Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Trip to Tarifa!

This past week we said goodbye to Michele Koomen, who was our supervisor from Gustavus for our time in Spain! It was lovely having another Gustie in the country, and we enjoyed having her in the classrooms seeing our lives at Sotogrande International School! We ended our time with her sharing a Mediterranean meal along the water! We hope Michele can bring back some great stories about her short but meaningful time in Spain!
My cooperating teacher, Clare Cooper, was so wonderful enough to take us on a trip to Tarifa this past weekend! She has a car and lives in the area (not to mention that she has a deep love for Tarifa as well), so she offered to drive the four of us about an hour south to where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean! It was a lovely drive on the way, and we stopped at a viewpoint where we could see the coast of Morocco. It seems that many people in the south of Spain or those who visit the south of Spain are obsessed with seeing Africa from Europe. It is a common quote you hear along the southern border. "Look there's Africa!"

The beach along Tarifa is known for being quite windy, and we were fortunate enough to see a large amount of kite surfers from this wind! It was so lovely seeing another beach outside of Estepona as well as seeing the coast of the Atlantic versus the Mediterranean. We had lunch along the beach where Lars and I went beast mode on seafood paella, a very common dish in Spain. The seafood paella was phenomenal, especially being so close to the sea where the food comes from! My hands got a little messy, which my close friends and family already know happens whenever I eat "hand food." Here are some photos that Clare took throughout our time in Tarifa!

As for updates in the school, it is the time of year where all the kids are getting sick (even though it is still about 60 degrees)! In my P2 class, we had 4 different students sick within the past week! It becomes a challenge when students leave for days at a time. We have found this long-term leave a type of occurrence for students who travel to their home countries. Sometimes they miss a few extra days or up to a week on top of holiday time. It has been interesting to see how the teachers still maintain their expectations for students despite their time away from reading, writing, and doing maths.

 
 

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