Spain is a great place for a vacation. Hope our lucky administrators had good ones.

In Search of an El Cid or Don Quixote

Not far away, atop an arid, fertile, elevated plateau west of the ancient city of Granada, is La Mancha. Among other things, it is a place of windmills.  It is in the setting of these wind-swept plains that we encounter Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes mythical 16th century literary character, Don Quixote, along with his neighbor cum squire, Sancho Panza and trusty steed, Rocinante.  Don Quixote is a simple man, pure of heart. He is a man seeking justice and right.  In the end however, we will remember him most, as a man who lived in a fantasy world and titled at windmills.

Peter O’Toole played Don Quixote in the movie version of Man of La Mancha.  One can not forget the beautiful, and I might say, still hot,  Sophia Loren as Dulcinia.  Their performance was fun to watch.  I hope you enjoy it.

Peter O’Toole’s Man from La Mancha

 

 

 

 

 

Another notable character in Spanish lore is El Cid Campeador.  Unlike Don Quixote, El Cid was real.

Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid) was born in 1040 to an aristocratic family in Castillona de Bivar, a small town about six miles north of Burgos, the capital of Castile. His father was a courtier, bureaucrat, and cavalryman.  His mother came from an aristocratic family.  He was a Castilian nobleman, military leader and a diplomat.  “El Cid" which comes from the Spanish article el (meaning "the"), and the dialectal Arabic word سيد sîdi or sayyid, which means "Lord" or "The Master", was educated in the royal court of Castile and became the chief general under Spain’s King Alfonso VI.  El Sid’s story, is a tale of intrigue, murder, exile, heroism and victory over the Moors at the Battle for Valencia.  He is considered one of Spain’s greatest national hero’s.

“For God! For Cid! For Spain!” 

Granada

Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.

The city of Granada, with a population of 250,000 to 350,000 depending on the source and whether or not one counts the students, is placed at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of rivers, Beiro, Darro and Genil.  It sits at an elevation of 2,421 feet above sea level and is only one hour from the Mediterrean coast, the “Costa Tropical.”

Grenada is a place of learning.  The University of Granada is located there.  Each year over 10,000 students study at the Modern Languages Center, learning the Spanish language and about Spain’s rich culture; including two members of EMSD#63 Administration; current Superintendent Scott Clay and Ms. Lynn Glickman, our current Executive Director of Personnel and Pupil Services.

History:
Wikipedia: “From the time historical records began Granada was ruled by many Caliphs, Arabic sultans and dynasties. The Arabic/Moslem empire once stretched right up into the north of Spain. The various Christian groups settled their differences, joined together and steadily drove the Arabs out of Spain. Granada was the last stronghold and finally succumbed to Isabel and Ferdinand (the catholic monarchs) in 1492. The Moslems and the Jews were forced to leave the country or convert to Christianity. A period of what would nowadays be described as ethnic cleansing ensued. At the same time Christopher Columbus came to Granada to ask Isabel and Ferdinand for a grant to build ships so that he could conquer the Americas. They gave him the money and I am sure you already know the rest.”

Cultural activities in modern Granada include:

Bull Fights

Art & Music

Arab Music & Dance

Also Flamenco Dancing

Wine & Tapas

EMSD#63 did not have to send highly paid personnel to Spain to have a “Spanish Experience.”   By applying a little time, imagination and ingenuity, as I have done in this example, our highly paid administration could have produced a more-than-adequate result, providing additional EMSD#63 personnel the opportunity learn about Spain and its rich language.  Further an in-house approach would have gone a long way to save taxpayers thousands of dollars.  Let me give our East Maine School District Board Members and Administrators some additional examples:

Experiencing Spanish Cuisine 

• Emilio’s Tapas Restaurant 
• Cafe Iberico
• 1492 Tapas Bar
• Mercat a la Planxa
• Cafe Ba Ba Reeba

Experiencing Spanish Culture

• Youtube
• Spanish Literature – English Translation
• Spanish Literature – Spanish
• Flamenco Dancing Classes
• Spanish Guitar Music & Lessons

Experiencing the Spanish Language

• Schools or Instruction
• Computer Software.

Recently, I submitted an e-mail to Dr. Clay, asking for specific information on the Spanish dialects spoken in EMSD#63.  He curtly advised me to submit a FOIA.

FOIA - 100607-001 Response EMails

The District’s Administration spent thousands of dollars on “Spanish Language & Culture” in Spain while ignoring the actual Spanish dialects spoken by our “Spanish-speaking” students and their parents.  If the District had been in such dire need, a need that required them to send these two highly paid administrators out of country for Spanish Language Immersion, the Board should have sent them to Mexico, where most of our Spanish-speaking students come from.

There is no such need, and Board President Wojtkiewicz, you have no right to squander our hard earned tax dollars for a problem that doesn’t exist!

District #207 Taxpayers

District # 207 Taxpayers, you think the goings on at EMSD#63 doesn’t effect you?  You couldn’t be more wrong.  In my opinion, this administration has indirectly squandered your money too.  Every underprepared EMSD#63 graduate costs you money. 

District #207 residents need to start paying attention! 

I have been waiting since 2004 for an El Cid-like figure to emerge on EMSD#63’s Board. None has.  At this point, I would settle for a Don Quixote.  So far, I haven’t found either!