Fiesta de la Candelaría

Monday (Feb 2) is the Festival of the Candelaria, which was started as a religious festival, but no one can seem to explain it....(I haven't really been able to figure it out online either). Last time I celebrated it was in Bolivia in 2007. People got really drunk and had a parade through the streets. It was a ton of fun and there was live music all night long.

Here in Spain, they make a big bonfire. On Friday night we went to a (slightly early) celebration at Erika's school. They built a huge bonfire and people stood around eating round wreaths of bread with salted cod and drinking. Children ran around the fire throwing empty cans into the flames, which us Americans thought was unsafe and probably bad for the environment, but the Spanish parents didn't seem to mind.

Apparently, Cecilia's school will be celebrating on February 2nd and they will be burning toys. They might be burning "dangerous toys," but she's not really sure. Anyway, so we went to the bonfire and stood around for a little while. It was actually a really nice night, as compared to the lousy weather we've been having.

While at the school we saw tons of teachers from our schools and, in typical Priego fashion, everyone seemed to know everyone else. Sole, the 1st and 2nd grade science teacher at my school, knew Vicente, our landlord and the 5th grade homeroom teacher at Cecilia's school. Evan and Christine's landlord is Erika's principal....and so on and so on....

It was nice to be outside, but then it started to get really windy, so we wandered back home just before the rain began. Saturday it was nice out, then it was dark and hailed, then it rained for a while, then it was sunny and beautiful again.

World Peace Day

Friday was International Peace Day. I'm not quite sure if this is something celebrated all over the world or just in Europe or just in Spain. I just tried looking it up on google and apparently there are several dates for this "holiday..." The UN recognizes September 21st as the International Day of Peace, www.peaceday.org says it's November 17th and according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, it's on January 1st.

Nevertheless, in the southern part of the province of Córdoba, El Día Internacional de la Paz was Friday. At almost all the schools, students gathered and sung "Imagine" by John Lennon. Seriously, I talked to other English teachers in Priego, and a girl who teaches 25 miles away in Lucena, and it was the song of choice for all our schools.

At Virgen de la Cabeza, the sixth-graders, accompanied by Lourdes on guitar, sung to the younger classes. Rather than have a full-out assembly, students gathered in the hallway to hear the song. They made posters to help explain the song to the younger students who didn't understand the English lyrics.

It was really a sweet moment when the kids performed. They did a good job especially considering that they're A) 12-years-old and B) don't speak English very well.

-I will attempt to upload some video I recorded....at the moment neither blogger nor youtube seem to be cooperating

Apricot Chicken

I had to share my yummy dinner with you. It's an adaptation from two celebrity chefs....Rachael Ray and Mark Bittman (NY Times blogger....read it, it's good).

Here's the "recipe"
frying pan- chicken breast (thin/pallard style- I used ½ a breast that was pre-cut into three slices) with some chicken stock to coat the bottom of the pan and some red onion
let chicken cook the whole way through (the onions will get soft, but not too soft)
cut up dried apricots (I used 5 for ½ a chicken breast which was way more than enough)
when chicken is ready, put apricots in along with a generous tablespoon of apricot jam/jelly
let liquid cook out (sauce will thicken a little)
eat with a bunch of fresh parsley on top (i like everything that involves parsley).

This recipe was great because it made me want to eat the chicken, which is a good source of protein.

Computer class for second grade

While planning a lesson for the second-graders about the Water Cycle, their teacher (Sole) suggested we use the newly completed computer lab. I had never even seen the room until today, but it was really nice. The government sent 15 computers which run off of Guadalinex (instead of windows), which is a bit of a pain, but okay. We had found a powerpoint about the water cycle which had pictures so the kids would understand it better.

I went to their classroom and Sole and I took the kids upstairs and sat them down in pairs. They were really excited to be out of their classroom. Most of them had seen a computer before, but everything we did was really exciting. She and I went around turning all the computers on and I pulled up the powerpoint on all of their computers. When pictures appeared in the presentation, they squealed (ok, more like screamed) with delight. It was really cute to watch, although my ears didn't like their high-pitched shrills.

They already had a firm grasp of the water cycle in Spanish, so the lesson was a breeze. At the end I taught them a water cycle song that was at the end of the presentation. I'm including the slide on this blog post because it's just too funny to omit. It's now stuck in my head from singing it too many times.

Priego's a little behind on the female health care....

Normally, I wouldn't blog about such a subject, but recently, I've decided to make a gynecologist appointment. It's not a big deal, I just wanted a check-up. Now, first I want to remind you that I live in WESTERN EUROPE. This isn't the third world, it's a "modern" country that is part of the EU (and has been for quite a while). There are also 23,000 people in this town. And - this is the best part of all - Priego is seen as the center of the region, which means that people in the tiny pueblitos come here to conduct their business and go to school, the bank, the grocery store, etc. That said, there is no hospital here. The closest one is in Cabra, 17 miles (or 35-45 minutes on the bus) away.

So, the gynecologist...Here in Spain, you can go to the public centro de salud (health center) where they accept everyone. I showed my ID card (the one that took four trips to Córdoba to acquire) and was given a number in their computer system. It's generally crowded and you have to pull a deli number to make an appointment. I already knew they didn't have a gyno, but I figured I'd go check it out anyway. I was right about the lack of gynecologist. However, they had a "solution." I'm seeing my primary doctor, who will determine if I actually have to see a gynecologist or not. If I do, she'll give me a referral (and hopefully explain how to use it) and I have to get an appointment in Cabra. After talking to a woman who does paperwork a few days at my school, I have learned that this appointment will be in two to three months (at the earliest).

Option two is to go to a private medical center, which my insurance allows me to do. Okay, fine. I'll go to a private doctor, pay out of pocket and get reimbursed later (how the insurance works)...this is my health, I have no problem doing that. This doctor is also the place where the secretary and science teachers from my school go. Great, now I know about the option and I have people who recommend it. Sounds great, right? WRONG. The medical center has a gynecologist in theory, but reality is that a gynecologist comes from Córdoba (63 miles, 2 hours on the bus, 1 1/4 hours by car - there's only a highway for part of the trip) once a month. If you want to be seen by the gyno, you must go to the health center and get on the list. Today is January 27, I'm on the list for March 4 or 5 (they're still not sure which day the doctor will come; they also don't know if it will be for morning or afternoon appointments).

My other option is to physically go to Córdoba or Granada (52 miles, 1.5 hours on the bus - no highway connects Priego and Granada at all). This is apparently what most women (who have insurance) do.

So, I got to thinking....what the hell do pregnant women do? Don't they have to see the doctor frequently? There aren't many women between the ages of 20 and 25 here in Priego, but there sure are a lot of people having babies (strollers cram the two-foot-wide sidewalks). The principal of my school is pregnant. I figured I'd ask her, but she wasn't in her office at 1pm when I finished class, so I asked the secretary (Lourdes). Apparently, I'd just missed Maria Jose who had left to go to the gynecologist!!!!! She was on her way to.....Córdoba.

It baffles my mind that in Spain, a country considered to be part of the so-called "western world," women's healthcare is still lagging. I'm not sure how it works in rural parts of the US, but I hope women's healthcare is more of an issue there, because here, no one seems to mind the lack of gynecologists.

Clouds

So, I decided to accompany Erin part of the way to the gym this evening because I wanted to get a little fresh air. I still don't feel well enough to go workout, so I've wasted a lot of money on the gym this month (because I haven't gone at all). That's what I get for paying upfront for six months. Anyway, when grabbing my coat from my closet, I looked outside. The clouds looked apocalyptic. They were black, but the sky was a pretty shade of blue and the sun was right behind them. Here are some pictures I thought I'd share.



The weather here has been quite strange lately. It rains almost everyday, sometimes for the whole day and sometimes for part of the day. This past weekend, we've been having extreme winds. They're not quite as bad as the winds in Barcelona and Southern France (where 15 people have died), but it's so windy that we can't sleep at night. The gusts bang our windows and persianas (wooden slat blinds) and it makes a racket.

Noodle Kugel

I had this weird craving for noodle kugel. It's especially strange because I don't usually eat it and I've never made it before. I prefer matzoh kugel, but that wasn't going to happen. So, I went to the store and bought egg noodles, which taste almost the same as Manischewitz, except they're in the form of penne.

I found a few recipes online and made what turned out to be a combination of them. I included raisins in mine because that's what my grandma uses. The kugel tasted good, but looked a little strange. I don't think there was enough liquid even though I used four eggs for 1/2 a pound of pasta. I will definitely be making this one again.