This morning students woke up at their new homes, with their host families and had breakfast with them. Many had a snack packed and we met them in the front lobby of the high school. It was incredible to see how integrated our students are already and how well they are all getting along. The plan for the morning was to be welcomed by their principal and get a tour of the school, but he is actually on a school ski trip with some students in northern Spain! So we had our version of "Mama Huntley" welcome us and give us some information about the school and the school day. Then the director of the program, Mercedes came and gave us another welcome and brought us on a tour of the library, main rooms, their language lab, science rooms, cafeteria, and auditorium.
She explained that there are 6 classes each day each 50 minutes long with 5 minutes passing time and a 30 minute break in the middle of the day. Because the school is so central it is an open campus with restaurants across the street that students can go to but many stayed in the caf as well. The tour took up the first two blocks and for the third, the students were broken into small groups and led to their first class. During and after the break students went with their host students to their classes which ended at 2:20. Students had time to go home and relax or walk around the city. We met back up with our students for the welcome pot luck dinner at 7:00 at the school. All the parents, students, and their exchange partners came with traditional dishes that were delicious. We had croquetas, hornaza, tortillas, pan dulces, and much more. One parent even made a cake with our warrior logo on it! I told her I would post the picture on our blog! The dinner went so well, it was such a joy to see how everyone was getting along together, there was no American group and Spanish group, they were completely integrated and all communicating, eating, and enjoying time together. All the host parents were socializing and helping out and it was truly amazing. Almost the whole group of students headed out together afterwards to go to the plaza and we gave instructions for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will have a tour around Salamanca and see more of the history and culture it has to offer. ¡Buenas noches!
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This morning Ms. Wheaton knocked on everyone's doors at 7:00am. Students had from 8-9am to get their bags downstairs and have breakfast. There was a great spread of breads, cereals, meats, eggs, fresh squeezed orange juice, churros, coffee, and more. We all had something and prepared to set out for the day. We took our longest walk of about 25 minutes to El Prado but we knew we were a little early by about 20 minutes. Since time was limited, we took a photo and we walked two blocks up to Parque Retiro which is very similar to Central Park and had about an hour to meander. Then we met back at the entrance, walked to the museum and spent about and hour and a half enjoying the art. My group was able to see all the master works by almost running from room to room. El Bosco or Hieronymus Bosch was a big hit. The Dutch painter has some of his most famous works housed at the museum. We also was Goya, El Greco, Velázquez, Rúben, Rembrandt, and more. Some notable pieces were Las Meninas, La Maja, y el jardín de las delicias. We also had fun noting idiosyncrasies within each painting like strange figures, warts, facial expressions, who in the painting is looking at us and wondering how and why the artist may have depicted the scene as they did. We had lots of fun even though they were extremely strict, we weren't even allowed to take pictures of the signs telling us about the art! We gathered outside of the museum around 1:00 and had only 45 minutes to get back to the hotel on a Sunday afternoon in sunny Madrid. Just outside the museum, we saw a swing dance festival happening in the streets, a peace walk/ protest, tons of crowds and Madrid's famous "el rastro" which is a name for open air markets that take over the streets. So we were bobbing and weaving 29 people though extremely narrow, crowded streets in a hurry to make it back to catch our bus to Salamanca. We made it back by 10:50 on the dot. Did I mention we also stopped to have multiple students use an ATM? We had impeccable timing, boarded the bus with all our luggage, and headed to Salamanca. We did not have time for lunch, but we were able to stop about an hour into our ride and ate at a very nice rest stop. Unlike our rest stops along the highway which serve fast food, this one and most others in France and Spain have food that is already prepared and ready for quick service, but it is real food, real sandwiches or entire home cooked meals with real silverware, plates, desserts, and drinks. We ate quickly, but the meals were healthy and real. We also had time to use the bathroom, buy snacks, and get back on for the final hour and a half to our destination. Upon arrival most families were ready and waiting but a few had a to wait a few minutes for their students. It had started to drizzle but that didn't stop many students and their hosts from heading out right away to spend time with their new friends. Most headed home to get settled in with their families. We chaperones headed to the hotel with our teacher correspondents and walked around the city and got dinner with them, We went out for tapas, we had croquetas, tortilla, gambas, jamón, pan, cerdo, and pizza! I was hoping for some dessert in a ice cream/ waffle stand across the street but by the time we left it was closed and pouring rain! We headed back to the hotel in the rain and we are settled in an at 1:16am for me is it now Monday and I am exhausted. I hope you have all heard from your students and they are comfortable! Tomorrow we are off to school for a welcome, classes, and a potluck dinner at night. Your chaperones posing for the next edition of "Parque de El Retiro"We're here! We boarded the plane and got situated for I think our shortest flight yet. It was only 6 hours and 10 minutes. We didn't end up arriving early because we had to wait for some traffic on the tarmac before we took off which felt like forever but once we got in the air, it was smooth sailing. For dinner, we were served either chicken, ravioli, or salad and breakfast was yogurt, a bagel, and orange juice right before landing. We made it through passport security quickly upon landing in about 20 minutes, all got our luggage in about 5 minutes, and met our bus driver and guide to head towards our hotel. It was less than a 30 minute drive and we were all exhausted. Some were able to sleep on the plane while others watched movies or listened to music, but since we want to adjust to the time change, we didn't stop to rest right away. Additionally the only room that was ready was Mr. Sanchez's and the hotel was using the storage room for another group, so we had to put all our bags in his room and head out until 2:00pm when all rooms would be ready. Because we are our own group, we can make changes to our itinerary based on the feeling of the group. Since everyone was exhausted we decided to flip flop our itineraries for Saturday and Sunday. The walk to the Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol is much shorter than El Prado and we didn't have the stamina to take in so much art just yet. So, we headed out for some sustenance and shopping. The transfer guide suggested we go to Mercado de San Miguel so we did. We broke into groups and headed out for lunch, to find an ATM, and enjoy the capital for a few hours. Mercado de San Miguel has puestos or little stalls that specialize in various Spanish dishes and desserts. There was a paella stall, mozzarella stalls, an olive stall, sandwich counters, dessert counters, and so much more. Students truly got to taste and experience what tapas mean and how to tapear como un madrileño. There was plenty to choose from and you could buy a few different things to share or try yourself. Once 1:45pm rolled around, we met back up and headed to the hotel to check into our rooms, freshen up and rest for a little bit. We gave ourselves until 4:30pm because it took some time to get everyone's luggage out of Mr. Sanchez's room and we were exhausted. Some of us showered, napped, or had time for both before heading back out. It was an absolutely beautiful day, we lucked out with excellent weather even at 4:30pm the sun was still shining and it was warm! Since the walk to the plaza is long and there are plenty of places to stop along the way, we broke into small groups and kept our same plaza meeting place for 7:00pm to meet for dinner. This way we had time to explore, shop, see what life is like on a Saturday afternoon in Madrid and scope out restaurants for dinner. We split into chaperone groups so that we didn't have to find room for 29 at one restaurant. We agreed to be back to the hotel by 10:00pm with our groups and bed checks were at 10:30pm. I think we were all relieved to have some time to rest. Tomorrow, breakfast is at 8:00am and we will have bags ready by 9:00am in a holding room so we can make the 12:00 deadline but not have to return to the hotel until our planned 1:30pm to meet our bus for Salamanca. Tomorrow is another busy day, El Prado, Parque Retiro, Reina Sofia, lunch, and be back by 1:30pm to meet our guide. It was a busy day, but we want to say a huge Feliz cumpleaños to Lexi because today was her birthday and we hope it was a memorable one!
This morning we met in the auditorium around 8:15 to check our luggage, passports, and get organized. The bus arrived on time, we bid farewell to our families and friends and started our adventure! We had a smooth ride with very little traffic on our way to JFK and arrived so early we had to wait an hour to even check our luggage. But, better safe than sorry! We printed our boarding passes, went to the bathroom, played cards, ate snacks and before we knew it, it was time to check our bags and head to security.
The majority of our students' boarding passes were randomly selected for pre-check but no teachers. Mr. Sanchez, Ms. Sawyer, and Ms. Wheaton argued for pre-check to go through with the students, while I went with the others that didn't have it. We had very different experiences! Pre-check passes flew right through, while our line was twice as long and we were cut by at least three frantic travelers whose flights were "just about to take off..." Our security scan was very strict and a slow process. Finally, we all got through and met up at our gate. Lucky for us, Shake Shack was right next to our seats and many of us enjoyed either a burger, fries, a shake or all three! Right now we are impatiently waiting to board at 6:30pm for take off at 7:30pm. Hopefully we can all get some rest tonight on the flight because we have a full day planned and will head out the minute we get to the hotel! For our last blog post, the students have written a short reflection about their experiences! Today's activities included a guided trip to El Prado, where we learned a ton of information about famous works by Goya, Velazquez, and others. Our guide really knew background details and stories about each work that were incredible. Then we walked to Retiro Park and the leader of the exchange from Salamanca happened to be in the city for a show and met up with us for lunch. Some of us went to restaurants, and others bought food for a lavish picnic in the park! It was the most beautiful day we've had, and incredible to have 350 acres to roam around. The park was created between 1630-1640, when Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares, gave the king Philip IV several tracts of land in the vicinity for the Court's recreational use. There were lavish gardens, green space to lay, sit, or play soccer, sculptures, food stands, lakes, and so much more. You can see people of all ages and all walks of life meandering the park and enjoying the beautiful day with their families and friends. After this we headed for the Plaza Mayor of Madrid which really did not compare to Salamanca. Not as clean, beautiful, or welcoming in our opinion, however we spent about and hour and a half roaming and buying last minute gifts before our final dinner together. The restaurant reserved a section just for us and we had a great time. The most famous chocolatería was a step away and those who could fit it, had chocolate and churros to end the night. We have a 5:30am wake up call to get our bus at 6:30am. The flight is 10:15am and we should land around 12:3o pm at JFK, I am expecting leaving the airport around 1:30pm and arriving at Valley between 4:30-6pm. We will be in contact! We appreciate all of your support and they are unhappy to leave, but will hopefully be impacted by this trip forever!
Reflections: I really learned a lot about Spanish culture and I was able to improve my Spanish while staying with my host family. It was an eye-opening experience that I am so grateful for! Charlotte B. It was so interesting to learn about Spanish culture, especially while staying with other families. The food and architecture was great and my Spanish really improved a ton! The exchange was an awesome experience! - Maya W. I loved my time spent in Spain. The country is beautiful and I loved seeing the wonderful cathedrals and magnificent buildings. I learned so much while I was here. I was able to actually use my Spanish and improve over the course of the trip. Overall this has been a fantastic experience! -Maleena F. This trip was a great experience. It was interesting to learn about Spanish culture and food. I learned a lot and I'm thankful for this experience! - Ally B. It was really cool to learn about the Spanish culture. I had a lot of fun being a part of Madrid and Salamanca during the trip. Everyone in Salamanca was very friendly! I definitely want to go back! - Riley H. I had a great time on the trip. I enjoyed touring the city, as well as the museums. I loved my host family and their introducing me to the Spanish culture. -Graham R. The trip was a great experience. I had a lot of fun with my host and saw beautiful buildings and museums. The trip helped me to widen my Spanish and it will be a trip I will never forget. -Zachary S. This trip has immersed me in the culture and has broadened my horizons and increased my thirst for learning about the world around me. I can now say that I have friends from around the world who I know and will stay in contact with for a long time. In only a week, I have leaned so much about the culture and languages that could only be learned in Spain. -Emily M. The Spanish trip was a great learning experience. I am more aware of other cultures and lifestyles around the world and will never forget the memories I made on this trip. -Max K. Couldn't have asked for a better host family. Dani showed us up in the only sport we are good at...football. They welcomed me in their their home from the first night and I felt like a part of their family. -Jake D. The trip was great! My host family was amazing and I learned a ton about the culture. -Emily B. I really enjoyed learning about the culture. I feel that I have gotten better at Spanish. I would travel to Spain just to go to Salamanca. -McKenna M. I can't believe I've been missing out on European culture this long. While it can be difficult to get used to, it was nice to meet and live with people of a different culture. It was also nice to see cities with beautiful architecture instead of the boring grey and square buildings in America. I'm glad I was forced to speak Spanish because I wouldn't have improved any other way. -Claudia D. The trip was incredible! I have never experienced anything like it before and I am beyond happy that I was given the opportunity to. Spain is beautiful and my host family was wonderful. I hope I can return someday! -Cameron J. I am a mixture of mad and so incredibly happy. Mad because I've been missing out on a continent that is superior to my own. Spain, Spanish food, Spanish languages, and Spanish culture is beyond incredible. By the way, I'm eating cheese, bread, and jamón iberico from this point on. Salamanca and Madrid are the most beautiful cities I've ever been in, and I hope to return as soon as possible. -Caitlin L. I really enjoyed the trip and the fact that it is my last trip in high school, I know I will end on a high note! I hope they continue the trip for years in the future. -Austin R. Hello! This has been such a great trip!! I've learned so much about Spanish culture and the Spanish language, and it was so great seeing my exchange students again and meeting my host family. This definitely has been one of the best high school experiences! -Lindsey L. ¡Hola a todos! Today sadly we had to say goodbye to our host families and take all of our luggage on to our motor coach headed for El Escorial. It was very sad, but students and families had a little more time together while waiting for the bus and one of the Spanish students' parents owned a restaurant on that street and made us the most delicious egg, cheese, and ham sandwiches on ciabatta bread for the bus ride. We have not stopped eating for the past week, but hopefully all our walking is burning it off.
It was about an hour and forty-five minute ride to El Monasterio de San Lorenzo in El Escorial. built between 1563 to 1584. It is a royal palace, monastery, school, library, and museum. Philip II, a devout Catholic and King of Spain (after whom Philippines is named), took an active interest in the huge construction project – as an arduous task to stem the tide of Protestantism. The interior of the Escorial was decorated by many notable Spanish and Italian artists of the 16th and 17th centuries including El Greco, Luca Giordano, and Claudio Coello. During our visit, we were able to see the Bourbon Palace, the Basilica, and the mausoleum. We then set off for lunch before riding the bus the rest of the way to Madrid. We checked in and got settled into our rooms before heading out at 6:00pm for some quick shopping before our Flamenco show and dinner right down the street from our hotel. Most had never seen a Flamenco show before and it was incredible to watch not only the male and female dancers, but the guitarists and singers who rounded out the experience and added depth to the performance. There were many other students groups, however ours was the only group not talking over the performance and it was obvious they were the absolute best behaved group! After the performance we set out for some shopping on the main road that our hotel is on for an hour and a half and then returned to the hotel for a 11:30pm curfew and bed check. I think many needed the rest and were happy to have a late wake up call at 8:45am for tomorrow! Our last day in Spain is almost here and we are going to El Prado, Retiro Park, and the Plaza Mayor. ¡Hasta Pronto! Our last full day in Salamanca! We cannot believe it has arrived already and many students are discussing plans to move here permanently. In just a few days students have integrated into Spanish families, friend groups, their school, and it is incredible to witness. In the halls, after school, and in the Plaza Mayor, students are traveling and experiencing the city with groups of mixed Spanish and American students and its difficult to distinguish them from the rest. Despite their integration, like any teens, they wanted less time in school and a few more hours to experience the plaza. So, we made an executive decision to visit morning classes and then head to the plaza until their Spanish students would get out of class and then meet up with them after school.
There is an incredible amount of things to do in the plaza and to try to describe the feelings that hit you when standing there and being a part of the heart of the city would be an injustice. It may be the most beautiful plaza in all of Spain and using it as your center it is impossible to get lost in Salamanca. The prefect sized city, students started recognizing where they were and how to get from here to there quickly. I believe they are extremely saddened to leave. However, one of our students already has plans to come back this summer and stay with her student for two weeks and then attend classes at the University for the rest of the summer. Before this, her student came to the U.S. this past September which truly demonstrates the power of exchanges such as this one that create life long friendships and memories. To say goodbye tomorrow morning with be very difficult for us all. After returning to their students, they went home for lunch and had plans to get together with all the American and Spanish students during the evening. Tomorrow we head out for El Escorial at 830am before moving on to Madrid! ¡Hasta mañana! After attending only one class this morning, we went as a group to the Plaza Mayor and we were welcomed formally to the city by their premier liaison and took pictures at the most beautiful "town hall," which is really a palace in the central square. After being formally greeted and welcomed, one of the teachers from the school then brought us to the Diputación de Salamanca, their provincial government office and again we were treated like honored guests. They gave us an impromptu tour of the government building where the 25 delegates that represent all of Salamanca make their major political decisions about everything from transportation, to art festivals, to social outreach programs. We were allowed into their palatial meeting hall and were even able to sit in their meeting chairs. Finally the guide took us into the public archives and showed us very old books and maps that showed the evolution of the city. After these tours we decided to get some coffee and dulces in small groups and then walked to the old Cathedral, through the University of Salamanca, and through Casa de las Conchas. Inside the Casa de las Conchas, they were renovating the interior for an American film or TV series they are starting to shoot in Salamanca which is a remake of Romeo and Juliette. After this they had about an hour of free time in the Plaza before heading back to their students.
They had time to go home and eat lunch with their families before meeting back under the clock to head for Casa Lis. Casa Lis is a modern art museum that used to be the home of the Lis family. When they no longer wanted to live there, the city of Salamanca bough the building and a man who had an art nouveau collection and donated it all to the house. Two friends created the museum and it features permanent exhibits which can be anything from fans, to dolls, to glass vases, and even furniture, as well as traveling exhibitions. In the center and exterior of the building there are incredible stained glass windows that mirror the feel of the modern art and paint color on the walls. It is spectacular to see. We then decided to walk across the street and get a better view from the Roman aqueduct bridge that goes over the Río Torres that circles Salamanca. From here we were going to get ice cream in the center together but their Spanish students met us at the bridge and they all went to the field on the other side play ultimate frisbee and soccer. From here the students were on their own with their students and eventually returned home. Tomorrow sadly is our last full day with the host families until we leave for Madrid Saturday morning. ¡Buenas noches! ¡Hola a todos! Today was our first full day at school and it was extremely interesting to see how classes are conducted in another country! Just as a background, their school has about 500 students and is very centrally located in the city. Most if not all students walk to this school and students are ages 12-18. The city is so small and safe that even young children walk to school alone and can be found in large or small groups throughout the day. Their school starts at 8:30am and goes until 2:30pm. They have 6 periods of about 65 minutes each. After the third block there is a 30 minute break period where students can get something to drink or eat either in the school or right across the street at various cafés. Throughout the day, our students can been seen mingling in clusters of Spanish students and they truly fit in. There are getting one of the most authentic experiences possible from a locals' perspective. Many students are discussing how they are finding it difficult to think of a word in english and are structuring their sentences like they would in Spanish and even while sleeping random Spanish words pop into their heads. This is truly the immersion at work and they are just on the cusp of making a full transition for natural fluency to come through. Nothing rivals coming to a city and immediately being immersed with a family and truly having the motivation and desire to communicate with peers that are your age that you have so much in common with. It is truly incredible. While most American students were with their Spanish students it is time for their exams and some of our students went to other classes but were always with another American student. After school the students planned to go bowling and were then with their families for the rest of the evening.
Tomorrow we are being officially welcomed by the city officials and school administration of Salamanca and will have our photo taken for their newspaper. In addition we are meeting in the Plaza Mayor around 5:00pm to head towards Casa Lis, a modern art museum that homes traveling art exhibits. We do have one student who came down with a fever this morning, but she and her host mother were in contact with us and we got her to the hospital as quickly as possible for antibiotics and she is doing much better thus far. In a strange way, she got a unique perspective of their medical system and hospital that no one else has. We were in and our in under an hour which was incredible. She is being very well taken care of and are taking great care to make sure all students are safe, healthy, and happy! ¡Hasta mañana, buenas noches! ¡Buenas a todos! It is now Wednesday but adjusting to Spain time has pushed our bedtime back quite a bit! This morning we arrived at school at 8:30am to be greeted by their coordinator of the program, a Biology teacher at the school, and their Principal. They gave us a tour of the school and they gave each student recuerdos (souvenirs) from the University of Salamanca. We did not attend classes but rather got the lay of the land and headed out to visit some of Salamanca's most famous cathedrals, of which there are many!
We first visited the towers of La Clerecía, a cathedral which is part of the private university in Salamanca, La Universidad Pontificia. We walked up many stairs to get some incredible views and amazing pictures from the top. When we came back down, our guided tour in Spanish was ready and we learned about the three main portions of this cathedral- the school, the cloister, and the church. Built in the 17th century in the Baroque style, she explained many architectural and cultural aspects of the building. For example when a student finished their doctorate studies back then, they would have the honor of being paraded through the streets with their families behind 10 bulls and with the blood of the first bull, they would make a paint mixture and paint their name on the walls of the building in the typical Salamancan writing style. We moved on to La Catedral Vieja y Nueva (The Old and New Cathedrals) which are connected and walked to the top to get the absolute best view of the city. From above we were able to walk on the roofs and patios and see the entire city. When we came back down we felt it was time for churros con chocolate and we stopped at Valor for a snack. At around 1:00pm we had some time before we needed to meet their students back at school at 2:30pm, so we walked to the Plaza Mayor for some shopping or a coffee and at 2:00pm we met under the clock and walked back. Reunited with their students, they had made plans to play soccer after school. Luckily there was an indoor field and they were able to reserve the space. For the rest of the evening students have been with their families, and despite some showers today, it was beautiful and we are ready for a full day of classes tomorrow! ¡Buenas noches! |
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