Camping, now in Spanish!!

The second round of smallish Spaniards have come and went. Its very strange to look out into a group of people, expecting to see familiar faces, only to have your mind tricked... I see all the same bodies, and shadows. Hear the same familiar voices, and pitter patter of 10 year old feet, but the faces have changed... They have transformed into different smiling faces yearning for knowledge and acceptance...The experiences that you have with the kids is great, although short, and leaves great lasting impressions.

Alberto with his prize horseshoe!

Other experiences besides waking up, singing, teaching, playing, reprimanding, picking up, feeding, footballing, running, and putting to bed the kids has been Ivan. Ivan is probably the most kind and interesting Spaniard, if not human, I have met thus far. Ivan is the Spanish farmhand who takes care of maintenance at Esgaravita and more importantly, the horses. He has joined me and my English teachers here at the farmhouse for BBQ's and drinking on many occassions. (He doesn't drink alcohol, but he gets wasted on Coca-Cola, it really hillarious, its a site to see) He takes care of the farm I am at in addition to a very large horse ranch about 15mins away. This past Sunday he took me, Sara, Camilla, and Pepper to the epica (equestrian center) to get some horseriding in.

Ivan making out with the farm burro, Ramoncito

Suffice it to say, I haven't rode a horse, or anything that resembles a horse(other than my motorcycle, which is very different I've learned) since an awesome Grand Canyon trip when I was approx 12 or 13... Ask my Dad, It was one of those trips that you remember forever.

So I'm sitting on a horse. We're walking along, checking out the Spanish countryside, crossed a small creek, loving life. We start to trot, going good, I can handle it. Pepper's horse, Baraka, is one of the wildest horses on the ranch and doesn't really want to do anything but run. He starts to run... that means we all start to run. Pepper and Sara run off at rapid speeds. I lose site of them as they run full speed into some trees... Of course my horse, Mysterio, follows going pretty fast, at least for me... the trees speed by me... Sara gets hit in the face with a branch, knocking off her glasses and cutting her on the forehead. I see a 15 foot steep embankment to the road. One would think the horse would go up slowly, but he's obviously done this before and hits the hill headstrong. I lean forward, hug Mysterio's neck and close my eyes... Effing crazy horse. We all end up on the road. Looking at each other, wondering what just happened. We headed back to the epica for some beers and to relax. A great Sunday of riding thanks to Ivan. Friday he is throwing a BBQ at the ranch for a birthday and to say good-bye to some teachers leaving for bigger and better places.
Me and a horse... just relaxing...

Camp is winding down and I'm starting to look forward to my life after camp. Heading back to Madrid, and starting to find more work, and plan some travel. Updates to come.

If you around, and in town, let me know, and we'll get down..... brown clown....

-Lo

"Its not the experience you have, but the people you experience it with..." Pepper Walkup the Baraka tamer