Warehouse of Falla

Week of Feb 28-March 3
It was so fun to have everyone back in the building after their spring break and to hear about their trips. We had a couple of family dinners so we could all catch up. Sooo cute we are.

These particular photos are from a combined family dinner we had with Apartment 3.
French onion soup, salad, lasagna, and lava cakes for dessert. To die for.


Soon life was back to normal.
Tuesday night a few of us went to a rock climbing gym and fully learned just how out of shape we are.
Freddie putting on the fun shoes.


Just free climbing. No harnesses.


Do I need to tell you how weak my forearms were after this?
I could not squeeze out my washcloth or hair after my shower later that night or hold my toothbrush properly.



More of my young'ns from this week at school
These were during science class.
Learning about sound and vibrations.

José


David

Teacher: "How does the sound travel from one cup to the other?"
Pepe: "If you say hello it is going to the other cup and the air in the cup, it is going to say hello."

Luca lost a tooth!




Wednesday night we went to a warehouse to see how fallas are made.

1st. You start with a drawing. All the fallas have a statement they are trying to make. This falla is going to be about the different aspects of Fallas. Each person in the drawing is obsessed with a certain part of Fallas. Por ejemplo, the man with the rockets is obsessed with the fireworks. The guy to the left is sneaking away with the awards. The girl on top with music notes coming out of her is obsessed with the music of Fallas. And the girl with crazy red hair is obsessed with the parties.


This will be the red-headed party girl.


The singer in the picture being painted with some sort of base coat.


Now she's up.


Here's the fireworks guy ...all ready to go!

They will take these pieces out individually to the plazas and build the falla once it's time.

Here we have a smaller part of the falla.


After the drawing, the second step is to make models of the falla pieces.


Then you make a bigger one. Unfortunately, fallas are made of styrofoam these days. They used to be made of wood, but styrofoam is easier to work with. So, yeah, we're gonna need gas masks once they start burning.



Another falla. This one will be about awesome women in the world.


Forest of fallas


This next falla is basically about how China is kicking everyone's ass in the world.
The sumo wrestler there in the middle is going to be fighting Uncle Sam.



Catalina is also going to kick his ass.


Pobre Tío


Pucker up


THEN, we got to go see OUR falla! Due to the location of our FSU building (and the small fee that the program pays) we are part of a falla. Everyone in Valencia that is part of a falla pays money for that privilege. And you have to live in a certain area to be part of a falla. During fallas, there will be different activities that only the people of that falla (called falleros or falleras) can take part in. Or at least this is as best as I understand it now. Point is, our falla is amazing.
I am going to let you look at the pictures and see if you can formulate what its statement is. Fallas are usually pretty satirical in the statements they are making.





Any idea? The picture above is probably your best hint. Our falla is a statement about the negative impact television has. Specifically, this falla was made because there is a new television company that offers a gazillion channels. Sooo the old man at the top is just zoned out and flipping through channels about to go crazy. The girl has lost her mind, destroyed her teddy bear, and tortured the cat, and the boy has clearly been watching too much adult television.


No wonder the kids went crazy.


Not sure what this guy is doing...


Maybe he'll be flippin this special light switch?


Fallas began as a small neighborhood tradition. People would create a falla to represent whatever it was that bothered them about their neighbor. Then, as a cleansing ritual, they would burn them so everyone could have a fresh new start.
Odds are, there is more to it than this, and we will just encounter that information later. But it is safe to say that Fallas is LOCA.

All By Myself

I got back from Rome Sunday night and had to be on top of my game Monday morning. My teacher Julie was gone both Monday and Tuesday...so I was all by myself in charge of the kiddos. Everything went fine, it was just extra exhausting without Julie and I was extra exhausted from traveling. We also had the 100th day of school celebration on Wednesday when Julie got back.

The 100th day of school is probably the worst celebration of the school year. I had already learned this, and nothing about it this year changed my mind. The kids are all excited and amped up...but there's really nothing that's that excited. It's not like Christmas, where you too are giddy and happy because it's Christmas and you're about to get out for the holidays. The 100th day of school is just a landmark to remind you that even after 100 days of school, you're still not finished. But it was celebrated and for the most part, it was painless.

They made these 100-shaped glasses. Pepe (above) is not so sure.
Me helping José (below).

Other quotes from my students...not necessarily from this day, just in general.

"I don't can see." Translation= I can't see.

Teacher: What is the setting?
Student: It is the place that is the story.

They also brought bags of one hundred things.
Carmen brought pony tail holders.


Everyone with their bags.


Then we went to the playground and licked lollipops 100 times.
Again, Pepe is not too sure.


I came home to a mostly empty dorm all week. All the other students were on their spring break adventures. It was nice to have a kitchen/fridge to myself and to sleep without earplugs, but by the end of the week I was ready for them to return.

Our fallas at school are coming along. The next step after putting newspaper on is to put plain white paper over it.
The Chrysler building is looking a little floppy up top.


The Taj Mahal showed up at some point in the middle of the school.


The class can start painting it after it dries.


My students working on some other buildings of NYC.


Empire State Building (in front) and high school students trying to fix our floppy Chrysler in the back.


Starting to paint


One day while walking with 2 of the only girls in the building, we saw these cats asleep in a tree.
Do cats normally sleep in trees?


Saturday I woke up and decided I wanted to take a day trip by myself. I wanted to feel more independent and capable in traveling alone, even if it was only a small trip. I packed a bag of snacks and went to the train station with a destination in mind. When I asked for the ticket, the vendor said the train wouldn't leave for another 2 hours and I wouldn't arrive until 4 in the afternoon (it was 10:30 a.m. when she told me this). SO, I got out of line and looked at the train map. I saw the name "Sagunt" on one of the train lines and thought I remembered seeing that name in a Valencia travel book. But that's all I knew. So I got back in line and bought a ticket to Sagunto. It was not far...about 40 minutes on the train. I got off the train and just started walking. "What is there to do in Sagunto? Are there things to do in Sagunto?" When I was on the train, I had seen that Sagunto at least had a castle I could explore. Worst case scenario- I just get back on the train and go home. After walking for about 10 minutes, I saw a sign that said "Tourist Information." That's me.

After getting a map and some info, I walked out onto this plaza.

Just about every bench came with a cute set of old Spanish men.


Went to a church called "Ermita de Sangre"
Lots of bloody Jesus's




EWWW those knee caps!


The church was small and full of these floats. The floats parade around town at Easter.


Next, time to hit the castle.
I got to test out my camera self-picture feature on this trip.


On top of yet another castle





Castle and Roman theater


Roman theater up close


Another pretty church


High tech security system



Back in Valencia, things are getting ready for Fallas.


The official start of Fallas was Sunday, February 27 called the Cridá...which is an opening ceremony that took place right outside our building.
They had been setting up a giant stage in front of our towers all weekend and at 7:30 p.m. the streets filled with people. Someone gave a speech (I actually missed the first of the ceremony) and then there were fireworks (which I did NOT miss).


You will watch this video and not be impressed. Fireworks are one of those things that just don't have the same effect unless you see them in person. So you will have to take my word for it that Valencian fireworks are 100 times better than any other firework show. I have never seen fireworks like these before. And it's not just the visual aspect. It's the sound and proximity to them. The boom is so much more boomier. No, they are not coordinated with music or any of that fancy stuff...they are just better in a way you'd have to experience for yourself. And they set these off in the riverbed, which is lower than the street...we were literally right next to the fireworks. Plus, you can't beat a firework show right next to ancient towers.