Saturday, June 7, 2014
Here we go!!! ¡¡¡Allá vamos!!!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Girls meeting their families!
Monday, June 9, 2014
Finally in Spain
We are in Spain, and it is absolutely beautiful! Many of us think the plane ride didn`t feel as long as eight hours and we all got through customs and security pretty fast (thankfully). We made it to Spain safely and although it is very hot in Spain, it is not humid like in the DMV. Our family's are very nice and welcoming. My family has a mom, a dad, and 3 children (one boy in 8th grade, and two girls, one in 6th and one in 4th). In Spain, it´s normal to eat at 9:30pm-10:30pm and after, to spend a little time with your family before you go to bed. My family loves to watch T.V. or play card games after dinner. Today was our first day going to school, and we all took a placement test to see which Spanish class we will attend every week day from now on. Also, before we left school, Sofia gave a brilliant presentation about El rio de Madrid. El Madrid Rio was a project which was worked on from 2007-2011. Basically, it was built to make Madrid a greener, and enviormentally healthy place. We got to vist the river today and also a little cafe where we got ice cream, food or coca-cola(which is very popular here). The teachers got coffee :) Despues we walked around el centro de madrid and visted the Matadero? The Matadero is a center for contemporary creations. For example, there are many artistic and creative experiments here. You can explore the Matadero, enjoy it, or even participate. It is a place to share ideas about the culture and values of the society, After we left here we went back to our host family's for dinner. But when I returned I got to go to Luis, the son in my family, violin recital. He is very good at the violin and has been playing for over four years. But now I am very tired. See you soon! -Taylor
We are in Spain, and it is absolutely beautiful! Many of us think the plane ride didn`t feel as long as eight hours and we all got through customs and security pretty fast (thankfully). We made it to Spain safely and although it is very hot in Spain, it is not humid like in the DMV. Our family's are very nice and welcoming. My family has a mom, a dad, and 3 children (one boy in 8th grade, and two girls, one in 6th and one in 4th). In Spain, it´s normal to eat at 9:30pm-10:30pm and after, to spend a little time with your family before you go to bed. My family loves to watch T.V. or play card games after dinner. Today was our first day going to school, and we all took a placement test to see which Spanish class we will attend every week day from now on. Also, before we left school, Sofia gave a brilliant presentation about El rio de Madrid. El Madrid Rio was a project which was worked on from 2007-2011. Basically, it was built to make Madrid a greener, and enviormentally healthy place. We got to vist the river today and also a little cafe where we got ice cream, food or coca-cola(which is very popular here). The teachers got coffee :) Despues we walked around el centro de madrid and visted the Matadero? The Matadero is a center for contemporary creations. For example, there are many artistic and creative experiments here. You can explore the Matadero, enjoy it, or even participate. It is a place to share ideas about the culture and values of the society, After we left here we went back to our host family's for dinner. But when I returned I got to go to Luis, the son in my family, violin recital. He is very good at the violin and has been playing for over four years. But now I am very tired. See you soon! -Taylor
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Lunes (Monday)
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Martes (Tuesday)
Hi families! Today was a fun day, though it was very tiring. As you may have heard, yesterday we all took a placement test that decided which class we were to be place in during our stay here. Today, after a brief activity to get to know one other, we were separated into two different classes. The class I was in reviewed the uses of the phrase "(A mi) me gusta(n)", how to voice your opinions, preferences, wishes, and questions, how to use the verbs SER & ESTAR, the impersonal, and also past tense. It was very helpful.
After class, we took the metro to El Museo del Prado. It´s an awesome museum. It has over 7,000 paintings. We were lucky enough to receive a tour from a professor there who shared her knowledge about many different paintings by Francisco de Goya, El Bosch, and Velázquez. My favorite painting was Las Meninas by Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez. Our tour guide taught us that in order to understand this painting you needed to use your imagination. If you imagined it, you would be able to see and understand it; but if you only saw it, you would not be able to understand it. Pretty deep stuff, I know.
After we walked home, I spent some time doing homework (yes summer homework...ew) and then I ate dinner with my family (who is awesome). Well that´s it for now. ¡Hasta luego! Eva.
¡Hola! This morning we went to school, and had our first Spanish class! I can already tell that everyones Spanish has improved tremendously since the first day we were here! After classes we took two metros to the Prado museum, where we saw beautiful paintings by Greco, Goya, and more artists. There are more than 7,000 paintings in the Prado, and I could´ve spent all day looking at them! After the museum, we all enjoyed cold and delicious icecream. Overall, it was a great day!
Ava
Hi families! Today was a fun day, though it was very tiring. As you may have heard, yesterday we all took a placement test that decided which class we were to be place in during our stay here. Today, after a brief activity to get to know one other, we were separated into two different classes. The class I was in reviewed the uses of the phrase "(A mi) me gusta(n)", how to voice your opinions, preferences, wishes, and questions, how to use the verbs SER & ESTAR, the impersonal, and also past tense. It was very helpful.
After class, we took the metro to El Museo del Prado. It´s an awesome museum. It has over 7,000 paintings. We were lucky enough to receive a tour from a professor there who shared her knowledge about many different paintings by Francisco de Goya, El Bosch, and Velázquez. My favorite painting was Las Meninas by Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez. Our tour guide taught us that in order to understand this painting you needed to use your imagination. If you imagined it, you would be able to see and understand it; but if you only saw it, you would not be able to understand it. Pretty deep stuff, I know.
After we walked home, I spent some time doing homework (yes summer homework...ew) and then I ate dinner with my family (who is awesome). Well that´s it for now. ¡Hasta luego! Eva.
¡Hola! This morning we went to school, and had our first Spanish class! I can already tell that everyones Spanish has improved tremendously since the first day we were here! After classes we took two metros to the Prado museum, where we saw beautiful paintings by Greco, Goya, and more artists. There are more than 7,000 paintings in the Prado, and I could´ve spent all day looking at them! After the museum, we all enjoyed cold and delicious icecream. Overall, it was a great day!
Ava
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Miércoles (Wednesday)
Today, after our 3rd day of classes, we headed out the center of Madrid. Don Diego and Sofia taught us about the history behind afternoon destinations. We learned that Puerta de Sol has a famous clock whose tolls represent the Doce Uvas de La Suerte. This tradition marks the start of the new year on December 31st. We also learned about the antique architecture around the Plaza Mayor. Sofia explained to us how the Gran Via, a very popular street that we would walk on, was known as the "Spanish Broadway". We heard the familiar name Don Quijote, a character written by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who is the Shakespeare for the Spanish Literature, when La Plaza de España was described. Later we found out why, when we saw a huge monument of Don Quijote dominating this plaza. We were ecstatic to hear that this plaza also had lots of opportunities for......SHOPPING! We grabbed our purses and piled on to the metro, which many of our host families have assured us is "El mejor metro en el mundo entero". In fact, it is very clean and safe, and the second largest after London's.
When we arrived at La Plaza de España, we took a nice walk through the park and saw the mentioned monument as well as a beautiful fountain with a statue of the Queen Isabel II. We visited the small stands that surrounded this Plaza and many of the girls bought abanicos (fans) in preparation for the Spain summer heat. Our next stop was La Gran Via and the Puerta de Sol.
La Gran Via was thriving with people. We enjoyed the architecture of the buildings and, of course, the store fronts that we passed. We even managed to find a Starbucks. We laughed when Hannah bought a hot mocha, despite the fact that it was around 30 C (80 degrees F). We have also now deemed her "Ema" after the name that her barista had written on her cup.
When we arrived at La Puerta del Sol, Don Diego let us loose to enjoy some much needed shopping time, but only in groups minimum of two girls. Girls rushed from store to store as we practiced using our spanish shopping questions. The phrases "¿Cuánto cuesta?" and "¿Tiene un camiseta una poca pequeña?" could be heard as we discovered stores like Bershka and Símbolo. We returned just as it started to rain.
Unfortuantely, our trip had to end early because of an unexpected storm, but we still had lots of fun traveling home in the rain. The sky cleared for a short time again, but only for a few minutes, since it soon started raining once again. Now every girl is back home safely with her host family, resting up for tomorrow new Spanish adventures.
Caroline.
Today, after our 3rd day of classes, we headed out the center of Madrid. Don Diego and Sofia taught us about the history behind afternoon destinations. We learned that Puerta de Sol has a famous clock whose tolls represent the Doce Uvas de La Suerte. This tradition marks the start of the new year on December 31st. We also learned about the antique architecture around the Plaza Mayor. Sofia explained to us how the Gran Via, a very popular street that we would walk on, was known as the "Spanish Broadway". We heard the familiar name Don Quijote, a character written by the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who is the Shakespeare for the Spanish Literature, when La Plaza de España was described. Later we found out why, when we saw a huge monument of Don Quijote dominating this plaza. We were ecstatic to hear that this plaza also had lots of opportunities for......SHOPPING! We grabbed our purses and piled on to the metro, which many of our host families have assured us is "El mejor metro en el mundo entero". In fact, it is very clean and safe, and the second largest after London's.
When we arrived at La Plaza de España, we took a nice walk through the park and saw the mentioned monument as well as a beautiful fountain with a statue of the Queen Isabel II. We visited the small stands that surrounded this Plaza and many of the girls bought abanicos (fans) in preparation for the Spain summer heat. Our next stop was La Gran Via and the Puerta de Sol.
La Gran Via was thriving with people. We enjoyed the architecture of the buildings and, of course, the store fronts that we passed. We even managed to find a Starbucks. We laughed when Hannah bought a hot mocha, despite the fact that it was around 30 C (80 degrees F). We have also now deemed her "Ema" after the name that her barista had written on her cup.
When we arrived at La Puerta del Sol, Don Diego let us loose to enjoy some much needed shopping time, but only in groups minimum of two girls. Girls rushed from store to store as we practiced using our spanish shopping questions. The phrases "¿Cuánto cuesta?" and "¿Tiene un camiseta una poca pequeña?" could be heard as we discovered stores like Bershka and Símbolo. We returned just as it started to rain.
Unfortuantely, our trip had to end early because of an unexpected storm, but we still had lots of fun traveling home in the rain. The sky cleared for a short time again, but only for a few minutes, since it soon started raining once again. Now every girl is back home safely with her host family, resting up for tomorrow new Spanish adventures.
Caroline.
Miércoles, parte II
Hello!
Today was our third day of classes, and we were separated into are class groups for the remainder of the trip. In my class we went over different "past" verb forms and different ways to desribe a person. We had fun describing each classmate!
Daily, after class, Sophia teaches us about each landmark, museum, or important area important to the culture of Madrid. Don Diego and Sra. Iglesias always add some information about them too. This is very helpful because it gives us a preview of what is to come that day. Today she talked to us about La Puerta de Sol, an important place that is home to the new year´s celebration of Madrid. We visited La Puerta de Sol and walked along the Gran Via, an extremely popular street in Madrid, and looked at the many theaters that reside there. After looking around we got a suprise that we were going to shop! We looked around the many stores trying to shop at only the stores that we do not have in the United States, this meant resisting going into H&M. We also visited La Plaza de España and looked at a statue of Queen Isabel II with many plants and fountains. We looked around the small kiosks which had lots of trinkets and small bracelets. During shopping at the Gran Via it started to rain, and all of us were huddling in a book store, which we were asked to move our large group out of the way many times. Luckily, the rain soon stopped, but it was too late to complete the second half of our tasks for the day.
People are always making each other laugh on this trip, as when Hannah told us she only brought one pair of sandals, which she stretched out from wearing them everyday. After a day of shopping, Hannah tried on a pair of sandals. But, being mezmorized by a needle-pointed suitcase with many bears on it, she soon forgot about the sandals, and purchased a large carry-on, rolling bag. It made it even funnier as she strolled down the Gran Via in the pouring rain with her bear-bag.
After the rain, we piled onto the metro once again and headed home for the night to enjoy a nice meal with our families! Everyone is seeming to settle in now, and all of our speaking is becoming easier and our vocabulary is increasing significantly. Despite the rain, it was a good day with lots of laughs!
Mary Claire
Hello!
Mary Claire
Today was our third day of classes, and we were separated into are class groups for the remainder of the trip. In my class we went over different "past" verb forms and different ways to desribe a person. We had fun describing each classmate!
Daily, after class, Sophia teaches us about each landmark, museum, or important area important to the culture of Madrid. Don Diego and Sra. Iglesias always add some information about them too. This is very helpful because it gives us a preview of what is to come that day. Today she talked to us about La Puerta de Sol, an important place that is home to the new year´s celebration of Madrid. We visited La Puerta de Sol and walked along the Gran Via, an extremely popular street in Madrid, and looked at the many theaters that reside there. After looking around we got a suprise that we were going to shop! We looked around the many stores trying to shop at only the stores that we do not have in the United States, this meant resisting going into H&M. We also visited La Plaza de España and looked at a statue of Queen Isabel II with many plants and fountains. We looked around the small kiosks which had lots of trinkets and small bracelets. During shopping at the Gran Via it started to rain, and all of us were huddling in a book store, which we were asked to move our large group out of the way many times. Luckily, the rain soon stopped, but it was too late to complete the second half of our tasks for the day.
People are always making each other laugh on this trip, as when Hannah told us she only brought one pair of sandals, which she stretched out from wearing them everyday. After a day of shopping, Hannah tried on a pair of sandals. But, being mezmorized by a needle-pointed suitcase with many bears on it, she soon forgot about the sandals, and purchased a large carry-on, rolling bag. It made it even funnier as she strolled down the Gran Via in the pouring rain with her bear-bag.
After the rain, we piled onto the metro once again and headed home for the night to enjoy a nice meal with our families! Everyone is seeming to settle in now, and all of our speaking is becoming easier and our vocabulary is increasing significantly. Despite the rain, it was a good day with lots of laughs!
Jueves (Thursday)
Hola,
For me, every day has gotten easier in the family and adjusting to the culture. I have become much more comfortable with my family and I tend to speak a lot more now than the first day. We started off today with our Spanish classes which are going well because we are refreshing the vocabulary and grammar we know but also learning new things. After we ate our lunch and finished classes, we went to La Plaza Mayor, a place we couldn't visit yesterday due to the weather conditions. This old main square was first a market built in the 17th century in a crossroads; later it saw kings coronations, inquisition executions and even bullfights. It was destroyed three times by fires but all was rebuilt. In the middle of this Plaza Mayor there was a statue of the King Felipe the Third of Spain. Then we went to get gelato which was really yummy! After, we went to a few different statues in La Puerta de Sol. There was a bear and strawberry tree statue which represented fertile soil and aristocracy in Madrid. If you touch the paw of the bear, it is good luck. We also saw a stone which was in the middle of Madrid named kilometer zero. It represents the center of the Spanish road network. We also got to see the Casa de Correos, which is a large clock tower that was added in 1866. With that clock all the Spaniards take the twelve lucky grapes for the new coming year on New Year's Eve. It was really nice to look at all different pieces of the Spanish architecture around the Puerta del Sol. Don Tony asked us if could find the gate in the Puerta del Sol, since the name in English means the Gate of the Sun. We looked around, we didn't see anything, and then he told us there used to be some city gates during the Middle Ages and the one standing there had a sun sculpted. After, we all were granted a few minutes to relax which, obviously, we used them to shop at the Calle Preciados again, which was a plus, and we found lots of good souvenirs, clothes, shoes, (Cute) bags (Hannah). After all the walking, shopping, and site seeing, we got to go back home and rest. The weather is SOO hot! I´ve enjoyed this experience a lot so far by doing many things I have not done before and I cannot wait until the next days! Bye! Alexandra
Hola,
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Viernes (Friday)
¡Hola!
As time goes on, our time in Spain gets better and better! Whether it´s talking with your host families, learning something new at the CENP intensive learning school, or touring Madrid, the day is sure to be fun.
After everyone got to school, we once again split up into our two different classes. Today, my class wrote stories in the past tense practicing the irregular verbs. We also practiced read out loud to improve the way we pronounced words.
School was over once it reached 2 pm, and we all headed towards the metro. After getting off the metro, we realized we were in Atocha train station, which had a terrorist attack like our 9/11. We walked up to the main part of the station. The train station had something that looked like a mini indoor rainforest in the old part of the station. There were trees everywhere and there was even a small pond filled with turtles of all sizes. This was a very fancy station, as I could tell from personal experience because when Sydney, Katie, Megan, and I tried to use the bathroom, we realized we had to pay 60 cents to use it!
Once we enjoyed the turtles for some time, we headed out of the station. Once we left, we had around an hour of free time to explore the restaurants and shops around the area, some of us had something to eat too.
Finally, it was time to head towards the Museo Reina Sofia. As we were walking, we encountered a bit of rain but it was all fine! Once we got to the museum, we were told to put our bags away with the front desk. Each of us received headphones (in Spanish and English this time!) to listen to a guide to help us through the museum. The museum was pretty big, with six floors and multiple exhibits. There was a lot of beautiful artwork throughout the museum by several famous painters, especially, Dalí and Picasso. My personal favorite was looking through a select few of Picassos paintings, above all the universally famous Guernica. I really enjoyed listening to the audio guide describe the painting as I was looking at it. Although museums usually have a peaceful atmosphere, when it was time to return the entrance, a few of us got lost. It took us a while to find the exit with all the exhibits! It is a big museum!
Later, we returned on the metro which took us back to CENP, and from there we split into our groups to go back home.
-Olivia Barnello
As time goes on, our time in Spain gets better and better! Whether it´s talking with your host families, learning something new at the CENP intensive learning school, or touring Madrid, the day is sure to be fun.
After everyone got to school, we once again split up into our two different classes. Today, my class wrote stories in the past tense practicing the irregular verbs. We also practiced read out loud to improve the way we pronounced words.
School was over once it reached 2 pm, and we all headed towards the metro. After getting off the metro, we realized we were in Atocha train station, which had a terrorist attack like our 9/11. We walked up to the main part of the station. The train station had something that looked like a mini indoor rainforest in the old part of the station. There were trees everywhere and there was even a small pond filled with turtles of all sizes. This was a very fancy station, as I could tell from personal experience because when Sydney, Katie, Megan, and I tried to use the bathroom, we realized we had to pay 60 cents to use it!
Once we enjoyed the turtles for some time, we headed out of the station. Once we left, we had around an hour of free time to explore the restaurants and shops around the area, some of us had something to eat too.
Finally, it was time to head towards the Museo Reina Sofia. As we were walking, we encountered a bit of rain but it was all fine! Once we got to the museum, we were told to put our bags away with the front desk. Each of us received headphones (in Spanish and English this time!) to listen to a guide to help us through the museum. The museum was pretty big, with six floors and multiple exhibits. There was a lot of beautiful artwork throughout the museum by several famous painters, especially, Dalí and Picasso. My personal favorite was looking through a select few of Picassos paintings, above all the universally famous Guernica. I really enjoyed listening to the audio guide describe the painting as I was looking at it. Although museums usually have a peaceful atmosphere, when it was time to return the entrance, a few of us got lost. It took us a while to find the exit with all the exhibits! It is a big museum!
Later, we returned on the metro which took us back to CENP, and from there we split into our groups to go back home.
-Olivia Barnello
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Sábado (Saturday)
¡Hola!
It´s finally the weekend! A great time for many of us to finally sleep in past 8:00am. Although you´d think we´d be used to the 6-hour time change by now, I know many of us could´t wait to get this extra sleep.
Without school, today was a bonding day with the families, but that does´t mean we´re any less busy. I spent my morning helping make the beds and gather things to wash, so the house would be nice and clean for the coming week. For breakfast I ate delicious toast with olive oil and brown sugar. I learned that my host father Antonio´s family own an olive plantation, and they produced the very olive oil that I was eating!
Today was the opening day of the pool at my apartment complex, so of course my host-sister Ariadna (12 years old) and I spent many hours swimming in the freezing water with the other children in the apartment complex, who were all very excited to meet someone from America. I was included right away and realized how comfortable I am becoming here in Spain and how much easier it is to speak Spanish now. All the kids were just like those in the United States, trying to push each other into the pool without falling in themselves, while commenting how pale I am compared to them.
After a quick lunch of pasta salad and watermelon (yum!), we were off to Ariadna´s rhythmic gymnastics competition. Although it was extremely hot in the gym, it was amazing to see all these extremely flexible kids throwing balls and hulu-hoops across the room, doing a back handspring, landing in splits, and then catching the hulu-hoop thrown to them! Ariadna´s group danced to an English song, Avicci´s Wake Me Up. There are always many English songs on the radios here, and my host-mom Estibaliz and my sister Ariadna love to sing along. Many kids love the song Happy here by Pharrell Williams. Anyway, Ariadna´s group of ¨guapas¨ did so well, that they got first place in their age group! They got to stand on a podium in their fancy sparkly costumes while they received their medals.
Now I´m off to walk our dog Rudi and play with the other kids on the patio . They love teaching me new games and asking me what words are in English. Because we don´t eat until 10:00pm, we get lots of time to run around. (Last night we played outside till 1:00 in the morning).
¡Hasta Luego!
-Katie
It´s finally the weekend! A great time for many of us to finally sleep in past 8:00am. Although you´d think we´d be used to the 6-hour time change by now, I know many of us could´t wait to get this extra sleep.
Without school, today was a bonding day with the families, but that does´t mean we´re any less busy. I spent my morning helping make the beds and gather things to wash, so the house would be nice and clean for the coming week. For breakfast I ate delicious toast with olive oil and brown sugar. I learned that my host father Antonio´s family own an olive plantation, and they produced the very olive oil that I was eating!
Today was the opening day of the pool at my apartment complex, so of course my host-sister Ariadna (12 years old) and I spent many hours swimming in the freezing water with the other children in the apartment complex, who were all very excited to meet someone from America. I was included right away and realized how comfortable I am becoming here in Spain and how much easier it is to speak Spanish now. All the kids were just like those in the United States, trying to push each other into the pool without falling in themselves, while commenting how pale I am compared to them.
After a quick lunch of pasta salad and watermelon (yum!), we were off to Ariadna´s rhythmic gymnastics competition. Although it was extremely hot in the gym, it was amazing to see all these extremely flexible kids throwing balls and hulu-hoops across the room, doing a back handspring, landing in splits, and then catching the hulu-hoop thrown to them! Ariadna´s group danced to an English song, Avicci´s Wake Me Up. There are always many English songs on the radios here, and my host-mom Estibaliz and my sister Ariadna love to sing along. Many kids love the song Happy here by Pharrell Williams. Anyway, Ariadna´s group of ¨guapas¨ did so well, that they got first place in their age group! They got to stand on a podium in their fancy sparkly costumes while they received their medals.
Now I´m off to walk our dog Rudi and play with the other kids on the patio . They love teaching me new games and asking me what words are in English. Because we don´t eat until 10:00pm, we get lots of time to run around. (Last night we played outside till 1:00 in the morning).
¡Hasta Luego!
-Katie
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Domingo (Sunday)
¡Hola!
There is a bittersweet feeling to the first weekend coming to an end. Although I am excited to see everybody and continue our explorations I also wish we could spend more time with our families. today the entire family and I woke up around 9 and ate a wonderful breakfast of homemade cake and Cola-Cao, a popular chocolate milk powder. After breakfast we did some cleaning and got ready to go off on our trip to El Rastro, a large Sunday market. This was a new expirience for my host mom, Jimena the middle child, and me because it was our first time. After a short bus ride we arrived overwhelmed. There were many stalls and a sea of people. Some stalls had cute clothing in every style you could ask for but other stalls looked like a chaotic yard sale. Once we had had enough we stopped in an olive shop that sold a cup of fresh olives and pickles for 1 Euro a cup. They are completly different then the ones out of a can and much better. In the end we all ended up with a few new clothing items. Once we got home, the kids and I went to the kitchen and played Chutes and Ladders and Sorry while our mom made a great lunch. The lunch consisted of rice with tomato sauce, cheeses, avacodos and tomatos, and fried eggs. After lunch I watched a movie with Jimena starring George Clooney. The movie was interesting but even more so was the poorly dubed Spanish. Once the movie was over the entire family and I went for a walk in the park and got ice cream afterwards. It's been a very busy day and tonight we will be staying up to watch a firework show right infront of their apartment building. They live on the eigtth floor so there will be a great view.
¡Hasta Luego!
Kayleigh
¡Hola!
There is a bittersweet feeling to the first weekend coming to an end. Although I am excited to see everybody and continue our explorations I also wish we could spend more time with our families. today the entire family and I woke up around 9 and ate a wonderful breakfast of homemade cake and Cola-Cao, a popular chocolate milk powder. After breakfast we did some cleaning and got ready to go off on our trip to El Rastro, a large Sunday market. This was a new expirience for my host mom, Jimena the middle child, and me because it was our first time. After a short bus ride we arrived overwhelmed. There were many stalls and a sea of people. Some stalls had cute clothing in every style you could ask for but other stalls looked like a chaotic yard sale. Once we had had enough we stopped in an olive shop that sold a cup of fresh olives and pickles for 1 Euro a cup. They are completly different then the ones out of a can and much better. In the end we all ended up with a few new clothing items. Once we got home, the kids and I went to the kitchen and played Chutes and Ladders and Sorry while our mom made a great lunch. The lunch consisted of rice with tomato sauce, cheeses, avacodos and tomatos, and fried eggs. After lunch I watched a movie with Jimena starring George Clooney. The movie was interesting but even more so was the poorly dubed Spanish. Once the movie was over the entire family and I went for a walk in the park and got ice cream afterwards. It's been a very busy day and tonight we will be staying up to watch a firework show right infront of their apartment building. They live on the eigtth floor so there will be a great view.
¡Hasta Luego!
Kayleigh
There is a bittersweet feeling to the first weekend coming to an end. Although I am excited to see everybody and continue our explorations I also wish we could spend more time with our families. today the entire family and I woke up around 9 and ate a wonderful breakfast of homemade cake and Cola-Cao, a popular chocolate milk powder. After breakfast we did some cleaning and got ready to go off on our trip to El Rastro, a large Sunday market. This was a new expirience for my host mom, Jimena the middle child, and me because it was our first time. After a short bus ride we arrived overwhelmed. There were many stalls and a sea of people. Some stalls had cute clothing in every style you could ask for but other stalls looked like a chaotic yard sale. Once we had had enough we stopped in an olive shop that sold a cup of fresh olives and pickles for 1 Euro a cup. They are completly different then the ones out of a can and much better. In the end we all ended up with a few new clothing items. Once we got home, the kids and I went to the kitchen and played Chutes and Ladders and Sorry while our mom made a great lunch. The lunch consisted of rice with tomato sauce, cheeses, avacodos and tomatos, and fried eggs. After lunch I watched a movie with Jimena starring George Clooney. The movie was interesting but even more so was the poorly dubed Spanish. Once the movie was over the entire family and I went for a walk in the park and got ice cream afterwards. It's been a very busy day and tonight we will be staying up to watch a firework show right infront of their apartment building. They live on the eigtth floor so there will be a great view.
¡Hasta Luego!
Kayleigh
Fwd: Feliz día del padre.
Happy Father´s Day on Sunday to all the dad´s out there! We miss you a lot, but we´re having tons of fun here and send you our love.
Happy Father´s Day on Sunday to all the dad´s out there! We miss you a lot, but we´re having tons of fun here and send you our love.
2o Lunes (2nd Monday)
Today we visited the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral. Both were beautiful and it was hard to believe that they are real. The Palace had high iron fenses around it which we took advantage of and climbed up a fifth of the fense to take cute pictures with eachother (hopfully we wont be arrested for climbing the fense). Detailed with gold, this gate did not prevent us from seeing the georgeous architecture of the Palace. This grand project was designed by Filippo Juvara and Juan Bautista and built in the 18th century. The Palace had security but it was not like our secruity in the White House with their machine guns at the ready. The police gaurding the 135,000 kilometers squared structure with 2,800 rooms, wore a pale green shirt, dark green pants, and a funcky looking black hat (many pictures were taken of this curious foriegn cap). This is the biggest palace in all of Europe and it is where the King of Spain used to live. The current monarchs donated it to the country of Spain, and now it is only used as an official place when presidents or monarchs of other counties visit the Spanish monarchs or presidents.
The Almudena Cathedral was simply stunning with its high arches and gold furnishings. In the Cathedral there were many section offered shrines to saints, also known as chapels. The ceiling was patterned and the paintings and statues were beautifully detailed. Gold sparckled in the light streeming through the many stanglass windows. Besides the natural light, there were no other lights excluding the candles reserved for prayers. There was one room especially for those who went to the church to pray and not to site see. I did not enter as I was being a turist but I was told it was very very beautiful. The construction of this Cathedral began in April 4, 1883 and the last additions were added in June 15, 1993. Athough we are a group of talkative teenage girls we mangaged to keep our volume at a dull roar. I´m kidding dont worry, we actually didnt cause any comotion at all excluding the acidental thump of a backpack being set down with slightly too much force- which I will take responsiblity for.
We also went on a double decker tour bus which took us through the streets. It was good to sit down while learning about the city. We had already seen most of the places that we drove through but the bus gave us a new prespective on the buildings and more information. The buildings here are so beautiful. The first levels of many of the buildings have been modernized which I do not personally like because it takes away from the beauty and unquie architecture of the structures.
Over the weekend I went to a farm with cows; now before you say oh wow, that's fun, in a wavoring voice, let me say that it was amazing. Even though it smelled weird for the first few hours, and the buildings were not the prettiest, I had a really great time. The people living in the little town on the farm were crazy- but in a good way. They were lively, friendly, and kind. They loved to have a great time with each other- like talking, singing, playing a game or eating. No, they didn´t have a lot. Not a big mansion or even two floors to their homes, they had a single bathroom and 3 bedrooms to share between 8 people but that didn't matter, we, or rather they, did not need a bathroom and bedroom for each person, they had what they needed. They didn´t need 20 pairs of shoes of various name brands They didn´t need the newest toy. Maybe they wanted to have a little more but that´s natural to want something. But they were happy with what they had and they didn´t complain. The truth is the buildings were ugly but the people made up for it.
I found a substance to their "nothing"
I admire their nonmaterialisticness
And I wish I could share this feeling with others, I wish I could show them. Life isn't about what you own, it´s about what you make of it, and it´s your choice, or not, to enjoy it.
They didn't need to buy their happiness they could make their own happiness, and that´s what I found beautiful about my experience in Spain.
Today we visited the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral. Both were beautiful and it was hard to believe that they are real. The Palace had high iron fenses around it which we took advantage of and climbed up a fifth of the fense to take cute pictures with eachother (hopfully we wont be arrested for climbing the fense). Detailed with gold, this gate did not prevent us from seeing the georgeous architecture of the Palace. This grand project was designed by Filippo Juvara and Juan Bautista and built in the 18th century. The Palace had security but it was not like our secruity in the White House with their machine guns at the ready. The police gaurding the 135,000 kilometers squared structure with 2,800 rooms, wore a pale green shirt, dark green pants, and a funcky looking black hat (many pictures were taken of this curious foriegn cap). This is the biggest palace in all of Europe and it is where the King of Spain used to live. The current monarchs donated it to the country of Spain, and now it is only used as an official place when presidents or monarchs of other counties visit the Spanish monarchs or presidents.
The Almudena Cathedral was simply stunning with its high arches and gold furnishings. In the Cathedral there were many section offered shrines to saints, also known as chapels. The ceiling was patterned and the paintings and statues were beautifully detailed. Gold sparckled in the light streeming through the many stanglass windows. Besides the natural light, there were no other lights excluding the candles reserved for prayers. There was one room especially for those who went to the church to pray and not to site see. I did not enter as I was being a turist but I was told it was very very beautiful. The construction of this Cathedral began in April 4, 1883 and the last additions were added in June 15, 1993. Athough we are a group of talkative teenage girls we mangaged to keep our volume at a dull roar. I´m kidding dont worry, we actually didnt cause any comotion at all excluding the acidental thump of a backpack being set down with slightly too much force- which I will take responsiblity for.
We also went on a double decker tour bus which took us through the streets. It was good to sit down while learning about the city. We had already seen most of the places that we drove through but the bus gave us a new prespective on the buildings and more information. The buildings here are so beautiful. The first levels of many of the buildings have been modernized which I do not personally like because it takes away from the beauty and unquie architecture of the structures.
Over the weekend I went to a farm with cows; now before you say oh wow, that's fun, in a wavoring voice, let me say that it was amazing. Even though it smelled weird for the first few hours, and the buildings were not the prettiest, I had a really great time. The people living in the little town on the farm were crazy- but in a good way. They were lively, friendly, and kind. They loved to have a great time with each other- like talking, singing, playing a game or eating. No, they didn´t have a lot. Not a big mansion or even two floors to their homes, they had a single bathroom and 3 bedrooms to share between 8 people but that didn't matter, we, or rather they, did not need a bathroom and bedroom for each person, they had what they needed. They didn´t need 20 pairs of shoes of various name brands They didn´t need the newest toy. Maybe they wanted to have a little more but that´s natural to want something. But they were happy with what they had and they didn´t complain. The truth is the buildings were ugly but the people made up for it.
I found a substance to their "nothing"
I admire their nonmaterialisticness
And I wish I could share this feeling with others, I wish I could show them. Life isn't about what you own, it´s about what you make of it, and it´s your choice, or not, to enjoy it.
They didn't need to buy their happiness they could make their own happiness, and that´s what I found beautiful about my experience in Spain.
2o Martes (2nd Tuesday)
Hola!
We started off the afternoon by going to the tiny shop next to the school where many girls bought icecream, candy and drinks. As we ate our goodies, we walked through the narrow streets toward the metro and we caught the next train. We waved goodbye to the platform and zoomed off towards the Palacio de Comunicaciones.
The Palacio de Comunicaciones was originally used as the headquarters of the postal service and then the Postal and Telegraphic Museum. The Palacio now stands as the Madrid City Hall.
After taking pictures of the Palacio we strolled towards the Puerta de Alcalá.
The large arc was built in 1778 after King Charles III asked Francesco Sabatini to build a monumental gate in the city. This gate or Arc is the first one build in Europe after the Fall of the Roman Empire. Then later in the 19th century new arcs were built in France or Russia.
After taking pictures of the arc, we walked to the Buen Retiro Park. This park was part of a magnificent royal palace built by the king Felipe the 4th. Hundred years later it was donated this park after his palace was destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars. The park has a large pond where you can rent a paddle boat which fits four people for only 5,80 euros. Many girls chose to take a boat ride in the pond while others decided to wander the enourmous park.
I shared a boat with three other girls after we all bought another icecream. Two girls volunteered to row as I shared the plentiful candy I bought in one of the tiny shops. As we floated along, we noticed bulbous fish with gaping mouths on the surface of the water. We counted about fifteen and lost track after he fifteenth fish.
As everyone rejoined in the middle of the park I noticed a few people tanner after the boat ride under the bright sun.
We walked back to the metro discussing the the park, the pond and the Flameco show we were all about to attend.
We arrived at the station, about one block from the theatre and a few girls went to a nearby cafe while a few girls, including me, visited the local shops selling shoes and beads. After about twenty minutes, we rejoined and headed off to the anticipated Flamenco show.
The show was Carmen a remake of the opera into a flamenco dance with a live band consisting of a guitar player, a drummer who used solely his hands, a flute player and a singer. The show included bright colors, emotional acting and beautiful music. As the show came to an end, many of us shed a tear at the emotional acting and the fact that the presentation had concluded.
We rejoined outside and a few of us left because our host families had come to pick us up while a few girls took the metro back to their host families´ homes with the chaperones.
After about ten days in this wonderful city, our Spanish is improving at an impressive rate and soon we will be thinking in Spanish!
Hannah Maydanik
We started off the afternoon by going to the tiny shop next to the school where many girls bought icecream, candy and drinks. As we ate our goodies, we walked through the narrow streets toward the metro and we caught the next train. We waved goodbye to the platform and zoomed off towards the Palacio de Comunicaciones.
The Palacio de Comunicaciones was originally used as the headquarters of the postal service and then the Postal and Telegraphic Museum. The Palacio now stands as the Madrid City Hall.
After taking pictures of the Palacio we strolled towards the Puerta de Alcalá.
The large arc was built in 1778 after King Charles III asked Francesco Sabatini to build a monumental gate in the city. This gate or Arc is the first one build in Europe after the Fall of the Roman Empire. Then later in the 19th century new arcs were built in France or Russia.
After taking pictures of the arc, we walked to the Buen Retiro Park. This park was part of a magnificent royal palace built by the king Felipe the 4th. Hundred years later it was donated this park after his palace was destroyed during the Napoleonic Wars. The park has a large pond where you can rent a paddle boat which fits four people for only 5,80 euros. Many girls chose to take a boat ride in the pond while others decided to wander the enourmous park.
I shared a boat with three other girls after we all bought another icecream. Two girls volunteered to row as I shared the plentiful candy I bought in one of the tiny shops. As we floated along, we noticed bulbous fish with gaping mouths on the surface of the water. We counted about fifteen and lost track after he fifteenth fish.
As everyone rejoined in the middle of the park I noticed a few people tanner after the boat ride under the bright sun.
We walked back to the metro discussing the the park, the pond and the Flameco show we were all about to attend.
We arrived at the station, about one block from the theatre and a few girls went to a nearby cafe while a few girls, including me, visited the local shops selling shoes and beads. After about twenty minutes, we rejoined and headed off to the anticipated Flamenco show.
The show was Carmen a remake of the opera into a flamenco dance with a live band consisting of a guitar player, a drummer who used solely his hands, a flute player and a singer. The show included bright colors, emotional acting and beautiful music. As the show came to an end, many of us shed a tear at the emotional acting and the fact that the presentation had concluded.
We rejoined outside and a few of us left because our host families had come to pick us up while a few girls took the metro back to their host families´ homes with the chaperones.
After about ten days in this wonderful city, our Spanish is improving at an impressive rate and soon we will be thinking in Spanish!
Hannah Maydanik
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
2o Miércoles (2nd Wednesday)
¡Hola a todos!
I am having a BLAST here in Spain- I adore the welcoming locals, one-of-a-kind sites, delicious food, and priceless Spanish practice opportunities. To start off my fabulous day, my host family and I enjoyed a traditional Spanish breakfast treat- fartones (a sweet bread) and horchata (milk that´s "muy dulce")- in the garden. Wow! Today, after our final day of intensive language immersion classes (in which each day we practiced our linguistic skills and learned important information about Spanish culture), we took on the 1-hour journey to Toledo with much gusto; we were all extremely eager to explore the unique, ancient city in which, to our surprise, Christians, Muslims, and Jews alike consider it sacred and have thrived there without conflict for thousands of years. Visiting Toledo was like travelling back in time because everything was so perfectly preserved. First, accompanied by our awesome, funny tour guide, Chavi, we walked through the Puente (Bridge) de San-Martin, which was built over 1,000 years ago over the Tajo River... The longest river in Spain (800 miles.)! We viewed the cigoralles (wealthy people´s beautiful homes)- I thought it was very interesting that the largest one used to be a hospital, but now only three people live in it! Next, we visited the Catedral de Toledo, which, believe it or not, was originally a mosque. The beautiful stain glass filled church was surrounded by the Bishop House and City Hall, which were covered in Spanish flags and religious relics in preparation for the Corpus Christi religious festival tomorrow, and, at the same time, Spain´s deciding match versus Chile in the World Cup tonight-yikes! Throughout the excursion, we walked through streets barely large enough for a small car to fit through (the cars did drive through there!) and there were beautiful flowers and banners strewn across the alleyways. I loved Needle Street because it had lots of large homes containing pretty indoor patios with gorgeous tropical plants and gilded silver and gold ceilings. Third, we visited the thirteenth-century, 20,000 person capacity, fifth largest church in Spain... Catedral de Santo-Tome, which was a large, beautiful church centered in the heart of Toledo. My favorites out of many luxurious items were: the big gilded painting of Saint Christopher, the Rose stain glass window (which, actually, had tons of Stars of David worked into the intricate pattern), the gilded wall encrusted with precious jewels, the statue of the French Madonna, the 900 kilogram "Holly-Host" in a big jeweled case with its cart that ten people push around the church for three hours every holiday (like tomorrow, with Corpus), and the dressing room. The dressing room, which included an unforgettable Luca Giordano frescoe from 1680 that the artist completed in one year by using both of his hands that depicted many prophets, saints, and other noteworthy folks all centered around the large, block-lettered ancient Hebrew phrase "Adonai" (which means God). Luckily, I was there to read the Hebrew and explain the phrase´s meaning to the teachers, guides, and students! I also enjoyed the amazing works of many of the world´s (and Spain´s!) finest, most renowned artists, such as Velazquez and Goya. I loved the original fourteenth-century floor and detailed woodworkings depicting the reconquest of Granada in the church´s choir room. Then, I bought a box of hand-crafted, signature-of-Toledo marzapan from a typical convent for my family because I want to share a piece of my fun experience of Toledo with them. In addition, I viewed many authentic gold swords, pendants, chairs, and much, much more in a well-known jewelry and armory shop. All of my friends and I took tons of photos all day and we had a great time. Such a special excursion! We hopped back onto the bus for our return trip to Madrid. My host mother and father picked me up in their car and we drove home to make Spanish Pizza. We made the dough from scratch and topped it with chicken, bacon, turkey, corn, three types of cheese, tomato sauce, and spicy salsa! I love trying new dishes each day because I think it´s fun to try new things. I took a dip in the pool with my host siblings (and dog!) and then watched a Spanish telenovela (soap opera) to keep practicing my Spanish. I´m having a spectacular trip and I love speaking only Spanish and living la vida española. Every day is a unique opportunity to immerse myself in the Spanish culture and language, and, well... I´m soaking up every second of it.
Sincerely,
Amanda West
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Holton in Toledo!!
2o Jueves (2nd Thursday)
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¡Hola! Today was the proclamation and coronation of new king and queen, King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia. After King Juan Carlos abdicated the throne, his son has taken his place as the monarch. Juan Carlos has previously ruled since 1975, 39 years.
The proclamation took place at the Congress of Deputies here in Madrid in the morning. It was broadcasted on many of the TV and radio stations.We are incredibly lucky to be in Spain to witness this historical and important day.
We took the day off from classes at CENP, due to the National religious holiday of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ Day) to spend time with our families. I got the chance to sleep in late and have a relaxing morning eating breakfast with my host family and watching the proclamation of the king and queen on the TV.
Around 12, we drove to the amusement park in Madrid about 20 minutes away. There we met up with Olivia Heflin and her host sisters to spend the remainder of the day with them. The amusement park was crowded and the lines were very long. We waited in line for 3 hours for one roller coaster. However, we still had a fun time eating lunch, going on several roller coasters and rides, and walking through the haunted house. My favorite was the water ride where we got soaked. Olivia and I started to get a little queasy on the last ride so we knew it was time to head home. It was a tiring but very good day. I can't believe we only have a few days left in Madrid!
-- Reilly
¡Hola! Today was the proclamation and coronation of new king and queen, King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia. After King Juan Carlos abdicated the throne, his son has taken his place as the monarch. Juan Carlos has previously ruled since 1975, 39 years.
The proclamation took place at the Congress of Deputies here in Madrid in the morning. It was broadcasted on many of the TV and radio stations.We are incredibly lucky to be in Spain to witness this historical and important day.
We took the day off from classes at CENP, due to the National religious holiday of Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ Day) to spend time with our families. I got the chance to sleep in late and have a relaxing morning eating breakfast with my host family and watching the proclamation of the king and queen on the TV.
Around 12, we drove to the amusement park in Madrid about 20 minutes away. There we met up with Olivia Heflin and her host sisters to spend the remainder of the day with them. The amusement park was crowded and the lines were very long. We waited in line for 3 hours for one roller coaster. However, we still had a fun time eating lunch, going on several roller coasters and rides, and walking through the haunted house. My favorite was the water ride where we got soaked. Olivia and I started to get a little queasy on the last ride so we knew it was time to head home. It was a tiring but very good day. I can't believe we only have a few days left in Madrid!
-- Reilly
Friday, June 20, 2014
2o Viernes (2nd Friday)
Today was by far one of my favorite days of the entire trip! I woke up a little late, so I was rushed for time, but it seemed everyone was a little late this morning as well. I walked with Mr. Bautista to classes and we had our nice chat per usual.
After learning all about the royal monarchy at CENP from Isabella and Ferdinand to the newest monarch Felipe VI -explained by Mr. Bautista-, we headed on a charter bus to the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometers northwest of Madrid, to see the Monastery-Palace of El Escorial. The royal site is composed of two complexes, the monastery and a hunting lodge 5 kilometers away.
We visited the monastery built in the 16th century by the architect Juan Bautista de Toledo, ordered by Philip II of Spain. Philip II decided to build El Escorial as a reaction to the Protestant Reformation happening during his reign (1556-1598), and the first stone was placed April 23, 1563 (I only remember this date because our tour guide liked to quiz us so we always had to be paying attention)! The plan of the building is in honor of St. Lawrence who was burned to death on a grill as he was a martyr. Thus, the design is called a gridiron with a grill like shape. El Escorial was completed in 21 years and 5 months and the architect, Bautista, never lived to see the completion of the site.
Since then, the monastery has been a necropolis for many of the spanish royalty such as members of the Bourbon and Habsburg Dynasties. The Royal Pantheon contains the remains of Charles V, Philip II, III and IV, and many more.
After our tour we spent a few minutes in the Courtyard of the Kings which includes statues of the Kings of Judah. We spent a little time in the gift shop then we were on our way to have our paella lunch!
When we got to the restaurant, we were starving (Sofia's stomach was growling very loud) and we ate all kinds of cold cuts, salads, and of course paella. Then Caroline and I went for a run right after we ate and both learned that it was not the best idea.
I am sad this is one of our last days in Madrid, but we certainly saved the best for last as this was one of my favorite "excursions"!!!
-Megan
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Último día (Last Day)
We have had a great time in Spain, but we are excited to return home. Our Spanish skills have improved significantly thanks to our teachers and host families. Hopefully we will stay in touch with our Spanish host families and see them again soon. We will watch many movies on our flight back and hopefully sleep. Our favorite parts of the trip, among many incredible ones, include the walk of Rio de Madrid, the flamenco show "Carmen", and the visits to Toledo and the monastery-palace of El Escorial. We have many pictures and stories to share with you all and look forward to seeing you soon. A big thanks also to Holton and the teachers Mr. Bautista and Mrs. Iglesias for organizing this wonderful adventure and showing us around the beautiful city of Madrid.
Olivia Heflin
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