Sunday, February 28, 2010

Hush Puppies

02.19.10 - A Coruña, Spain - I bought some anexos (collards) and decided to have a Southern vegetable mini feast. Staring me in the face when I opened the cupboard, was the yellow cornmeal I had bought ages ago and I decided to try my hand at some hush puppies. They were OK, but I made them the next day with a bit more milk and fried them on a lower heat and I blew my roommate Filipa's mind. Watch out Paula Dean.

Anyway, I busted out the blue-checkered table cloth and my Tabasco for the right, covered dish look and took a quick food shot. If anybody from McIlhenny County wants a proof, just send me an email.

Haha,

Will

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Chinese New Year at the Escuela de Idiomas

02.10.10 - A Coruña, Spain - Students studying Chinese and their teachers got together to celebrate the Chinese New Year at my school on Wednesday. They even had a dragon! And outfits! And songs! And (most importantly) food!

A good time was had by all and there's a chance I learned some Chinese following them around. A small chance.

-Will

Visiting a classroom.
Wangyi, the chinese lector holds up the Chinese flag in the lobby.
The crowd moves to the next classroom.
Carrying the Chinese flag.

A Coruña in Technicolor

02.07.10 - A Coruña, Spain - Below are some more landscapes from walking around A Coruña and one photo of my sandwich. Trust me, it was a good sandwich. Good enough at least to make it onto the blog.

-Will

The Tower of...you get the idea.
A woman walks her dog in the evening along Playa Orzan.
Benches in the park around the Tower of Hercules. A panoramic view of the Tower in the far left and the Millennium tower on the right.
Dinghies in the port.

Salami and cheese sandwich on pan gallego
Can you see the Statue of Liberty in the distance?

John visits A Coruña

02.07.10 - A Coruña, Spain - My friend John headed back with me from Zamora to A Coruña for a few days. We had a fun time touring the city and checking out the sites. Yes, we went to Monte San Pedro as well.

-Will

In the old city.
Poking around an old battery at the park.
Checking out the sea near my place.

The Galicia Black Towers

01.19.10 - A Coruña, Spain - I've been working on another photo story about the Galicia Black Towers who play American football here in A Coruña. They practice late on Tuesday nights by the Tower of Hercules and also on Saturdays in Santiago de Compostela. Here are a few images from a practice on Tuesday.

It's a small group of about 20 players, nearly all Spanish, who play in a league of 5 teams (the other four are in Portugal). They put up their own money for equipment and practice facilities. They often gather at bars on Sundays to watch a weekly NFL game or two.

I'm following the team through the end of their season in April/May.

-Will

Oklahoma!
Aspiring player from Quebec, Frank Casel.
The reminders that soccer is the national sport, and not football, is never too far away as they practice on a soccer field and wear soccer jerseys, like this one, over their pads.

Jeff Adrien plays for CB Breogan in Lugo, Spain

01.15.10 - Lugo, Spain - I spent six or seven days with Jeff Adrien of Brookline, Mass. and captain of last year's Final Four UConn men's basketball team in September/October last year shooting a story on his experiences playing for Leche Rio CB Breogan of the second division Spanish league LEB Oro. Jeff's working hard to find his way in professional basketball and was kind enough to allow me to hang out with him in Lugo for a few days.

Here are the best 11 (we'll call it the Big Ten) images from the story. The article and story appeared in the Boston Herald in December.

Best,

Will

Jeff at practice.
Jeff and his roommate and friend Abrams celebrate after the team beat CAI Zaragoza.
Jeff and Abe walk in front of the cathedral in Lugo.
Jeff grabs a board in the game against CAI. He's averaging close to 12 points and 8 rebounds per game in 23 games for Leche Rio.
Jeff shops at Carrefour, the Spanish equivalent of Walmart.
Jeff talks to his family in Boston via Skype.
Jeff works with coach Lizardo during practice.

Jeff receives a massage after practice for a soar right thigh.
Jeff and Abe spend a lot of time watching their favorite US shows like Entourage in their apartment in Lugo.
"Las Penas" of Leche Rio cheer on the team during the game against CAI.