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Snow today!

Father Frost Still Waiting for Snow

Well, we are back in the Ukraine groove. On our way back through Madrid we went to the Reina Sofia Art Museum and saw "Guernica" by Picasso (1937). What a cool and huge painting that is. As we were viewing it an elementary school teacher was talking to a group of well-behaved attentive little kids about the painting. I, too, listened in trying to learn something about the painting while getting a bit of Spanish comprehension practice. She was such a great teacher and had all the kids completely rapt.

After explaining that this was a representation of a bombing, she asked, "What do the people have as tongues?"
The kids called out, "knives!"
"What shape are their eyes?"
"They are like drops of water."
"What do we call drops of water from our eyes?"
"Tears!", an eager girl called out.
"Picasso learned of this incident through the newspaper; what colors are newspaper photographs?"
"Black and white and grey!"

I really enjoyed the eavesdropping, and it made the experience much more memorable.

The vacation was a great way to clear my mind and freshen me up for the projects to come in 2007. As soon as we got back, we found that our Internet service had been disconnected for some mysterious reason. Therefore, we headed to the Internet cafe. Once in the center, to our surprise, The giant Christmas... oops, I mean, New Year's Tree was still standing tall with a grim looking Father Frost waving to the passers by. This was January 21st - what's going on! Then it dawned on me... not only had the "Old New Year" celebrated January 15 just passed, but this has been the warmest winter in 120 years (it's 32 degrees as I write and 48 over the weekend) ... everyone is still hopeful that the snow will fall. Where is it? "Eastern Europe" had a horrible storm pass through while we were in Spain - I guess Ukraine was spared.

When our Ukrainian plane landed in Kyiv, a few people clapped as the wheels hit the runway. I noticed that when we lived in Bulgaria too. When the plane lands, people clap. I had a flashback to the Spanish clapping in the streets flameno-style just as they were walking along. Just as most of us casually whistle a tune, the Spanish will clap-clap out a percussion series that makes you think they are going to break out in dance any time.

Here in Ukraine, whistling indoors is very bad luck and makes you "lose your money." Joe has gotten a few reprimands, so while on vacation he was sure to do the "whistle the happy tune" thang as much as possible. He also bought Tabasco while in Granada. We had a close call as the European airports are now doing the "regulations on liquids" thang. So, you have to put all liquids in a clear plastic bag separate from your carry on. The limit per item is 100 ml. Luckily, the Tabasco was only 60 ml, so it made it safe and sound to our kitchen. Ukrainian food is not spicy, so along with the New Mexico chile my mom sent, we should make it through June.

Well, I gave my first workshops of the year today. The topic was "How to Make a Syllabus and a Course Outline." It was really great to be back among the teachers. I presented at Kyiv Polytechnic University and had a total of 75 partipants. The more the merrier I always say!

P.S. I added some of our photos to my two Spain entries below - enjoy!

Zumo, Sí; Humo, No

I can't really remember where I left off; I guess I should read my own blog and catch up with myself... but now we are in Granada, a unique blend of Spanish and Arabic language, architecture, and food! We had delicious falafels for lunch today with baklava appetizers (I know it's supposed to be the other way around). But the food has been terrific here and everywhere in Andalucia. Here it is not only good but plentiful too. Many places give the tapas away for free with a drink purchase! We didn't even have to buy dinner last night... it was "estupendo"!

The title of this entry refers to our morning quest for a bar/restaurant that offers our daily dose of fresh-squeezed orange juice - called "zumo" with the tongue slightly hissing behind the front teeth, not "jugo" as in Latin America - which is very plentiful all over Southern Spain, AND a minimal cigarette smoke quotient. It's difficult but not impossible. Some restaurants are even smoke free. It seems that now (maybe due to entrance into the E.U.), although employees like bank tellers can't smoke in their place of work like they did when we visited 7 years ago, people can have "smoking permitted" restaurants and bars if they post a sign on the door which clearly states this. Very few establishments have chosen to be "smoke free", but they do exist. We thought it was funny that establishments that don't allow dogs simply state on the door: "Perros, no"

Just to summarize, here's where we've been so far: 1) flew into Madrid; 2) train to Cordoba; 3) train to Sevilla; 4) bus to Cadiz; 5) bus to Conil (small beach town); 6) taxi to Tarifa (jumping off point to Morocco); 7) Train to Ronda (mountain town with awesome views and a great Salvador Dali exhibit); 8) Granada (where we are now).

We will head back to Madrid after a couple of days here which will include seeing La Alhambra... more news soon! Hasta pronto...

¡Vacaciones!

Hola! Yes, we are in Spain and having a wonderful time. We flew into Madrid and found a great little wine bar. And, of course, we had the first "tapas" of the trip. After one night in Madrid, we took the fast train (called AVE) to Cordoba. We haven't been to Andalucia before, so it was really fun to catch the vibe. "La Mezquita" was really impressive. It is a huge church/mosque that draws tourists from all over. It was built by the Muslims originally, but the Christians took over and built a church right in the center of it. Interestingly, they left much of the obviously Arab architecture in tact. So you see images of Jesus and crosses mixed with striped Islamic-like arches.

Now, we are in Sevilla. What a great place this is! It's bigger than Cordoba and not as sleepy. It has so many things to do. We saw the Alcazar (palace) today - again a collaboration of centuries of architecture with a strong Arab influence. Lots of colorfully-tiled mosaics, large open spaces, arched doorways, and beautiful gardens. We may go into the Cathedral tomorrow which is also an iconic presence here. The Gothic architecture even inspired me to take out my sketchbook and scratch out a rendition of La Giralda - a former minaret of the mosque which is now the church tower.

Lots of cool fashion here in the land of flamenco - very simple tastes but classy. I'm getting into this monochromatic look always with a splash of color, even for the men! Always a surprise scarf, tie, or shoes that is a bright pink, green, purple, or yellow. People too have been very helpful - and for those of you wondering - yes, I have been loving speaking Spanish. "El vino tinto me ayuda mucho tambien!" Well... a couple more days in Sevilla one of which includes a flea market. "Excelente, no?"

Beginnings are Good...

The best thing about breaking resolutions is that you can make them again... as long as it's all on New Year's Day. Did I just make that up? Oh well, I've already drunk champagne, bitten a fingernail, and eaten some cookies. But hey, I did exercise!

December 31, we did some non-tradional things. Considering we are not in our native country, what wouldn't be non-traditional? Well, first of all we went to Babyn Yar. Joe asked me how I was going to blog about this being such a "heavy" topic. Well, I think it's important, and I'm going to try.

The Nazis were really really evil. That's not news to anyone; but we finally went to Babyn Yar, the site of where hundreds of thousands were executed and thrown into a ravine, little children included. It's hard to recognize such a place here, as it's not clearly marked. You take the metro further than we've taken it before, get out and see a park. You wander around the park wondering, "Did they actually kill the people here, and did they throw the bodies here?" The answer is yes. Shockingly yes.

I had never been to a "holocaust" site before and it was really strange, espcecially considering that big streets and block apartment buildings surround the historical area. It was intense, namely because it looked so ordinary. Nothing special. I guess I want to remember that places, and things that don't look so special, can be incredibly full of experience and many people's stories. I read a website that was pretty poignant and tragic; if you want to know more, wikipedia gives some frightening details.

So, we paid our respects to a very sad and historical event. Somehow, I didn't feel depressed though. I felt somewhat hopeful. Ukraine is struggling with its identity and past nowadays, but I think that it's really the first time that they are able to "create who they really are." I feel a lot of soul here, albeit under the surface. I feel it though and am optimistic.

On a lighter note, we went down to Maidan as planned and saw more Father Frosts than we ever imagined. It seems you pay your "dime" and spend some "time" (or, rather you get a picture) with Santa and Snegurochka. It was interesting and put us in the mood to miss the evening crowds, go home, eat leftover spaghetti, drink some dark beer, and see some fireworks from our balcony. A positive start to a new year! A little soul goes a long way!