Blast to the Past in Valverde

A couple of weeks ago, we had a day celebrating "Antier" in Valverde. Antier is a Spanish word that doesn't have an exact translation but usually means the day before yesterday or has to do with the past in general. To celebrate, all the kids dressed up as the past, whether it be the 1800s or the 1960s. I can't post pictures of kids, but some were very cute indeed, with suspenders or poodle skirts or little leather jackets.

We walked over to the plaza from the school, which is about a ten-minute walk for me by myself and about a thirty-minute journey with 150 children. On the way, we saw a vintage car exhibition, complete with Mercedes-Benz, VW, and the ever-popular SEAT, a Spanish car manufacturer that was notorious during the dictatorship because they were supported by Franco so made bad, expensive cars. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The cars are nice to look at though! Plus, all the kids loved pretending to drive. :D

A collage of some of the cars I saw! All shapes, sizes, and colors!

After the car show, we all took class photos in our old timey clothing and paraded into the plaza for a snack of a sandwich and juice. Then, there was a play put on by some of the kids I teach about the Legend of the German Submarine in El Hierro, or la Leyenda del Submarino Alemán en el Hierro en 1917.

The legend goes like this: on September 8, 1917, some fisherman in El Hierro saw a German submarine emerge from the waters of the port. Since it was World War I and Spain was firmly neutral while Germany was on the verge of losing The Great War, the arrival of this submarine worried everyone quite a bit.

The mayor of Villa de Valverde (the capital, the biggest city, and the town I live in) arrived at the port to resolve the situation. The mayor's name was Juan Ayala and he requested that the German commander leave the island and that, while in Spanish waters, the Germans raise the Spanish flag in addition to the German flag. In response, the German commander "invited" Juan Ayala to come into the submarine, learn about submarines (which were still quite new), and discuss things further. The mayor agreed, curious about this new boat that sailed underwater, and the submarine dove down and disappeared.

Now, all the citizens of El Hierro were understandably concerned. Where had the mayor gone? Should they choose a new mayor? Was Germany going to attack their little island? After a week, on September 17, 1917, the German submarine returned with the mayor safe and sound on board. He said an enthusiastic goodbye to the German commander, and when everyone asked what had happened and what he had talked with the Germans about, the mayor refused to say anything. The only response he ever gave was "si les digo lo que pasó, les miento": If I tell them what happened, I lie to them. And so, the mystery of the German submarine died with Juan Ayala.

This legend is based on real events, since the children of Ayala have journal entries and documents proving the disappearance of the mayor in 1917, but who knows what really happened? My kids put on a play telling this story, and it was a delight! After the play, some women from the city hall did a presentation about toys children played with in the old days, and everyone wanted to volunteer! They showed hopscotch, hoop games, boats made out of cacti, and more! A great time had by all.

It was a great day of school, and I learned a lot along with the kiddos!

¡Hasta luego!