I always knew I´d be terrible at keeping the world at large up to date with my goings ons! I suppose there are three reasons for this: 1) I´m too busy living the next new adventure to blog about, 2) I´m a terrible blogger, or 3) Spain has made me incredibly inefficient with my time. I´m going to go with #3. The truth is that the past two months have been incredibly busy. After a nice relaxing January post-visitors, February was filled with preparations for the big GC. Having hashed and rehashed the Global Classrooms process ad nauseum over the past few months, I will spare you the details (you should be thankful). I will say, though, that the conference was a success and I think my kids got a lot out of it. We had two honourable mentions and one “Best Delegation Overall” award. Congratulations to them! I have posted a few pictures here. The rest can be seen on my Global Classrooms Blog at http://isaacalbeniz.blogspot.com
After GC, we needed a break so Talia, Alex, Alex´s college roommate Julia, and I rented a small, red car we affectionately nicknamed Small Fry and hit the highway for a whirlwind 36-hour road trip to Bilbao and San Sebastian. Our sole purpose for going to Bilbao was to see the Guggenheim built by Frank Gehry. The museum, both the building and the exhibit on 300 Years of American Innovation, was nothing short of amazing, as expected. The city however, pleasantly surprised us as a revitalized industrial city with lots of new architecture and great pintxos (small tapas that you choose from the bar). I can safely say that in Pais Vasco, realmente se come bien! The rest of the trip was highly entertaining- driving along the Northern coast of Spain belting out Juanes songs and getting lost. San Sebastian was as beautiful as I remembered it and, though the trip home was much longer than might have been desired (because the highway just ended—WHAT???), the trip was well worth it and one of my favourites so far. And now I have bragging rights to having logged over 1,000 KM in just 36 hours in Spain all by myself. Woohoo! Some more pictures (because I know most of you are just scrolling down to see them!)
Other highlights in February include a day trip to Avila with Alex to see the intact Roman wall, lots of museuming, and…..Parul´s engagement! Here´s a photo of that too J
March has been equally, if not more busy. For Semana Santa (Easter Break or Spring Break) I headed to Berlin to see my old buddy Claus. We had a blast and saw a lot – Potsdam, Rheinsberg, Neurruppin (the 750 town where Claus is from), and Berlin for a few days. Though the weather will probably prevent me from moving to Germany any time in the near future, the trip was excellent and I took full advantage of the Huxedorfs´ hospitality. We drank fantastically good beer (I had forgotten what good beer tasted like after drinking the beer-flavored water that is Mahou), ate well, and toured almost non-stop. In addition to the normal touristy sights in Berlin, we hit the dinosaur museum and the Berlin Zoo—both of which I loved! Again, here are some pictures for all you visually inclined folks……
After Berlin, I came back to Madrid and had a far-too-brief reunion with Monica Ecklin, my old roomie from Nashville whom most of you know! It was so great to see her and her fiancé (/my friend) Nick along with the entire Ecklin clan. I wish we had gotten more time together, but it was so great to reunite nonetheless. See how happy we all are?
After two days of resting/laundering/running errands and one day of working, the other Fulbrighters and I repacked our bags and headed to Valencia for our mid-year conference. Though it wasn´t warm enough to go swimming, the weather was phenomenal, particularly after the iciness that characterized my trip to Germany. The conference went rather well. The Fulbright Commission really outdid itself and pampered us to no end- four star hotel, fantastic meals (including seaside paella at La Pepica), etc. It was great to reconnect with many grantees I hadn´t seen since orientation in September and hear what amazing things they had been up to. It was definitely the intellectual stimulation I didn´t realize I had been craving and hopefully it has reenergized me and recommitted me to achieving what it was I set out to achieve in the first place. After much Fulbright feel-good love, though, the conference ended and we were kicked out of the Hotel Beatriz Don Jaime and went to the Central Valencia Backpacker´s Hostal for one extra night. Having 8 of us crammed into one room on bunk beds after the luxury of high-class living was a bit shocking, but it was only for a night. Highlights in Valencia include the Ciudad de Artes y Ciencas, the Aquarium, and, of course, the beach. Lovely!
Now I am finally back in Madrid readjusting to working a “full” work week (these three days are long, I swear!) I have a feeling though, that April will be equally hectic, as I have more visitors coming (yay), a trip to Prague planned followed by a stint in Morocco, and lots of work to do in terms of the impending job search (wish me luck).
That being said, I will try my hardest to not be an internet pill and to provide updates more often. Until then…..Happy Spring!
