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Salamanca

2/26/2015

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Arquitectura By Matija
In exploring a new place and trying to develop a more cosmopolitan worldview, trying to get more than the average tourist’s experience, we can look to a few things to get a better sense of a city’s cultural heritage. We can look at the locals, we can eat the local food, but we can also examine the architecture to tell us more about the region we are in, and the cultural and historic influence the region has on the local people, food, dress, and traditions, etc.

On our visit to Zamora, I was especially interested in the city’s architecture. Zamora was a Roman city established in the 9th century, situated in a strategic position on the Via de la Plata.  The city was fought over during the Reconquest.  The Romans lost the city but their architecture remained, and the 12th century Roman architecture is still a very central part of the city’s charm.  Walking through the city I noticed many of the ornate Roman styles throughout, with the beautiful smooth stone buildings with tall skinny windows and scale-tiled domes.  I was fascinated by how well preserved these buildings were and how they were adapted to serve the city.  I saw stores built into the first floors of Roman style stone buildings.  But along with the Roman architecture, there was almost every other style of architecture between Roman and our normal contemporary styles.  In the plaza, there were many of these 19th century modernist buildings, contrasting the ornate Roman fashions. And surrounding the city were more plain apartment buildings, similar to those we might see in Boston.

The architecture was telling of the local culture, that the people of Zamora were a mix of traditional and contemporary, living in a very current modernized city, but preserving the traditional styles that make Zamora its own very unique city.

Visita a una escuela española By Michelle Souza

Visiting an actual Spanish school was beyond nerve racking. We didn’t know what to expect from a school in a different country, would it be like the US or would it be completely different? The school itself was completely different from ours. Firstly, it was a Catholic school; BHS is definitely not a Catholic school, so that was interesting. Something that was embarrassing on our part was how unprepared we were. The Spanish students had PowerPoint presentations made with facts and numbers, and we didn’t even have an idea on what we were going to talk about. After about 30 minutes we all took a break and we got to get to know each other in a more relaxed setting. A group of girls from the school and a few of BHS girls, including me, went out to get coffee. We introduced ourselves and talked about what we thought of the school. When we got back to school we were all more relaxed and felt comfortable talking about random things in Boston. It was overall a fun time and I left with about 10 new followers on Instagram. 


A Taste of Salamanca – Athalia Lopez

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Salamanca is a very beautiful, youthful, and intricate city. This city attracts people from all over the world and invites them to not only challenge themselves with their Spanish skills, but also welcoming all tourists warmly and with the traditional kiss on each cheek. Salamanca is by far the friendliest and safest city I have visited, ever. Even though the streets are small and sometimes confusing, there’s always someone along the way that will take time to help you if you have any questions on how to get around. Salamanca truly loves its tourists. My favorite thing about Salamanca is the cafeterias.  Situated throughout the city, and always booming and crowded with people, it is truly one of the best places to get an authentic feel of what it’s like to be a “Salmantino”. I am sure they can tell a tourist by the accent.  I often enjoy sitting at the bar and chatting with the barista about the highlights of the city and what kids en nuestra edad hacen. I came to the realization that all the coffee here is extremely strong and that all the baristas I’ve met are far more intrigued to meet someone from the USA than anywhere else.

Apart from the amazing and delicious cafeterias, there are a lot of interesting and fun things to do here, from shopping in the Plaza Mayor, to sitting and chatting over a cup of coffee at “ La Tahona de la Abuela,” one can also visit the old and new cathedrals, and go sight seeing to get lost in history. There is something for everyone to do here.  Oh!  There is also a McDonald, Burger King and Starbucks here, so don’t worry about missing out on anything like that.

One of the scariest moments I have had here where I felt the most vulnerable was when the teachers had arranged a visit to the local high school here, El Colegio de Avila, and we were set up to meet and greet students similar to our age, one to one. It was super wrecking and intense because when we entered the school, all eyes were on us. However, I accepted the challenge and decided to swallow my fear. And guess what? The girls there were so awesome and super sweet and were so surprised that I knew how to speak Spanish well, and I was able to make friends! One tip I give for future students who are going on this trip: put yourself out there, and surely you will make friends and be able to go out with people who know the city like the back of their hands!!

            

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Spain 2015

2/23/2015

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Art- By Bella & Anna

So far, art has been my favorite way to learn about Spanish history and culture. My favorite museum by far was the Reina Sofia in Madrid. It had works from artists such as Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Seeing Picasso’s painting, Guernica, was amazing. Once I walked into the room I was stunned. It was breathtaking. It was so much bigger in person. Seeing the painting in person was such a different experience than seeing it in a textbook. We were in awe of such a famous and historical painting. It represents so much of the pain and anguish felt in Spain as a result of the Spanish Civil War.

Classes at Letra Hispánica- By Felice

            In Salamanca, we attend daily classes at Letra Hispánica. Our days consist of 2-hour grammar classes and various culture lessons. There is a total of 4 classes with varying levels of difficulty, based on students’ mastery of Spanish.

            My class has 9 students, 7 of which are from the Brookline High School trip. The other two are from Japan and China, visiting students just like us. Although grammar lessons may sound tedious, I am actually grateful we have them. Living in a country which speaks the language one is learning (like this trip!) is extremely helpful to fluency, but without the basic rules, it can be very hard.

Recently, we spent time on a tense called the subjunctive, the bane of many students’ existences. The subjunctive is not something that is used all the time; it is sentences like “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” where doubtfulness evokes a certain conjugation in verbs. What I have found is that, although tenses like these aren’t always useful, it makes for more eloquent language in the overall. My class ended the week with a grammar test.

The other classes, mostly conversation and culture, have the purpose of familiarizing students with Spain as a country. We have discussed art, the Carnaval, food, sports, music, poetry, etc. Spain, like all countries, has its little peculiarities, like the staying out in town until midnight.

Going to school during vacation may not sound very appealing, but it has been a pretty valuable experience to the students. We thank both the Brookline High and the Letra Hispánica teachers.

Food- Stefano & Steve

In Spain, we have eaten food that is authentic in origin and rich in flavor, consistency, and history. A common way of eating is to order tapas, or a few small, separate, and inexpensive dishes, similar to what we know as appetizers in the US. Some tapas choices are a deep-fried dish stuffed with cheese and ham called croquettes, tortillas filled with egg, potato, cheese, and onion, and small egg and cheese omelets. There are many other delicious options for food that can be found in all cafes and bakeries, such as Empanada, Hornazo, and Pastel Unidad, all pastry or sandwhich like snacks that are most often filled with chorizo, lomo (pork), ham and cheese,  or atun (tuna). When not eating a small meal in one of the various Plazas Mayor restaurants,  we have feasted on delicacies typical of the cities  visited such as suckling piglet  and hand cut fries in Segovia or Jamón with baked goat cheese salad in Salamanca. A desert common in Salamanca is churros con chocolate. Churros are a licorice shaped fried dough that one dips in a cup of sweet, thick hot chocolate. This, however, is a snack typical of siesta, or afternoon rest. Following meals we have snacked on rice pudding, chocolate cakes, or pastel San Marcos, a cake topped with creme brulee sugar.

We have been lucky to experience the amazing cuisine of Spain. Not only have we had the opportunity to try new foods on a daily basis, we have also enjoyed regionally exclusive meals on every excursión! We wish to thank everyone who has granted us the opportunities to eat these typical dishes of Spain!


Our Family in Spain-By Hannah & Michelle

Crying in Logan airport before leaving my family, I had no expectations for our families in Salamanca. I had no idea who or what to expect and decided to just  have an open mind. When the bus dropped us in the plaza, every family was waiting as if we were finally home from a trip. Esperanza, my host mother, quickly found us, kissed us and brought us to her car. We knew she ‘d be a funny one. We didn’t know we’d soon meet her husband, her fifteen-year old daughter and seven-year old son. All of our time spent at home is with them and I can’t picture a family that laughs and eats and has jokes only they understand. We are at peace at once with España, and at home.

 

 

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Vida con las familias---By Maeve Kelly

2/19/2015

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Our visit to Zamora—By David Krane

            After an hour-long bus ride, we arrived in the small, walled, and incredible city of Zamora mid-afternoon, during siesta, creating a surreal almost deserted environment. In this antique Spanish city only our group paroled the streets. The consistently comfortable weather continued with the sun constantly illuminating the otherworldly catedrales (cathedrals) and the magnificent castillo (castle) that have survived over five thousand years. Tranquility filled the entire day, having absolutely no obligations except to explore. After an extemporized yet insightful tour by Sra. Fuertes, the free time allowed for a fantastically peaceful stroll in the now-awaking city. Hearing only the whistling wind atop the tallest tower of the castle, and seeing the reflection of the sun against el Rio Duero  are truly singular experiences. The spectacularly beautiful city of Zamora will assuredly remain a highlight of this 
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Something I was very nervous about before traveling to Salamanca was my host family. I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with my family because I am still learning Spanish. I ended up getting placed with the best host mom ever. She is patient with me and helps me find the words. I have learned so much from her already. Having such an awesome host family has made this trip even better than I had expected. Along with having an awesome host mom there is also other exchange students in the house. I now have friends from England, Ireland and Japan. I am so grateful for this experience and already have plans to come back and see my new family. 

A Day in the House Life of Mellissa and Kaija in Salamanca

8:00 AM

            Alarm goes off for the first time. Tired Kaija tries to turn it off and after multiple attempts succeeds.

8:09 AM

            Alarm goes off again. Kaija reaches over to turn it off but can only snooze it as she did before.

8:17 AM

Yet again, the alarm goes off. This time Mellissa swipes the screen to actually turn the alarm off.

8:45 AM

The two check the time and Kaija gets out of bed. While she gets dressed Mellissa is still in bed until 8:55 when she makes her way to the bathroom, walking by Kaija eating chocolate cereal for breakfast (again) in the kitchen as laid out by their host mother, Maribel.

 

9:10 AM

            Somehow Mellissa has washed her face, brushed her teeth, gotten dressed, eaten breakfast and is ready to walk out the door while Kaija’s shoes still sit under her bed.

9:15 AM

            The two arrive at Letra Hispánica for school right on time thanks to their fast paced walking. Monday-Friday they have 2 hours of grammar in an 8 person class taught by Alazne who seems to always have energy, contrary to the class.

11:00 AM

            Listening to their stomachs and walking with heavy eyelids the two make their way to La Pausa, a small café across the street that is always poppin’. Here they buy café con leche and sometimes un pincho (a small snack).

2:30 PM

            School ended at 1:30 and ever since the two have been asleep on the couch waiting for Maribel to call them for lunch. When she does, the two are met with mountains of food, often times their host siblings and “Storage Wars” playing in the background. Maribel serves everyone, but for some reason Kaija forgets that and when she tries to serve herself she is reprimanded.

10:30 PM

            After a day out in Salamanca, either free or on a tour with the BHS group, Kaija and Mellissa again find themselves in the living room waiting for a meal. This time, they have started a movie, which then plays through dinner, an even larger meal than lunch. Even with the movie, the table is lively with discussion. The native Spanish speakers are mindful of Kaija and Mellissa, however listening to them talk, while difficult, has helped them improve immensely.

11:30 PM

            Depending on the night the two then either play with the baby of the family, Hector the dog (who is loved by all except for Kaija), or take a shower.

12:00 PM

            Back in their cozy room, the two set an alarm for 8:00 and go back to sleep.

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Arriving in Salamanca

2/16/2015

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We arrive in Spain at 11 o’clock local time and sail through security and customs. Sleepy faces all round because it’ s only 5 in the morning for us and some have managed to sleep more than others. But every one seems excited. After a long lay over in New York we’re finally here!  We meet Cristina our bus driver, load our bags onto the bus, and start the last leg of our journey. The ride to Salamanca is nearly 3 hours long. We head westward out of the Madrid region and its multitude of satellite towns, with the snow capped Sierra de Guadarrama on our right.  An hour later we enter the plateau that makes up the region of Castilla-Leon, where Salamanca is located.  The landscape is stark with patches of snow. There is not much to see until the walled city of Avila appears on our left like a mirage.   As we get closer to Salamanca we begin to see more towns with their classic stone churches. We see lots of cattle roaming the high plains.

            We cross the Tormes River and enter Salamanca. It’s Sunday and traffic is light. Our ride comes to an end at pretty town square where our “new families” are waiting for us.  Lots of kisses on both cheeks are given out to our students by the waiting Spaniards and we head out to our respective new homes but agree to meet at 6 at plaza Mayor, the historic heart of the city.

            Ada, the director of our school takes us for a walking tour of the old city.

We walk though narrow streets marveling at the rust colored stone buildings

many of which date from medieval times. We stop in front of the main building of  the university with its ornately decorated façade to take pictures and continue our tour.  We do a loop around the historic center passing many coffee shops,  tapas restaurants and craft stores.  This is a lively city. Many “Salmantinos” (residents of Salamanca) both young and old are out for a stroll.  We run into several young people dressed in costumes for carnaval. We circle back to Plaza Mayor where we

stop at Café Las Torres  for churros and chocolate at Café . This is a tradition observed all over Spain especially in the cooler winter months where you dip the stick like churros made out of fried dough and sprinkled with sugar into a of thick hot chocolate.  I notice at the café that most of the tables are occupied by groups of nicely dressed people in their 60’s and 70’s for their night out in the town.  While we sit enjoying our snack at Las Torres, Laura one of the assistants at the school shows up with a map for each student highlighting where the school and their apartments are located.  We say goodbye and return to our apartments to catch up our sleep.

            Monday morning the families all walk our students to Letra Hispanica,

the language school we will be attending. It is an attractive setting with artwork on the walls and comfortable workspaces.  The school follows the European framework for languages that recognizes 6 levels of linguistic proficiency.  Based on the placement test they took on line, our students are placed into 4 different groups.  Over the next two weeks our students will work on grammar, conversation and culture from 9:15 until 1:30 in the afternoon with a 30 minute break in between.

            We reconvene at 5:00 in the afternoon for the official tour of the historical part of the city with Maria Gonzalez, one of the teachers at Letra. She is a font of information about the history and the architecture of the city.  She explains

how the two cathedrals were constructed.  We then stop at the Casa de las Conchas (house of shells) a renaissance palace whose outside is dotted with enormous sculpted shells,  a symbol of the founder’s connection to the order of Santiago, patron saint of Spain.  The palace now houses a library. We end our tour at the University of Salamanca, Spain’s oldest founded by King Alfonso the Wise in the 1218   We marvel at its beautifully ornate façade then take a detour into one the buildings that houses an impressive fresco of the Zodiac which dates from the 1400’s. We end our tour back in Plaza Mayor and our students return home to rest and have dinner with their families.

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