Picture Recap of Week One! (Part 2)

The second part of the week was just as amazing as the first for the Barcelona students. They started classes and electives, they went to Casa Batllo, checked out the market at La Rambla for class and had a game night!

Some photos from the apron ceremony and first cooking class.

A sneak peak into the digital photography class!

The group spends the morning checking out the famous and amazing Casa Batllo!

One of the Spanish classes went to the famous street La Rambla. They headed to the market to use their new spanish language skills to practice buying food, asking how much items cost and enjoying the cultural experience of the spanish market!

After a jam packed weekend and a lot of cultural activities we had a chinese food night in and played games to relax!

That's all for week one! I will be updating what we did on the 13th and the 14th and will also be updating the blog daily with photos and our activities!

Picture Recap of Week One! (Part 1)

Although we filled you in on everything that the students have done during week one we can now give you some images to see it! (Keep checking the blog for continuous updates and photos!)

The first day we had a bit of a welcome pizza party and then after getting settled in went to dinner on the beach!

Day two the students were able to go grocery shopping at the market, head out on a scavenger hunt to get familiar with the city and then enjoyed dinner and an amazing Flamenco show that highlighted the mega star Sara Barass!

Day three was and incredible day for the Barcelona crew! We headed out to a place called Girona to see the beautiful cathedral and architecture there. We then traveled over to the beach town Tossa de Mar to spend some time in the sun, do some shopping and soak up the culture. The students then enjoyed their first night of Tapas for dinner!

A Recap of Week 1

The weather has continued to be pleasantly cool over the past few days.  But that hasn't kept the students from several trips to the beach.  It also makes morning outings during Spanish classes a wonderful experience.

Classes have consisted of making Spanish telenovelas (or soap operas), visiting the local market, shopping for music and visiting some of Barcelona's architectural wonders.  Yesterday we visited Gaudi's creative work at Casa Batllo.

The students are becoming more and more familiar with this city and each day we give a bit more liberty for them to explore in groups.

Cooking classes have been a blast.  Though some of the local cuisine is causing quite a stir among some of the students.  Astrid, our culinary RA, is giving the students a taste for authentic Spanish fare.

All in all it's been a great first week.  This weekend we visit Figueres and the Dali museum.

Getting Settled In

They were tired, but they all made it.  Even more amazing - no lost luggage!  That's pretty amazing with a group of twenty-three.

After bringing the team back to the residence we did an orientation for them and an overview of the program.  That evening we got phones and communication set up with parents.  Dinner was a buffet down by the beach.  The weather was quite cool that evening.

The next morning the general consensus was that everyone was feeling the effects of jetlag.  We headed out for a visit to the grocery store and then some time at the beach.  In the afternoon we divided into three teams and did a "photo safari" to get acquainted with the neighborhood here.

After dinner we went to a spectacular flamenco show with one the world's foremost flamenco artists - Sara Baras.  The performance was impressive.

This morning we visited the ancient town of Girona.  Amy (one of our Spanish instructors) gave them an informative tour of the city.  We spent the afternoon shopping and hanging out at the beach in Tossa de Mar.

The evening ended with a visit to a traditional tapas restaurant.  The restaurant was a lively place and the students all seemed to enjoy the traditional fare.

Classes start tomorrow.

Let the Fun Begin!

The mornings and evenings have been wonderfully cool here in Barcelona.  It's a glorious break from the afternoon heat.  Fortunately, we've also been cooled by a gentle zephyr off the Mediterranean, which is just a few blocks from the residencia.

Astrid, Amy, Elena and I arrived two days ago to make final preparations for what's going to be an incredible next few weeks.  We are staying at Residencia Onix and I must say - I'm impressed.  All the students will have private rooms and share a kitchen with one other team member.  We're getting the kitchens and bathrooms stocked with everything the students will need upon arrival.  There's an internet room with six computers, a small gym, some great sitting areas and laundry facilities.  I am confident the students will feel very comfortable during their time here.

All the students will be on the fourth floor with me and another staff member.  I plan to make lots of noise and keep all the kids awake until late hours of the night.  Isn't that what we Program Directors are for? :)

Astrid, our Culinary RA, has prepared a wonderful cooking guide that will lead our students on an exciting journey into the wide world of Spanish cuisine.  I'm looking forward to learning some new Spanish fare to add to my cooking repertoire.  Make sure you ask your kids to cook for you when they get home. They should be armed with some mad cooking skills by then thanks to Astrid.

Amy has been preparing some amazing excursions for her Spanish classes.  This ain't your normal Spanish class folks - talk about total cultural immersion and experiential learning.  I wish I was going to be part of the class, but alas, someone needs to stay back and blog about it all.

Elena, well, all I have to say is don't get her talking about Flamenco.  She is passionate about the art form and is looking forward to teaching the students to pound the ground to some classic Spanish palos.  She is also a highly experienced Spanish teacher who has taught at UNC - Chapel Hill and now lives in Sevilla.

Sara is ready to lead the team across the Atlantic.  Her smiling face will be greeting the students at the airport when they arrive.  She'll be meeting the team at JFK and making sure everyone makes it to Barcelona safe and sound.

And me (Joel), I'm making sure that all the loose ends are tied.  I've worked around the world for years and have learned that the number one rule is this: Be flexible, for rarely does anything go as planned.  But I'm doing my best to make sure that things go as smoothly as possible.

I'm looking forward to meeting all the students and keeping all the curious parents at home up to date on the happenings of the program.  I'll be posting here as much as possible, but of course I can't sit behind the computer all day - we have to get out there and enjoy la vida española!  Hasta luego!