Last Days in Spain

Where have the past three weeks gone!? I can't believe time has flown by so quickly. I remember arriving on the first day thinking, "Wow, we actually have so much time left! This is going to be great!" That feels like yesterday...!

Just to sum of what we have done recently: On Tuesday we went to AquaLand, a water park nearby with really fun rides. There were a ton body slides and a few tube slides. Overall, it was a pretty relaxing time. We came home around 5 and had a noche en casa. We ate dinner at home (and had an awesome egg baguette sandwich) and headed out for ice cream and time in Plaza Mina, one of my favorite plazas (especially because of their ice cream).

On Wednesday, our last full day, we spent our late morning in town buying our final souvenirs and a gift for our host mom, Rosa. When we came home, Rosa told us lunch was being delivered today instead of made by Rosa herself. The girls and I were surprised to find pizza, empanadas and french fries! It was so sweet of her!

Our farewell dinner was at a gorgeous restaurant! We were served several appetizers and were given a choice between three exquisite options for dinner. The night couldn't have been better. Those not going on the extension said goodbye to those headed to Cordoba and Seville, and we headed back home to (attempt to get some) rest for our early morning ahead.

I'm going to miss everyone from session 2 so much! It was such a pleasure meeting all of you and thank you so much for making this summer amazing!!!

Nial and Taylor

Debbie, Darby, Me, Sarah, Maddie and Taylor

Me and my roommate, Debbie

Me, Maddie and Liz

Nial, Me, Allie

AITOR!!!

The slang of Spain

Maddie and Taylor

The Crew

Adios Espana, hasta luego!

An Excursion to Ronda

Today we spent our afternoon in Ronda, a town about two and a half hours east of Cadiz. Even though the bus ride was some what long, the views from our windows were stunning. We passed lakes of crystal blue water (picture below) and endless fields of sunflowers. It was so beautiful! 

When we got there, we visited the oldest bull fighting ring in all of Spain. It was interesting to see! One of our counselors told us how it worked and what each person's job is in a bull fight. I thought it was interesting to hear about because personally I barely know anything about bull fighting. 

We were then given free time and were allowed to either walk around the city to explore or tag along with Pancho and Javier for a hike to see Arabic baths and castles. I chose to stay behind to explore the city with a few friends, and we had a lot of fun. We grabbed lunch at a local restaurant, where I had my favorite meal: tortilla espanola on a baguette. We then grabbed ice cream, and headed down the road where we found a gorgeous look out of the city and below. Ronda is a city located right on the edge of a cliff and is also considered a pueblo blanco or white town. We looked over the edge and were in shock of how high up we were! 

Overall, it was a nice excursion. The weather wasn't too hot and there was plenty to do. I think we all had a great day.

Me, Darby, and Debbie

A Trip to the Museum of Cadiz

Yesterday during class time we took a trip to the Museum of Cadiz. Our tour guide explained to us the history of the phoenicians and their connection to Cadiz, as well as the works of several artists such as Zurbaran and Murillo. We saw artifacts and several sculptures. Overall, it was an enriching experience and I think we all learned a lot!

An Extra Addition

I don't know how Rosa (our host mom) does it! A new exchange student just moved into the house tonight, and she's from Beijing! Her name is Maria Jose, which is short for Maria Josefa. There's now a total of 5 exchange students in our house! I think it would be extremely interesting to try and hold a conversation in Spanish, because that's the only language we all have in common. It should definitely be an interesting experience! Vamanos!

Volunteering

We spent most of our class time today volunteering at a local day care (I think I blogged about this before, it was our second time there). It was a lot of fun and it was nice to see all the kids playing together and having a great time even in this brutal 95 degree weather. 

Liz and Andrea 

Bryn and Noemi

Wednesday in Review

Today's routine was the same, except we had our photography class at 4. It was a lot of fun because we got to take portraits of each other. Even our photography teacher modeled for us. After our elective classes, we met at the Cathedral for "Stipend Night", which meant that Chris (our director) would give us money to go out and eat dinner with our friends. My friends and I chose an authentic Spanish restaurant (other than the fact that it served hamburgers), in which I had a Spanish tortilla (potatoes, egg, onion, and scallion {but not always}) which has become my favorite Spanish food! We then headed to the movies as our evening activity to watch Ice Age 4 in Spanish! That was interesting to say the least...

Some sample portraits:

Sarah and Debbie

Jose, our photography teacher

Kirby, another blogger, imitating a Monster ad

Sunday Funday

We started our Sunday with a late wake up (9:45) and headed to Plaza de las Flores (Plaza of Flowers) for chocolate con churros (churros with chocolate). I have to say they were pretty good! They were definitely different from churros in the US, and the chocolate tasted like hot cocoa but was thicker. We had free time until 5, where we toured the Yacimiento Arqueologico (Archeological Site). We then headed up to the top of the cathedral, where we could see all of Cadiz from above. The view was stunning. Everyone had a great time taking pictures and taking in the breathtaking scenery. 

From the Yacimiento Arqueologico

From the Yacimiento Arqueologico

The View from the top of the Cathedral

The View from the top of the Cathedral

The View from the top of the Cathedral

Top of the Cathedral

Me, Allie, Brittney, Emma, Nial, Deb, Maddie

Maddie, Claire, Alyson, Taylor

Spencer, Tessa, Nial, Lucas, Bryn

Allie, Darby, Debbie, Taylor, Maddie, Sarah
Claire, Nial and Me

Spencer, Alyson, Andrea, Kelley, Liz and Braeden

Los Toruños

Today we visited Los Toruños, a national park here in Cadiz. The weather was a little hot, but there was an occasional breeze which was nice. We went on a 9k (5.59 mile) bike ride through the park and swam and kayaked nearby as well. Overall, the experience was great. The landscape around us was gorgeous. Those who went on the bike ride got to climb up onto a tower that overlooked all of Cadiz. It was a pretty great view! Pictures below:

Me and Maddie

One of the many views from the tower

A view of the beach

Tessa, Me, and Maddie

Bike Riding

Favorite Evening Activity

So far, tonight has been my favorite night. We spent our evening from about 9-12:30 near Playa Victoria which was a 25 minute walk from our house. The weather was great, the stores nearby were nice, and the street vendors kept us entertained. I really enjoyed walking along the beach and spending a couple hours with friends eating ice cream and talking. 

The majority of the group near Playa Victoria

A sculpture made entirely out of sand

Debbie, Brittney and I

The beautiful sunset captured as we were walking to the beach