Exchange group heads to Madrid for the next two weeks!
Follow along on their adventure abroad March 2-16 here on the blog and on our International Programs Twitter feed.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on April 10, 2018 by phall.
Today was our last day at Colegio Europeo de Madrid. In the morning, we got assigned different schedules to attend. Some of my classmates and I went to biology class where we traced our bodies onto a poster board and labeled the body parts with their Spanish names.
Next, we went to history class and learned about important Spanish history, and then got tested on it by a game of Kahoot. Then, our group got split again into five different groups. This consisted of having four of us per class sit in and listen to what the students were learning in their class that day. After that, we had a thirty minute break. During break the lunch ladies put out a snack in the cafeteria for the kids. Today the snack was bananas. After break we had European class. During this class we learned about 'Internet of Things', otherwise known as IOT. We were handed a bunch of computer parts and used bitbloq.bq.com to do a bunch of fascinating things like lighting up a lightbulb with a censor and setting a censor to create noises when activated. At 1pm we ate lunch. We were served bread, salad, scrambled eggs, and croquetas. After lunch, we had a siesta (free time) until 3 pm. During this time, many people did homework, took naps, or even played basketball and volleyball in the gym. After the siesta, we went back into groups, half of us went to radio class while the others went to learn Hip Hop. For the last hour of the school day, we had a farewell party. We were served Coca-Cola, chips, and torrijas (a common Spanish dessert in Semana Santa). They gave us farewell goodie bags, and we hung out with everyone in the cafeteria and basketball court until school ended. After school, we all went home, and now we have to pack everything up tonight. A lot of us are sad knowing we have to say adiós to our host families early tomorrow morning, but we are so thankful for the great experiences from these past two weeks!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on March 19, 2018 by phall.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on March 18, 2018 by phall.
Hola from Madrid! Today was one of our few days without a day trip and with just classes at Colegio. After, yet again, not sleeping nearly long enough, we kicked off the day in chemistry class creating crystals. The science teachers were remarkably good at English. They were able to tell us exactly what to do with our salts, solutions, and hot plates – hard enough to do in a first language, much less a second! We then moved to philosophy class. While I find philosophy interesting in English, listening and discussing whether or not schooling was vital for happiness in Spanish added a whole different experience. In English class, we worked with the students on a project researching different monuments in Ireland.
After a tasty lunch of steak, rice, fried vegetables (the first veggies anyone has even seen in a long time), and fish, we moved on to volleyball in PE class. Although a couple other teams might disagree, my team went undefeated – three wins for three. Finally, we finished in radio class with Marta in which we answered questions from younger students and talked about some idioms and sayings in the Spanish language. Tonight, many of the students are heading to Heron City, one of about six malls that we have been to this trip. They aren't short on malls here.
Everyone's excited to take advantage of the rest of the week we have here!
Today, we visited Toledo, the first capital of the Spanish Empire! Fun Fact: Toledo is one of the few cities where three cultures (Muslim, Christian, and Jewish) all live together in peace (Holy Toledo!). Upon arrival, we took a panoramic bus tour around the city before embarking on a tour that, according to my Health app, was worth about 27 flights of stairs. Those of us who are missing sports practices today definitely got our workout in!
Although Toledo was founded in 192 B.C. by the Romans, little Roman architecture remains. We were, however, able to climb a wall built by the Muslims in the 9th century that has prevented the city from being taken by arms ever since. Throughout our tour, we were greeted by the beautiful sounds of church bells that were often interrupted by people shouting "Coche!" ("Car!") followed by everyone frantically flattening against the walls as cars zoomed past and squeezed through impossibly narrow pathways. We also saw many examples of "trampa del ojo" or "trick of the eye" architecture, where brick buildings were covered in plaster that was painted to look like decorative stone. Even after our tour guide pointed out this clever painting technique, it was difficult to see that we were not really looking at real stone. We were also able to visit a church that was repurposed into a lavish discoteca (imagine partying in a church!), as well as "La Casa del Judío" (the Jewish House) an underground meeting place for Jews during the Spanish Inquisition. We ended the day with a little over an hour of free time during which many students bought scrumptious foods (including delicious Nutella crepes – 11/10 recommend), went shopping, and visited the Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo. 10,000 square meters in size with an absolutely breathtaking array of artwork and architecture, Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo is the main and second largest cathedral in Spain. Upon entering, one cannot help but exclaim, "Holy Toledo!". Even though we will be sore tomorrow, today was an amazing day and I toleDON'T ever want to leave Spain!
On Thursday, March 8th, we returned to El Colegio de Europeo de Madrid to take more classes. Unlike the classes we took on Monday, the ones we took today were more oriented towards academics; because of this, we were able to get a clearer picture of what our Spanish students' school experience is like. Throughout the day, we had classes that had us studying the history of Spain, doing math puzzles, cooking Spanish foods, singing, and much more. Although we found it difficult to interpret our class schedules from time to time, we all had a good time overall. After school let out, we spent some time with our individual Spanish students and waited for the day to wind down.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on March 11, 2018 by phall.