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It really has been an great adventure & huge learning experience for your children -- & for us. The fact that several of your children really wanted to stay longer speaks for how much they enjoyed themselves. And, of course, we worked hard to help make every day great. As we said from our first meeting, our objectives were to keep your child safe & well the entire trip, and to provide an immersive Spanish language & culture learning experience that he or she couldn't get anywhere else. While it was a fantastic, fun, often exhiliarating, and tiring 2 weeks, we look at how things went and understand that not everything was perfect. A lot of time was spent trouble shooting (minor concerns with family or house, upset stomachs & headaches, classes they didn't like, visiting many churches & cathedrals, and more). Our first goal was always to help make something better. Beyond that we hoped to demonstrate how a group of 19 individuals can problem-solve & adapt on the fly. Our daily meetings were the usual reminders about schedules and advice about being careful, being punctual, being aware of cultural differences & customs, & anything else we could think of that would help them appreciate & navigate their way through a city in Spain & living with a family they'd met only days ago. Pretty heady stuff, and we have to say that your children were fantastic. We received compliments from many people, from their families here to the school director to the excursion guides, from their teachers to leaders of other groups. We called every parent on the second day here, and they were delighted at how willing the kids were to speak Spanish & participate! Of course, as well as we did as a group, none of us was 100% on our game every moment either. A few spoke Spanish 95-100% of the time here, and others got lazy with it at times. Some were where they needed to be when they needed to be there, and others had a real challenge with that. But to live in a new city, to travel to 5 different cities & towns, hundreds of kilometers on a bus, packing essential carry around items & a picnic lunch; to live with a Spanish family; to walk MANY miles every day; to attend Spanish classes every day; to negotiate purchases & go on tours & listen to lectures, & much more -- & and to never have a serious issue or concern speaks volumes about how they did very well when it was most important. Was it perfect? No, and if you have traveled before, you know that perfection isn't the point -- it's more how to assess each situation & make the best of it, right? It was awfully good most of the time, and when it wasn't, we worked together to do what we could to make it better. At our pre-trip meetings, we often spoke of the other intangible life skills we hoped to develop as we traveled -- like adaptability, handling unexpected delays & disappointing realities, staying healthy & dealing with feeling tired or sick, building confidence, developing appreciation of another culture & its people, growing in both independence and responsibility, & working together as a group, among others -- and that is where you may see subtle & maybe not so subtle changes in your child. These are the skills that we believe will help them feel confident & capable in challenging situations in their future lives. This is the inaugural trip, and we have learned a lot. For the seniors, we know that the experience will put them in a better position to adapt & succeed when they go to college and when they continue their travels to new lands. For the sophomores & juniors, we hope this has sparked their curiousity & appreciation of other cultures as well as their own and will feel appreciative of the many opportunities they have here in Region 18 and LOLHS! It will be good to be back! We will bring home a little bit of Salamanca with us and certainly leave a little bit of the Wildcat spirit there  Today was our last day in beautiful in Salamanca. We started the day off by eating breakfast with our host family and walked to school. After school, we explored the book sale which took place in the Plaza Mayor, where people were lining up to purchase famous books. Here in Salamanca, it is considered a very special day celebrating the importance of literature. During our free time after lunch, we went to go take pictures at the Barrio Oeste where graffiti decorated the walls. After, we met with our group and teachers to take our last picture with the Lyme Old Lyme flag at the Plaza Mayor. We there saw our teacher Paqui to give her our last goodbyes. We later went to our favorite ice cream store "Smooy" and bought ice cream to eat at the Plaza Mayor. With our ice cream, we walked to the bridge that overlooked the water and a skating park, and listened to the calming sounds of nature and enjoyed our last walk around the city. Coming home, we bought more ice cream (to make up for all of the walking) and sat on the stairs next to the Casa de Conchas thinking about the next day. Greeted by our friends from our house, we walked home. For dinner, we ate a typical Spanish dish, fish and salad with our host mom and talked about our plans for the future. After this trip, we've realized how big the world is, and to be grateful for the things we have, while knowing the importance of exploring other parts of the world. We are sad to be leaving, but are so happy to have had this experience with wonderful people. With everyone's help, this trip was better than we could have imagined. Gracias por todo, hasta luego 
 Zamora, probably the most medieval city we have visited in the whole trip. The predominant architecture style is romanic with a lot of small little churches around the city. The most relevant visit was the cathedral with a Byzantine section. Students were tired but the attitude and behavior was great.
Today we went to Zamora, a region of Castilla y León, a one-hour bus ride from Salamanca. This city was influenced by the Romans which can be seen in the buildings and churches. When we arrived, our guide pointed out the characteristics of Roman churches, and we got to go inside a few. In one of them there was a First Communion ceremony. Next we went to the Museo Semana Santa which had a display of biblical scenes that were used to teach the illiterate the bible stories, and warn them of the punishment they would receive if they were not good Catholics. We then saw the remains of a castle made out of stone and took pictures of the amazing view from the top. From there we went inside a museum of a cathedral, and next the cathedral which had incredible displays with detailed artwork. After viewing that, we had an hour of free time, which was when it began to rain. When we met up again, we walked through the streets where the craftsmen work to see their businesses and that concluded our excursion to Zamora.    Today we went on an excursion to Ávila and Segovia, two cities in the same region (Castilla-León) as Salamanca. We left from the Plaza Gabriel at 9 and arrived in Ávila at 10, where we visited a large wall/fortress. Although the day was a bit chilly, we got to take in the amazing view from above and grab a bite to eat (cute and yummy pastries that were surprisingly very cheap!). Then we left for Segovia, where we ate our lunches (tortillas con patata, anyone?) and got to see a Roman aqueduct and later Alcázar, a beautiful castle where the Catholic monarchs resided (fun fact: this structure inspired Disney's castle!). Afterwards, we shared delicious torrejas, a dessert similar to mini bread pudding. We arrived back in Salamanca at 8 and rushed back home to watch the soccer match between Sevilla and Barcelona. Though extremely sad to be leaving this country soon, we are making the most of the time we have left!!!
This is our guide, Andrea. She works at our school, Colegio Delibes, and she taught us a lot about the history of different cities. Sarah: If you could choose a Spanish food to represent your personality, what food would you choose? Andrea: My personality or the personality of Spanish food? S: Yours. A. Mine? S: Yes. A: So difficult. Probably one from my home, Segovia. In Segovia, the typical food is Cordero Asado or Cochinillo Asado. Cochinillo is a small pig roasted in a wood stove. S: What is the personality of this dish? A: It's a little strong. It's a food that's normally eaten with family on the weekends or in restaurants and it's a little heavy. Yeah, afterwards you have to go for a nice walk. Hannah: And is there a funny or weird expression that wouldn't make sense if it were translated to English? A: Well, I don't know if you have this expression, but to me it seems a bit strange because sometimes when we don't feel well, something hurts, or we're really tired, we use the expression "Today, I'm not very Catholic!" With the verb "estar" not with the verb "ser." [Both "ser" and "estar" mean "to be," but generally, "estar is for more temporary conditions and "ser" is used to describe permanent traits] With the verb "ser" it refers to religion, to be Catholic. But when I don't feel well, when my head hurts, I'm tired, "today I don't want to go out. I'm not very Catholic." It's a little bit dated, this expression, but it exists. .We started off our typical school day at Colegio Delibes from 9:00 – 1:00. We then transitioned into a relaxing siesta and delicious home cooked meal by our host families. After, we learned about the 17 autonomous communities – similar to states. We are currently in Castilla y Leon and have been to 3 of the 17 including Madrid, where we flew into, and Castilla-La Mancha, when we visited Toledo. Among others, some include Andalucía and Cataluña. After this geography lesson, we had free time to look for gifts and we rented bikes to travel around Salamanca. Again, concluded the day with a meal from our host family    Day 9 had to have been our longest, fullest day from start to finish. Almost everyone was up an hour earlier than usual to meet for an authentic Spanish breakfast of churros & chocolate. Review of the day's schedule & classes followed. Students dispersed to their Salamanca homes for comida, while the teachers joined teachers from Italy, France, Lebanon, & Spain for tapas & conversation. We would like to share with you that during our conversation, the Colegio Delibes director, Miguel, made a point to tell the group about how wonderful he thinks our kids are. He is very impressed with their ability & willingness to speak Spanish, their respectfulness & punctuality, and their overall attitude to fun & challenging days. This school has become so popular that they have had to turn down many groups, but Miguel told us privately that he will always make room for a group from Lyme-Old Lyme! Our social & cultural activity of the day was a very cool outing to a neighborhood on the west side of the city where art & graffiti are integrated into the environment & architecture. Our guide had us do an interactive photography scavenger hunt using a map & asking locals for directions to find specific murals & graffiti & create innovative poses with them. See the results & some of the art below. A one-hour break allowed us to get ready & catch our breath for the next social event, 2-hours of music & dancing with kids from all groups at Colegio Delibes who come from France, Italy, Lebanon, USA. & other parts of Spain. A very fun & popular event! We ended the day with a group walk to an area of the city famous for tapas. We ate delicious samples of chicken, tuna, goat cheese, and various special creations for vegetarians & those with special diets. 4 days left & lots of fun still ahead!
  Today we woke up to sunny skies and went to eat breakfast the usual with a chocolate croissants and an espresso. We ran to school per usual, trying not to be late (again). As soon as we arrived, we were greeted with more coffee, and went to our first grammar class. After the class with our wonderful teacher, Paqui, we switched to our communication class which was fun as we talked about our plans for the day and played a fun heads up game packed with vocabulary. We later went home and ate a soup with chicken, and potatoes with cheese for Lexi. We later looked to buy things for our family and friends at the typical shopping plazas. We excitedly headed off to our next excursion where we competed to take the best photos with graffiti. We had to ask many people along the way for directions as we were distracted by the beauty of the town. After taking many artistic pictures, we happily headed home to get ready for the discoteca. There, we quickly got dressed and met at the plaza mayor and walked to the Camelot to dance for hours meeting nice people from other countries and talked about the differences in our cultures. Finally, we went to go eat Tapas which included bread with meat, potatoes and sauce and fish with bread or chicken with bread. Walking home with the group, we looked at the beautiful city and thought about what fun activities were planned for the next day. (Ps we might come home with matching face tattoos! Jajaj solo una broma.)    Hola! Day 8 already -- it feels like the time is passing more quickly. We are taking advantage of every hour, however! We gathered to watch a movie at the school. It was all in Spanish (of course) and was based on a true story of a Spanish teacher who goes looking for John Lennon in Spain during the early '70's. We adults could relate more to the movie, but the students did not really like it at all:) Then we walked as a group through the city to a cool car museum near the river. The sun was out & the light was beautiful as we mingled with the throngs of people of all ages from many parts of the world. It really is a joy to see the kids navigating through so much -- the stores, restaurants, crowds, & finding their way around the city & home again! The Plaza Mayor fills up every afternoon & evening with middle & high schoolers, babies & adults, gathering talk, stroll, have an ice cream, or just enjoy the evening air. The car museum featured cars from the last 100 years with standouts like a vehicle totally powered by solar panels, the Cadillac that drove General Franco around, and fantastic sports cars & racing motorcycles. We closed out the day with free time & dinner at home with families!
As usual, we spent 9am-1pm in class at Colegio Delibes. We then went home for lunch with our host mom and then spent a few hours of free time during siesta looking around at local mercados (markets) and zapaterías (shoe stores). In the afternoon, we returned to Colegio Delibes to view a movie called "Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados" (Living is easy with the eyes closed), which recounted the true story of an English professor who travels to interview John Lennon. After the movie, we went to a car museum to view automobiles from all different eras. After, we had a few hours of free time to walk across the bridge, talk to locals, and shop before returning home for dinner with our host family. ¡Qué tranquila! Gracias, Emma y Caroline       Maybe our best weather day so far, and one of the best overall in our 7 days here. Clear, sunny, & cool in the morning while in classes and warm & sunny for our excursions in the afternoon (sunblock, anyone?) We toured another landmark cathedral, but this time instead of a guided tour of the history & architecture as we strolled & listened, we got to climb narrow granite steps up & up to the clock tower of Salamanca's largest & oldest cathedral! It was definitely worth the workout! Fantastic vistas of the city & beyond as well as interesting history & stories of this ancient cathedral. |
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Unsurprisingly, the day began with classes at Colegio Delibes. After classes we decided to go get a haircut at a “peluquería,” or barbershop. When Equipo Salamanca came together again, it was to go to the University of Salamanca, and visit the cathedral. The cathedral consists of an older and a newer portion that have been connected together. We were able to go up toward the top of both parts of the cathedral, and look down upon the city and the interior of the cathedral. The newer part of the cathedral is one of the highest buildings in Salamanca, and from the top we could see the Sierra Francia, which we visited on Sunday. After burning many calories climbing up the many stairs in the cathedral, we were rewarded with tapas, which are small snacks that can be found in many places around Salamanca, and the rest of España. We visited three different places and tried three different tapas. The first place, the food was like a small burger with tomato and cheese. The second was called “patatas bravas” which were potatoes with a sauce similar to ketchup and mayonnaises. The last tapas that we had were small bocadillos con lomo, or sandwiches with tenderloin.
The sun came out again today, so we started the week with a smile! Students arrived at Colegio Delibes, we took attendance -- perfect 4 days in a row! --, and they went off to classes. After we met to review the afternoon schedule. They had 2 hours to socialize, get home, & eat with their families. Then the excursion fun began! A Delibes maestra took us on am walking tour of important literary works of Salamanca. Rather than the standard lecture, Cinthia had us up & acting out these classic moral tales of love & tragedy. No one was spared getting up & acting! It was great fun with lots of laughs & a deeper sense of the literature of Spain.
We went right away to the Plaza Mayor & met up with Eugenia who walked to the downstairs kitchen of Antonio, the owner & chef of Brownie Home, a cool collaborative for the teaching & enjoyment of Spanish cooking. We learned to make a Tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette) and alcohol-free sangria -- yummmmm! We capped off the session with a surprise cake & candles for a student who celebrated her birthday today!
We had our daily meeting (very brief but important) and the students had a couple of hours to enjoy & interact with the wonderful people of Salamanca. Sr. Vazquez & I walked across the Roman bridge & saw a few of our students returning from an evening soccer game with some of the locals. A great way to start the week!
We went right away to the Plaza Mayor & met up with Eugenia who walked to the downstairs kitchen of Antonio, the owner & chef of Brownie Home, a cool collaborative for the teaching & enjoyment of Spanish cooking. We learned to make a Tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette) and alcohol-free sangria -- yummmmm! We capped off the session with a surprise cake & candles for a student who celebrated her birthday today!
We had our daily meeting (very brief but important) and the students had a couple of hours to enjoy & interact with the wonderful people of Salamanca. Sr. Vazquez & I walked across the Roman bridge & saw a few of our students returning from an evening soccer game with some of the locals. A great way to start the week!
The day started with our classes at Colegio Delibes as usual. Then, after a delicious lunch with our families (today our host mom cooked white rice with chicken and bread), we had some free time. We wanted to go shopping in the Plaza Mayor, but we totally forgot that it was siesta, so nearly all the shops were closed! Still, we got to walk around a bit and enjoy the weather, which was absolutely beautiful (a nice change from yesterday). Later, a literature professor from the school guided us through a part of Salamanca while telling us famous legends of this region. Students got to act out stories such as Lázarus y el ciego. Finally, we had a cooking class, where we learned how to cook tortillas con patatas and sangría (without alcohol) -- my favorite part of the day! We also surprised Sofia with a birthday cake, went shopping, and conversed with two French girls who will be staying in the house with us. ¡Qué guay!
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Spain Blog
Day 5 took us to the frigid but beautiful Peña de Francia, a mountain in the south of Salamanca, and visit the Santuario, an homage to the Virgin Mary. We then went on the the historic center of La Alberca, a municipality in Salamanca. Despite the cold and rain we were able to engage with the rich history of Alberca, walking the streets and visiting a museum and small shops. We continued our trip in Ciudad Rodrigo, a city near the border between Portugal and Spain known for its ancient city walls and its Cathedral de Santa María which displays both gothic Gothic/Romanesque architecture. The cathedral itself serves a reminder of Spain's history as much of the exterior is damaged from battles during La Guerra Civil de España (the Spanish civil war).
Day 5 took us to the frigid but beautiful Peña de Francia, a mountain in the south of Salamanca, and visit the Santuario, an homage to the Virgin Mary. We then went on the the historic center of La Alberca, a municipality in Salamanca. Despite the cold and rain we were able to engage with the rich history of Alberca, walking the streets and visiting a museum and small shops. We continued our trip in Ciudad Rodrigo, a city near the border between Portugal and Spain known for its ancient city walls and its Cathedral de Santa María which displays both gothic Gothic/Romanesque architecture. The cathedral itself serves a reminder of Spain's history as much of the exterior is damaged from battles during La Guerra Civil de España (the Spanish civil war).
Day 4 took us to the historic & multicultural city of Toledo! What an amazing place! A mix of 6 centuries of Christian, Muslim, & Jewish presence, architecture, narrow winding alleyways, & a gazillion other tourists made for a fun & interesting time. The students learned to read maps, navigate their way through the city, and be punctual & respectful in all ways. A great day!
“Today the students visited the ancient city of Toledo, a city where three cultures of Christian, Jewish, Arab have lived in harmony for centuries. They toured the Cathedral of Toledo, the second largest in Spain, as well as the Synagogue of Toledo and museum, and the Greco Museum, where they preserved the famous artist’s house and displayed many of his well known paintings. The students also enjoyed the panoramic views of the countryside of Toledo and even admired the expansive farmland during the 3 hour bus ride to and from the historic city. They learned many interesting facts on their journey from certain tiles cemented in the cobblestone streets to preserving paintings in ancient cathedrals. Throughout, the students found themselves talking with natives like shopkeepers to fishermen and really investigating and discovering the true culture of Toledo. Surely a piece of the trip to remember.”From Anna Donato and Lauren Mitchell
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The day starts with our entire group meeting at Colegio Delibes, where we take attendance, touch base about any concerns at our houses, and attend class. Today's cultural activity was a 90-minute dance lesson, where the students (Mr. Vazquez & Mr. McGannon did not dance!) got a taste of bachata & salsa. Later we all took in a movie, all in Spanish & no subtitles! Tomorrow we are off to beautiful Toledo!
Today was our third day in Spain. As usual we started our day with class at Colegio Delibes and returned to our families at 2 to eat lunch. We then went to a salsa dance class at a local restaurant. The instructor’s enthusiasm was amazing and everyone had a great time. From there we got some quick tapas and went to a Spanish movie theatre. Everyone chose their own movies and purchased tickets and snacks. We personally saw La Casa Torcida (Crooked house), a mystery about the strange deaths of family members. The movie was completely in Spanish and difficult at times to understand but we enjoyed it.
Hasta Luego, Liam y Matt
Day 2, part 2 in Salamanca -- we were all in much better shape after a good night's sleep. Despite lousy weather (still COLD and rainy) we had a great cultural visit to the famous Casa Lis. Then we crashed a well-known churros & chocolate joint for a classic mid-afternoon Spanish snack! Mmmmmm! We met a short while later under the clock in the Plaza Mayor (the main square) & went together to Camelot, a rockin' disco for 2 hours of ultra-loud music and dancing fun with high school students from France, England, Italy, and Southington, CT (!). Looking forward to Day 3!
Today was our second day in Spain. We went to classes in the morning, and then to an art museum and a party. We went to a supermarket (and had to ask for directions on the way there, which was a cool experience because everyone here is really friendly!) and saw some oddly sized fruits. Also, in the supermarket, there was a charging station where people can leave their phones (locked in a box to which only they have the key) to charge FOR FREE. Why don’t we have these in the US???
Later, we went to a shop that sold beautiful handmade plates, clocks and other small souvenirs. We’re so excited to explore more of the city and meet more people!
Hasta mañana,
Katie y Hannah
Equipo Salamanca
Later, we went to a shop that sold beautiful handmade plates, clocks and other small souvenirs. We’re so excited to explore more of the city and meet more people!
Hasta mañana,
Katie y Hannah
Equipo Salamanca
Mr. McGannon
&
Mr. Vazquez
Two teachers and 17 students on an educational excursion in Salamanca, Spain!
Take a look at their daily adventures.
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