Program Update: Saturday's Arrival - First day of Class

Hola a todos desde San Sebastián!  Hello to all from San Sebastian!

We have had a great first few days here in Spain! Our first day together as a group in Madrid was exciting and full of activity! After checking in at our hotel in downtown historic Madrid, we began our tour of the country's capital, exploring as much of the city's main sites as possible. We had some quality bonding time and Spanish practice during our walk around the city and over lunch together. We enjoyed trying some typical Spanish cuisine, including paella and ensalada mixta. It was a long, but fun-filled day and we headed back to the hotel to recover from jetlag and rest our feet.

Vamos a Segovia! 

Sunday we headed to the historic town of Segovia, where we spent time taking photos and admiring the amazing Roman Aqueduct and Gothic cathedral. We also took a tour of the famous Alcazar de Segovia, where we climbed the Alcazar's steep "torre" or tower, for a great view of the cathedral and town (as you can see from our fun photo shoot at the top).

Conocimos a las familias en San Sebastián

Upon arrival to the Plaza Guipuzkoa in San Sebastian, the students' host families were waiting for us, eager to meet each of the students! I know the group was nervous, but they all did a great job of exchanging the customary "dos besitos" or cheek kisses and "nice to meet yous" in Spanish. Monday morning, everyone was chatting about their families and sharing fun stories about their first night. While it takes some time to get settled and adjusted to new friends, a new culture, home and foreign language, they are all doing great - and it's only been a couple of days!

¡En Español Por Favor!

Yesterday we had our first day of classes at the language academy Tandem, where the students have been broken up into 3 levels of Spanish. Already on our third day we heard some "Geez, I'm learning more Spanish here than I have in class all year!" (Love hearing that!)  Today there were some adjustments to the student's level placements (only to be moved up!) and the teachers are impressed and have told me how well they are all doing so far. 

Tour de Nuestra Ciudad

After thefirst day of classes, we went for a walk around San Sebastian to point out some of the main sites, including historical buildings, scenic landmarks, churches and cathedrals, palaces, shopping centers, restaurants, tourist and culture centers, places to buy stamps and mail postcards/letters, banks and ATMs, etc., so the students can have a better idea of the lay of the land on foot. We ended with some gelato together on the Boulevard. Yum!

¡Qué día tan bonito!

What a beautiful day we had today! After class, we enjoyed some "tiempo libre" or free time to enjoy the beautiful weather at the beach. The students headed directly to Zurriola beach together for some relaxation and fun in the sun. Tomorrow after class we will take a hike up the Monte Urgull, so we are hoping for more nice weather for some scenic photos along the way.

We have such a fun group of students. I am enjoying getting to know each of them, and see them grow and share these new experiences together! 

More updates to come....Hasta pronto!

 

PS - Please visit the San Sebastian SU1 & Month Photo Album!!