Trip Home = Quite the Adventure

Well, up until it was time to leave, we hadn't had any major problems during our trip. But, it seemed as if Bernardo's wish (to stay in Spain longer) was coming true...

When we got to the Jerez airport at 7am the morning of the 17th to leave, we discovered that our flight to Madrid that morning had been canceled (even though I had confirmed the itinerary online that morning). After much phone calling (Since the SpanAir agent wouldn't arrive at the airport until 10am and the information desk lady was of no help) Delta switched us to a later SpanAir flight (waving the $500 per person fee to switch!) But, we still needed to wait 5 hours in Jerez, and then overnight in Madrid since we'd miss our connecting flight to Atlanta. So, we spent the night in Madrid. We stayed at a Hotel near the airport, and then we went sightseeing in Madrid... I showed everyone Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, El Prado, El Parque Retiro, la Plaza de Toros, etc. We even ate dinner at Doner Kabobs! Everyone enjoyed getting a peak at Madrid during our unexpected layover.

There were no snags with our new flight to Atlanta the next day. We met up with my parents and my sister (who surprised me by coming) to say hello at the Atlanta airport. They came bearing a birthday cake, a welcome home sign, and drinks for everyone. I can't say I have ever had a birthday party in an airport with my family and my students before!! :)

Once we finally got confirmed seats on the flight to Norfolk, we thought we would be home soon. In fact, we arrived in Norfolk, and were told that we were preparing to land. Ten minutes later, they came on the PA and told us that we were not, in fact, about to land. Instead, we would be rerouting to Raleigh-Durham to refuel due to tornado warnings/storms in Norfolk. Everyone had to wait an extra 3 hours at the Norfolk airport for us to arrive last night!

Thanks to everyone who waited for us, and thanks once again to Bernardo, Diego, Sergio, Benito, Emilia, and Tomás for an amazing trip. You guys were all so good-natured about everything (and Emilia seemed to love the various turns our "adventure" took). Tomás even got one of the planes to announce my birthday :) It was a wonderful trip, and I hope everyone is getting some much needed rest, after being up for 24 hours straight yesterday!

Manana- los Estados Unidos!

Our last night... we made a huge paella together at MundoLengua. Everyone contributed- you should have seen Thomas chopping tomatoes, Diego, Sergio and Emilia cutting up seafood, Benito chopping vegetables, and Bracey acting as master chef and stirring the whole pot. It was fun, and yummy!
We leave for the airport at 6am tomorrow morning - from Jerez, we fly to Madrid, then Atlanta, then Norfolk. See you soon!

Last Day

Bittersweet. the only word to describe it. i dont want to leave. Tonight im gonna party it up Cadiz style with Emmet and deprive myself of sleep as long as i can.

Last Day in Cadiz

So today is our last day in Cadiz and its definitly bitter-sweet. This trip has been sooo much fun and I have definitly learned a lot!! My teacher has been really nice and is a really good teacher. Also all the site seeing has been very informative and all the architecture is beautiful. I will also definitly miss my senora, who has been very nice and feeds us soooo much food, and my roomate Ashley, who has been sooo much fun to hang out with. Anyway today was our last day of school and we went to the market to look around and buy some stuff for the paella that we are making tonight. It was fun but the smell of raw fish and meat and spices and fruit mixed together was not a good combination. Then, when we returned from that we were going to watch a movie but there were some technical difficulties so we ended up playing games for the rest of class, which was realy fun. And for our last free time on our last day, most of us are going to the beach!!! Then tonight we have a cooking class where we are going to make paella!!!! I hope its good!! Anyway I am now off to my last meal with my family. This was most definitly and GREAT trip and I can´t wait to tell everybody the details!!

El ultimo dia en Cadiz...

Well, today is our last day in Cadiz... we leave for the Jerez airport at 6am tomorrow morning. I have really enjoyed the trip - exploring a new city, eating tapas, chatting with my family, and teaching and watching as Bernardo, Sergio, Diego, Emilia, Benito, y Tomas learned about the Spanish language and culture. I think my only complaint about the trip is how hot my room is when I´m trying to go to sleep at night, as there isn´t air conditioning... otherwise, MundoLengua has done a great job of organizing activities, classes, and homestay families for us.

Yesterday afternoon, we met up with Senora Lopez, her mom, and her daughter. Everyone really enjoyed meeting her mom, who seemed to especially enjoy talking to Bernardo. We sat and had refrescos while everyone caught Sra. Lopez up on everything we´ve done during the trip. Then, Sra. Lopez took us to "one of the best pastelerias in Cadiz," where we tried "Pan de Cadiz." We also enjoyed some napolitanas (Benito is addicted) and other sweets. It was a lot of fun to see Sra. Lopez, and to meet her mom (who is a walking libro de recetas!)

We also had our "goodbye lunch" yesterday with David Hirsch, the director of MundoLengua. He took us to a restaurant on the beach called "La Arana," where we had lots of tapas - patatas alinadas, lomo (with blue cheese sauce), croquetas, and paella! Tomas won the prize for eating almost all of the random seafood in the paella.

I´m off for a quick run, then to observe classes (in one of the classes, they´re watching a scary movie this afternoon). Tonight, we all make paella together in a GIANT paella pan. Should be fun! Hasta Pronto!

-Sra. Ligler

cadiz day 9

Alright its been a long weeken with a trip to sevilla which is a much larger city with alot to see however it was hot im talking about 40-45 degrees celsius. the food still good and im looking forward to my last two days although i will be sad to leave.

Second to last day...

I think im gonna cry when i leave. last night was so much fun. i went out with Emmet and some friends and then we went to the beach for a bit. it was awesome. but that night...my family and i stayed up til 3 am talking about political issues and government all in spanish. we were yelling, looking thingsup on the computer, etc. it was fun. today was pretty normal school and we went to the market i brought some gifts.

im sad that this trip is almost over. i will miss spain very much. To Mrs. Gach-Sanin: wish you would have told me that earlier and thomas found a shirt with my handwriting on it.

Sevilla!

We arrived at the Hotel Don Paco in Sevilla yesterday morning, and I immediately realized that it was the same hotel that I stayed in when I went to Sevilla during study abroad several years ago... What a coincidence! We spent day 1 exploring Sevilla with our guide Enrique. My favorite parts were paddle boating in the Rio Guadalquivir, and seeing the Alcazar (which I don´t remember from before). However, it was blazing hot in Sevilla, even though we stopped a ton for cold drinks and ice cream (Benito bought at least 7 bottles of apple juice!) Today, Enrique took us to the Plaza de Espana - Sevilla´s Plaza de Espana is awesome. We also walked through the Barrio Santa Cruz, with its narrow streets, shops, and a yummy place where we had tapas for lunch (everyone really likes patatas bravas y paella). Later, we went to the Catedral and climbed the Giralda. We were pretty tired out from the heat and walking, and I think everyone is taking a nap now before we go to see a movie.

¿Donde debo empezar?

Where should i start? Well, after our flamenco class on friday we were about to go to the festival but instead decided to get tapas and explore the old city some more. It was a good decision. the tapas were delicious but unforunately we didnt get to visit the cathedral even through we sprinted there, only to our dismay that in was in fact closed. In one of the tapas bars we visited we met a mundolengua teacher. After exploring the old city we took a long walk on the beach. it was beautiful. I took off my shoes, slung them over my shoulder and (as emma would say) frolicked through the water. after that we sat in a bar and had a drink or two and then i hightailed it home for some much needed rest.
The next day we were off to Sevilla. we arrived there and immediatly began our tour with our guide Enrique. he took us to the river where we paddle boated (mur divertido). later we went to the palacio alzacar, a stunning edifice of arab and christian architecture. It was like something out of Assassin's Creed or the prince of persia. that night emilia and i wander around sevilla for hours, soaking up the local's way of life. we also took a carriage ride after i failed to rent a bike :P We returned to the hotel and spent the rest of the night playing cards, watching interesting and extremely informative television programming etc
Sunday we visited the plaza españa, a large monument to sevilla's once great power in trade with the americas. afterwards we explored the Barrios santa cruz and ate lunch in a small restuarant. i bought a guitar after lunch and played it to the delight (dismay) of passerbys and those in my group. we finally visited the cathedral which i had been dying to see since we arrived in sevilla. it was stunning. we climbed the 36 ramps up to the top of the tower and had a stunning view of sevilla for miles.
now im back in cadiz and dreading wednesday (when we have to leave :( ) but still enjoying to the fullest all the spanish lifestyle has to offer. my accent has been perfected, or should i say perfe"th"ted?

Weekend in Sevilla

So we just got back from Sevilla and it was really fun. We did a ton of walking and it was really really calor (hot)! The Cathedral was muy bonito and climbing the tower was divertido! Oh and we went paddle boating, which was really fun....and went on a horse carrriage ride around the city. Anyway this weekend was definitely a lot of fun, and now i have to go back to my señora´s house and eat dinner and then we´re off to the movies!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Night

Ahhh.... a chair :) I just sat down to post quickly before we leave for Cadiz. Today we toured the Plaza de España and the cathedral. They were both amazing! The cathedral was huge and we climbed the bell tower, which had ramps all of the way up instead of stairs. It was really cool but now we are headed back for Cadiz. Tomorrow we are supposed to go to the market, and then possibly meet up with Señora Lopez.
Adios for now!

Yesterday afternoon, we had our ¨sevillanas¨class, a type of flamenco dancing. I must admit, we were all (well, maybe not Bernardo) a little afraid of the class, and several people even asked me if we could skip it.... But, we ended up having a great time. The teacher was good, and although the dance was rather complicated, everyone did well. It was quite fun - see pictures above. Later on, we were supposed to go to the Feria de Chiclana, a big festival in honor of Saint Antonio (where they apparently dance the sevillana). Unfortunately, we would´ve had to wait 45 minutes for the bus to come, take the bus for 45 minutes, and then only have an hour at the festival to make it back for curfew. So, we went for more tapas and helado (ice cream) instead. I enjoyed trying more tapas and sitting in the Plaza de Minas and having helado. This morning, I´m off to get churros with Tomas y Benito (maybe others?) and then we´re off to Sevilla. It´ll take us an hour and a half on the bus to get there, and we´re staying the night in a hotel. Should be fun!

SPAIN ON VIERNES

HOLA! We´re having a great time in Spain! I have been trying spanish food my senora makes and my favorite was the chicken paella (rice dish). It was really good! Yesterday we went to the beach and then played volleyball on the beach. I was on a team with all of the girls from Charlotte and we were against Bracey & his team. We went out for Tapas afterward and I got to try some more spanish dishes. They were pretty good and we got home pretty late. Today Emma, Shane, Ashley, and I made the trek to Cortes Ingles and I bought some shorts. Then we came back to school for a flamenco lesson and that was...interesting... especially with our uneven ratio of guys to girls... haha Now we are headed to the bus to the Fair and tomorrow we´re off to Sevilla! Adios for now!

¡No me digas!

¿Q pasa?
yesterday we had tons of fun at the beach and i have an amazing tan. we played voleibol (to tell u how it was...well lets just say dan and i were the best on the court). we also went to get tapas in the old city. La gorda te da de comer was the best place. When i got home i spent a halarious evening with my family as they explained what "la gorda te da de comer" really means, among other things. the explainations were complete with acting. I laughed til my sides hurt. Today, we played taboo in spanish....muy interesante. im learning shanish very rapidly, but unfornutnately i think my english is getting worse. at times i cant recall english words but i dont worry cause that just means im beginning to think more like a spaniard. after class we went to do a cultural exchange between our mundolengua class and the english class of the spanish school. it was great craic (very fun :) ). afterwards i returned to my house and ate and took a long siesta, so long i slept through part of the flamenco class that i was supposed to attend. Flamenco was fun but difficult. my accent is getting better day by day. Why can´t i stay here forever?

cadiz day 6

I got hit by a heineken truck.........

La Playa y Tapas!

Yesterday afternoon, everyone went to the beach to relax, since we´ve been walking like crazy the past few days. At 7, we had to meet up at McDonald´s for beach games with MundoLengua... voleibol, futbol, etc. After beach games, we decided to go out for Tapas. We went to a couple places - Our favorite place was called "La Gorda Te Da De Comer." Every two people ordered a tapa, and then we passed them all around to try. Sergio liked his Senora´s paella so much that he ordered it as a tapa... it was then that he realized that most people make paella not with chicken, but with shrimp (& other seafood). The expression on his face looking at the shrimp with its eyes in tact was great!

today my class got to meet a spanish class. they were very nice. to Mrs. Gach-Sanin: yes there was a girl in the and yes i did talk to her

Espana, dia 5

¡Hola! ¿Que tal?
yesterday was probably the best day so far. We walked all through the old city of Cadiz and had Telepizza, which was the greasiest (but delicious) pizza i´ve ever had. i got some helado (ice cream) later and enjoyed it in one of the plazas. life here seems to pass slowly, as though the people dont have a care in the world. ¨"no te preocupes" (dont worry) is the phase i would use to describe Cadiz. sitting in the sunny open-air plaza i know why spainards use this phrase so often. the breeze at my back, the sun on my face, and the murmur of a fountain captivate u. I dont want to leave.
Later that day we walked through a beautiful park and then saw an ancient castle located in the sea, connected to the mainland by a long stone walkway. the sights were beautiful . i wanted to jump in the clear blue water but settled to merely sit on the rocks and try to rid myself of the accursed farmer´s tan. we also visited the Torre Tavira, a tower used to sight ships back when cadiz was a trading superpower. u could see the whole city. it was breathtaking.
More later
Bracey

Cadiz day 4

yesterday we got out to the castillo de san sebastian it was beutiful the water is so blue here. we also went by genova park wich is this amazing park in the old city with caves and waterfalls almost like the citys own private jungle. yesterday afternoon we went to a tower that gave an amazing view of the city there was also a camera like mechanism that operated by projecting light off a mirror onto a white surface creating a crystal clear picture of the city.

el 11 de junio en Cadiz

This morning, I went to Diego & Sergio´s class for a bit. I got to go with them for their intercambio, during which they chatted with Spanish students (in Spanish) for an hour. We learned a lot about the Spanish school system, and wished them luck on the chemistry test they were about to take. It was cool (see the picture top left). This afternoon, we´re going to take it easy, have a siesta, go to the beach,etc. since we´ve been walking and exploring like crazy the past few days.

Yesterday was an awesome day. We enjoyed some Telepizza together, and then went wandering, hoping to find the castle for Benito. We stumbled upon an AWESOME park, Parque Genoves, and eventually made it to La Caleta. La Caleta is the only beach in the old part of Cadiz - really pretty, and apparently a scene from Die Another Day was filmed there. Then, we discovered that there are not one, but two castles (one wasn´t on our map). We walked down the long boardwalk-type-structure to the Castillo San Sebastian. For me, this was the best part of the trip so far. Beautiful views, great weather, it was cool. We spent some time sitting and relaxing before meeting up with Juan, who took us to the top of the Torre Tavira for some great views of the city.

Wed. in Spain

So its Wed. now and everything is great. Cadiz is really pretty and the weather is great. All the site seeing that we have done is fun and the architecture is beautiful. Last night we went and saw the Flamenco which was really cool. It was a little long but was interesting. We just got out of school for today and are getting ready to go eat lunch at TelePizza. Then, more shopping and then visiting Torre Tavira. Then off to a game night with MundaLengua. Can´t Wait.....bye for now

El Miercoles en Espana

Hola!
It is Wednesday and we just finished class. (So we have been to 3 classes total). Most of the stuff we are learning we already know, so it is fairly easy. (Gracias Sra Ligler y Sra Gach! :) Last night we walked through the tiny streets in Old Cadiz and then went to the Flamenco show. It was interesting! Plus on Monday we took a tour of Old Cadiz, going through a bunch of the plazas. But my camera died halfway through the tour, and Emilia will probably tell you it was because I used up the battery taking pictures of EVERY street, which drove her crazy. haha :) Yesterday we went to the Cortes Ingles, which is a spanish department store and I bought some european shoes. (Bracey and i both got a pair which are very similar, only mine are black and blue and his are white with blue and green) and then we went to a little restaurante and bought churros and coca-cola. (Emma and Shane were having a coke withdrawl, so we had to find some quick...lol)
Our Senora is pretty nice, and we also have a dog- Tango. And we live on the 11th floor.
Ok- i have to go now,
¡Adios!

cadiz is fun. im having a good time. to Mrs. Gach-Sanin: my teacher here in Cadiz can read my illegable handwriting

so far we have done a lot of things. last night we went and say the flamenco at La Cava. it was okay except that it was very long and loud. And we went to Corte Ingles to shop. after our trip there we went to eat churros with chocolate...where we also were able to drink COCA- COLA for the first time since we have been here! it was quite yummy.

cadiz day 3

Spain is a lot of fun so far. Im having a great time and my spanish is improving exponentially each day. yesterday we did more shopping the stores are really cool here, then we went to watch flamanco it was a lot of fun and very fast (picture in lower post) also me and brian bought dinner at a panderia (bread shop) brian got a ham and cheese sandwich and i got a tortilla sandwich it was muy delicioso. also to day the group plans to go to tele pizza for lunch which is recomended by Mrs. Lopez.

Espana...

after three days here i feel like i lived here my whole life. the city, although at times overwhelming, is in its own way very beatiful. the people here love life and having a great time. walking through the winding streets and small alleys ways is an adventure in itself. my family is wonderful. There is my new mom, Senora Garcia, and my new brothers: Ruben (23) and Kiny (13) we have lots of fun. My roomate is from ireland. He´s a craic (a gaelic word, pronounced "crack" means cool or fun) lad. We compare the US and Ireland a lot and have been teaching each other the local lingo like "jank" or "ridic" which r now his favorite words. There are also 2 other chicos from france named Sasha and Christophe, but i dont see them much.
After the strenous plane rides, which at times were fun but were really long, i enjoyed an awesome first day with my family. My senora took me home and immediately i became a part of their family. I have eaten soooooooooooo much. my new mom feeds me 24/7 and always talks about how little i eat. I love spanish food though so i might come back to the US muy gordo. the first day i spent here was fun and .....interesting. The first time i met my roomate Emmet he was with the police in my hallway. I had no idea what he had done but my senora motioned for me to come into the hall too. Emmet had had his backpack stolen when he was on the beach and b/c he couldnt speak spanish very well, i had to translate. then i went down to the police station to help him report the incident. talk about exciting. later my new spanish brother kiny took me and emmet to meet his friend carlos who was halarious. we watched the movie night in the museum two in spanish. Afterwards we played futbol in the street. it was fun. the second day we went to class, which are ok. I think im going to learn more from speaking spanish in real life and with my family. we toured old cadiz and saw the many plazas and fountains. We also went shopping and i bought some awesome spanish clothes (muy expensive). the third day we saw flamenco which was pretty intense. i love it here: the people, the food, the lifestyle...everything just seems prefect and my spanish is getting better daily and sometimes spanish words come to my mind more quickly than english.
Hasta luego,
Bracey

Churros y Flamenco!

Yesterday, after class and lunch, we went to Corte Ingles (a department store) & then stopped for churros y chocolate on the way back. Last night, we went to a flamenco show at La Cava... the pictures didn´t turn out too well, but maybe you can see the bailadores.

cadiz day 2

Spain is a lot of fun, i already feel like i am understanding the language better. like last night when i was wrighting in my journal Irealized that i was wrighting in spainish until half way through the entry how wierd is that. also we toured the old city last night it was beutiful i really liked the close winding streets and older arquetecture made it like you were relly wondering through history. the food here is really good though i am still getting used to the change in meal times.

(Above) MundoLengua treated us to juice and ice cream in a Plaza during our tour of the historic part of Cadiz yesterday.

We also took a Go Saints picture near the bay, which is very close to Tomas & Benito´s apartment. After grammar class and lunch, we´re going shopping together this afternoon. Tonight, we´re off to a flamenco show!

ESPANA!

Hi! This is the first time I have been able to get online! The trip here took a looong time! We got into Barcelona an hour early but the flight went very well. After going through customs, we checked in with spanair. We went through spanish security, which is much more laid back. Bracey and i walked around the airport and went in all of the stores (the terminal was like a little mall). Then we took a bus to our plane, which was a little... eh..... yeah. When the brakes started squeaking, we got a little nervous. The plane was empty and all 7 of us were out cold for the 1 hour flight. We met Sebastion at the airport and rode a bus to Cadiz. We met our senoras and went back with them. Shane wouldnt talk so i was the only one talking. We had lunch, slept for 5 hours, had dinner, and then took showers and went to sleep. This morning we woke up, had breakfast, and came here to the school. We had a 30 min orientation and the a 3 hour class. Well, i need to head home now because my senora is waiting for me to come home for lunch. Adios for now!

Emilia´s in Spain

I´m in Spain!! The overnight flight was really long and nobody slept. My senora is nice but she talks pretty fast. My class in school is really funny. Mi profesora is really nice and the people in my class are funny. Also the weather is great, but can sometimes get a little cool. It basically stays around 70 or a little higher. Also, hi to mom, dad, and Spencer. I miss yall and I will call when I get a chance. Also a shoutout to Meredith and Haley. Anyway Spain is great so far.

Cadiz day 1

Im so excited to finnally be in spain the trip was long but we found a way to entertain our selves with movies and games. Now that were in spain im looking forward to touring the city later, also my classes are alot of fun. there are two students from ireland there as well and they have great senses of humor. Also my family is kind although I slept through dinner lats night oops! any way the cit is pretty even though its not as clean as i had expected.

Hemos llegado a Cadiz!

at the airport in Jerez!

After 20 hours of traveling, 3 flights, and two long layovers, we made it to Cadiz yesterday afternoon. No one got very much sleep on the flights (probably because we were busy playing the trivia game they had on the plane), but everything went well. Today was the first day of classes, and tonight we have a tour of the city. The famiy I´m staying with is really nice - the senora is a very good cook (and I even got to

have breakfast this morning, which is usually pretty light in Spain). Her husband Juan, and two sons, Juanito and Carlos (ages 17 and 18), also live in the apartment. While the students were in class this morning, I had churros con chocolate with the program directors. Muy delicioso!

We're off!

Today we head to España... with three flights and 20 hours of traveling, we'll be glad when we finally get there. We should arrive in Cádiz around 3pm local time tomorrow afternoon (Spain is 6 hours ahead of Virginia). Tomorrow afternoon, we'll meet our families, who will show us around the city. ¡Hasta pronto!

hey, i cant wait to go to spain and learn more spanish! i also cant wait to meet my host family se the city of cadiz. i plan to go to some museums while i am in spain.

Host Family

Spain is going to be so much fun! I hope our host family is nice and fun. She lives in an apartment along the beach in Cadiz on the 10th floor. She also has terrace that we will be able to see the ocean from.

P.S. I also want to go to ham bars!!!!!!

Super Feliz/Accento Nuevo

Well I'm super excited to go only 9 days left! I'll be staying with Sra. Carmen Gonzalez Garcia who has two sons so hopefully i'll get to experience the youth culture while I'm there. I am also planning to pick up the Andulucian accent while I'm there. The Andulucian accent is most known for the pronuciation of C's as Th's so Hacer would be said Ha-"th"-er. I cant wait!

thomas's pre spain thoughts

Alright so I can't wait for spain it's going to be amazing. It'll be a lot of fun to get to hang out around cadiz, Especially gaining a better understanding of spanish culture. Evedintly they go to the beach alot so thats going to be fun al0ng with meeting new people.

Pre-Trip Post: Señora Ligler

A little background info on Cádiz, where we're going in Spain:
Cádiz is a city in Andalucía, a province in Southern Spain. It is on a small peninsula, and it was originally founded by the Phonecians over 3,000 years ago (it claims to be the oldest city in Europe). According to my guidebook, it has amazing architecture and beaches. For one night, we will also go on an excursion to Sevilla. For a map and more info on Cádiz: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadiz
The school that we will attend from 10am-1pm each day, MundoLengua, is centrally situated - fairly close to the homes we will be staying in. Each student will stay with a Spanish family - we received descriptions of the homes and families last week. I'm staying with a Señora named Antonia; her family is "muy agradable." For more information on our program: http://www.centromundolengua.com/content/view/16/102/

I'm looking forward to exploring Cádiz, as I've never been there before; I'm also looking forward to the food and the classes. We leave in dos semanas, I can't wait!
-Sra. Ligler

Emilia's Pre-Trip Thoughts

My pre-Spain thoughts...Excited to see the country, meet my roomate Ashley, and see the school. Also can't wait to meet my host family.

Diego's Pre-Trip Thoughts....

I am really excited for Spain! I cannot wait to see the sights and experience the Spanish culture. I am staying with Shane in a 10th floor apartment, with Sra Manoli, her daughter, and her granddaughter. I can't wait!! :D

In less than 2 months, we're off to España. During the trip, each student will post entries about their experience. Check back soon for some pre-departure thoughts!