Our professor was waiting for at the entrance and we spent the next hour learning some more minor things that can help us increase our grasp on the language. After class, Bert and I were supposed to play golf with Peter and Mark but the schedule changed (that has happened quite often by this point in the trip) and we opted out of golf for a little free time to pack and get our things ready to move. We told Ingolf goodbye and asked him to visit us in the states and then the team headed back to our respective host family homes. Bert, Chris and I presented our host family with some nice gifts, including the bottle of mojo that was given to us by Rafeal yesterday (we were afraid that it would bust open in our suitcases…Bert is going to try and get his home…I will let you know how that one turns out). After the hugs and kisses, we each had a couple of hours of free time before we were to be picked up for lunch. I opted for the beach, Bert decided to read, Chris worked on some things on the computer and the girls all packed their clothes. The beach was magnificent. I sat by myself and thanked God (and Rotary and Milliken (not in that particular order)) for allowing me such a great opportunity…to be in a different part of the world and getting to experience the things that our group has been able to do.Covered in black sand, I headed back to the house for a quick shower before being picked up by Peter for lunch. Our chauffeur drove us up to his house far up in the mountains where there is a different climate (the temperature changed a few degrees in only a fifteen minute drive up the mountain). We told Peter that the area that his house was in, looked like Beverly Hills and he replied in his perfect Danish accent…”Ah yes but Beverly has left a long time ago.” Tum was waiting for us where she had prepared a special Spanish cuisine…Thai food. Tum is originally from Thailand and wanted to make us a special meal. Enrique and Mariebelle joined us for lunch at the home up in the hills First we were served a noodle salad (Kayce and Nancy, she is going to send the recipe because we loved it) and then we feasted on homemade curry and rice.
We were rushed through dessert because we were to be back at the homes to be picked up by Marcos to be transported to our next destination.Today, we were moving to a part of the island near the North called Puerto de la Cruz staying in a hotel where Ingolf is the administrator. After a 45 minute drive (most of which we slept), Marcos and Merci dropped us off and we had to run upstairs and change clothes for a presentation to the Rotary Club of this city. Five or ten minutes later, we were rushed off to meet up with the men to ride a bus to the town of Gauratichi for tonight’s meeting. We met back up with some old friends from some of the other clubs and had a wonderful Rotary meeting where we were all allowed to speak about ourselves (not do the planned presentation) mostly off the cuff…and of course it was spectacular once again.
The most improved award so far goes to Bert who’s Spanish has really improved and showed in tonight’s meeting. We are continuing to work hard. Once the meeting was over, we were directed back to the bus to be transported to a small little restaurant right on the ocean for dinner. We joined about 25 Rotarians for a wonderful dinner. I sat near an old man named Antonio and he began to show me how to eat like a Tenerife native. We sat down and immediately are served some wine (of course) and then the first appetizers, snails, came out. There were some small peppers in front of us and Antonio explained to me that these were some of the most picante peppers around. He didn’t speak much English and he used a fist pump to let me know that only real men ate these. He actually used a word in Spanish that would get me in a lot of trouble if I tried to translate it…lets just say they were extremely hot. I tried a tiny little piece of these peppers just to say that I was a man and my mouth was set on fire. I talked Chris into trying one as well and we both had to have Coca-colas sent over to the table to put out the fire in our mouths. Dinner was served in the form of a large fish and some papas arrugadas. 
As the night continued on and the wine bottles got empty, Antonio talked me into taking a bite of one of the peppers (Chris got it on video). I am not sure if it was the wine or the crowd cheering my name but I bit the entire tip of the pepper and immediately had to pour Coke and water and bread down my throat to help extinguish the flames. Nothing helped. It was bad. I did however get a glowing fist pump from my new best friend, Antonio. It was worth it. He was proud and said that I was a Tenerife citizen now. The night continued on with a couple of serenades from various Rotarians, plenty of toasts to the new American friends, some dirty jokes that translated and of course…dessert. Around midnight, we all hopped back on the bus and were driven to our hotel where we retired for the evening in hopes of getting some much needed rest. We have two more days on this island and we will never forget the experiences and friends that we have had in the south. Although, I will have to try and figure out a way that I can make it the rest of the trip without a few taste buds that were burnt off with the peppers…
Chris and Catherine worked out while Carla and I laid by the pool. The club was near a beach so after a quick nap and a couple of laps in the pool, we walked out near the beach. Catherine bargained with some of the local shop owners for beach towels and we took a stroll on the nice black sand beach.
We had paella (this time different with noodles instead of rice) and some kind of new coffee drink with liquor for dessert.
He walked us through some of the cases that he typically hears and showed us a few examples. The last thing that he did which impacted us all was walk us down to the jail area where over 96 immigrants were being held because they have washed up on shore over the past days. The news in the area has been talking about over 1000 people washing up on the shores of the islands over the past five days. These are immigrants who are washing up on shore in small rafts trying to gain entry into Europe for work from the African nation. These are people who come with no national papers and can not be identified. The law states that they must be arrested and prosecuted but with no identification documents, Nelson says that they must be held for forty days while the authorities try to identify which country they are from and try to extradite them…He says that most are set free after 40 days because either the countries don’t want them back or there is no way to identify them. Huge problem. As we all looked at these people, many starving, others sick from Malaria, AIDS and tropical measles, we all realized how lucky we were to be born in a great country like the US where we are afforded many things. The smell was terrible. It looked as if each person had been given clothes by the authorities with numbers written on their chest. There were interpreters there to help process the court paperwork. The whole atmosphere was a scary one and made most of us understand the importance of our nation. This experience really opened our eyes in a tremendous way.
Nelson then led us to the top of the hill where we saw a fortress that the largest landowner had built to protect from pirates in the olden days. 
The history lesson continued at the local restaurant where the conversation turned to politics. Catherine against the whole table was the theme of the evening and some very healthy conversation was had. No one won but since I am the editor of the blog, I guess I can say that I won the argument. After some dessert, that I plan to find and import to the US (a hollowed out orange filled with orange sherbet), we were returned to our host families.
After an hour of practice and some bad coffee (haven’t had much of that here but today’s was not good), our teacher led us to the Cultural Center where we were to meet today’s host. Ingolf and Francisco, a Rotarian that we met at the meeting yesterday and a businessman in town that is working with this farm in various ways, were there at the appointed time and we headed off to a faro, where the schedule said that we would see a modern self contained Banana Plantation and get to know some of the sheep (please hold all of the West Virginia, Wyoming and Kentucky jokes…Bert has already told them). We drove out to the hills and as we approached the farm, we saw a 30 foot sheep figure in the distance. As we got closer, we realized it was a plant sculpted to be in the shape of a sheep. 
Francisco led us into the plantation and straight out with a tour guide to show us the organic banana farm. 
We walked through and were explained the process of how bananas are grown each year. The banana plants (don’t call them trees around here) are used for one harvest…each year the plant produces one stem of fruit and drops small seedlings in the ground around it. Once the plant has produced the fruit, it is taken down and one of its “sons” grows beside it for next year’s crop. Many seedlings fall but the farmers choose the strongest one and dig up the rest. In this farm, after the harvest is over, the farmers bring in sheep that eat all of the old debris from the plants and fertilize the new trees for the next year. The company is very proud of the fact that they have a full cycle of plant growth contained in their facility. As we walked through this never ending greenhouse type building, we see strawberries, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions, papaya, radishes, corn and of course bananas being grown throughout the facility (Kim Erwin and the Clemson agriculture department would be proud…no bleu cheese anywhere though). 
The tour continued on to the back side of the land where we ran into the area where all of the sheep are kept. We walked up, were met by many “bahs” from the animals and even saw a lamb that had just been born and was already walking around. We were told by our guide that we would come back to the animals but we needed to hurry back up to the front for lunch. Lunch started with papaya juice smoothies which led into wine, fried cheese, salads, croquettes and the main course…Pelibuey (Ken, that is Spanish for sheep) served with potatoes and vegetables all of which is organic. Mr Sisilia, the owner, sat down at the table and talked to us a little about his travels in the US which led into a story about the Worlds Fair and some other stuff…which led Catherine to ask “how in the world did we start talking about the worlds fair?” The owner told us a few more things about the plantation and we were rushed back out to the back so that we were able to see the sheep before we had to leave. As we walked up to the gate, the worker opened it and all of the animals started running our way. 
In the corner, the man showed us a mother that had just given birth to two babies. Tong ran up to pet the little one (I know it sounds gross but they were completely clean). The mother was protective but allowed us to walk right up and see the babies. We are directed to another area where all of the young lambs are standing around and all of the sudden Jesus, the worker, opened another gate and all of the mommas came running up the hill to find their children. It was an amazing sight to see as each mother knew exactly which ones were their children and offered them some milk. After this group had calmed down and Tong had told them to “shut up” a few times, another four newborn babies were brought out to us. 
We each took turns holding them but Tong refused to put hers back down. She wanted to bring her newfound friend home with her but she was afraid Duchess (her German Sheppard) might not be too happy with that. Reluctantly, Tong let go of her amigo and then we headed out of yet another great experience.
It turns out that Catherine is a pretty good liar since the students couldn’t guess which of her statements was a lie. Next, we did a question and answer activity with the students. We spoke a little about us and our impressions of their island. The best part was when Tong got to teach a five minute lesson on functions. Both of us were very impressed with the caring that the teachers showed for all of their students, many of whom come from diverse cultures. 
A poem on the wall seemed to sum up their approach:
a Roman Catholic priest currently serving in Los Gigantes. He is a former Anglican priest from Zimbabwe. He had become an enemy of the state there and had to leave four years ago. As part of that move, he “went to Rome,” applying to Canada, England, and Spain. The church in Spain offered him the position in Tenerife. He and his wife have two daughters, one of whom is married to a doctor in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the other married and living in the Cayman Islands. We had a great time talking about a variety of subjects, professional and otherwise. In fact, we’re continuing the conversation on Wednesday morning. This time he’s bringing his wife, Patricia, to be our adult supervision.
I was taken upstairs to his sister’s office where I met with Roberto, a former teacher turned labor advisor. Roberto explained to me the process of human resources as it applied to his position. He was very knowledgeable about all the activities that are controlled by the government. He talked about social security, taxes, wages and pensions. I learned that the majority of the workforce in the country is controlled by labor unions and there is a great need for managers to handle these issues. The whole morning was so interesting to me that we ran way off schedule and my second visit had to be cut short. Once we figured out that we had talked for a couple of hours, Roberto realized that he was supposed to take me to another office so that I could speak to Jesus Cruz, a Rotarian and owner of a HR firm, about labor union negotiation. Jesus gave me a quick run down of the processes that his company follows and what bargains were routinely located in each negotiation. By far, this was the best professional day so far for me as I was able to gain a better understanding of how the European HR systems work.
Once this was completed, we went to a building that is comparable to our Bi-Lo Center 
and attempted to bargain with security to allow us to go on a tour but they would not allow us.
He has lived in Barbados, Venezuela, Mexico, Lanzarote, Switzerland and Tenerife. He is actually a Swiss but has lived here for the past five years. We were led straight away to lunch out on the patio that overlooked the pool and the beach…it’s a hard life over here. 
Mark ordered Paella and drinks for the table. We were all a little hungry but a little paella cured that quickly. After the Paella and the dessert (which was interesting because we all ordered strawberries and the waiter came back out and said that all of the strawberries were gone...Mark gave him one look and said - no there are some strawberries and out they came...I love Rotarians), we were sent on a guide tour where we visited one of the suites and got a behind the scenes tour of the hotel from the pastry kitchen to the banquet halls. Mark was a gracious host and allowed us to stop and take pictures along the way of the beautiful views. After the tour, the group (sin Bert) decided to take a stroll through the tourist district towards the casas. Catherine has wanted to ride a camel since we got here...and the camels were only on Lanzarote...Somewhere along the walk today, Catherine got to ride her camel. 
We didn’t have to be back until 6:30 so we took our time and enjoyed the 45 minute stroll along the promenade filled with 180 shops and some amazing coastline. We all finally made it home and washed up for the Rotary Club meeting.
Bert began the presentation and we all followed along as we have become accustomed to doing. The presentation went flawless as always and we were presenting with the club’s banner…Bert forgot our banners to reciprocate. 
A few business matters were discussed and the meeting was adjourned.
We hung around for a few minutes getting to know our new friends as we wait for the girls to show up…always waiting for the girls. After some small talk, the girls arrived and we hopped in three different cars to head out for the day. Catherine, Carla and I rode with Eduardo and Nelson while Bert, Chris and Tong piled in with Pedro. 
The excursion for the day is a trip towards the north of the island where we will eventually end up at Juan Jose’s house/banana plantation for lunch/dinner/fiesta. 
The tour began with a ride through the mountains where Nelson explained to us some of the history of the island. We stopped at a lookout point, took pictures and heard the story of how the volcano erupted in 1909 and left rivers of lava that ran into the sea. We continued on, slowly learning about Nelson’s role as a judge on the island and the current trial that he is hearing that involves some local corrupt politicians. The next stop was a small cove. Punta Teno, where many locals hang out. As we headed to the north, we learned that there were fewer beaches towards this part of the island so the locals find any spots near the ocean to catch their sun. This place was a little crowded since it was Sunday and a beautiful day for laying on the beach or lava rocks or anywhere near the ocean. We looked out over the rocks for a few minutes admiring the scenery including a lighthouse off in the distance before we headed back out on the road. 
Our chaffeurs led us to a small town that was the sea port for the island as well as being the richest city in all of the islands in the 16th and 17th century. The city was so rich that legend has it that the main streets near the center of town were made of marble. Sometime during the 17th century, a volcano erupted, flooded the entire city as well as part of the ocean floor with lava and the sea port was destroyed because the ships could no longer sail into the harbor. 
The citizens moved the sea port up into a different city (Santa Cruz) and now this area is a tourist trap…or at least that is what it looked like to us. We wander around the old city…all of it rebuilt after the volcano…and see that none of the buildings except for a church survived the lava rivers. After a small tour of the city, we head to our final destination for lunch.
During the middle, we all stopped and a 97 year old Rotarian made some comments and read a poem that she had written. JJ came over once the music calmed down and decided that he wanted to take the group on a tour of the plantation. 
We followed him around through the house and into the fields where we saw the bananas hanging from the trees. He was very proud of his plants and talked about them for a long time. After the tour, everyone began to leave. We said our goodbyes to all of the La Laguna friends and made our way to our cars.