Friday, November 03, 2006

Education, Blisters and Dust

Okay I need to have a grump here. Why? Spain's rural education system - that's why ............ The education system here in the mountains absolutely stinks. If you want to give your child a chance here to succeed and have any sense of their own brilliance, my honest view is that you need to be prepared to put a LOT of behind the scenes effort in. Sometimes I feel like opening a separate blog on the subject to offend the Powers that Be sufficiently that SOMETHING GETS DONE to support these bored out of their wits children. My own son is learning everything in a foreign language, and so for now he is hugely stretched, but it is a living tragedy that while in the UK and other parts of Europe we have the likes of Montessori and Steiner inspiration, here, we have a system staffed by gum chewing unshaven litter bugs setting the example for the next generation. Boo Hiss - watch this space as I do not intend to take it lying down!

They don't even have a system for teaching children to read like the Oxford Learning Tree - my son's first book, which his teacher suggested he chose himself, had words such as Haciendonos in it- for a 6 year old who had never read a Spanish book!! Very not funny!

However, moving onto more practical things, I have British friends here who are in the process of moving from their Masia in the Mountains - QUITE the most beautiful position - too isolated for a single Mum but an absolute Dream for an adventurous, land loving family. We spent the entire morning on All Saints Day heaving tons of gravel to finish off an outside walled garden - hence lots of blisters all round!. On a clear day, you can see the Mediterranean from their house ........... It makes me yearn for my very own home with VIEWS and a parcel of land around it. I am almost certain that I won't be buying it here as prices are British in their expensiveness - but then in fairness, Rubielos is a BREATHTAKINGLY beautiful village. Fortunately there is still a more reasonable market in the villages around Rubielos de Mora, but greed is becoming a known entity now ...

Read my Blog about my ruin in Fuentes to get an idea of the prices - oh, and the greed!



Don't forget to check out my website - www.amanda-hamilton.com

Sunday, October 29, 2006

World's Longest Derek & Clive

A day on the beach today - it has been GLORIOUS weather again after a few days of utter drear. We scooted off this morning utterly oblivious of clocks changing or anything remotely practical like that, armed with a picnic and gardening tools. By the time my 6 year old wanted lunch, his nose was SO blocked I started looking for tissues - NONE anywhere. So, ever resourceful, I had an idea. Dig a hole and blow your nose into the hole. TEN MINUTES LATER this child was waving his head around with the scariest entrails hanging out of his head - about a foot long on each side. I couldn't bring myself to help, I thought I was going to gag, so left him to it! He finally sorted it out by burying it an inch at a time until it finally decided to reluctantly detach.

Utterly disgusting!

Do visit my more humane blog at my website : www.amanda-hamilton.com - that's the artist site!