten item or just to keep food in the house), and the never ending job of food preparation (while only using one appliance at a time and some unfamiliar ingredients.)

Clearly, I was in need of an attitude adjustment.

Feeling a little sorry for myself (I'm sorry, under the circumstances that's rude I know,) I decided I needed to get out for a run.  I have wanted to do that since we got here, and frankly had hoped I would do it regularly last time we were here as well, but it just never seems to fit in.

It turned out to be just the thing I needed (doesn't it always?!)  Sun on my face and a slight wind made for the perfect conditions, and the siesta made it even better.  No one was around.  No cars to dodge, no people to squeeze through, no open stores, no nothing but me and the city to explore.  It was beautiful!  Knowing I might get lost but not really caring, I just headed off through a part of the city I had only partially been through before.  In what turned out to be only a couple of miles I ran through parks and plazas, past a palace and cathedral, down narrow medieval cobblestone streets, and past old stone buildings and a monastery.

As I headed back, I walked for a while, a little tired, but lifted from the experience, only to begin to notice the trash piled in a dumpster by the side of the road, the walls littered with graffiti and the dog poop in scattered areas on the sidewalk  Hadn't I just come this way?!  How had I ignored it before?

Ahh, those sweet moments in life. The ones that quietly teach you or slap you in the face when you need it most.   Here's mine today:  Don't focus on the daily grind of life or graffiti on the wall when you're surrounded by family and great moments together, parks and cathedrals. :)



I had so much fun, I ran back for Cassie and did it all again so I could take pictures.

Heading out the door of our Chalet

The quiet city streets of the Siesta

Even the trains were sleeping/

Through a city park

Into the medieval part of the city

Along side the palace

The Archbishop's Palace and birthplace of Catherine of Aragon (daughter of Ferdinand & Isabella and  1st wife of King Henry the 8th of England.  She couldn't bear him a son so he tried with 5 other wives.)

Calle Mayor, one of the most important cities of past and present Alcala

Typical homes in the historical part of the city

The famous storks of Alcala.  They sit atop many of the old buildings and churches.

Love the cobblestone streets and narrow roads

Typical homes in the more modern parts of town

A little reward at our favorite grocery store, Carrefour,  Spaniards don't eat and drink while they walk so I was a little nervous about this, haha.

Lesson learned.

The new Sabbath focus

I really enjoy Sundays here, and for all lots of great reasons.  Of course I enjoy being with my family at church and seeing our cute students. Both good things that I look forward to.  But the main reason I love going is because I really have to FOCUS in order to be able to learn and take in whatever the teachers or speakers are saying.  Admittedly, by the time the third hour (Sacrament meeting) rolls around, my head feels like it might explode from concentrating so hard and  it can be very difficult to maintain my focus, particularly since I have no context for the talks or testimonies that are being shared.  Last week I glanced down our row of students to notice that most of them were feeling the same way.  They all had blank stares on their faces, looks of having completely given up on trying to understand anymore Spanish for that day.  Relief Society is definitely my favorite.  Because I am so anxious to be able to understand the fast paced Spanish that native speakers use, I study the lesson before coming to church, a habit I really should use at home more diligently.  Each week I read the lesson in English and then in Spanish, and by the time I go to Church I actually get most of what they are saying and I can feel the Spirit helping me with the rest.  I love that feeling.

This week was particularly enjoyable.  The Madrid mission president, Scott Jackson (yes the orthopedist from Provo) and his wife came to speak in Sacrament meeting in Alcala.  We had a nice visit with them before and after the meeting and loved hearing their insights on the mission (which incidentally will grow from its current 110 missionaries to 233 by the end of the year!)  Best of all, it was actually easy to understand their talks.  I felt like a fluent Spanish listener (which is far different than being a fluent Spanish speaker, but still exciting.)

It has been especially fun to watch Landon, with his non-existent Spanish, take on the church experience each week.  He goes to his classes without complaint, passes the sacrament each week, and genuinely seems to be enjoying his quorum, despite the language barrier.  He said he gave the prayer in class today (in English) and that he suspects he will do that every week since he doesn't contribute much (anything) to the rest of the lesson. :) I had to specify it was in English because of our previous experience here.  Landon was five last time around and barely speaking fluent English, but announced one day after church that he had given the prayer in primary.  We were amazed as he was rather shy about such things at that point in his life, but even more surprised when he told us he gave it in Spanish.  I have no doubt that he thought he did.  I can just imagine how dumbfounded they were by his made up Spanish words which I'm certain sounded as clear to him as their real Spanish did to them.

Don't Give Me the Finger!

So I plan to get writing about our day to day life here, but we can't stop laughing about our little adventure with my finger so I am going to share that first. It's actually not what probably comes to mind. I haven't started flipping people off, nor have any gestures been misinterpreted. I'm talking about my finger TOOL, which I use for massaging tension out of my neck or back. That actually sounds just as weird, I guess, and certainly that has been the reaction of security teams who have come across it.

The actually do look a little creepy in person.

I'm not sure how these little babies made it past US and London security tucked in my backpack, but the Vienna airport security was on top of it. Of course, they also tried to detain Kara for mistakenly entering a store that was past the unmarked do-not-return-without-passing-through- security-again line as well, so they are apparently serious about their security.

The little bit of metal inside must  be what draws attention!

I first noticed there might be a problem when the security personnel kept passing my backpack through the scanner, obviously concerned by something they were seeing.. By the time they handed me my backpack and motioned for me to open it, I had figured out what they were probably confused by.  It must appear like a chopped off finger on the screen.  I pulled it out and motioned with it by pressing it on my neck and moving it back and forth so they would see what it was used for.  The serious looking guard suppressed an obvious desire to laugh and walked back to her coworkers, telling them something in German that probably included a derogatory term about Americans. They all laughed, she gave me back my finger and we were on our way.

We all had a good laugh about it and I forgot about it until we went to the Real Madrid soccer game last week. Feeling a headache coming on, I wisely placed my finger in Cassie's purse to take with us. Getting into the game through our particular gate, where the opposing team also enters, proved to be somewhat of a nightmare, as they pat down every person who comes through. Cassie was already looking a little pale as we neared the top of the stairs and somehow Stan, the only competent Spanish speaker among us, ended up a little way ahead of us. I decided to go through immediately before Cassie, thinking nothing of it until I turned around to see her panic stricken face and a confused guard in front of her holding up my finger and firing rapid Spanish questions at her. By now Stan is long gone and it falls on me to, once again, try to explain to the guard what she looking at. I tried my basic Spanish, "para un masaje," but that made her even more confused so I resorted to the same gestures that won over the German guards. Again, a suppressed smirk, the sharing with other laughing guards, and the free pass was given.
We went to the Royal Palace on Saturday which also has security. I thought about sneaking into Stan's backpack, or even Cassie's purse again, but decided it wouldn't be enough of challenge for Stan and Cassie hasn't quite recovered yet. Maybe I will see how one of the students can handle it on a future visit somewhere. :)

We begin. Again.

I have been trying to get going on a blog ever since we left home on Christmas Eve, but I finally have a moment, or perhaps the nerve, to do so.  In consulting with Cassie on what to title my first blog (my in house consultant on all things connected to social networking, for which the rest of the family should be grateful) the fundamental question arose:  "Mom, WHO is going to read this?"  My initial response was "not a soul," but I revised that after I remembered that I do have a mother and 2 sisters and perhaps a few family members and friends.  So here it goes.

To start at the beginning I would have to back track about 10 years to the time when we first became aware of the opportunity for BYU faculty to direct a study abroad program.  Several years of preparation (mostly linguistic) culminated in a wonderful experience in 2006 with 35 wonderful students that became our life long "kids" and friends. We love these kids, many of whom have kids of their own now. :)

Our 2006 group of 35

The energy created from such a large group (which additionally included our 5 children bring the total to 42 of us) was exciting and we were never without something to do (both in terms of program logistics/issues and fun).  As we began preparations to come again (an opportunity that fell in our laps just a few months before departure date), we were anxious to try to recreate a similar experience.
Fortunately, the Lord is wiser than I am and we only have 15 students with us this time plus Cassie and Landon (19 total).  I think I am realizing both strain and the wisdom those 7 years between programs has given me.  As we make program plans, gather the students, prepare Sunday desserts and do things together I can't imagine that we ever did this with more than twice the number we have now.  And while the previous students would probably appreciate our more relaxed (read 'tired') approach, I am grateful to have had more students while I was younger. :)

Our 2013 group of 15

Needless to say, this is an amazing experience, not the least of which is due to the relationships we develop with the students.  And though we miss the inclusion of Taylor (and his wife, Emily), Kara and Hayley, we are grateful for the opportunities they have had or will have to experience some of this (and more) with us.  More of that in future posts.

Next post:  The funny stuff about day to day living (i.e. the stuff that will make you cry if you don't laugh)