Other side of the island and some other stuff too

School is going well – I earned the 2nd best grade in my class on the history exam (7.9) and everyone was shocked and wowed and amazed. I have no school this upcoming week because Tuesday and Thursday are holidays, and well my school just decided to give us the rest of the week off I guess…I don’t really know why, but I don’t care – there is no school!

Me and my twin bros have been bonding-they love me. I’ve showed them all of my weird tricks, and butt shorts and things like that. I also let them do basically whatever they want in the house when my parents and sister aren’t home, because they never get to otherwise – jumping on my parents bed and pillow fights, etc. They also try and manipulate me sometimes asking in a desperate but lovable voice: can I use your camera, can I take your ipod to school, play cards with me, can I have 50 cents? They are always together either competing in someway, seeing who can do something better, or they are both out of control screaming and laughing and snorting and farting and just doing 9-year old boy things.

On Saturday I ran in a race in the northern part of the island for Atletismo. It was 3 kilometers (1.8 miles), and I don’t know what my time was or placement, but I did fairly well. There were all ages participating: 4 year olds who raced a much shorter course, and some people a few years older than me who ran a little bit longer. The competition was in a recreational park, and it had turkeys and ducks and cats on the loose. The course was simply a rocky gravel road/path that was around this small park. On the way back in the coach bus, I was talking to some new friends who had never heard of an exchange experience like what I’m doing. They were very confused especially when I told them I have two families. I later told my mama this, and she explained that the majority of the people on La Palma have never left the island.

La Palma is one big mountain that has a bunch of valleys on the slopes of the ‘mountain/island’. The main road that goes around the island is super curvy, you drive in towards the island, and then out towards the ocean, then turn around the slope of the mountain and continue driving inwards. (this is hard to describe…) But anyways, today, Sunday, my family and I drove to the other side of the island to La Caldera (the huge crater from the original volcano). I thought it was going to be a huge bowl shape, but when we got to it I didn’t even realize it was La Caldera. It was half a bowl, and the other half was a flat part that led to the ocean. This flat part (which is where Los Llanos is, the other main city on La Palma) is flat because it’s on the part where all of the lava spilled out of the volcano.

Afterwards we ate a second lunch at my dad’s boss’s house which was in the country side. The house was really nice. Recently built and modern, lots of land where they grow plums, HUGE green apples, grapes and make wine, oranges, figs, walnuts, chestnuts, and lots of vegetables. The food was SOO good, I ate so much and have never been that full. We ate outdoor oven roasted sausage and pork and veggies, 3 types of potatoes, homemade bread, and homemade sauces to put on the meat or put on everything. For dessert we had cookies and some weird but good flakey pastry.

Tomorrow Sam is coming to visit for the week. So excited to see him and show him everything.

Also, new pictures: http://homepage.mac.com/mbrummitt/PhotoAlbum26.html

And, I got a cell phone so just email me if you want the number