Last week at E.O.I. Tarazona

This was my last week at the language school and I am going to miss it this summer.  It was a great year and I will be sad to leave.  Though I am looking forward to the summer and the new experience I will have at the schools in Pedrola.  Here are some pictures from my classes.  There aren't as many students as there normally are, I think they skipped class because the weather has been beautiful this week!

Pedrola

This is where I will be next year.  I am nervous about going to a new place and I was hoping to be in the city. This town is smaller than Tarazona and I will be teaching in a high school and a grade school.  Needless to say I am anxious but I will hope for the best.  I am currently looking for an apartment in Zaragoza to live for the summer and next year so I will only commute to the town like other teachers.

My Italy Adventure

Sara and I at St. Peter's

WAS AWESOME!!!!!!

I had such a great time in Italy.  Seeing Sara again for the first time since we graduated GWU was great.  We went to see all the sights, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navarro, the Coliseum, the Palatine Hill, the Forum, the Vatican museums and St. Peter's Basilica.

We had such great meals in picturesque locations as well.

The one problem was all the tourists trying to do the same things we were doing.  It was a bit crowded in all the famous spots which is to be expected.  On Saturday night all the museums in Rome were open and free till 2 a.m. so we tried to take advantage of that and had some "fun" with history taking funny pictures with the Roman statues.  We went to the 2 museums that had no line, and therefore it was a much better experience.

The dome of St. Peter's

Gardens of the Vatican

Famous Torso by Michelangelo (He liked his naked men)

The Pieta

An impromptu concert we saw in one of the museums Saturday night in a beautiful really old building.

The Wedding Cake Building

The Coliseum

Arc of Constantine

Four Rivers Fountain by Bernini

Overall the English in Italy was pretty good, my students asked me today if the Italians spoke better English than them.  I said it was hard to tell because I understood the Italians and I understand my students.  This is my last week at the Language School and this week I should be receiving my letter that tells me where I am next year, I hope in Zaragoza.  As always comments are appreciated because I feel like people aren't reading this blog and I am wasting my time.

Rancho Time

This weekend we had a traditional Aragonese rancho.  It is vegetables and rabbit and a lot of the time snails though yesterday we didn't have snails.  It was really good even though I was not happy to be eating bunny but it tasted like chicken.

Preparing the Rancho

Jorge told me they also added a special treat of cat since they found some on the side of the road.  Here is the before/after shot.

Cooking

Later we walked to the town of Los Fayos and there is this large cave  that the legend says a giant named Caco lived there.

Spanish festivals are insane!

My first school year is coming to an end and I am both excited and sad.  I still do not have definite plans for the summer and next year but I hope to stay here in Spain.  I was accepted into this language assistant program for next year for the region of Aragon but still do not know the city/town/village where my school is located.  I hope to be in Zaragoza or some place close so it is easy to travel to back here to Tarazona to visit.  My excitement for the next year is due to the unknown, though it should be much easier to adjust to a new place and new people since the program is the same.  Though I have had such a positive experience here in Tarazona thanks to my tutor and the amazing students.  The students really made me feel welcome and at home here in Tarazona and I will be sad not to be their language assistant next year.  But, I am making the most of my time here and enjoying all the cultural events.

Yesterday was the last day of the festival in Santa Cruz.  In the morning the "baby" cows were let out to run around and brave Spaniards were out to face them in the streets.  I was safely up high in one of the carts behind a barrier.  All I have to say about my experience is that some people there were crazy! Or maybe they had too much liquid courage (alcohol)!

This video shows two boys jumping over the cow, the second jump isn't that impressive but still took a lot of courage.

Another one jumping over a cow.  I think they have the nursery rhyme about the cow jumping over the moon mixed up, haha.

There was a band playing different songs and at one point they started playing "Waka Waka" but I think people were singing "Vaca Vaca."

Close call

For a "trick" they set up a table and chairs in the middle and 4 guys started playing cards with the cows running around the table.  Eventually the cows figured it out and started attacking.

At the end they released all the cows and bulls like a mini Pamplona

Toro de Fuego Part 2

Today I went to the running of the cows in the afternoon and again the running of the bull with fire attached to its horns.  It was great fun again today and the final running of the cows is tomorrow and I plan to go again.

El manso

Check yesterday's post for more. And comment if you have a question.

Toro de Fuego

Tonight I went to a festival in a town very close to Tarazona called Santa Cruz.  I was very scared to go to this festival because they release cows and then a bull with fire attached to its horns to run in the streets.  As it turns out tonight was very safe because the cows and bull were not that aggressive.  I took some photos and video but I am not sure if they are good quality.  It started at midnight and there weren't too many lights so it is hard to make out some of it in the photos.  Luckily they run tomorrow afternoon and at midnight again so I will have the opportunity to get some more shots.  It was a lot of fun and interesting to see some of the stereotypical custom involving a bull. (I felt a little bad for the bull, but he wasn't hurt at all)

Human Toros...jaja

Picture of the bull with the fire horns.

Crazy chicks getting ready to run when the bull comes.

"Less Dangerous" Cow