iD Tech Camps: Do Something Big

From Kendra, Manager of iD Tech Camps’ Documentary Filmmaking and Cultural Immersion Study Abroad Program in Spain:

Reminder:  All photos of the Spain Program can be accessed by:

Students:  Via the Student Corner

Parents:  Logging in Via My Camp Account

Buenos Dias!

What a weekend we had here in Spain.  We had time to try some delicious Spanish food, relax and enjoy the laid back Spanish lifestyle, go to the beautiful beaches, do some shopping at the many shops that just started their summer “rebajas” (sales), and experience the unique Spanish culture.

Saturday afternoon the group met at 1pm to go to a typical Spanish tapas restaurant called La Perola.  At this restaurant they specialize in over 70 varieties of different tapas.  With our big group we were able to sit and relax for a few hours at an outdoor table and try tons of delicious Spanish food.  We have a fantastic group of students who are willing to try new things, so we sampled lots of different small plates.  These included (lets see if I can remember them all): Garbanzos con camarones (garbanzo beans with shrimp), Lasagna, Patatas Bravas (spicy potatoes), Tortilla con Atun (Spanish omelet with tuna), Musaka (meat and potato pie), Huevos en Bechemel (eggs in a white sauce), Berenjena con queso (eggplant with cheese), Croquetas (fried croquettes), Champinones con ajillo (garlic mushrooms) and of course paella.  Although, we all decided that the paella we cooked was better!

After we stuffed ourselves at lunch, the rest of the afternoon on Saturday was free to explore and enjoy the quaint costal town of Cadiz.  I know many of us went to partake in a siesta since we were so full after our big meal.  Then there was time to get some sun at la playa (the beach).

Sunday morning was also free to sleep in and relax.  Later in the afternoon we met to take a boat ride across the bay to the neighboring town of El Puerto de Santa Maria.

It is an interesting fact to note that when Christopher Columbus set sail for the Americas, he left from the ports of Cadiz.  The ship, Santa Maria, was named after the town that we visited.

This region is the oldest inhabited area in Western Europe, dating as far back as 1600 BC.  It has a long history of battles being conquered by the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, and Christians.  We are lucky to be able to tour and learn about this ancient history, and live amongst the old historic buildings.  In Puerto we toured the main Castillo (castle) and walked through town to view some of the important streets and churches.

Our main purpose for the visit to El Puerto was to attend La Corrida de Toros, an authentic Spanish Bullfight.  Before we went into the bullring, our tour guide, Yaye from Mundo Lengua, gave us an introduction to the sport and the different stages.

At each corrida there are 3 toreros (matadors) who each fight and kill 2 bulls.  The fight should last a total of 20 to 30 minutes, and a trumpet player signals the different stages.  The fight begins when the bull in released into the ring.  The toreros and their team run the bull around the ring to test its speed, agility, and ferociousness.  They do some intricate passes with their pink and yellow capes, and if the bull gets too close, they can hide behind a barrier.  After this stage, the picadors ride out on armored horses to weaken the bull so it keeps its head and horns down.  Then, the 3 banderillas will each approach the bull to further weaken and enrage the animal so its attack for the final torero will be fiercer.  The final stage with the torero and the traditional red cape can be viewed as a dance between the man and beast.  He demonstrates his control over the animal and his bravado getting as close as possible to the bull’s sharp horns.  Finally, the fight concludes with the matador stabbing the bull through the neck into the heart to cause instant death.  Although bullfighting generates much controversy today in Spain, it maintains deep cultural significance.  It is often a once in a lifetime experience for our students to see, and they are able to form their own opinions about the sport as a form of art, culture, and animal cruelty.  We always give everyone the option to leave if they need to, but our students were all very interested and stayed to watch and film all of the fights.

All week this week is dedicated to finalizing the documentaries.  Over the past week and a half the students have all filmed tons of great footage in Spain including our visit to Sevilla, tours in Cadiz, cultural activities, interviews with their host families and classmates, and much more.  In class this week they have finished logging and capturing their many hours of tape, and learned how to edit everything together on the timeline with audio, transitions, and titles.  Before they started editing we had everyone create a storyboard, or outline for their movie.  They also all wrote and recorded their voiceover commentaries.   The voiceovers and music play a very important role in the documentaries and really serve to set the tone.  We have a lot of great Spanish music, both traditional and modern, to help create an authentic Spanish mood.  Of course, they can also incorporate some of their favorite music from home as well.  These movies are each very personal reflections about their experiences in Spain and we can’t wait to see the finished products.

Today is the 4th of July, and in honor of the holiday, Mundo Lengua is hosting a fiesta at the school tonight for all the students.  There will be music, dancing and fun!  Our group is working very diligently on their movies and everyone even brought a picnic to class so they can work until the party starts, instead of going home for dinner.  Tomorrow they will wrap up the movies and on Friday we will have the debut screening on a big screen in the theatre.  The time has flown by, and I hope that you have enjoyed following along through my blog and the many photos.  I know that everyone will soak up every last minute that we have here in Spain.

As always, thanks for reading and email anytime with questions or comments.
Gracias por su tiempo (thanks for your time),

-Kendra

Reminder:  All photos of the Spain Program can be accessed by:

Students:  Via the Student Corner

Parents:  Logging in Via My Camp Account

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2007 at 6:48 am and is filed under Locations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.