Another holiday season has come and gone, and even though I would have loved to spend it in California with family and friends, I can say it was one of the most memorable Christmases I´ve had! I was able to spend the holidays with close friends and celebrate both traditions from home and from Spain. My winter break was both relaxing and adventurous, and I was really sad to see this special time of the year end!
One of the best things about being away from home during the holidays is seeing how the new culture you´re in celebrates it. Spain usually has sevaral Christmas decorations throughout the city (though definitely not as many in private homes like in the US), and just like last year, the city was adorned with thousands of lights in all of the main streets and plazas. There were lights in all different colors and shapes, from snowflakes and leaves to winking eyes, music notes, and even small versions of the city skyline! It’s magical walking around like a little ant under the lights through the busy streets of the city, shopping, running from one tutoring class to another, and briefly stoppoing to gaze at the giant Christmas tree of lights as you pass by. Families line up to see the Belens (Nativity scenes) that temporarily occupy churches and plazas, and huge lines intertwine in the main plaza, Puerta de Sol, as Spaniards wait to purchase a lottery ticket for “El Gordo” – the Spanish Christmas Lottery http://en.wikipedia.
The schools are also filled their share of magic, with the halls covered in Christmas trees and snowflakes, the noise of scissors cutting paper and happy chatter escaping through the classroom doors, and the sounds of children singing as they practice for their Christmas show. I loved asking the students what they wanted from the 3 Kings (they receive presents from both Santa Clause the 3 Three Kings/3 Wise Men) and getting extra hugs. It was also fun helping the classes prepare for their school-wide Christmas show. My 6th graders did an awesome pop holiday medley that turned out to be more like a little boy band concert. One of my students, Gonzalo, has long blonde hair and is always super trendy in his square orange frames and tight green pants- so naturally, he was picked to lip sync and play the role of Justin Bieber! During the show he popped out of the audience onto the stage, did a quick spin, called over his ¨backup dancers¨, and then proceeded to bust out some awesome dance moves. Another neat girl, Antilla, played Mariah Carey and did all the choreography for the show! She reminds me of my sister when she was in middle school :)
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| 3 of my adorable 4th graders waiting for the Xmas show to begin |
As fun and beautiful as the city and the schools were in December, Spain wasn´t always the happiest place to be during the holidays. The economic situation in Spain definitely changed the atmosphere, and for many students, Pápa Noel couldn´t come to their houses this year. There was a cloud hanging over many Spaniards, and no where was it more evident than in their conversations and interactions. For Spaniards don´t tend to mask what they´re really thinking or how they feel. They don´t try to fake how they feel, nor do they try to be uplifting and see the positive side of it. They simply say it like it is, and in many aspects of life, not just the economy. To show you an example, my roommate Laura got a Christmas card from her school that said the following:
"Este año es difícil desear happy christmas. Volveremos a estar happy cuando no haya ´crisis-mas. !Feliz Navidad! - El Equipo Directivo."
At my school, one teacher wrote a song to express her frustrations. She changed the lyrics to a popular Christmas carol here and wrote about the economic crisis, the government´s lack of help, and how the children and teachers are suffering from it. She even printed out the lyrics, made copies, and had the teachers all sing along at the teacher´s Christmas dinner!
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| Sam, Ashleigh and Danielle stringing popcorn -we found many cheap ways to decorate our small European apartment! |
Christmas Eve was spent with a large group of international friends, 16 in total, from Brazil, the US, Peru, and Spain. We had a feast of pomegranate chicken, plenty of sides, and pie for dessert. What a luxury abraod! My roommates and I spent all day cooking, wrapping presents, and listening to Christmas music- in true holiday spirit! I made a cheesy bread that was stuffed with 4 types of cheeses (European ones that are much cheaper and easier to find here!), marmalade and nuts, based on a recipe I learned from Spanish friends while staying in France last year. We passed the night eating, drinking mulled wine, and singing Christmas carols in both English and Spanish as our friend Paul serenaded us with his beautiful voice and strummed the ukelele (the only string instrument he had around!).
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| The girls on Christmas morning :)
Our friend Ashleigh came over to spend the night and we had a wonderful cozy Christmas morning eating cinnamon rolls and opening presents. It was so sweet and nice to have a Christmas morning with close friends.
Christmas day was also relaxing and special. We had a smaller group of friends over for lunch and spent all afternoon and evening inside eating, visiting, eating some more, eating turron, playing games, and relaxing full and content as Paul and Sam played the guitar and sang. It was a wonderful moment sitting full on the couch surrounded by friends, listening to Paul sing, dozing off a bit with the lights down and the candles twinkling around us.
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