to save you the trouble of google image searching..

so as this new year and new decade rolls in i find myself in Gijón, a coastal city in the principality of asturias located in the north of spain. I was offered a position as language assistant at the end of last september and have been serving as such since the middle of october. Today is the last day of what has been a lengthy and exciting winter vacation, and as difficult as it will be to get out of bed in the early a.m. i am looking forward to returning to school. i essentially take part in the bilingual program at the padre feijoo institute in the calzada, a neighborhood in gijón. my current role is as assistant, which ranges in participation and responsibility from merely helping with translations, vocabulary and pronunciations to preparing and conducting classes. the students with whom i work are the equivalent of middleschoolers, they pertain to the 1°, 2° and 3° del ESO - obligatory secondary school. as kind and hospitable as the professors at the school are, it is the interaction with the children that i cherish most about this job - with the energy they posses and exude and their excitement to have a foreigner in the classroom it is impossible not to smile. ill have to bring a camera to class one of these days.
but regarding gijón, im sharing a flat on a street called la playa, which, as its name suggests, is practically on the beach. we can lean out the window and see the sea (bay of biscay or mar cantábrico), or drop down 9 stories, cross the street and get in it (still a little chilly this time of year..). i live with two asturian university girls, susana y elsa, both of whom are studying engineering at the university of oviedo (the engineering faculty, along with many others, is here in gijón. oviedo is the capital of the principality, and is about 20km inland). i consider myself very fortunate to have found a flat for a decent price with great flatmates and a great location. the physical city itself is nothing really impressive - the architecture is extremely bland and the city lacks any sort of attractive sights in that respect. what the city does offer, however, is an amazing coastline ranging from flat, sandy beaches to marinas to rocky cliffs. whether youre observing surfers, beach soccer matches, old people swimming in the middle of the winter, or watching the high tide splash up onto the sidewalk, the seafront always has something to offer. one of the nicest aspects of the coastline is the path the city has constructed, allowing pedestrians to follow the edge of the sea from the marina, past the main beach, and up to an elevated park overlooking the city.
the section right in front of my flat, along with about 1km on either side, is paved and frequented by joggers, rollerbladers, bikers, and people of all ages out for a stroll. in the afternoon before the sun sets, the atmosphere is vibrant. down there on the walkway by the sea parents push their children in strollers, couples enjoy the fresh air, the elderly take in the scenic horizon from the benches - its an ideal time to be out people watching or jogging and weaving through the wandering groups of people. once out of the city a little, the pathway is made of stones and is adorned with an assortment of sculptures.

i believe the sculpture of the bowls is called 'once tazas' (11 cups - i could be off with the number..) and the chains is a work titled 'solidaridad' (solidarity)