Life in Spain

Things move forward here, and the number days remaining shrinks. In less than two weeks, I will return to the United States, arriving in JFK airport on the third of August. From there I will head directly North, to Vermont, then to New Hampshire to collect Ellen, then South to New Jersey before flying out to Mexico for an eleven-day jaunt.

My days here are much the same as they have been--quite occupied, yet quite nice. The students continue to prove delightful, and our group activities, for the most part have been great (I will not include, in the list of "great activities", the show entitled "Maravilloso Sinatra: Flamenco Divas Perform Sinatra".)

We went to Ronda the other day, a small town in the nearby sierras. The town is famous for being a "white town" (the so-called "pueblos blancos", which are painted regularly with whitewash, and which gleam brilliantly in the hot southern sun). Toward the end of the day, with the sun beating hard upon our heads, some of us headed down into the canyon beside which the town sits.

Down there, I rediscovered youth, and the group of us spent some time in ambushes, hiding behind rocks and trees and attacking each other with unripened figs. We also came upon a number of strange, rather old dwellings, which we explored with all of the excitement of true discoveries. One of the places, a converted cave, appears to have been a medieval watchtower of sorts. The other was, I believe, an old electric plant, which must have been somehow involved with hydroelectric power.

Besides these exciting interludes, the rest of our days have been spent comfortably and regularly. I teach class and we take trips to the movies, a local pool, and nearby cafes for "Cafe y conversacion", one of the easiest and most delicious of official activities.

And little else is happening here. I hope to soon share some pictures of Ronda, though I will have to steal them from fellow travelers, as my camera's battery was dead on the day of the trip.

I hope that all are well. Check back soon for some photographs.