Carnival

C  a  r  n  i  v  a  l

The dates on which Carnival is celebrated change every year it´s related to the Christian Lent. Carnival is synonymous to celebration and street party. It´s just developed in the anteroom of the Christian Lent, fasting and meditation Part of the people, the breakdown of moral standards shamelessly participants to ridicule, caricature or parody related situations and familiar characters, more or less strongly, through costumes and songs,A popular revolt led through the disguise, the mask of cheerful songs, the excitement and the joke.A monumental feast ends with the celebration of Carnival in Madrid: the burial of the sardine.

Burial of the Sardine. It is celebrated on Ash Wednesday afternoon The Alegre Brotherhood of the Burial of the Sardine launches become ritual act that is repeated year after year. Brethren are those who attend with black cape and top hat for that celebration. The remains and the thoroughbred rite brethren continue to wear their black coats and hats as a clear example of carnivalesque roots in Madrid. The Alegre Brotherhood of the Burial of the Sardine (formerly of the four cats) is one of the main ingredients of this festival, starring the Burial of the Sardine.

Then passed to the fight between Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma.

Carnival festivities in Madrid were on the 12th of Febrary 2010. The moment the Mayor of Madrid delivers the key to the city, this indicates the opening of Carnival 2010 and the party.

On February 13th 2010 was the Carnival parade. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the construction of the Gran Vía in Madrid and the movies we've seen in theaters this street.

Celebrate the 14th Children's Carnival in my neighborhood, the kids had a great time, I put four playgrouds for them to jump and play and also a little train that made them a little tour, as well as a tour of the festival of canoes, and bicycles costumes neighborhood children, and an orchestra, and gave many sweets. We had a great time and older children

by Josefina Rodríguez

Our noticeboard for Open Gate Project

In CEPA Las Rosas we have got several noticeboards for to show meaningful activities of courses that it running in the center for general knowledge. Our noticeboard about Open Gate Project is located in the left wall into the corridor on first floor and we want to show it.

Contributions Spaniard´s members group 4 November

A day in my life

Pilar Saldaña, Spain

Hello from Madrid. I will try to write I do a normal day.
I get up at 7 o'clock and the first thing I do is to have breakfast (fruit, toast with oil and coffee with milk), after that I clean my home, later I go out into the balcony to look after my -bonsai- collection (I have got an apple tree, a pomegranate tree, an olive tree, a pine, a chestnut tree, ...). They're lovely. It's my hobby. I have two pieces of fruit half way through the morning.
On Mondays and Fridays at 11 o'clock, I go to English school, the other days I go for a walk. When I come home I cook food. I like home cooking. I have lunch at 3 p.m. with my twin sons. They're 23 years old and they study at the University. We listen to news in the radio while we eat. Later, I study English or I iron some clothes. From 6 to 7 o'clock, I do -pilates- or swimming. At 9 p.m. we have dinner all family together (my husband, my three children and I). After that, I watch T.V., or read a book or do crochet. I go to bed at 1 a.m.
On Wednesday, I meet my friens and we go to visit some museum, or exhibition and after that we have lunch a restaurant.
On Friday afternoon, my husband help me to do the shopping. We buy near home, meat, fish, pulse, vegetables and fruits.
On weekends, my husband and I often go to our country house. It's in a small mountain village. It's very nice. If we're in Madrid we go to the theatre, cinema, concert or citty centre. We live on the outskirts of Madrid.

My best wishes


Julián Hernández, Spain

Dear Members of the Open Gate Discussion Group 4In first place, I want to express my personal satisfaction because our group grow up with new members from Italie and Poland. Welcome friends.Following my work corresponding about the topic.
Seven years ago my son Jorge was living in Paris because he worked over there and I had been to visit him. When I came back to Madrid, I had a nighmare journey. I remember when I was going to the airport with my son. I was going to Madrid and we had to be at Charles De Gaulle airport about two hours before the flight.
We left home with plenty of time, and we caught the train. When the train arrive at Gare du Nord Station, the train stopped it. So we just sat in the wagon getting more and more stressed. After twenty minutes, the loudspeeker in the station said us that the employes of underground of Paris are on strike. Then we didn´t know what to do and we decided to go out of the station and take a taxi but the airport is about 25 Kms. far of this place of Paris and we wasn´t sure arrive on time.
Finally, we went out the station and we found a taxi that the taxidriver drove at top speed and we arrived at the airport just forty-five minutes before the plane was going to leave. While my son paid to the bill at taxidriver, I ran forward the check-in point with my luggage, but when I arrived at checkin-desk, the woman said we couldn´t to check in my luggage because it was too late.
Fortunately, my luggage wasn´t too big for tavel in cabine.
But, I think that our italian´s friends have had greater same types of experiences than we stayed in Krakow.

With regards to “ A day in my life”

As I am retired, I usually get up later at half past ten, more or less, next I have a shower and after that, I have a breakfast and I do the housework, depend of week day ( put the clothes into washing machine, vacuun cleaner the flat, to iron, go shopping the food, cooking,.....).
On the Tuesday and Thursday morning I go to the CEPA Las Rosas for work in our project.
Everyday on afternoon, I practice my hobbies ( go to the cinema or theatre or concerts of classical music, jazz, modern music, rock, etc., read a book, dance latin´s rithm, walk,.......).
Ahhhhh, I´ll forget it, since last July, when my first granddaugther was born, at least once a week I visit to my daugther and my granddaugther.

Visit to Finland

The Spanish discussion group number 4 are formed for :

Carmen González
Isabel Serrano
Pilar Saldaña
Julián Hernández

We think about trip of Finland in last September and we tell to rest of group:

1. What was best in the “official” seminar programme in Vaasa?
We think that the best in the “official” program was the Concert and hospitality of Finns participants in the welcome cocktail and the dinner on Saturday, September 26th.
2. What was less satisfactory in the official programme?
We agree with Leena that maybe the groupdiscussion ,long-winded, it was very difficult to speak in English , specialy for Spanish group.
3. What was best during your whole trip to Finland, including your stay in Helsinki and all social activities in Vaasa ?
We don´t know Finland, well, Beatriz was in Vaasa 2 years ago, but it was an experience for ours to come by boat to the "habor" of university and visit to Suomenlinna Sverog in Helsinki and to have the sauna there with our guests, and specialy for the Spanishs ladies when arrived Saint Klaus or Papa Noël! It was very nice!
4. What surprised your most in Finland? What was most alike you expected to meet and see in Finland?
We was surprised for wild nature, trees, lakes, sea, etc. , the finns hospitality and friendly what it done very confortable our visit, seeing the city together and explainding we about it. As well was a surprise for us don´t see people in the street and the use of bike in the city with a lot of bike park in all the city.

Family

In Spain children usually live at their parents’ home until they are about thirty years old even more, it depends on when they get a job, or get married or when they can afford to buy a flat. Nowadays it is also common that people who get divorced have to come back to live with their parents (specially men) because they have no money to pay a mortgage by oneself.

Work and Holiday

Spanish people usually had 30 days in summer (quite often August) on holiday a year. But nowadays most people enjoy 15 days between July and September and the other 15 days during the rest of the year.
We also have several days at Christmas time and Easte time and some bank holidays. Some of these depend on the Region you live, for example the 7th of July is bank holiday in Navarra (“San Fermin”) or the 15th of May in Madrid (“San Isidro”). However other bank holidays are celebrated in all the country, such as the 6th of December when we commemorate the Spanish Constitution.
When there is a working day between a bank holiday and the weekend we say we have a bridge (“un puente”). During these days many people travel by car from their cities to the beaches or the countryside and there are a lot of traffic jams on the road. This is quite dangerous because there are many car accidents.

University

At this moment the level of education in Spain isn’t very high. The government wants to run a new project called “The Plan Bolonia” . It wants our students have the same level as European students, so all the University degrees are going to have four courses. After these four years they will have to do some private masters to complete their degrees. Many people are disagreed with this plan because they think families with few money will not able to afford these masters. They also will have to pay for the books.