Well I’ve been invited to leave the island for supporting a non-approved football team. Somebody calling him/herself “The voice of the Awara” emailed their list and said “We invite all foreigners who shout ‘Spain!’ to pack their cases and leave for the Peninsular.” Nobody I’ve asked knows who this person is, much less remembers electing them as the island’s spokesperson. Most of them support the national team too. I’ve had…
Germany 0 – Spain 1
I went to see the European Championship Final with my friends in Franceses, who have a big projection TV and satellite feed. So you have to picture three large English ladies and one skinny boy rising off the sofa, punching the air and screaming “YES!” when Fernando Torres scored. And whent he final whistle went, we were all pogo-ing up and down, singing, “Olé, olé-olé-olé!”
Spain 1 – Germany 0
We’re a very happy place this Monday morning. For anyone who hasn’t heard, Spain won European Championship last night, for the first time in 44 years. From my window I can see four people at the bus stop opposite, waiting to go to work as usual. But today they have their arms around each other, jumping up and down with the people at the end punching the air, chanting, “¡España!…
Still busy
I feel I’m crawling out from under an avalanche of paperwork. I’ve sent off my son’s passport application and collected his last Primary school report – and picked up a the official application for him to start High School. Now for the last seventeen years I’ve had plenty of practice speaking (mostly informal) Spanish, but very little practice writing it. And these forms are formal. My son even has to…
On Top of the World
Looking east towards Tenerife. The highest point of the island is the Roque de Los Muchachos, at 2,426m (8,000 ft) above sea level. Most days of the year, the view is spectacular. Even when it’s raining at sea-level, the summit is nearly always above the clouds. In fact, you can often look down on a sea of clouds surrounding the island. Of course that’s one reason why the observatory is…
San Juan
The feast of San Juan (St. John the Baptist) is June 24th. Many people light bonfires on St John’s Eve. In the days before municipal rubbish collection, it was a practical way of having a clear out. But in Puntallana, there is a long-held folk belief that the bonfires keep away witches. Jumping over the fire is supposed to protect you from disease and the Evil Eye. It’s also a…