You want me to translate?

Yesterday on my walk to the scuba shop for my morning dive, I was stopped by a car with a family asking me if I spoke Spanish.  I was proud to say yes.  I then proceeded to give them the information they were seeking as they asked what there was to do in La Herradura as they were passing through and were considering stopping.  I was able to tell them in Spanish that they could go kayaking, wind surfing, paddle boarding, horse back riding, etc.  They could visit the castle and swim. And of course I told them they could arrange to take Spanish lessons as a family at the Spanish school of La Herradura.  As yesterday also happened to be the "Festival of the Sea",  I also advised that they could go to the Civic Center and obtain a schedule of events as there were many activities for children planned along the beach for this weekend such as a turtle release, the creation of mandalas with rocks in the sand, etc.  I feel like I really got to know this town during my brief stay here.  It will be difficult to leave.

Then later in the evening,at a guitar concert that I was attending, I was asked to translate from English to Spanish as a woman wished to communicate her appreciation of the Flamenco guitar player's music.  I relayed her message in Spanish to the musician.  In summary she told him that she was reminded of the sea and footprints making marks in the sand whilst walking by listening to him play.  I was delighted to be utilized in the capacity of a translator.  This to me symbolizes that I am progressing in my goal to improve my Spanish speaking abilities for practical use through this immersion experience.  I hope to come back again - if not annually- to take lessons at the Spanish School of La Herradura as learning Spanish continues to be an ongoing goal for both my personal and professional development. 

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Listening practice with the seniors of La Herradura

Listening Practice with the Seniors of La Herradura

I am finding Spain to be a country whose people honor the dead with tremendous respect and tribute.  Twice I have encountered seniors who wish to show me pictures of their deceased love ones.  One was a mother of a son who was killed tragically in a motorcycle accident four years ago leaving behind 2 young children.  She tells me that she visits his grave every day of the week and brings flowers on Saturday.  Another is my neighbor here in La Herradura who is still grieving the death of his wife as recently as one year ago.  I am reminded of how life is fleeting and one must make the most of every day.

I am finding that I am able to have these conversations with the Spanish people of this town as the Spanish School of La Herradura is giving me the communication tools to connect with people in this way.  It is challenging, however and my teacher, Amelia tells me that even she has difficulty understanding the way that the seniors talk here.  They speak rapidly and seem to mumble their words together.  She encourages me to continue with my efforts, however as it good practice for listening.   

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Previous Life as a Flamenco Dancer

Previous Life as a Flamenco Dancer

I have had numerous experiences of people telling me that I look familiar to them here in La Herradura.  One gentleman in finding out that I am American tells me that he has a strong desire to return to the USA as he believes he might have lived there in another life.  He wants to go to a dude ranch so I suppose he thinks he used to be a dude.

I myself started to think that as I am so recognizable here to so many people perhaps I had lived a previous life here in La Herradura which would account also for why I feel so comfortable here.  In expanding on these thoughts I visualized myself as a Flamenco dancer in my previous life here.   This past week, however, I have been told 3 times that I look like Celine Dion.  Maybe that's why I look so familiar to so many people.  I guess I was never a Flamenco dancer after-all!

                                                                Previous Dude
(I don't mean any disrespect for this nice man.
He has a beautiful voice and sings like Del McCroury.) 

                                                                       Me




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Come Wherever I Am

COME WHEREVER I AM

I met another Dutch artist today as she sat on a stool painting a short wall.  She told me that she was invited to paint murals on walls and schools in Almunecar and was staying in a special hotel just for artists.  She suggested that I might like to come to her exhibition that evening.  I asked where and she pointed that way saying on the beach.  I told her that there was more than one beach in Almunecar asking for more clarification.  She asked me where are you from and I told her La Herradura.  She said that sounds right - her exhibition is in La Herradura - then adding, "I am going where you are going."  I enjoy the sound and idea of that and want to broadcast here in this blog that everyone should go where I am going.  This experience that I am having here at the Spanish school of La Herradura has been magical.  Please come.

Luckily it was 80 degrees and sunny for my day in Almunecar.

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Cast Sunlight and You'll be Alright

Kerry gifted me with this print on my last day

"Cast Sunlight and you'll be Alright" Lyrics from Jose Gonzalez song "Transmite sol y estaras bien"

I had a spontaneous encounter today with a woman Kerry Brown, who identified herself as a painter and writer.  She was crossing my path and asked if I spoke English.  She then showed me a crude drawing of a map with coarsely drawn lines and an X to mark the location of the residence of her artist friend here in La Herradura.  There were no identifying streets or markers to find the location of her pursuit.  Our only clue was to look for the stairs next to the church.  We set out together to find it.  In this way, I found myself thoroughly engaged in a fascinating conversation with this dynamic and articulate woman.  She spoke of being attracted to La Herradura due to the ability to find like minded people with a spiritual and creative side.  She talked about people mistakenly labeling self discovery as a "journey" when in fact one is already there.  I referenced Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz clicking her ruby shoes and finding she had it within herself all along to find courage and wisdom and a heart.

We both marveled at how lucky it was to have met as we both deviated briefly from our direct paths home each stopping at a store prior to bumping into each other on the street.  We were in agreement also in our beliefs that one can manifest such encounters by being genuinely open in our heart space to such beginnings and the intimacy that may follow.  She talked of the need to sift through societal and parental influences to discover the core, pure and unique sense of self.  She recommended the use of stillness to accomplish this objective as well as the restriction of media influences, speaking of television as people's prostration to the compulsion towards pleasure and pain.  She had things to say about self discipline as well as the psychology of language.  She talked about writing a book and the themes present in her painting and how she chooses the direction for her art.  She invited me to meet her friends who meet daily in the plaza for coffee.  I have an open invitation to join them as they have a consistent schedule for joining together.  Of course I accepted her invitation and met the owner of a school here in La Herradura for the making of Flamenco and Classical guitars as well as the  students of this fine craft.   Kerry analyzed my handwriting and told me that she can tell from my sample that  I am very generous, open and engaging and that this aspect of my personality is a very large part of my being.  She talked of other people she has known along the way and declared that "she is not afraid of losing people through truth."  I expect that I will see her again on Friday as she recommended I attend the classical guitar concert at the Civic Center of La Herradura.

Most likely I will see her sooner as I intend to join in with her group for coffee when my school schedule allows as much as possible.  She gave me permission to share the link to her art gallery as she is a painter of fine repute.  Her name is Kerry Brown www.Kerry-bb.nl and if you google search her name her website "Kerry Broomhead Brown" comes up easily.  If you take the time to look her up you will see that her paintings are very warm and reflect people in communion with themselves and others.  I have only been here for one week to date and feel fairly integrated into this community already.  Just consider how many more people I am opening up my world to meeting by learning Spanish!

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Meeting my Companeros en la escuela at the Paella BBQ

The BBQ hosted by the very hospitable Sonja and Mouta of the Spanish school of La Herradura was attended by other students who are active students the the school. What a marvelous collection of people!  There were people from all over the world there - Norway, Sweden, Morocco, Holland, Scotland, England and Spain of course.  Jacques is retired in La Herradura.  Fiona is a student at the school and brought her husband Paul to the BBQ to add to the feeling of camaraderie.  Olaf as you may recall grows avocados and olives and goes back and forth between his home in Norway and La Herradura.  He regularly books classes at the school for the duration of his stays while he is in La Herradura.  Although he tells me that he is "not a diligent student', I thought his Spanish was very good.

Then there was the incredibly good looking family from Holland.  Their daughter, Yara is an exceptionally mature 11 year old who already passed her exams for secondary school and therefore has time to travel abroad for three weeks prior to the start of the next school session.  She reminds me of my talented daughter Shannon - now 14 years old.  Yara's parents arranged for her to take classes  at the school for the length of their stay.  Yara's father is able to work remotely here  and the mother is vacationing.  Of course they are all enjoying vacation time together during their stay here as well. They are staying in a 3 bedroom apartment right behind the school and are therefore neighbors to me.

 I also met Chris and his wife and daughter who discovered the school when a group of interns disembarked from a plane in Granada and he overheard them discussing arranging a bus to La Herradura.  As he had a car and was going to Almuncar he gave them a "lift " to the school.  He's been a student and friend of the school ever since - booking classes for himself on the four weeks he has off .  He told me that he's in the oil industry and it's common for people in his industry to work with this type of schedule.

Clearly, the Spanish school of La Herradura is able to accommodate people of all ages with varying degrees of time and commitment to the learning process  

And then there was Jose - one of the teachers at the school- telling jokes all night and pretending to be Clint Eastwood who is very popular in these parts as nearby Alberia was the location of many of Clint Eastwood's' spaghetti Western films.  Alberia is considered to be a "mini Hollywood".  It is located in the Desert of Tabernas, the only desert in Europe.  Alberia has the unique desert landforms that one sees in "The Good the Bad and the Ugly", "A Fisful of Dollars","For a Few Dollars More", "Indiana Jones, the Last Crusader."  I could practice my Spanish in talking with Jose and some of the other guests.  There were many languages being spoken that night and while I was the only American everyone knew English.  It was mad! 


That night, our hosts made Paella on the grill.  There was an endless stream of food being served all night beginning with olives and soup and ending with cheese and more cheese.  The wine glass was never empty.  It was necessary to end the night to keep the glass from being refilled one more time.  Una Buena Noche indeed!

We never worried that the BBQ might be spoiled by foul weather as once again it was 83 degrees and sunny when set out to the mountains.

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Ripe for the picking

On Friday night I attended a BBQ of paella hosted by Sonja and Mouta (owners of the school) and some of the other students who are taking classes at the Spanish School of La Herradura,  Spain. 

It was located on a lovely farm in the mountains overlooking La Herradura.  There, Olaf (of Norway) grows avocados and olives.  He told me that avocados ripen after they are picked so he is able to harvest them whenever he chooses.  He said in the US and most places the grower will pick them as soon as they ripen on the tree but if you leave them longer they develop a deeper and richer taste.  I found it interesting to learn that they don't spoil on the tree and can be plucked at will without worry of spoilage from leaving them too long.  I think language acquisition is the same way.  If you have patience with the process you will develop a deeper, richer competence with the language.  If you leave it go for awhile as I did by taking 28 years off between first learning the language and the present day when I am actively using it - I found that it has not spoiled.  It is always there for the picking.

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Friendly happy people

The people of La Herradura always seem to have a smile on their face here.  Just this morning I stepped out onto the street for my morning run and was stretching my calf by pushing against a palm tree.  An old woman walked by and told me that what I was doing was dangerous because that type of tree was very weak and could easily be pushed over thereby killing a passerby on the street.  I expressed shock and stopped what I was doing immediately.  She burst out laughing with a toothless grin and said "BROMA" (joke).  She got me!

Siempre Sol.

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Hosting school groups for immersion experience and Spanish language acquisition

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My daughter Shannon

Can you spot Shannon again in this picture to the right?  Also the second picture on the bottom is the District 200 Woodstock, IL school group.  I'm the one on crutches. 

I first came to learn about the school - The Spanish school of La a Herradura a year and one half ago when I traveled here as a chaperone for my daughter Shannon's 7th grade dual language class.  We stayed with host families throughout the town and attended class every morning from 9-12 each day.  My group consisted of myself and my daughter and three other girls.  My group stayed with Rosi in a three bedroom apartment right next door to the school and on the beach.  The rest of the students and chaperones were scattered throughout the town.

My group was particularly lucky with our location.  However, no one had to walk very far to get to school as everything in La Herradura is accessible by  foot.  The school provided our teacher from District 200 Dual Language program, Katie with a private tutor.  The other chaperones in our group had class at a level geared towards beginners, while I attended class with my daughter and the other 7th and 8th graders from Creekside and Northwood middle schools.  Our teacher Joanna made learning fun creating games and competitions between groups of students for integrating the material.  After school we relaxed on the beach then had lunch that our host families prepared for us typically taken around 2 PM during the 2-5 PM siesta that is the custom here.

After lunch we participated in activities the school had planned for us as a way of enhancing our immersion experience here.  We went kayaking one day, hiking up the mountain another day.  On Friday we went to the market in Almunecar.  As we were fortunate to be in La Herradura during the town holiday we were treated to fireworks and carnival rides for the kids on another day.  A soccer game was organized by one of the interns of the school for after school activities for our kids on another day.  Stefan had been a semi professional soccer player when he was younger so the kids enjoyed his tutorage in the sport.  Our seven days in La Herradura was too short as many of us cried upon departure in saying goodbye to our host families and teachers from the school of La Herradura.  It was then that I decided that I would return to the school one day to study Spanish. 

A Woman Alone

I am alone here in order to focus on studying Spanish and talk with people in their native Spanish tongue.  I have never traveled abroad without the company of friends or family and was initially nervous about the prospect of being alone in a foreign country.  However, I have not once felt unsafe.  My duena (landlord) Rosi tells me that the crime rate here is 0%.  I am guessing that she is biased however her input is comforting nonetheless.  She said that the people of La Herradura (In 2012 there were 4,248 inhabitants here- now increased to approximately 5,000 people) consists primarily of just a few families who having grown to fill the town.  Given that most people are related, everyone knows each other and will not inflict harm on others or create negative reputations for themselves.  Also, given the geographics of La Herradura and the way that the town is laid out primarily on one long strip (Paseo Andres Segovia ) along the beach and skirted by the mountains of the coast, one can not possibly get lost.   I have noticed umbrellas left on the beach for the users' return the next day.  Clearly an indicator of a trusting people and a safe place.

The only precaution that I was given to date was to closely guard my purse when I travel to Almunecar for the market on Fridays as it is very crowded there and the risk for being pick pocketed in that setting is real. 

Upon Sonya's (Spanish Language School of La Herradura owner) suggestion I bought a used vodafone for 10 euros and have text and calls for only 5 euros a week.  I immediately input Sonya and Rosi's phone numbers so now I am not alone after-all. 

I know there are people looking out for me here.  Also, Rosi and Paco walk up and down the paseo every evening between 8:00 and 9:00.  All I have to do is position myself to greet them and I can walk along with them and practice my Spanish.  



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Estoy aqui!

Estoy aqui! (I am here!)

I am here!  For me the Spanish school of La Herradura is a destination.  The name of the school includes the location for a reason.  There is no better place to study Spanish than here in this coastal town in Spain.  The setting is stunning and absolutely glorious.  As I write this under the protection of a canopy on the patio of El Bambu restaurant on the beach I am overcome with a sense of gratitude for all that I am experiencing.

My view outward is of sunny, blue skies, sparkling waters, people relaxing on the beach, a fisherman with four poles with lines cast hoping for a catch with the coastal mountains framing the beach giving the town the reason for it's name - La Herradura (horseshoe).

My view inward gives me the a sensation of anticipation in contemplating all there is to learn here.  I came here to learn and practice my Spanish.  I intend to create my own immersion experience by being here alone in this little Spanish town set on the Mediterranean Sea.  My schedule is such that I will have group lessons twice a week and private lessons on the remaining days primarily en la manana leaving me with the afternoons for independent study and to practicing the language by talking to the people that I encounter during my day.  I am thrilled when I am successful in communicating an idea and in understanding what I am being told.  I genuinely hope to leave here more fluent than when I came - having taken my language acquisition to the next level.  We shall see.  I have three weeks to make this work for me.  Follow me on this blog and I'll keep you informed as to how things transpire.  Hasta luego!

For those of you at home who are reading this you may know that my nickname in Los Estados Unidos is "buena" as given to me by my dear friend Jane.  As I am in Spain now and the first person that I encountered here told me my name is "Carolina" in Spanish rather than simply Carol, you will note that I am now referencing myself as "Carolina". 


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