River, Orange blossoms and a basket of eggs...

A few days ago, after a particularly loud lesson, I ached for some peace and quiet. I walked my usual route through the city but that didn’t really work. I needed something else. I needed to hear flies in their flight, feel the wind in my hair... The following day I found the place I'd been looking for. You walk through the city centre, down toward the river Segura, than you continue walking on the path that goes right next to the river. Every step takes you closer to the trees, closer to grass, and further away from the sounds of the city. I took out my earphones, and let the wind sweep out the noises of everyday life... It was amazing. The path took me past a meadow full of tiny white flower which gave out the most exquisite scent. It was so gentile and fresh, I could literally taste it. I spent quite a lot of time walking among these tiny flowers, letting my senses enjoy everything these white blossoms had to offer.

This was also the last school week before the Easter holidays. So of course, this also meant that all the children in school were asked to participate in the Annual Easter Egg Competition. And what a competition it was. They used their imagination and made the funkiest Easter Eggs ever.

 Now, try to imagine how difficult it must have been for the jury to pick the winners...  Seeing as I was one of the jurors, it’ll probably be easier to just tell you. :) IT WAS INDESCRIBABLY DIFFICULT! Should Shark be the winner? How about Sponge Bob? Or, perhaps the Two Pigs? Or, better yet The Totem? There were just too many. However, there had to be a winner. And to make things easier for us, we decided that each class should have one winner. Don’t think we took the easy way out! The fact is, picking just one would have been utterly unfair. Don’t you think so? ;)

Now, I must go and pack my suitcase... I’m going home to see my little munchking Luka! I CAN’T WAIT. :D

P.S.: I forgot to tell you that the orange trees began to bloom. The smell and look like yasmin. If's funny but I half expected them to smell like oranges. Silly, I know. :D  

How vegetables are grown, and the crowning of a new queen

Last week I accompanied the children as they went on an excursion to see how food is produced. As Murcia is the “vegetable garden of Europe” it seems prudent to educate young children on this very important role their region plays in food production. We went to the farmlands located between the cities of Murcia and Cartagena. Here, you can see vast fields of artichokes, aubergines, lettuce, and an abundance of trees, bending under the weight of luscious oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. For someone who is accustomed to seeing oranges and lemons only in fruit carts, this was really impressive. Actually, every time I pass an orange tree I gape at the oranges in total fascination. It’s silly but I just can’t help myself. :o)

So, we went to see how vegetables are produced. And it was pretty interesting. Murcia has a huge problem with drought, and as there is not a lot of rainfall (except this year), they have to make sure every single drop of water goes to where it’s needed the most. Basically, what they do is they hydrate plants by giving them a few drops of water at certain intervals. In that way, the plants stay hydrated without using up too much water. In order for this to work, they invented all sorts of irrigating technique, the names and differences of which I forgot the moment we went to see something else. Later on, our “guide” started talking about how plants also need food, and that they have special nourishing “cocktails” for plants. At this point, my stomach began to turn a bit. I mean, I know that these “cocktails” are fed to plants, but standing right next to these cocktails, and seeing how they are fed to the plants really isn’t as appetizing as you might think. :D

In a few hours we had seen everything they were willing to show us (AKA they spared us the “toxic tour”), so we went home. This excursion took 5 hours, during which I had talked Spanish and Spanish only. I’m telling you this, because that day I slept for 17 hours. That’s right, SEVENTEEN hours!!! It seems that all that talking drained me of all my energy. I guess that happens if you are forced to talk in a language you are just beginning to learn. :D



To continue in the spirit of fruits and vegetables, let me tell you one more thing... Rosa, the English teacher I work with most of the time, kindly invited me to go with her to the La Reina de los Huertos (Queen of vegetable/fruit gardens) competition. She got tickets for the event form one of our students who was in the running of Reina de los Huretos – Infantil.

This competition could be compared to Slovenian Vinska Kraljica (Queen of Wine) competition. There was a bunch of girls wearing traditional Murcian clothes and a group of musicians performing typical Murcian music and dance. But to tell the truth, I really don’t understand the point of this competition. I thought that the future queens would have to show some sort of skill or knowledge about vegetables, orchards or production of fruit. Needless to say I was wrong. It was just your typical beauty pageant, except for the fact that they were wearing traditional clothing. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t boring. But it wasn’t boring because I’m a foreigner and it was the first time I saw something like this. :D

Blaž, sightseeing and a river of tears :D

You know when they say that we are but creatures of habits... Well they are right. What I mean to say is that since I arrived I’ve been (subconsciously) working on creating a little world of my own, according to certain rules and habits which would make my stay here more comfortable, and help me cope with the new situation. And although at the beginning it was difficult being here all alone, thanks to the before mentioned fact, things were getting better and better. I created a routine which suited me best, and it began to work its magic. Why am I telling you all this? Because my little Murcian routine went flying into the air. This happened because of two things:

1. Blaž came to see me. I'd been waiting for 4 weeks to see him again, and when the time came, I didn’t know what to do, how to act... I was scared things would be different between us, scared that I would be hurt. And all these things subconsciously created a situation which made our relationship (seem) different. I didn’t know how to act around him anymore. Suddenly, I was caught between the reality of my life back home and that of my present situation, and I just couldn’t seem to mix them without my acting totally weird. My attitude did improve daily, as I was again getting more and more accustomed to having someone I care about with me every day. I started acting more like my old self. But all the same, I am truly sorry for my behaviour, because I know that our time here could have been so much better, were it not for me and my messed up brain :D. 
2. My big sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. It was upon hearing the news of his birth, that all my walls came crashing down, and all the homesickness I had been suppressing for the last weeks, flowed out in a river of tears. Literally a river, as I was crying for about 3 hours. I was so happy for my sister, and so sad because I couldn’t be there. I’m so happy Blaž was there to share that moment with me. I don’t know what would’ve happened were he not there. Murcia would probably have been flooded. :D

Well, ever since the above mentioned events happened, I’ve been finding it really hard to get back on track, as all I seem to be able to think about is how many days I have left before I go home. Pathetic I know, but I really need to see my nephew :o)

Ok, now to give you some insight into what Blaž and I were up to during his stay here. We started off by going  to Valencia. We caught a train at 5.50am and then spent the whole day walking around Valencia. When I say the whole day walking, I mean the whole day. We must have walked at least 16km. And what did we do?

We went to see the Oceanographic, one of the largest aquariums in the world. What can I say about it? I LOVE IT. For the past few years I’ve been really obsessed with sharks, and I use every possible opportunity to see them, so naturally I go to every aquarium I can find. This one is really nice. You have loads of different species of fish, penguins, seals, SHARKS and even Beluga whales. My favourite part, of course, are the tunnels which go through a couple of tanks, allowing you to see fish (most importantly sharks) swim right above your head. It’s really cool and I totally recommend it to everyone.

After our visit to the Oceanographic, we walked back to the city centre, stopping here and there to see a monument and take a few pictures. When we finally came to the hostel we were exhausted, well at least I was, so we stayed in the room for the rest of the evening. :o) Next morning we wanted to take it easy and not walk as much as the previous day. We started off by having a lovely coffee at Starbucks. However, we ended up walking (sightseeing) all day again, stopping only a couple of times for a cup of coffee.


Next trip was to Granada.
And guess what we promised each other...that this time we really wouldn’t walk as much as we usually do. :o) And you know what, we more or less succeeded. First day, we decided to try and do the Tapas Route, because Granada is famous for its beer and free tapas. So we said OK, let’s give it a go. And we did. We spent the whole day walking around the city centre, going from one pub to another drinking coffee, beer and eating tapas.

The following day we went to see the Alhambra. We walked to Alhambra, and spent the whole day walking around this incredible and magical place. This is one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen. How the Arabs managed to build all those palaces and, most importantly, all those fountains is just beyond me. And the details on every pillar, door, wall and ceiling, are so exquisite that they take your breath away. If ever you are in Spain, please go and see this place, because it really is magical!!!

When we got back to our room that evening, I received news of my little nephew birth. That was when the river of tear began... Again, thank you Blaž for sharing that moment with me, for giving me all those handkerchiefs, for laughing at my reaction to the news, for giving me a pill to soothe my throbbing headache, and for tucking me into bed. :D