2 FEET IN LOVELY LATVIA & BACK IN THE JAC may 2008

2 FEET IN LOVELY LATVIA

May 4~11, 2008

~Latvia is only 18 years old! Although now finally independent from Russia… Russian language, Vodka and cigarettes still prevail. By “our” standards, Latvian stuff is “cheap like Borsht” and the Borsht is delicious!

~Immersed for a week in Latvia with representatives from Lithuania, Italy, Turkey, Finland, Sweden, Romania, Latvia and of course us Spaniards…I was the token Canadian rep…I truly think Canada should consider joining the EU! As English was the common language, and I, the only native English speaker in the crowd or country, I was relied upon as an idiomatic resource. A funny thing, translating the English language…imagine watching a fashion show amongst an international audience and they are relying on ME for the English vocabulary of modern fashion design…ME, wearing hiking boots, wool work socks, jeans, fleece jacket…you got a visual?

~As the group’s English language improved…mine got more worser!

~Fact: oral communication in a 2nd language improves proportionately with alcohol consumption! A week of a lot of body language and laughter!

~Although this European project’s focus is to develop “New Strategies for Promoting Foreign Language Learning in Disadvantaged Areas”…the week’s work felt more like play!

~We were fed to death, but man, was the food good! Imagine a country bursting with sour cream, cottage cheese, butter, rye bread…don’t know how those Latvians stay so skinny, I grew in one week!

~Latvia is green! Full of trees! Visited a Forestry Museum created by a fellow female forester…I was ecstatic, truly! Here I knew the vocab! Evidently women took over the industry, as the men were busy fighting in wars. That’s a hell of a way to achieve equality!

~We Spaniards stayed a couple extra days in Riga, the capital, to explore, Spanish style…slowly. The streets were rich with vendors of Amber, solidified tree sap…I wanted to buy it all! I love solidified tree sap!

~Opportunities always arise out of opportunities! Invited to teach in Finland for 2 weeks this summer and also to attend the project conference next May in Lithuania! If there’s a way…I’ll find it…if not, then I’m honoured for the invitations alone!

BACK IN THE JAC

May 11~31, 2008

~Lauren and I are missing each other! An exotic life abroad doesn’t happen without it’s hardships! Just as a life at home doesn’t mean you can’t feel homesick!

~I’ve given Lauren a true Canadian task! I’ve asked her to purchase a case of 24 cans of Canada Dry Ginger Ale pop, then drink them all really fast, then roughly cut the word Canada out of each can, 2 Canada’s per can, then send them along with Karen who’s Jaca-bound in July, so I can manufacture some more gift earrings…for French women! I gave her other tasks too, but relatively speaking, they’re boring.

~Yes, I’ve made the decision to jump over the Mountains, where the “Los Pirineos” become “Les Pyrenees” (with a couple of accent aigus in there), to Mont Pellier, France. A year on the French Mediterranean, eating French crepes, listening to French men’s accents, continuing to drink cheap Spanish red wine, and confusing my brain with yet another fucking foreign language! It’s a simple move…HA…and what move would be simple I ask myself, in a language I haven’t looked at in 28 years with 2 originally-stray cats that are probably NOW wishing they had never entered my Canadian doorway…death might have been the easier choice…! Simpler than requiring veterinarian certifications to cross serious boarders and visas making life legal…I answer myself! Good answer self!

~Carburetor and Gasoline update…eyebrow-less Gas has taken to sniffing live candles, on a regular basis, while Carb now spends the majority of his mornings running retardedly around the apartment like he’s got places to go! No wonder I don’t watch television!

~Next, off to Brive, France, at the beginning of June, to collect a friend’s (see Karen above) kid, who’s completing a high school study abroad program. She’s going to hang out with me till July. Familiar faces are so refreshing when living abroad. People who already know your story and history…and people who can pronounce your name the way your mother meant it!

~3 months of hair growth, and I’m starting to get that Spanish Mullety look! 10 Euros will solve that!

~Before I close, I would like to thank all of those who reminded me, back in March, that I was once again a year older! Turning 47 has suddenly helped me to appreciate all of the advantages of aging! Here are just of few of those advantages being older…
~I can read faster.
~My hair is growing in thicker, grey, but definitely thicker.
~I finally know what I’m talking about.
~Being set in my ways makes me a lot less prone to peer pressure.
~Wearing glasses makes me look more professional.
~It’s now acceptable to like classical music.

Well, adios May and hasta Junio amigos…will let you know my decision about teaching in Finland July 13~26. I’m kinda leaning to the “Why-the-Fuck-Not”!

Dana, Carb and Gas xox