Family Matters

So a couple weeks ago, my dad came to spend a week with me. Our tour of Andalucia had actually been planned for May of last year, but since I bolted from Spain in such a hurry, he wound up doing it alone. So we decided to do it again, this time together.

The whirlwind tour went something like this: Malaga -> Cordoba -> Granada -> Aguadulce (I had to work for 2 days) -> Osuna -> Seville -> Cadiz (to have lunch with Jesus before he left for Germany) -> Seville -> Malaga. Quite a haul for 9 days, I must say.

The truth was, we probably could have stayed in one city the whole time, and the visit still would have been great. Mostly we spent the time walking around the respective cities and talking about everything. We laughed about silly things, discussed serious things and covered pretty much all the territory in between. I think it will go down in memory as one of the nicest times I have spent with my father. Some pictures of the trip are here.



In other family news, my little sister has moved to Barcelona! She got a job at a hostel and is settling into a new apartment. As luck would have it, I have vacation next week (Holy Week here in Spain) and am heading up to see her on Friday... I can't wait. (The pic above is from her visit to Belfast last year. Look forward to updated pictures when I return!)

The trip comes at a time when I am doubting a few things about my experience here. Mostly social issues, as this is not an ideal place for evening romps. I know that a week spent with my sister will help clear those mental cobwebs and get me back on track. After that, I get to look forward to Alex and Mike's visit in April!

Other than that, all is well. The weather is starting to become beach-worthy. I am still greatly enjoying the work in the school -- today we went on an excursion to Granada with forty 13-year-olds (exhausting, but great fun). Neil and I sang at an assembly for the theatre students, and have now acquired a certain rock-star status in the school. And as always, I am working hard to get the kids thinking about bigger issues -- politics, environment, gender issues (teaching through the material, as they say)... I'm even starting to see some progress, which is incredibly satisfying.

Plans after May 31st are still cloudy, but I've got a couple of irons in the fire, and it looks like they might be getting hot. I'll give details when I feel more certain about the outcome.