School and Afternoon Travel

Lately, I have been playing a game of "I spy" with the kids--they love it. In this game, not only do the kids practice their colors but, they also practice speaking "I" instead of "Mi."

Below is a picture of the boys on the playground. They liked the camera...

Alex, Nicolas, and Jordi.

After school, our families took us to see Casa Batllo and La Pedrera. 

Infront of La Pedrera. 

La Pedrera

Casa Batllo

Casa Batllo

The streets are filled with beautiful architecture!... Even the street lights. 

This Friday, we're leaving for a weekend trip to Rome! 

Sightseeing and Relaxing

My first weekend in Barcelona! Sofia, Alvaro and I stayed up late friday night practicing english and playing a classic game of hangman. Our day of walking around Barcelona today started late.
Below is a picture of Alvaro wearing my sunglasses. We were on our way to "La Rambla" in the taxi.

Below is Barcelona's most famous market, "Mercat de la Boqueria." It is one of Europe's largest food markets, with a countless array of fruit, meat, and sweets.

Most popular meat is pork; especially, leg. Look how expensive! 

Again, Barcelona has really tasty fruit! 

Me, Laura, Alvaro, and Sofia drinking strawberry/banana and mango drinks. 

Below are pictures around the well know statue of Christopher Columbus pointing to America.

Christopher Columbus in the background. 

Me, Sofia, and Alvaro posing around the monument of Christopher Columbus. 

Sofia, Me, and Alvaro with the Mediterranean in the background. 

Beautiful city! 

Below are pictures outside of Barcelona close to Mr. Carlo's parents home, Sant Andreu de Llavaneres.

Water of the Mediterranean Sea!  

Carlos and I with Alvaro and Sofia in the background.

Carlos, Alvaro, Me, Laura, and Sofia. 

Sweet family!
Tomorrow, I will be going to Iglesia de Cristo in Barcelona!

Mi Cumpleaños

Today was the day I spent my birthday in Spain! I woke up with a knock on my bedroom door. The picture below is what I saw with lit up candles! What a surprise it was! Laura and Sofia sang me Happy Birthday (in English) as they held the cake at my bedroom door; so thoughtful! They have been so good to me.  

 At school today, Miss Mary had the young boys sing me Happy Birthday. They sang so well. At school, the students are required to speak in english so, even when singing, they spoke in english. One student gave me so many hugs throughout the class period... it was sweet.

My challenge of the day:

The class asked me my favorite drink in America.
I thought for a moment.. my favorite drink: root beer!
The students had no clue what this drink was.
Since the students already knew what coca-cola was, I said it was like coca-cola; it was a soda and it had bubbles.
Then, they asked me what it tasted like... this was a hard question to answer.
All I could think of at that moment was.. it had an old taste.
Then, just when I thought root beer couldn't get any harder to describe, they asked me to draw it.
How do I draw root beer?
.. Basically, I drew a can with a bulldog on it and of course, "root beer" across it.
The students laughed as I drew the bulldog. They knew it was a dog but they did not know what a bulldog was.
How do I describe a bulldog?.. a dog with a small, smashed face.
Haha, Miss Mary happened to have a picture of a cute bulldog on her phone so then, the students understood.
Miss Mary also tied the mini "root bear" lesson to the roots of a plant. The children just took a test on the parts of the plant so, this was a review.

After school, a few of my classmates and I ate at a restaurant that served traditional Catalonian meat. Since the restaurant highly recommended reservations, we kept the group small. Below is the front of the menu at Mussol.

Medallion Meat topped with cream cheese and mushroom seasoned fries. It was good. 

Me, Ashley, Taylor, Nichole, and Evan at Mussol

Before eating at Mussol, which didn't open until 8 pm, we walked near the L'illa Diagonal mall. The mall looks so modern and classy! Below is a tea store where I bought a small box of pear tea.

Overall, good day! I am ready for a quiet, relaxing weekend. I enjoy the children and my days at school seem to fly by!
  

First School Day

I finally experienced a school setting in a different culture; definitely a new experience! This morning, Alvaro and Sofia led me through the streets of Barcelona as we walked to school. Below are pictures of our walk!

Many apartments around the city have balconies with pretty plants. 

Sofia and Alvaro

Sofia points to the pretty flowers.

I like seeing palms.

Before we walked to school, Patricia, the housemaid, served us breakfast. I had fresh orange juice and crackers. Alvaro told me he slept with his gift I gave him from my American university!! So funny. Below is a picture of the same gift I gave Sofia (minus Hello Kitty decor). Go big red! :) 

I am using a few Spanish phrases like:

Si, gracias : Yes, thank you

Si, muy buen : Yes, very good

Buenos Dias/ Tardes : Good morning/ afternoon

Como se dece in ingles? (big one for me) : How do you say in English?  

Hola, como esta? : Hello, how are you?

Balle (I hear this a lot) : Good

A little about my school day: 

I am paired with all boys (grades 1 and 4)... what a day! They are so sweet.. and.. they. are. loud. 

The 1st grade boys are not as loud. Today, they had a spelling test with words like downstairs, upstairs, flat, school, and church. They did so well. 

I am very impressed with their english. 

The school day starts at 9 am. 

Lunch hours are between 1:30 to 2:30 pm.

The school day ends at 5 pm.

Wednesdays are short days for my teacher so, my school day ended at 3:45 pm.

I took advantage of this time and walked around. 

Below is a picture of my snack at "Nyos Degustacio."

"Reja de cabello de augel" and pear tea (both good) 

Below is a picture of a candy store and a fruit stand on the Barcelona streets. 

The fruit is very good in Barcelona! 

Yo Estoy Aqui

I am in Barcelona!! It is beautiful here! There are lots of old buildings, pretty landscapes, and of course, lots of people!

We arrived early Tuesday morning (6:25 am Barcelona time and 12:25 am Kentucky time). From New York, it took us approximately seven hours to get to Barcelona. Below is a picture of us arriving in Barcelona. It was exciting!

While on the plane to Barcelona, I sat by a nice girl from New Jersey who was on her way to meet her step-father. Soledad grew up in Barcelona until she was five but moved to America. I found out that she loves sushi and churros (doughnuts in Spain dipped in chocolate!). She is expecting a baby boy in September and she had not been to Barcelona in a few years. Below is a picture of us.

When we arrived in Spain, we were picked up by Christen. Christen is originally from Michigan but she has been living in Spain for at least eight years. She took us to the school and from there, our host families picked us up!

Laura picked me up and took me to her family's home. In the family there are two children; Sofia (8) and Alvaro (6). They have been at school all day so, I have not met them yet. The home they live in is a cute apartment located 10 minutes (walking) from the school. Below is a picture of my cute bedroom.

While at the apartment, I have been settling down and unpacking my clothes. With the sunny weather, I haven't been able to sleep so instead, I took a walk outside! Below are a few pictures of the neighborhood.

Tomorrow, we officially start school so, I am excited to meet the kids!

Students

8 more days until I leave for Spain!!

For the past few weeks, I have been getting acquainted with my teacher in Spain through email. My teacher, Miss Mary, sent me a photo of her 1st grade class!

My School Placement

The College of Saint Elizabeth Reial Monestir (CRMSI) belongs to an international network that institutes higher education in 17 countries. They are from Catholic religion and value these goals:

To Teach, Educate, and Form

Educate: Facts and information are not enough. Students must develop their capacity to appreciate truth and beauty, highlighting the correct use of imagination, memory, emotions, and positive instincts. 

Form: Guide the students to make them become men and women of character and virtue. Help them find in God the solid principle which will support their lives.

Teach: Academic programs are designed to equip students with foundation necessary for advanced studies and professional degrees.

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