Un viaje a Toledo

Our first excursion was a success! Students met in the center of Ciudad Real early in the morning to start our trips to Campo de Criptana and Toledo. It was a very quiet bus ride to start the day!

We arrived at Campo de Criptana around 10:00am, and it was there that we learned how the windmills are used to grind wheat and flour. While this is a tourist attraction, it was interesting to learn that the windmills are still used once so that their functions continue to work properly. The students were surprised to learn that the roofs of the windmills can be rotated so that the blades can properly capture the direction of the wind! 

Next we took the bus to Toledo. Upon our arrival, students were greeted with a blast of hot air, but thankfully the city of Toledo has tall buildings with narrow streets that provide for plenty of shade. After a quick lunch and a necessary pitstop at Starbucks (the students were beyond excited), we made our way to the cathedral. We then had a free hour to explore and do some shopping before starting a 2-hour tour through the city. Alberto taught us about the history of Toledo and showed us the old underground water system. Students (and instructors) were exhausted by the end, and, once again, we had a very quiet bus ride back to Ciudad Real.

It was a great day full of beautiful sights and incredible memories! I'm working on a video collage of footage from our excursion, and that will be coming soon!

¡Empiezan las clases!

Yesterday was the students first day of classes in Ciudad Real! Students were introduced to Don Quijote, defined the meaning of linguistics, and became more familiar with how to speak in 'vosotros' in Spain. They were eager to learn more and participate in class!

Later in the evening, students took a tour of Ciudad Real to learn more about the history of the city and the various sites of interest. We were able to enter a church to learn about how an earthquake in Lisbon affected the columns of the church and how Fernando was buried under smooth rock in the capilla. 

We ended the evening with a group dinner to celebrate three birthdays! Students enjoyed conversation with each other and their families before eating some cake!

This morning before classes, students were able to participate in some physical activity before it got hot. Some students decided to play basketball, while others played a friendly game of soccer. 

More to come on Friday from our excursion to Campo de Criptana and Toledo!

Los volcanes de Ciudad Real

This morning there was an optional tour for the students to take with their families to learn about the volcanoes of Ciudad Real. Bárbara lead us around the city to understand how Ciudad Real is made up of inverted volcanoes. We briefly went underground to observe how the king would have escaped through a system of tunnels, and then we made our way to a nearby museum to learn more about the history of Ciudad Real. The tour wasn't long, as everyone was very interested in getting inside before the afternoon heat arrived! 

¡Hemos llegado! (We've arrived!)

After a long trip over the Atlantic Ocean, we've finally made it to Ciudad Real! Students were greeted by their host families as soon as we arrived to the city, and off they went! It was amazing to see the students meet their families—it was as if they had known each other already! There were hugs and celebrations and lots of happy faces (and some nervous ones, as well!). Students were able to go to their new homes, spend time with their host families, eat some great food, and REST. 

This morning the students arrived to Colegio Nuestra Señora del Prado to see their new school. After a brief tour, students were elated to learn that they'd be taking a three-part Spanish test! Okay, maybe 'elated' isn't the right word, but they didn't put up a fuss! It was stressed to the students that these tests serve as means for them to see their progress with the language during their stay in Spain. 

Attached are some pictures from the past few days! Two students celebrated a birthday yesterday and today, so I included a video of us singing to them. More to come!