I knew today would be a long one so I gave into it instead of fighting it. Tatjana left this morning for her excursion with the students and wont be home until midnight or later. So I met the challenges of Tin and his Señor No attitude with resolve that he was going to be him (a three year old) and I was going to be me (his mother). We took a route to the…
Today’s the 4th of July and on the corner the students of flamenco are preparing for their festival tomorrow night – their stomping sounds like firecrackers popping off. Tin and I are invited to come watch and perhaps I will take lessons from her afterwards. Now Tatjana and her students are having a barbecue at the residencia and I’m left here to have an evening to myself as tomorrow is an all day excursion to…
When we walked into our apartment in Cadiz there was a tray with elephants on it sitting on the kitchen counter. I knew this was where we were supposed to be as my spirit animal had made its presence known from the get go.
Cadiz is considered the oldest Western city due to its strategic location dividing Europe from Africa. Yesterday, Tin and I went out for a little exploration that started blocks from our apartment in Plaza Fragela – where the great theater Falla and the University of Cadiz are located. Our destination, if we had one, was to check out the gym that offers pilates and other classes, but it was closed and suddenly we found ourselves…
There is an ocean breeze blowing through the wide open windows (read: no bugs) and Louis Armstrong is on the player, while Tin plays his blue recorder (a birthday gift from his godparents). Tatjana started school this morning – we met all her students last night for a dinner that is still with me (unfortunately – way too much food). She left 30 euros on the kitchen counter (grocery money) and a note to have…
We arrived in Cadiz yesterday and so did the World Cup and lots of yelling and people running through the streets with their faces painted in red stripes. Nice beginning to our month long sojourn here. I brewed up a Yogi tea I had brought from home as I was making Tin’s dinner. Dinner was pasta and peas as Sunday most everything is closed. The tea tag said whatever you do, do it with all…
Amazon has lost its cloud, parts of the U.S. are still without electricity, and I hear that at home our WiFi is out. Meanwhile, my formatting got changed and I’m trying to get it fixed but in the meantime, please bear with the electronic glitch – perhaps it means that we should all take a step back and focus on sun, sand, and ocean.
On the train from Madrid to Cadiz, we stopped at Jerez de la Frontera. The station is covered in blue and white porcelain tiles and had the feeling of almost having arrived at the coast as the light was changing and the air was sweeter. A crowd was standing on the platform, dressed to the nines, holding balloons and signs and each person wearing an ear to ear grin. We sat in our seats curiously…
My extended family continues to proliferate as if god came down from the mountain and said go forth and procreate. One great niece born a month ago, one great nephew born this week, and one niece midway through her pregnancy. In the meantime, Mississippi is about to make history for something other than its poor education and poverty – it might become the first state to outlaw abortion all together. What is the opposite of…