7/31/05 Málaga Spain

Scotland is here

I had only meant to take a cat-nap for twenty minutes or so, then get ready to catch the bus for Sevilla.

Suddenly I woke up and realized it was afte 10. Missed the bus tour that I'd already paid $60 for. And had a hell of a hangover. I had barely rolled out of bed when I heard my new roommates unlocking the front door to the apartment.

Gemma and Cheryl are from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and both have heavy Scottish accents. They were so excited to be here. They love everything like the apartment, the school being across the street and of course, the beach. I just wish my head felt better to show them around.

I went to the beach, I don't know if it was the hangover or the fact that everyone seems to be leaving,b ut everything seems different. It's like this second month is starting totally new. I have new roommates and tomorrow I get new classmates. Or maybe it's just homesickness.

One thing that really sets me apart here, is that I don't have a cell phone. Literally, I'm the only one in the city who doesn't have a phone, so it's hard to connect with folks. Like today, I wanted to catch Charlotte and Sanna one last time, so I kept dropping by the hacienda, but they weren't there. With a cell, I could have easily made plans to get together with them.

After having a burger at El Chupete, I tried stopping by Joanna's. Her and Ida were just getting ready to meet Charlotte and Sanna for dinner. They had all been together today in Narifa. I guess that's another thing that sets me apart other than my age, most of the students here are women. Definitely feel like a fifth-wheel at times.

Saying goodbye to Sanna & Charlotte

Had a final goodbye picture and “three” kisses on the cheek (two kisses from the Spanish, but three kisses from the Dutch) from Charlotte and Sanna. They leave tomorrow, flying to Amsterdam through Zurich.

7/30/05 Málaga Spain

I'm going to miss Britt

Got up at 5:30am to do my long run this morning. I was supposed to do 13-miles, a little over two hours worth of running. But almost immediately my left knee had the same pain as Thursday. Reluctantly quit my run. Maybe with a few more days off and a shorter run on Tuesday, I can help it recover. I'm thinking that I was so rushed Wednesday, that I wasn't paying much attention to how I was running, just that I needed to get it over with.

Spent the day just hanging out with Britt. We just got lazy and laid on the couch waiting for them to check her room out so she could get her deposit money back. Once that was done, I went with her to the train station helping with her bags. Not really sure if I'm an 'uncle' or an 'older brother' but I'm going to miss her a lot. I so looked forward to her coming home every afternoon and hearing of her misadventures. But through it all, she's one good kid. If she was my daughter, I'd be proud of her.

Couldn't get the guard at the train station to take our picture, so had to suffice with a hug. Hopefully we can meet up one more time before we both leave Spain. Definitely would love to visit Sweden and see her again.

Hasta luego Britt

Ingrid is moving out today. She went to her new apartment and it sounds great. It's a couple who rent out part of their apartment. Ingrid has a view of the ocean from her bedroom window. And it even has a TV. She'll be able to use her Spanish more too. I wish her well, but was hoping they would let her stay here at our apartment.

Ingrid saying goodbye

Went to the beach late today. At this halfway point in my stay, I'm going through a complete transformation. It's as if I'm starting all over again here in Málaga.

Against my better judgement I decided to go to a party at Josefin's. I thought it might be the last time I'd get to see Charlotte and Sanna since I was going to Sevilla on Sunday. Met everyone first at Joanna's, then about 1am, we headed over to Josefin's.

You knew it was going to be a good party when the police were already there. They had just stopped by to tell them that the music was a little too loud. Inside he place was packed with people dancing.

The party was going strong

A long time later, we staggered back to the hacienda to cook up a late night, or should I say early morning snack. Didn't even look at my watch until I got home. It was 6:12am.

7/29/05 Málaga Spain

Going to the beach

Even though we're finally past the 'past tense' you would think the 'future' and 'conditional' tenses would be easy. Especially because the verb conjugations are the simplest yet. But for the last couple of days, the class has really struggled with these.

Ended up going to the beach with Britt and Ingrid. I think we were surrounded by a half dozen women all going topless. Very distracting. Saw a woman who appeared to be a therapist working with a man who had cerebral palsy. What a great place to work, on the beach. Got in the water but it was freezing. Even Britt thought it was colder than in Sweden.

My roommate Britt

Therapist working with a patient on the beach

Britt invited a bunch of people over for her last night in the apartment. She wanted ti use up the last of her food. I made up a fresh pot of spaghetti, and Charlotte made a huge couscous salad. She's been a vegetarian for years. Also there were Sanne, Ida, Joanna, Josefin and Nevil.

It was kind of a goodbye dinner for Nevil who is leaving tomorrow. But then Charlotte and Sanne are leaving Monday. That leaves only Josefin and I in class out of the eight we started with.

I have been so lucky with everyone I've met here. We ended up just talking half the night, comparing cultures and languages. I found out Charlotte is studying anthropology and Joanna wants to be an EMT or nurse. I'm going to miss all these people very much.

So, what could they be talking about?

Ida, Josefin, Joanna, Nevil, Jim, Charlotte, Sanne

7/28/05 Málaga Spain

Pickpockets on the bus

Even though most people went home early last night, it seemed every student felt drained this morning. It was quite cloudy, so maybe it had to do with a change in the atmospheric pressure. All the teachers noticed our listlessness.

After class, we all gave Peter a big hug goodbye. He is such an hope smiling guy. I never saw him down and he could put a smile on anyone without even talking. The only thing I'm disappointed in is I never got to hear him play guitar. He was also taking flamenco lessons while here in Málaga.

Later I was headed out the door for the store when I ran into Britt. Clearly she was very upset and crying. Turns out someone had stolen her wallet when she was on the bus home. I walked her back to the apartment so she could calm down. We decided to go to the school because I knew Blanca would know what we needed to do. We got things straightened out. She could file a police report over the phone and they had an English interpreter. Britt also called her father who canceled her credit cards and new ones would be here on Monday. Practically had to force her to take some money to hold her over until next week. I was glad I was here to help. Later she felt better and joined some university friends down in El Centro back at the tea shop. Good for her that she wasn't paranoid about getting back on the bus.

Went to the beach for a while and it was practically empty. Not sure if it's the weather or wheat. The sea has a different greenish color to it today.

Had a scheduled short run today of only three miles but could only do two because of some left knee pain. Probably because I rushed myself yesterday to get my run in before the dinner. Tomorrow is a rest day so I hope it gets better. I was thinking of taking a tour to Sevilla Saturday but I know it's going to be a lot of walking. And I have a 13-mile run scheduled for Sunday. We'll see.

But on my run, noticed there are four navy ships in the harbor from Spain, Italy, Germany and England. Couldn't quite figure out from the paper but think it's some joint exercise against terrorism and disaster relief.

For our school activity this week, we had an 'international potluck' dinner. I spent most of the afternoon making that great American culinary delight – Cheeseburgers. And there was food there from Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden and of course, Spain. Actually a great potluck. Everyone was pretty stuffed.

Lots of good food

A lot of the student-teachers were there too. Had an interesting discussion with Hakim. His family originally came from Morocco. What he knew of America, Hakim learned about from the TV and the movies. I think he was disappointed that we weren't all cowboys in Kansas City. But he loved talking about the NBA. He spoke excellent English, so we'd bounce back and forth from Spanish.

I didn't realize it until the next day, but I was the only guy student among all those women. Spent a lot of time listening to Ida's stories about her travels to Southeast Asia. Got home late and still needed to do some homework.

7/27/05 Málaga Spain

Peter is flying back home tomorrow

Had another difficult time in the extra class for the student-teachers. I just struggle so hard to hear what they're saying. Thinking I might talk to Ramón about some private tutoring with my listening skills. Part of me thinks I should be a lot farther than I am after four weeks.

Had to squeeze in a six mile run after the extra class and the going-away get together for Peter. In the group was Britt (Sweden), Joanna (Sweden), Ida (Sweden), Charlotte (Holland), Monika (Hungary), Nevil (England) and the guest of honor, Peter (Switzerland). Had a great time. Finally had paella. A grand time had by all. Just too bad it was a going-away dinner. Peter leaves tomorrow after class.

Ida

Peter

Joanne

That's Monika in the middle

Britt

Nevil

Charlotte

Heading back home after a late night

7/26/05 Málaga Spain

Idiogafas

We had an interesting class assignment today. We had to come up with a new invention, make an informational pamphlet and instructions, all in Spanish using the imperative tense. Thought Sanna, Josefine and I came up with a pretty good idea: glasses that would translate Spanish into English called 'Idiogafas' (which translates 'language glasses').

Wouldn't you buy 'Idiogafas'!

After the beach today, ran kind of early (around 6pm) but it felt good. Three miles is so much better than twelve.

Skipped going to El Centro for Monika's birthday so I could study. And because tomorrow is a very packed day. Besides school in the morning, most of us volunteered to be 'students' in another of the student-teacher practicals. Then have to squeeze in a six mile run before going out for Peter's last night here. Sure hope we don't get much homework.

At the apartment, we're slowly transforming. Britt is getting ready to leave Saturday. And I've been trying to talk in Spanish with Ingrid. I'm going to miss Britt. She kind of was like a little sister I never had. You know, giving 'guy' advice, etc.

Well, the girls are out for the evening, so I'm going to crash early.

We need cars like this in the USA

7/25/05 Málaga Spain

The most beautiful women you'll find anywhere

Well, our class got a new student today from Holland. And finally we moved on from the past tense to the imperative, with more verb conjugations along with the usual thousands of irregular verbs.

Spent a few hours at the beach with Britt and Ingrid. It was almost deserted compared to yesterday's crowds. And the waves were the highest I've seen yet. A great day really, not too hot, no crowds, a good breeze coming off the sea, and still surrounded by the women on the beach.

I know I've been reluctant to describe the women here. First and foremost, Spain is filled with the most beautiful women you'll find anywhere. And they can be quite distracting when they go topless on the beach. But put it down as part of my 'western' mindset, they're missing a sort of athleticism. I doubt if many could run around the block. When I go for my runs along the boardwalk, I rarely see a woman runner. And even when I do, it's probably a foreigner on holiday. Don't get me wrong, you could almost go blind with all the 'eye candy' I see, but it just goes to show you the differences in culture.

7/24/05 Málaga Spain

Showing new roommate Ingrid around

There was to be a party down at one of the beach-side restaurants and the language schools got free drink tickets. So, about midnight (remember things start late around here) we walked down to El Balneario by the Baños del Carmen beach. They sure had an eclectic show. They had a guy juggling torches and knives, then the main attraction was a flamenco dance troupe of a man and three women. Oh, but the most entertaining was the transvestite MC. He was over six foot tall, and that didn't include heels. And even Britt and Ingrid said he had a body better than most women. Several time she'd go out into the audience to pull some guy up on stage to dance.

First you think 'Nice legs.'

Then you realize it isn't a woman

But probably the most disappointing was that we never saw any other Málaga ¡Sí! students. The show ended a little after 2am, so we went home. The alarm at 6am came way two early. Hit the alarm and fell back asleep. Good thing my internal alarm clock was working. Eventually got up at 7:30 to do my run. Twelve miles today!

Was concerned about keeping hydrated during the run, so decided to run to the lighthouse about 25 minutes away and run laps back and forth. In a hidden spot I put a few more water bottles. Ended up doing 2½ laps this way. And was able to keep hydrated. Good thing too, because by 9:30am, it was already hot. Definitely need to get up earlier for these Sunday runs.

Britt and Ingrid were just rousing out of bed when I got back. Took Ingrid to the store but it was closed. Very strange – it was open the first two Sundays I was here, but then closed last week and today. But the bakery had a separate door, so we were able to get something for Sunday breakfast. I had these sweet donut-like things that turned out to be real rich.

As the morning and early afternoon come and went, my legs really told me what they thought of todays run. If I sat down for just a few minutes, the legs would start to turn into lead. I took some Ibuprofen to ease off a little of the joint pain. And this was only a third of the marathon distance. Just might need a hospital bed in Chicago come October.

Decided to get a burger downstairs at El Chupete. But this time I ordered it's namesake, “El Chupete” “The Passifier”. It was a cheeseburger with lettuce and tomatoes. Got it upstairs and the weight of the sack should have been my first clue as to what I found. Think Big Mac times four, or maybe five. It was huge! I gave a forth of it to Britt and at about half of what was left. And needed to save the last bit for another day. And that was all for only 3.75€.

7/23/05 Málaga Spain

Blessing into a curse

Planning one last 'tourist' trip to El Centro, to visit the cathedral in Málaga. Inside it was pretty impressive. But like most places these days, on cameras allowed. Even though the stained glass windows were pretty high, the interior seemed to have plenty of natural light.

The cathedral only is still missing a tower

Outside I was approached by a woman, a gypsy I think, who handed me a sprig of evergreen or lavender or something and then started to do a blessing on my hands. But when I wouldn't pay her, I think she turned the blessing into a curse. Guess I need to be careful. [smile]

A big container ship moving into the harbor

The bullfight ring is in the heart of downtown

Finally bought a book on irregular verb conjugations. But still looking for a good copy of Don Quijote. For those who might be thinking of taking Spanish in Málaga, I would suggest bringing a big dictionary and a small one to carry around, a book of verb conjugations and maybe even your own book on Spanish grammar. Probably the only non-school item I would recommend is a coolie. You know, one of those foam things you put your beer can in to keep it cool. Despite the heat here, they don't have them. And remember, they're not only for beer.

Was just walking around and as I got closer to the Mercado Central de Atarazanas, I sort of let myself get swept up in the crowd heading inside. We passed the building on a tour several weeks ago, but I thought it was just a vacant historical building. Oh, it's very much alive inside.

It's a giant indoor farmer's market. The first two rows were fish mongers, then two rows of butchers, followed by several rows of fruit and vegetable stands. What a place! And packed with people too. The vendors sang out prices and then when someone bought something, some would sing that out too. “Dos kilos de naranjas por la chica.” (“Two kilos of oranges for the girl.”) I could have bought a ton of stuff. The vegetables were so much better and cheaper than at the supermarket. Oh, well, kind of hard to shop for one person.

Inside the Mercado Central de Atarazanas

The 'double arches' are everywhere

As I headed home, there was a huge basketball event happening in the Plaza de la Marina. Basketball is big in Spain. I think Spain just won the European Championships. Lots and lots of Michael Jordon wannabes.

Actually caught Rudy before he left. That makes five new friends from Sweden and I still have five more weeks here.

A lot cooler today, so ended up at the beach for awhile, then took a walk up the boardwalk towards El Centro. Feeling pretty good but still a little apprehensive about my scheduled 12-mile run tomorrow. Ended up taking two running days off this week when I was sick. Was going to get up early to run but found out that all the language schools in the area are throwing a party on the beach for the foreign students. And it doesn't even start till 11pm. Guess I'll just have to see.

The beach near my apartment

Our new roommate arrived as Britt and I wee eating a late dinner. Ingrid is from Belgium. I think she was a little overwhelmed by having roommates, just like Rudy. She is a Cervantes student, a school just down the street. But she's up for the party tonight. Looks like another good roommate.

7/22/05 Málaga Spain

Half of the class is going home tomorrow

Well, the dreaded exam on the past tenses was this morning. About five pages, four of which were fill-in-the-blank questions, with another full page essay question at the end where we had to tell about ourselves in the past tense. Guess I won't know until Monday how I did.

At the end of class, we all took a ton of pictures because half of the class is going home tomorrow. It just won't be the same next week without Ondrey, Elin and Michael. I'll really miss them.

Ondrey

Elin

Michael

Michael, Elin, Nevil, Ondrej, Ramón, Pedro, Jim

So, we all made plans to get together later for dinner. And with no homework, it was a great time to head to the beach. Problem was it was looking like another Sahara Wind was here. The air was stifling hot even though the wind was creating quite the waves on the beach. After a few minutes on the sand, I gave up and went inside to shade and a nap.

It's a funny thing about some restaurants here. They just don't seem to like foreigners. Our group of eleven went early to miss the busy time but several places said they couldn't serve us because the tables were all reserved. And this is an empty restaurant, completely empty. Finally we ended up at a non-traditional Spanish restaurant, a pizzaría. You could tell it catered to tourists because the menu was in Spanish, English and French. But even so, they treated us like they didn't want us there.

Pizza, Spanish style

And just to show that all businesses are not that way, we moved down the boardwalk to have a few drinks and our waitress was a smiling-having-fun kind of girl. She didn't mind our sad attempts at Spanish and even asked us a few questions about where we were from. And quite pretty too. [smile] When I asked to take her picture, she got real shy and said she needed to do something, running off. I wouldn't be surprised if she has that happen all the time.

As the younger part of our group moved on to another bar, I decided to call it a night, heading home a little after 1am: bed time for all the kids like me. [laugh] Said a final goodbye to Rebecca, Michael, Elin and Ondrej. I'm sad.

Rebecca

7/21/05 Málaga Spain

Another school tour of El Centro

Felt better today but not quite 100%. Everyone in class said I was missed. Ramón makes jokes that I'm the group's spiritual leader. Guess my age is showing through.

Today the school went on another excursion in El Centro to a teteria, a Moroccan-style tea house. It was off one of the plazas but down a dark, narrow alley. But it turned out to be a cool rustic laid-back kind of place full of young student types. It was hard to decide what to have because the menu had over one hundred teas, tea blends and even mil concoctions. Had a good time talking to Ondrej and Michael. Our language was a mix of Spanish and English if we didn't know the word in Spanish. Actually a little easier now that we have more verb tenses to work with.

The whole gang at the teteria

Met a few new students. Eva is from Austria and lives in my building upstairs. Magdelana and Sylvia are two girls from the Czech Republic. And there were two girls from Holland.

About ten of us went on to get something to eat afterward. Kind of hard getting a table in these small restaurants for a large group, but after the third try, we finally found a place to eat. Good thing too, because Michael looked like he was ready to eat his shirt.

While the rest of the group moved on, Britt and I took the night bus back to El Palo. Too bad we're not closer to El Centro. Catching the bus at night adds at least an hour to your evening in waiting and travel time. Was hoping to get a little more studying in but was too tired when we finally got home. Oh, well, what ya' going to do!

7/20/05 Málaga Spain

A sick day

Not feeling well at all this morning. Went to school but just to tell my teachers I was going home sick. Ended up sleeping to 2pm.

Not sure what it was. I just didn't have the energy. Later was able to get caught up mostly with my assignments. We're supposed to have a big test on Friday covering all the 'past tenses', all four of them, that we've been drilling on for the last week, week and a half.

A bunch of people saw me studying in the window and invited me to join Tilde for a drink down at the beach. Her flight home to Sweden leaves at 5:30am tomorrow. No one was in the mood for alcohol so we had some very expensive milk shakes. I wish I could have gotten to know her better. But as one friend leaves, I met another another, Ida. She was kind enough to translate for me as everyone at the table was talking in Swedish.

Tilde

7/19/05 Málaga Spain

But cooling off

The big thing today was the 'Sahara Wind' is dying down and the temperature is a lot lower. Going into town this afternoon, it was down to 30°C (=86°F) from 40°C (=104°F) yesterday. You could really tell, especially when you got into the shade.

Went for a short run but didn't feel 100%. Later all three of us cooked up a storm and kind of had a pot luck dinner together.

7/18/05 Málaga Spain

Really, really hot

Last night was one of the hottest yet. Even with the fan, I could feel the sweat dripping off my back as I tried to sleep. Today in class they explained that Málaga was experiencing a 'Sahara Wind' raising the temperature as high as 40-45°C (104-114°F). With that kind of heat, you're just drained. Since I was having difficulty studying this afternoon, I ended up sleeping on the couch in front of the fan for several hours. I didn't even try going to the beach. Instead I took a walk but even with that, the hot winds teared up my eyes.

Got a new student in class today. Nevil is from England and has studied at several schools this summer in different Spanish cities. He said Ramón is the best teacher he's met. Nevil was a student at Málaga ¡Sí! for several weeks before taking a two-week break in the countryside of Andulucia. Seems like a great guy.

Tonight as it finally cooled down (a relative term in this heat) found all three of us, Britt, Rudy and I studying. Going to try and get up early to run so I can avoid the heat. Time for a little walk before bed.

7/17/05 Málaga Spain

Yep, another roommate from Sweden

Finally, my internal alarm clock was silent this morning as I slept in late. I don't think either Britt or myself got up before 10. Two late nights in a row is not good.

Much too late to run, so I'll have to do that tonight. Had thoughts of still trying to get down to the cathedral, but already the heat was getting oppressive. Went to the beach but it was like laying on a hot skillet and I was basting in my suntan oil. Talked to Ondrej a bit on the beach. He went to Granada yesterday, and while it was beautiful, he said the heat drained him. By the time he got back to Málaga at 7pm, he barely had enough energy to fall into bed.

And today was looking like a similar day. Tried to study but the heat just made your mind mush.

Our new roommate showed up today. He was a bit surprised to find us here because he though he was renting an apartment only for himself. Rudy is an art teacher form Sweden, but was raised in California. After a few quick words in Swedish, Britt was off to somewhere for the day.

Despite the change in living arrangement, Rudy fit right in. He's only here for a week at another school. Rudy is paying about 300€ ($360) for a full week of intensive Spanish classes at 4 hours/day, and lodging. Actually a pretty good price for a working holiday near the beach in the high season. It's not like I could find that anywhere on the beaches in America.

Ended up going for my run at 8pm. Kind of unusual not to see many people out on the boardwalk at that time of evening. But as the heat sucked every ounce of moisture out of my throat, I thought all those people who stayed home were the smart ones. Towards the end of the run, a thermometer said 38°C (=100°F). That's hot.

Had just enough energy to go down to 'El Chupete' for a burger and a short walk along the beach. Definitely going to sleep soundly tonight.

7/16/05 Málaga Spain

My own tour of the city

Oh, this body just doesn't like these late nights. Got up fairly early so I could finally do my tourist thing in the cool of the morning.

First stop was the 'Castillo de Gibralfaro' up high overlooking the city. Man, what a walk to the top. Even at this early time of the day I was sweating buckets as I got to the entrance. The castillo was built in the 14th century due to the increased use of artillery, to better protect Alcazaba below. It's a huge fortification with a breathtaking view of the city. This military fortress was in use from 1487 to 1925, almost 500 years. Wow.

Wonderful view of the city

Looking towards my neighborhood

After that, I walked a good ways down the mountainside to visit the 'Alcazaba de Málaga'. Built in the 11th century, it was as impressive as a fort as it was beautiful because of the gardens and fountains throughout. But my feet sure were taking a beating on these stone walkways and steps.

Another recommended stop on my tour was the 'Fundación Picasso' in the home where he was born. Inside, besides prints, paintings and ceramics, was a replica of a studio room to give people an idea of how Picasso grew up. His father was an art teacher at the San Telmo Academy.

One of the few ceramics of Picasso

The next obvious stop was the 'Museo Picasso Málaga' with it's collection of over 200 works by Picasso. And it's all housed in the 'Palacio de Buenavista', a 16th century Andalusian palace which had the most impressive ceilings made of dark wood and pieced together in an Moorish design like a puzzle. Too bad they confiscated my camera at security.

Marques de Larios

Over the Cathedral door

By this time I was totally exhausted and it wasn't even noon. When the bus dropped me off, I was ready to drop. Ended up taking a long nap trying to recharge.

Towards evening, I wanted to see the procession for the 'Virgen de San Carmen' the patron saint of sailors, but I wasn't sure when it would be on the boardwalk. While sitting in the shade, I met Kim, short for Kimberly whose real name was Hillary. She is English but only by birth because she's spent more time all over the world than England. We ended up talking over a beer about travel and philosophy of life that travelers seem all to know. What a beautiful, interesting woman. We ended up getting separated in the crowds of the procession but she said we'd see each other around. I hope so.

It was difficult to see much of the procession because of the huge crowd in the small space of the boardwalk. But it looked like they had a huge float with the gilded statue on top surrounded by huge candelabras, all this carried on the shoulders of the men. As they got to the waters edge, it looked like they were going to take the statue on a boat out to sea, but by now the crowd was impenetrable. We were having a little get together later for Tilde's going away, so I slipped through the crowd and headed home.

On the way to the ocean

I'm going to miss seeing Tilde's smile every day at school. Her happy attitude really came through when I was calling about schools from Almansa. I'm sure it's why I decided on Málaga ¡Sí! as the school I wanted to attend. The funny thing was that of all the people there, Peter and I were the only one's who didn't speak Swedish.

A little going away party for Tilde

A few of the group wanted to continue on elsewhere, so Britt and I decided to invite Elin, Rebecca and Michael over for a late night dinner. As Britt later fell asleep, Michael and I walked the girls home. Another late night for me. This old body just isn't cut out to do this every night.

7/15/05 Málaga Spain

My first time horseback riding

Today was our last class with Klaus. But he says he likes the idea of staying long for more immersion, so he booked a flat for a month in September. Good for him. I hope we can keep in touch.

The highlight of the day was going horseback riding this evening. Some info was posted on the bulletin board about horseback riding for 20€. Rebecca, Elin's cousin, really wanted to go, but they needed at least four to sign up. In the end, it was Rebecca, Elin, Ondrej, Michael and me. We were joined by another girl from another school at the pickup point.

The ranch turned out to be in an undeveloped area near the airport. Although Rebecca hasn't ridden in a few years, she had a lot of experience with horses when she was younger. Elin had ridden before too. But Michael, Ondrej and I were total beginners. Manolo got us all setup and onto our horses so everyone could take them for a spin around the corral. Michael was convinced his horse was angry with him. “Look at her ears!” he said “They're folded back like she's mad.” I actually was having fun trying to steer my horse around all of the other riders.

High Ho Silver!

Michael looks nervous

When everyone felt at least a little bit comfortable, we set off. Mostly we rode single file, but the terrain was pretty varied; some flat sections with some steep climbs and descents in between. I was actually more afraid of the horse falling on me than actually falling off. I did pretty good, but when the horse got going faster, I just tried to hold onto the saddle.

There was a good breeze out, so it wasn't too hot. We saw a herder out with his goats. Another rider showed up and took Rebecca and her horse a little ways away so they could really go fast, without our horses thinking they needed to follow. She really is a good rider.

I think we rode about two hours. While I'm sure all of us were having a good time, you tell the horses were really sweating. I think it was a good time to head back to the ranch.

We all survived [smile]

After Manolo and Louis took us back into town, we all stopped off for a drink. Then as everyone was leaving to go home, Manolo invited me to go and meet a few of his friends. He thought it would be good Spanish practice. It seemed like a group of about ten or fifteen who meet every Thursday and Friday at a bar called Pimpi's. And as that one got crowded, we moved to another. I just didn't have enough Spanish to really engage any of them in conversation. But they all seemed nice and I just listened, trying to pick out the words. Another bar later at 2AM, I told them I was heading for home. Manolo pointed the way to the shore and once I found the boardwalk, it was a long refreshing walk home.

A refreshing drink

7/14/05 Málaga Spain

They asked us to be guinea pigs

I am really struggling in class, at least compared to my classmates. I can understand the material well enough, but when it come sot actually using it, I can't process it fast enough. Maybe if we get more students next week, I'll be in a slightly slower class. But this is exactly why I need to be here. I don't think going to night classes at home would have work at all. I think I've done about a semesters worth of class in these three weeks. Guess we'll have to wait and see what the next six weeks will bring.

After class today, I finally bought a fan. Boy what a big difference. That should give me a bit more comfortable study time, especially if it gets even hotter in August.

The school is just finishing up a course for new teachers and they asked us to be guinea pigs for the student's practical experience. The first three did a class on pronouns and the second four did one on going to the movies.

Not bad for a first class although I got the feeling that they were teaching Spanish grammar to Spanish speaking students instead of to students without the command of the language. I got real flustered in the second class during the discussion phase. I think they thought I was shy, but I just couldn't translate what they wanted me to say. I don't think they understand yet how to deal with various levels of speaking ability. Too bad they didn't ask us to critique the students. I thought several would make great teachers.

7/13/05 Málaga Spain

The word for hangover is 'resaca'

The word for hangover is 'resaca'. The head just just a little cloudy this morning. And no sleeping late with an 8:30AM class to get to. On the upside, finally got the hot water working and had my first hot shower. It was heavenly. We take so many things for granted.

Later ran into Elin, Michael and Elin's cousin Rebecca who is in the advanced class, at the beach. Had to wait until it cooled off a bit to get my run in at 7PM. Saw lots of runners out.

And the best news of all, my ATM card is being FedEx'd as I write. Now, hopefully all my money worries will be over. [smile] Except the school gave me the invoice for an additional four weeks. Sure wish the dollar was doing better against the euro. Oh well, it's just money.

Cooked spaghetti again tonight and even Britt thought it was pretty good. Now a bit of studying, then ice cream before taking my evening stroll.

7/12/05 Málaga Spain

¡Málaga Sí! has a birthday

The highlight of the day came in the evening as the school was celebrating it's 5th Anniversary. They threw a big barbecue. There must have been 30 to 40 people there including teachers, students and a big group who had just finished their teacher training.

Ondrej and I were in charge of the grills. Very different without the use of lighter-fluid. We used these small highly flammable cubes to get the real charcoal going. Then we put on kabobs of vegetables, chicken and fish. Plus there were beef cutlets for anyone desperate for cow flesh. And you couldn't have a party in Málaga without sangria. Once that was all gone, you could also have some San Miguel beer.

It's a party!

Had some laughs with Ramón, in Spanish of course. Later, Ondrej, Elin, Michael and I got into some interesting discussions. Elin is actually interested in Physical Therapy as a career, so she had a lot of questions. Plus Michael's sister was a Buddhist for a time, so we talked about that too. These two from Sweden sure act a lot older than sixteen. Ondrej is thinking of a career in International Law. This is a very good group of young people.

Later, a few of us ended up at a bar called 'Bolivia', just down the street from my apartment. As I got home I figured I might have overdone it a bit on the beer but otherwise it was a pretty good night.

7/11/05 Málaga Spain

New roommate moved out

Britt tried hard not to wake anyone as she unpacked last night. Later she she told me it was an 'interesting' trip, full of near-life-ending experiences that she doesn't want to repeat. [smile]

The staff is back to it's regular schedule, so now we have class in the morning when it's cooler. And we have an additional teacher, Ana. I had thought they might break us up into two levels, but we're all still together. I think I'm at the low end of the curve but I'm putting a solid effort into it.

Actually, I'm probably trying too hard. Got to learn to relax and maybe the words will slip in easier. Today's a rest day after that long run Sunday, but I'm pleased I'm not sore.

Britt and I are trying hard to speak Spanish-only in the apartment. Dafydd ended up moving to the hacienda which is on a quieter street. Oh, but now I know how to operate the hot water, so no more cold showers.

7/10/05 Málaga Spain

Another new roommate

I think I've been dreading this run all week. I can't even remember if I've EVER ran 10 miles. Since I can't really measure, I'll have to go by pace, about 10 minutes/mile. I hope that's close to accurate.

Ended up running past the harbor and along some of the beaches in the southeastern part of the city. The last couple of miles seemed to be taking it's toll on my knees. But my time out and time back were almost identical.

Bought a Sunday paper. I'm going to pick 7 articles out of each issue and translate them during the week. That will combine current events and practice.

Went for my daily beach session. Besides, it was too hot to study. Back to a sunny day but a lot less people here than I expected. Maybe I'm just early. Now it's back to home and more study.

Met a new roommate today. Dafydd is a school teacher from Wales. He's here for two weeks as both a holiday and study. We're both about the same age, so we compared stories. A really nice guy. But he's not to sure about our apartment. Even though I guess I've tuned out the constant traffic noise outside our windows, Dafydd doesn't think he can sleep. He'll try it a night and see.

Not that I was worried, just hope Britt is doing ok as she went to Portugal this weekend with a few fellow students from here class at the university. Went to bed late and Britt isn't home yet.

7/9/05 Málaga Spain

Sort of getting into a groove

It actually rained last night. The streets were still wet this morning and more clouds really seemed threatening.

Had planned on doing the tourist thing today but after finally getting to the post office and buying a few more things at the mall, it just wasn't in the cards. Didn't get to the tourism office in time before they closed for lunch at 2PM, so ended up riding the bus back home.

Finally took some time to catch some rays while taking my afternoon siesta. Class will be in the mornings next week, so that will work out nicely. But I'll probably have to start doing my weekday runs in the evening when it's cooler.

Sort of getting into a groove. Made some pretty good spaghetti tonight for dinner. Still doing the “on the road” workout along with much needed stretching. Kind of relaxing taking a walk late in the evening to wind down. And ending the day with a little meditation.

7/8/05 Málaga Spain

Dancing Flamenco

A little cloudy today when I went for my run. That really kept the temperature down.

For the last part of class today, we watched a Spanish film called “Planta 4” (“The 4th Floor”). It was about four teenagers on an oncology ward. A very good film but the English subtitles were distracting, at least to me.

Later I met a bunch of my classmates at the hacienda. The hacienda is another of the school's houses, a small villa really. Lea was visiting one last time because she is leaving for home in Toulouse tomorrow. When we found out she's studied flamenco for the last five years, we begged for a show. She was so excited, she went and changed into her flamenco dress and shoes. Since she felt alone up there, she danced once with Ondrej and once with me. What a sweet girl.

Lea (France)

Ready to dance?

What fun!

Later we met Monika and her significant other for dinner. He just flew in from a recent business trip to Malaysia and was taking a week off here in Málaga. I'm not sure how long they've been together, but they still act as young lovers.