The festival of hugueros was crazy. On Monday night I went to the beach with the family because one of their friends had built a huguero, and we were invited for the party to burn it. The huguero was pretty impressive for just paper mâché and paint. This dad had built a castle with a king and some knights, and there was a goofy story that went along with it. Other hugueros like this were scattered along the beach, while others just had small bonfires to cook over. I don't understand how with this many people with fire, there weren't more accidents; everywhere there were sparklers, fire works, bonfires, poppers, and Chinese lanterns being set off. I suppose it was the safest thing, being on the beach in the sand and right next to the ocean. The safety conditions were drastically different the next night when they set the hugueros in the city on fire. However, I suppose it looks more dangerous to tourists and people who have never seen it before, because they do it every year and they surely must have it down by now. The hugueros in the city were huge; they closed off most of the main street. The burning began at midnight, right after they shot off one giant firework off of the mountain/castle I climbed a few weeks ago. This "bomb" signaled the start, and after it was done, people started sprinting to make it to the first huguero two blocks over. I didn't run, I was in flip flops, and instead I stayed to watch them burn the huguero that was close to the beach. They kept a wide circle around it (safety note #1) so the statue wouldn't crumble onto anyone and no one would get burned. Then there were 5 or 6 firefighters (#2) with their giant hoses (#3) and while it was burning they sprayed anywhere the flames might touch: the palm trees, flags, signs, etc. They also sprayed into the crowd some too, but I did my best to avoid those areas since I didn't have an extra pair of clothes. The burning of the hugueros went on for at least 2 hours, and the popping and cracks of fireworks went on until the morning. Everyone had work or school off on Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday people had to get up early, and I felt bad for those that are light sleepers.
My job with the girls is becoming more routine now. We wake up at 10, have breakfast, then go to the pool. Cristina gets home at 3 and we have lunch. The girls watch some cartoons, sometimes go back to the pool or the beach, and then dinner is late around 9:30-10pm. This week I began my English lessons with the girls: 30 minutes with each (separately) reading English books, associating pictures with the words in English, and a little bit of writing. For being 5 and 7, I am impressed by how much they already know. The thing they're best at is speaking it because they hear their parents say it or their teachers, or even from their cartoons (which they only watch in English). English is also a required class in school here, and most of the teachers are British. When they told me this, they explained it's why my American accent is sometimes harder to understand and I realize it when I say things outloud. We also have a ton of words in English that don't make sense, especially the way that they're written. I am also going to add that children are extremely smart and cunning in order to get what they want. It's amazing how persuasive a 5 year old can be. I'm definitely learning more and more about children through this job, and I'm starting to understand how hard it is to be a mom. And this is only with 2 kids - I give props to moms in general, but even more to those that have even more children!
This weekend I'm going camping with the family and Claudia's school in the mountains. I'm sure I will have plenty to write about after that trip. But until then: I'll pray for no more tornados in Indiana and to send some of this Spain sunshine your way!
P.s. Cristina told me that when kids ask "where do babies come from?" the answer is "Paris."