Here I am back again. I have to get this caught up or it will be 2010 and I can't be behind right from that start!

Finally my Spanish classes started in mid October. 8 hours per week. Monday and Wednesday from 8:15 to 9:45 in the evenings and Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 6 in the afternoon. I have two very different classes. Pilar is my instructor on Monday and Wednesday and the class has other students that are just learning the language. This is a perfect class for me as I really can't speak any Spanish either.

The Wednesday and Thursday class is more advanced with most students having lived in Spain for anywhere from 2 years to 30 years. Most of these students speak Russian and this has been very challenging. They speak among themselves and correct us none Spanish speakers when we make mistakes. My thought is that if you have been living here (in Spain) for more than 2 years why are you in a Spanish for Foreigners class. You should be in much more advanced class. David, the professor, has lots of fun with us and I am learning a lot. It helps that David is definately one of the cuter Spaniards I have met.

I have started working with four individual Spaniards that are studying English and need conversation classes. This works well as we exchange one hour of English for one hour of Spanish. My Spanish is still appalling but I am able to understand quite a bit now and I am getting by. I will not be able to converse past who I am, where I live, what type of work do I do, do I have brothers, sisters, kids, and other family etc. My Spanish/English dictionary is getting used on a daily basis.

The weekend before Halloween Jose Luis and Paloma hosted their first annual “International Tapas Competition”. There were 7 of us in total. 4 Canadians and 3 Spaniards. I know the math doesn't add up as I should have been the only Canadian......but I found an interesting fact about Paloma, her daughter Ana and her sister Mon.....they are all Canadians! Paloma's father lived in Canada in the 40's and 50's and became a Canadian. When he returned to Spain and married his teenage sweetheart (after she had waited for 13 years) he did not give up his Canadian citizenship and when his daughters were born they became Canadians and Paloma's son and daughter did as well.

The competition was very intense and we all had a great time. There were 7 very different tapa's presented but in the end when the votes were tallied Ana won the “Chefs Hat” prize for the best new tapa. Fresh artichoke heart in tempura batter with balsamic onions and a quails egg. It was excellent and a very well deserved win.

There was also a losers prize for the tapa with the least number of votes. Paloma and Jose Luis had donated this prize, a very attractive large porcelain dog that they were really hoping to “re-gift”. Guess who won this lovely prize.....Jose Luis. The dog is back in the darkest corner of the hall closet until next years event.

Halloween was a fun night. Tessa, Alyson, Connor and I went to a party hosted by the local American club in Valencia. Alyson and I organized an event for the kids where they had to stick their hands into shoe boxes that had yucky items like Ogre's vomit (warm porridge) and kids ears (dried apricots). The game was a success and seeing the kids reactions was worth all the work we did.

The first two weeks of November I was in Castellon (the closest big town) for 4 hours of intensive Spanish classes every day. The first week was a waste as I was in a class with 4 guys from Holland that had been in the class for 3 weeks already. The second week was better as I was one on one with the teacher. I can only absorb so much in one day and by the time the day was over I was exhausted.

So now it is December and I have been keeping busy with classes and Christmas celebrations. I hosted a Christmas party for the people that I have met in Benicassim. In total there were 25 of us and we had a great night with lots of food and drink. My one dimensional Christmas tree was a great success.

Today I am in Denmark with my aunt and uncle for Christmas. It is going to be a white Christmas for us. We are just getting ready to put the duck in the oven to roast and have a few minutes break before everyone arrives for dinner.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. At this time of year I wish I could be home. I miss everyone very much. I hope you all hold you family and friends close during this time. All the best for 2010.

Love Tove