And yes, I do think of that show every time I go on a field trip. Xplorations camp, you've ruined me with watching episodes at every lunch!
Anyway, I got to take a field trip to the Sierra Nevada with the 6th grade at my school. I was really excited because 1) I got to go someplace new that had snow! 2) I've gotten to know most of the 6th graders between all of my classes and 3) Who doesn't love field trips??
We had to be at the school by 7am, so one of the teachers offered to pick me up at 6:30am. Apparently, Wednesday was the only day I didn't wake up on time. Either my alarm didn't go off, or I slept through it. Waking up late on the one day I needed to be out early sucked. Luckily, I live on the main road to Almeria and the highway, so the bus was able to stop at the bus stop in front of my house and pick me up after it left the school. It was one of the weirdest moments in life, and I am so thankful for the relaxed Spanish culture- none of the teachers minded, they just teased me about it and then it was done.
The Sierra Nevadas were AMAZING. I'm pretty sure we were close to Mulhacen, which is part of the Sierra Nevadas, which are part of the Penibaetic Chain of mountains. It's also the tallest mountain in the Iberian Peninsula, and the 2nd tallest in Spain. The first is in the Balearic Islands. See how well I retained that knowledge from class after getting to put a location to a name?
We started off with snowshoeing through a forest, which was totally fun since I've never snowshoed before, and most of the kids hadn't either. I got to help about half of them put on their snowshoes, and now I know what it's like to be a parent and take your child somewhere with snow gear- a huge hassle to even get them ready to go. But the kids loved getting to be in the snow and it was so much fun to watch them play. Some of them even decided to get me covered in snow, so I've officially been accepted by them.
Afterwards, we headed to go sledding. I'm pretty sure most of the kids had never sledded before, and I'm somewhat of an expert, so I was thrilled that I got to go sledding with some of them. I love getting to be a kid! Watching them wipe out and laugh and have the time of their lives was so funny- these kids were the most excited I've ever seen them.
Once we'd all had our fill, we headed down into the ski resort town to have lunch and then go tubing and ride ski bikes I got to have a hot lunch with the teachers since the school was paying for all of us, which was exactly what I needed. I was so thrilled to go tubing with the kids, since it's my favorite thing about winter next to Christmas and snow angels, and the kids loved having the teachers hang out with them. I also tried the ski bikes, which are bikes without pedals and wheels and with skis instead. I am not a fan. Too much work, but I tried them since the kids wanted me to and they thought it was HILARIOUS. Note: most of my pictures are the kids waiting in line. It's hard to take pictures while tubing, or good action shots from behind a mesh fence.
We finally got home at about 8:30pm, so it was one of the longest teaching days of my life, but so cool. I love getting to experience new things, and a day in the Sierra Nevadas was something I didn't think would be possible. I even got to try new winter sports- now I just need to try snowboarding and I can be well-rounded with my winter sport attempts!
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