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Here’s the next edition!  Hola otra vez de Espana!  (Hello once again from Spain!),

It is now Friday afternoon here in Spain, and the weather is starting to get hotter and feel like the typical Cadiz summer weather.  Our first week has flown by, as everyday has been full of classes and cultural activities.  Bienvenidos a mi “blog” numero tres!  This is truly one of the coolest teen study abroad programs out there.  I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Since last I wrote on Monday our students have been busy in Spanish classes in the morning.  The first half of class is focused on grammar and conversation, while the second half of class is focused on Spanish culture.  Every weekday morning classes last from 10am until 1:30pm.  By now most of our students are settled into the proper level of instruction, but we continue to check in with them daily to see if they need to move to a different Spanish class.  We want them to be comfortable, but also want each of them to be challenged so they learn as much as possible during the two weeks. 

 After Spanish class, the students take the bus back to the old part of town to have lunch with their Spanish host families.  Lunch is the largest meal of the day in Spain, and a time when all shops close so people can go home to spend some time with their family and relax.  After a big meal it is typical to take a brief siesta, or nap. 

After siesta time we reconvene for our video class and an afternoon cultural activity. As I mentioned in my previous blog when last I wrote, Monday afternoon we met at the Cathedral for a tour of the oldest neighborhood in Cadiz, the Barrio del Populo, then went for our first film class.  Later that night the school hosted a welcome party for all the new students.

Tuesday afternoon we participated in a Flamenco dance class. 

We learned a typical Andalucian dance called the Sevillanas, which is a more graceful form of flamenco with smooth movements as opposed to the typical stomping and clapping.  Our students all participated and had a good time, but the quickly learned that it was more difficult to learn that it appeared!  Lucky for us, one of our students, Laura, has studied Sevillanas before and she was able to assist our instructor to help everyone learn.  It was fun to watch.  There are lots of photos available online  to help paint the picture and we got lots of film during the class as well. 

Later on Tuesday night Mundo Lengua organized a private party at a disco for all the students.  It was fun dancing, and then afterwards our students went and walked home along the beach and enjoyed the lovely cool night air.

Wednesday afternoon instead of going home for lunch, we stayed at school for a Spanish cooking class.  We all learned how to make Paella. 

Ours turned out very delicious.  The ingredients included red and green bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, chicken, squid, shrimp, and of course rice.  At the end we decorated our Paella with some roasted red bell peppers and made a tribute to Espana.  Muy bien!  I was very impressed that everyone tried some of the paella–even with all of the seafood. 

Normally we have many more picky eaters, and I am glad that everyone enjoyed the food we cooked.  We have a great group of students who are all willing to try and experience the new Spanish culture. 

Thursday night we attended an authentic Flamenco show at a local tavern.  The show starts with a signer, a guitar player and a box drummer.  After the musicians warm up, the dancers come out and perform their passionate dances.  The always maintain very serious “flamenca” facial expressions and the way they move their bodies and arms to the music tells a beautiful story.  It is also interesting how the musicians clap along with the music and can make so many different sounds by clapping and stomping their feet.  Ole!

That brings us to today, which is Friday.  This afternoon we took a tour of the Campo del Sur, or the Southern Coastline.  We visited the two Castillos or forts at the tip of the city that were built hundreds of years ago to protect the city.  It was a hot day today so we got lots of great footage of people out at the beach with the historic castillos in the background.

All week in our digital video and filmmaking camp our students have been working very diligently logging and capturing the many hours of footage.  They have all written a storyboard of their documentaries and have begun to edit them, creating their timeline.  Now that they know the basics of editing, next week we will be teaching more about video transitions, the use of music and voiceovers, titles, and how to finalize the project.  We have many different personalities and styles, so Kevin and I know that each documentary will be a personal reflection on their trip to Spain.  It is exciting to see them come together.

This weekend is going to be very fun and relaxing.  Tomorrow we meet for a big tapas lunch to try many different types of Spanish cuisine.  Then the rest of the afternoon will be free to enjoy the wonderful weather and go to the beach.  Sunday morning is free, and then in the afternoon we will take a boat to the nearby city of Puerto de Santa Maria to see an authentic bullfight.  This weekend is a good chance for the students to collect any additional footage they need for their movies, so that next week we can focus on finalizing the editing.

That’s all for now!  Again, I want to take an opportunity to say what a pleasure it has been to get to know each one of the students.  They have truly bonded together as a group in only a week.  They are all doing great in Spanish and Video classes and we look forward to spending another week in Spain together.
As always, email me anytime if you have any questions.  Also be sure to check out the hundreds of photos we have posted online.

Reminder:  You can find all of the Spanish camp pics (there are a lot of great ones) by logging in through your Camp Account, and students can get there via the Student Corner.  Also, some additional pictures have been updated in the previous blog entry, found in >> Spain Study Abroad.

Ciao,
Kendra