UA 2014 class Salamanca Study Abroad

Back in Dallas!

Our flight back home left Madrid at 2:30pm and we got to Texas soil around 6:00pm on the same day after a 10 hour flight!

The families we're waiting at the airport and we were very happy to have accomplished so many things in just two weeks: Spanish language fluency, university of Salamca college credits, new Salmamtine families, UA sisterhood bonding, international traveling experience, touring Spain, global experiential learning in the real world, and most of all, an immense personal growth! The girls were very involved and appreciative of the whole experience and greatful to their parents and teachers!

Sra. Casco and I are very happy to have witnesses a real-life learning Spanish summer class in Salamanca!

Sabado 19 de Julio en la visita al Palacio Real, Madrid

El escudo de la Casa Real de Los Reyes Felipe VI y Letizia en el Palacio Real

Oyendo la explicaxion  en el Museo del Prado en Madrid.

Hasta el proximo ano Espana!  -estos son Los arcos del acueducto Romano de Segovia- 

Sra. Casco y Sra. Escamilla, Julio 2014 

July 16- Kayaking!

Today we started off the day with taking final exams. They weren't that hard, but I am glad that I got them over with. Then, we had lunch and our daily siesta. For lunch, I had paella, and then I took a short nap. Later, we met in the plaza so we could leave to go kayaking. We started off our kayaking trip by taking a bus ride to the Rio Tormes. When we arrived at the Rio Tormes,  we got off the bus and made sure to put on plenty of sunscreen.  Next, we got a short tutorial from the people who ran the group taking us kayaking, called "Outdoor Activo". Then, we chose partners and set off on our kayaking trip down the river. At first it was extremely easy, but not for long! A few minutes into the trip, we hit a shallow part of the river, and I had to get out and pull the kayak back into deeper water. After that, we ran into some trees and proceeded to get stuck in them. When we were almost out of the hard part, the current took our kayak and turned it around backwards! Fortunately, we were able to turn it back around, and after that the trip got much easier. With the exception of a few shallow patches where I had to get out and tow the kayak again, it was smooth sailing. We finally reached the shore, and we walked back to where we left our stuff. We took our group photo and we left on our bus! Although kayaking was very difficult, it was also very fun. Plus, what a great upper body workout!

Día en Madrid- July 19

We woke up from our first night in Madrid and met up at the hotel restaurant downstairs for breakfast. We enjoyed a wonderful buffet with many options from toast, sausage, croissants, and churros.

Next, we met upstairs in the lounge to fill out survey forms for the trip and to discuss the plan for today's activities. Our first activity of the day was visiting the beautiful Palacio Real. This palace is the official residence of the Spanish royal family and has 2800 rooms. We had a tour of many different rooms and learned about each room's unique architecture, art, style, and purpose.

After the tour we went directly behind the palace to the Almudena Cathedral. We walked around the cathedral and looked at all the intricate designs and features.

Next we headed over the Museo de Jamón (Museum of Ham) for lunch. We enjoyed multiple plates of ham, bread, cheese, tortilla española, croquettas, and calamari. We finished the meal off with a cup of ice cream.

After the big lunch we walked over to Prado Museum. We had a tour of the museum and learned about the history, the artists, the style and different aspects of the paintings. After a short break in the museum store and cafe we headed to another art exhibit on display of Greco and modern paintings.

Finally after a long day of walking and touring, we headed back to the hotel to rest and prepare for dinner. Our final dinner together as a group was at VIPS in Madrid. This was our first American meal in Spain. People ate burgers, sandwiches, french fries, shakes, and much more. It was a great last meal to wrap up our trip. Finally we retreated back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep before the long flight home.

- Lindsay 

Día de Compras: 17 de Julio

                                                                        
                                                                               Día de Compras
                                                                                    17 de Julio

We started of Thursday just like any other day, by heading to our classes at the university. During our first class which happens to be grammar, we received our final exam grades back. The university's grading system is a bit different than ours back in the  United States. Instead of receiving a numerical grade we are given a letter grade based on our overall achievement on the exam. Our final grade for the class though, is composed of the average of our participation, homework and exam grades. After we received our grades, we participated in a debate (in Spanish of course). The class was divided and the two sides argued about whether it is better to live in a city (un ciudad) or a small town (un pueblo). Both sides had valid points and it was an overall fun experience. In our conversation class, we finished presenting our final exam oral presentations and began some new activities. In our final class of the day, culture, we learned about festivals that take place in Spain. Some of them include, Fiesta de la Tomatina and La Semana Santa. La Tomatina takes place in Buñol, a town in Valencia, annually. People line up on the streets and wait for the trucks with the smooshed tomatoes to come by, and when the trucks finally come, those waiting are bombarded with tomatoes! There are many legends about the origin of the fiesta, but people say that it began when a crowd threw tomatoes at a bad singer. From then on youth have continued the tradition. La Semana Santa is a festival that takes place during Holy Week throughout Spain, but the main ones take place in Málaga and Seville. A "brotherhood" from each church traditionally carries "pasos" or floats around the city, while wearing the traditional costumes for as much as 10-16 hours! After our classes we had a free afternoon to shop for souvenirs and explore Salamanca, before we left for Madrid on Fiday.

July 18th: Goodbye Salamanca and Hello Madrid

As our two weeks here in Spain slowly come to an end, we have learned from our teachers, bonded with our host families, and made life long friendships with our Ursuline sisters. Being our last day of classes, we received our certificates from the University of Salamanca showing our hard work and determination to advancing our knowledge of the spanish language and culture. After our last class, we all went for hot chocolate with churros as a final goodbye to Salamanca and as a happy birthday to Rachel. After an approximately three hour bus ride to Madrid, we checked into Hotel Regina and then walked around the central of Madrid including the Plaza Mayor and the Puerto Del Sol. Afterwards, we walked to Sidreria for a traditional tapas group dinner and then retreated back to the hotel to get some rest for the busy day ahead!

La clase de Cultura con la profesora Marisol!

¡Horseback Riding! July 15, 2014

We had classes again this morning. In grammar we reviewed for our exam, in conversation we talked about where and when we like to eat, and then in culture class we talked about Flamenco. Then it was time to head home for lunch and siesta. Unfortunately, Victoria and I spent most of siesta studying for exams.

  Group shot after school!

Then Victoria and I went to the plaza a little early and got some yummy ice cream!
Once everyone got to the Plaza, we were off to horse back riding. It was a little hot, but it was so much fun. The horses were beautiful and there were other animals on the ranch as well.  We all rode in three different groups. Some of the other girls and I shared a fear of horse back riding, but we were all able to conquer it! There were some horses who decided not to listen (thank goodness it wasn't mine), but there were plenty of helpful experts to get the horses back in its place. Overall it was a good day with an adventurous afternoon. Wish us luck on our exams! 

Horses lined up and ready!

Baby horse!

Daniella showed off a bit...turns out she actually rides horses. 

Meghan and her horse!

There was the cutest kitten!