Barcelona last weekend was excellent. I met the weary travelers upon their arrival at the airport – taking their first steps on Spanish soil – and it was every bit the dramatic reunion moment it sounds. Throughout their weekend visit, we got them settled in their new apartment, oriented in their area of the city, armed with mobile phones (more or less), introduced to a few new friends, and geared up to start their Barcelona job hunt. I can tell they’re ready to make the most of the adventure.
Today is Monday, which means I spent my morning with the little ones practicing numbers 1-100 and giving street directions. The latter presents some interesting challenges with children who have grown up in a town of 4,000 that is laid out more like a village than a city. No grid system here. Streets intersect almost randomly and directions are mostly given by landmarks (“over by the church”) rather than in sequence (“head east on Main Street, take your second right, etc.”). How do you convince a kid he needs to know how to say “go three blocks,” when he’s never seen a place arranged by blocks? And, to that end, does he need to know how to say that in the first place? I think so (hence the class), but it’s a provoking question. Is the information useful, or do I only think so because of a bias towards city life – or at least American city planning?
And now, as usual, for some random pictures…
This is the sign outside of every classroom in the grade school. Ever feel like your students heads are floating away?
One of my private lesson students offered to take me for a drive through the area’s nature reserve. He taught me a few tings about reading topography maps (did you know there are three different Norths?), and we ran across this huge house (palace?) built by a wealthy land owner adjacent to the reserve.
