What did Raigo Loide write after the trip to Spain...

COMENIUS

MARCH 14^TH TO 18^TH IN GALICIA

Comenius

“Well, isn’t that boatman just fantastic to represent us!”, I smiled (a very rare emotional outburst at work).

“Yes, it’s good. Did you get the reference?”

Katre sounded optimistic. As always.

“What for?” My smile was fading into nothingness and the growing suspicion of new inconveniences started to lead me towards sharpening.

“Meeli won’t accept it unless we give the source”, Katre was patient and calming. “These are the rules.”

“Well I really detest the rules that kills creativity”, I tried half-heartedly to control the lost game. Inside I just thought how inept can a male teacher be in disputes with female teachers. Well, any male would surrender after 3 minutes. Female teachers are scary.

“No chance”, I added five minutes later without really trying. “I can’t find it. We have to do without giving the reference.”

“We’ll see if it’s possible to find, and if it isn’t, well, it’ll be replaced”, said Meeli.

Estonian women are often punctual, especially these scary teachers. But they’re still human beings. The picture of a boatman on an autumnal lake was  presented among the other pictures by Estonian team in Ferrol. Without a reference.

*

I first heard about Comenius in spring 2011 from Evelyn, who mentioned they’re starting a new project and maybe I would like to participate somehow. I felt busy then and gave politely negative reply, forgetting everything right away.

The autumn of 2011 brought foreign teachers to our school and I volunteered to guide them in Tallinn, partly because it’s something a history teacher should do, partly because it sounded like fun. Everything is fun where you can learn something, though I usually avoid carefully preplanned events, these few days of the first meeting of “Water, the Spring of Life” project teams proved to be much better than expected. Therefore I got involved also for the months to come. It took me several weeks just to understand what the fuss is about. Late hours after Thursdays’ lessons were spent in Meeli’s classroom and about 20 students discussed words concerning water, thought of questions about water, drew logos about water, and so on. Adults talked about “water questionnaire” and “water glossary” with most serious faces. This was active learning, as I later realized, probably much more useful than what I did in my classes of nature. And it was fun.

The main team of teachers participating in the project was soon clear, including Evelyn, Meeli, Katre and me with occasional additions by Edda. I did nothing really, the main brain behind the project being Evelyn and the main brain of the specific topic being Meeli the biology teacher, helped by smiling assistance in a person of Katre. Therefore the chance to visit Galicia came as a surprise and for a while I felt obliged to do something comparable. Without much success I must admit, since I know very little of water, and for me spring of life is more associated with sexuality than with lakes and rivers.

I planned the journey via London since it was the cheapest to find, the quickest with just two flights to A Coruña, and the best because of my feelings about the city. Naturally the problem was raised with possible late arrival and missing the flight from overcrowded Heathrow, but I stayed positive and saw no problems. Hey, it’s London, not some degenerated airport of the Third World!

Evelyn was not to come, having made her plans for vacations already, so Meeli, Katre and me formed the Estonian team of teachers. The students were picked easily among the project participants, the decision was made in favor of four classmates, all girls and graduates with good behavior and good grades.

And now the work began. I managed to persuade Katre to teach me some Spanish, which she accepted. I was lucky she thought of it as an opportunity to learn more herself by teaching the other. Later we decided to write some chapters of Spanish history, geography, cuisine and culture for the students to read. So I guess we were well prepared for the trip. The co-working with Katre proved to be very effective, probably because of the common interest in traveling and foreign cultures.

The main task for the team was to create a country profile and to present it in Ferrol. This was to do by students with the assistance of teachers. I remember well the afternoon with Katre we spent in Meeli’s backroom, fitting text and pictures, included this boatman mentioned above. I took the part of impulsive creator and even then it took hours to complete.

Results?

I don’t remember much of the presentations in Ferrol. I liked maps as I always do since it’s my inner desire to learn them but all the rest was too easy or too boring. One morning I was also too tired to pay any attention. I guess the studies concerning the topic happened before Ferrol and maybe after, but in Ferrol we did something more important. Comenius, as we agreed with Teo last night, is not about achieving some academic breakthrough. It would be foolish to hope such thing. Comenius is about to bring different nations together and to understand each others ways by sharing common interests and mutual respect. It is about making friends now, and through this socializing it could be possible to achieve something big later. Even if this big thing is to avoid some great war in the future.

But I honestly have no idea if the Estonian students learned something more about water or not. I don’t care either. I believe they definitely learned something important and the world is slightly better place again.

Exploring Galicia – ideas

I knew almost nothing about the North-West Spain before 2012. It has no significant part in history important for Estonians and it’s off the main traveling routes. Naturally I knew Santiago de Compostela and Vigo, the last one being somehow connected with silver. So while I started to do some research nearly everything was a discovery. From the humidity of climate to origins of Pablo Iglesias and Francisco Franco, Galicia became more and more comprehensible each day. I registered the Celtic origins and connections with Portuguese language, I read interesting article about ancient mines of tin and iron, I saw the importance of navy and fishing. The Andrades, Sir Francis Drake and María Pita gave face for early Galicia, followed by Concepción Arenal and politicians of the 20^th century.

Since we were to visit nothing but province of A Coruña it was obvious to learn the basics of this area. Ferrol and Pontedeume were both unknown for me and of A Coruña itself I knew just the name. Now I became aware of Torre de Hercules and Castillo de San Felipe, joined with remains of Castillo de Andrade in Pontedeume.

Something to drink in the late hours after students have gone to sleep? The local wines of Ribeiro and Albariño seemed worth to know, the local spirit of aguardiente proved vital with cold (I suffered because of illness while arriving to Spain and recovered miraculously after drinking one aguardiente with tea), and one Mexican friend of mine recommended to drink caipirinha while in Santiago.

I didn’t care learning about food and music, though. Life has shown that this knowledge comes better while surprising. Some basics I learnt from Katre, and this wasn’t my first time in Spain. I knew and loved seafood before Galicia as well as I do after.

Now what did I found out in Galicia? The most important thing was music. I knew nothing and I discovered local folk. The first ghost that haunted me was Carlos Núñez, a bagpipe player influenced by Celtic music. And the final evening in Ferrol introduced me a local musical ensemble called Bohemios, a bunch of not-so-young guys in different clothes playing different instruments and singing something. I guess this Noite das Pepitas (Pieces of the Night?) was some local festival, but I’m not sure.

The language of gallego was interesting. I think I can recognize it in the future.

Teo explained me the difference between Ferrol and El Ferrol, the last one being used by supporters of Franco. This was a useful piece of information.

The most important thing to discover was Galician reality. Unfortunately I had no chance to find out about public transport, and I also lacked the time to watch people shopping or partying. But there is something I know now and can’t measure in words. The kind of reality that’s impossible for researcher to find from the archives. The been-there reality, which always separates historian from the past, or God from man.

Exploring Galicia – places

“A man has to visit San Andrés de Teixido once in a lifetime, or otherwise the visit will take place after the death in a form of some insect”, I remember it explained by Meli or María José. This was the day of much bus and wind, the edge of Atlantic, the vacas eating something from the rocky ground, the day Meeli hugged the ocean and I first tasted Estrella Galicia.

I’d say the best spot to find for me was the village of Pontedeume. Actually it didn’t look like a village, a town would be more accurate word, but let’s leave the locals their touch of rural romance. Pontedeume was a fantastic sight which incorporated both ages and reality. I only had some counted minutes in this picturesque community, even those thanks to Miguel Primero who volunteered guiding me, it was a fast walk, and still these minutes gave me the main reason to go back one day and drink some Albariño in local taverns. My first goal to take a picture of Castillo de Andrade was accomplished easily but didn’t satisfy me and became pointless if I discovered the real spirit of Pontedeume being elsewhere.

San Andrés de Teixido is much smaller and serves as sanctuary, which is interesting, as holy and isolated places in the mountains usually are. It is also a quiet tourist attraction with more boring results. I liked the legend of San Andrés and they got a cute little church, but there’s not much to do afterwards. The thing that bothered me a bit was uncertain feeling that I didn’t see any locals apart of two dogs. The dogs seemed okay, though.

We went to the nature first full day in Ferrol, the place was called Marraxón, and it is a hill near the waterfall of river Belelle. It was a nice path to climb downwards, to see the eucalypt trees of Galicia, and to enjoy the spring. Nothing too surprising, just a nice walk in the fresh air. The next day we went to the beach and then to mountainous northern coast, where wind and rocky ground offered another emotion. Again nothing too strange, though a bit unusual for Estonians. The ocean itself was majestic, on the coast we saw wind turbines and many cows everywhere. And not the soul in sight.

Saturday, March 17^th, was for Santiago de Compostela and A Coruña, capitals of Galicia and the province. I had no great expectations and the cities were neither surprising nor shocking. Even for most ignorant tourists both of them had a landmark – the Cathedral for Santiago, and Torre de Hercules for A Coruña – and we were to visit these. Most of the people going to Galicia probably also know or get to know about University of Santiago de Compostela and Zara. One of the richest guys in the world, owner of Zara, lives in A Coruña.

If you have some must-go-and-see building waiting ahead then it’s probably dull. Hordes of tourists pouring in to see it, and it belongs to Heritage, there may be nothing natural left, nothing to represent this unique atmosphere every corner of the world has. But the Cathedral exceeded my expectations. The facade was nothing too interesting, church is church all over Europe. But it’s not ordinary to hang around on the roof of some medieval cathedral. And there was something natural in the traces of humidity I saw on the ancient walls, the green moss on damp corners. The place to sleep for the pilgrims gave me original impression of the building. This was altogether as I imagine from Tolkien’s stories, connecting Anglo-Gaelic culture to Galician Catholicism. I liked the enthusiasm and good English of our (female) guide, though she talked too much and spoiled the atmosphere a bit with her impatience. I liked the few beggars I saw, the age-dried gentle priest, and the college for catholic ordinaries – they altogether at least resembled the real life behind the illusion of magnificence.

Since the bars were still closed at midday I had no taste of caipirinha with students’ life in Santiago. Teo and Miguel Segundo took me and other Estonian teachers to the chocolate-bar and we consumed some chocolate con ron y nata with churros. The drink was really good! I remembered it a few days later sitting in some pub in Tallinn with friends of mine and coming to conclusion that Tallinn surely must need something like this rum and chocolate bar back in Santiago. An idea for business?

The old town of Santiago didn’t impress me much.

The place we had lunch, a diner for students, looked soviet, but the lunch itself was good and cheap. Such a pity I didn’t meet the students and couldn’t take part of their nights! The second reason to go back.

In A Coruña life outside the tourist attractions was unfortunately out of my reach. The Aquarium seemed big, nice and expensive, and I became friends with one of the octopus (these fellows taste good!). Torre de Hercules was nice and boring as nearly everything Romans have created.

For Meeli the day was saved on a parking-lot with the sight of two men exiting together one of the cabins of removable toilet. Local gay-life exploration would have been an interesting interlude. Unfortunately we were running short of time and I really needed to visit some grocery before the night. So I didn’t put up the question even in a form of a joke.

I made it to the shop in Ferrol. Corte Inglés, a local supermercado, sold me good Sangria and blue cheese, the last one made by French.

And Ferrol, the city I never really saw ... I liked its inhabitants, as many as I managed to get acquainted with, so I’m not really neutral. It’s always the people you like, not cold stones or asphalt. I can’t like nor dislike places I know almost nothing of, Ferrol had its chance later in Saturday night to open for me but missed it. I couldn’t see anything particularly interesting and I have to put it into my “ordinary middle-sized European towns” list. It slightly depends on the importance of port and navy and their presence in everyday life. I didn’t see it.

So Ferrol is probably a good place to live with one’s family.

Exploring Galicia – people

“Aguardiente with tea? Are you sure?”

“Yes. Why not?”

“Well, I don’t know, I’ll try ... You know it’s very unusual here, very uncommon. Galicians drink it with coffee or straight, never with tea.”

“I prefer tea while ill. I always do. It’s the Estonian way.”

The dialogues with Galicians usually were not that smooth and it took me a hell of a time to express my wish properly, since nobody seemed to understand what’s aguardiente or why should I mix it with tea or how do I know about this fiery. The combined pair of words, strong and spirit, finally took me somewhere and lead into discussion about the subject. The cultures met, surprised each other, and adapted until next clash. That’s the charm in traveling.

Galicians are very helpful and friendly people, the kind of you can rely on. Their willingness to learn foreign languages is somewhat higher than among their countrymen in southern regions of Spain but still lower than in Scandinavia. It was funny how they took time to understand the practical jokes, so common in England. And somehow they couldn’t believe that some foreigner may actually know and be interested about their culture and history. Symbolized by the remark from Teo, “It’s so strange to hear you, a blonde man from Northern Europe, speaking Galician.”

I’ve spoken Estonian with Indians, Chinese and Africans. Guess my mind’s anesthetized.

*

I didn’t get to know people from the streets. They seemed the same as all over Europe, not too loud nor too quiet, not aggressive nor shy, not ugly nor exceptionally pretty. I simply don’t know them ... yet. The people I met were teachers, adding some glimpses of students or alumnos (I like the sound of this word).

So I must write about the teachers. Teo Ramírez was the one teaching music, it was easy to communicate with him since he speaks good English and we had a couple of common interests. There were two Miguels, the former coordinator of the project I called Miguel Primero, and the current coordinator Miguel Segundo. Both are men with very kind and generous attitude. To Miguel Primero I own my visit of Pontedeume, the noble act I remember with gratitude. Two ladies, namely María José and Meli, guided us everywhere and spoke good English. Very hospitable persons. The one with the best English in Galicia I met was the male English teacher of local school but he didn’t participate in the project and I only managed to have one conversation with him, thanks to Teo.

The other Galicians were either shy or didn’t speak much English. I remember the names and faces of Paco, Mercedes and Ana. The first one was serious and the last one laughed a lot. Mercedes was our guide to the place of our last dinner, I remember the journey through heavy rain. If I ever should meet them again I will be able to perform better Spanish and therefore better results in communication.

Miguel Segundo organized us accommodation in military hotel and later managed to take us all for a tour on Ferrol Bay with a military boat. This was an interesting achievement. Miguel Primero was a great driver, the garage under his house didn’t have much space and I was impressed by his parking skills.

Of the students I can’t say much. The main organizer among them seemed to be Sergio, and there were a couple of active girls as well. Estonian girls later said that Spaniard youngsters are a bit too loud for them. I can’t say my personal view, I don’t have one. They didn’t look much different of teenagers in Estonia, except having darker hair and skin. I  liked to see the Galician girls smiling so much, they’ll be attractive women one day.

*

What to say about other nations in Galicia? They were all extremely nice and polite to generalize but some special traits for each nation can be noticed.

Italians were the most hedonistic of the groups, they spoke the loudest and were often late. The teachers in persons of Sara and Maria Concetta were definitely more than socially awkward loners, they participated everywhere and had strong opinions probably about everything. The Italian students were not so much in front as Spaniards but the only male among them, Vito, was wide-known for girls. Or at least I got the kind of impression.

French stayed more by themselves, their students stayed in a hotel under the supervision of the teachers. They proved that the most popular male name in France nowadays is Nicolas (both male teachers were called so, and French president is also Nicolas), and the men were accompanied by woman called Valérie. The project coordinator Nicolas was interesting to chat with once back in Estonia, unfortunately I couldn’t find a chance of repetition in Galicia. Valérie seems a little bit shy. French students were very young and I can’t say anything about them.

Turkish teachers (again I know nothing of students) were most different in theory because of their religion. It didn’t show out in reality, except the female teacher Özlem wearing headscarf, and all of them not eating pork and drinking Coca-Cola all the time. It was interesting to see that they still enjoyed smoking. Gazi, their project coordinator, is a very joyous and nice man. Muhsin stayed background first but opened up later and proved to be fond of soccer. Özlem showed her skills not before the last night by making us a cup of Turkish coffee and predicting later. I don’t care much of prophesy but I liked the coffee, and the warmhearted attitude.

I guess we all together made a fantastic company for that kind of traveling.

Aftermath

Estonians ran through London and stayed in a hotel near Luton Airport. The next morning we had a very early flight and we almost missed it. And later I wrote this summary. That’s it.