Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Field Trip
On Monday I went on a field trip to Barcelona with 1st Bachillerato. I have an extra Spanish Class that is in 1st Bachillerato. So I get to meet students from two different grades. It is fun and interesting to observe their different behaviors.
In our Spanish class the students had just finished reading a book called Nada. It was about a girl named Andrea who moved to Barcelona to study, after the Spanish Civil War. She lived with her extended family and struggled to adapt and grow. The book’s setting takes place in Barcelona. So to better understand and appreciate the novel our teacher took us on a field trip to Barcelona. The majority of 1st Bachillerato went.
My Spanish is now much better, therefore I was able to understand a lot of the presentation the tour guide gave us. We visited the University of Barcelona and some other places that are mentioned in the novel. However, word unfortunately spread that I was an exchange student and the kids that didn’t know me began to fire questions at me to test their English. I mean it was a lot of fun talking to the students, but at some points I was not able to concentrate on the presentation the tour guide was giving. When we took a 20-minute break to eat a bocadillo (sandwich) I was able to talk more calmly to the students. Next thing I knew we were headed back on the train to Sabadell.
It was a great trip. I made a lot of new friends while discovering Barcelona. All I can say is Barcelona is an amazing city and I really want to return.
In our Spanish class the students had just finished reading a book called Nada. It was about a girl named Andrea who moved to Barcelona to study, after the Spanish Civil War. She lived with her extended family and struggled to adapt and grow. The book’s setting takes place in Barcelona. So to better understand and appreciate the novel our teacher took us on a field trip to Barcelona. The majority of 1st Bachillerato went.
My Spanish is now much better, therefore I was able to understand a lot of the presentation the tour guide gave us. We visited the University of Barcelona and some other places that are mentioned in the novel. However, word unfortunately spread that I was an exchange student and the kids that didn’t know me began to fire questions at me to test their English. I mean it was a lot of fun talking to the students, but at some points I was not able to concentrate on the presentation the tour guide was giving. When we took a 20-minute break to eat a bocadillo (sandwich) I was able to talk more calmly to the students. Next thing I knew we were headed back on the train to Sabadell.
It was a great trip. I made a lot of new friends while discovering Barcelona. All I can say is Barcelona is an amazing city and I really want to return.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Weekend...wooo
This past weekend I had quite an adventure. My host family decided to take advantage of good weather for the weekend and go to the Pre-Pyrenees in Catalunya. We drove in my family’s “autocaravana” so that we could spend the night in it and continue visiting places. It was the first time I had traveled in an RV so I was curious to see what it would be like. There was room for four people to sleep. The autocaravana also had a toilet, sink, refrigerator, stove and lots of storage. It was a little uncomfortable at first but I got used to it. Angel drove all the time. No comment on drivers in Spain. While he drove I played cards with Oscar or just enjoyed the scenery. We were heading to the towns of Vic, Rupit and Olot in the Pre-Pyrenees.
Vic was the first city we visited and it was quite an odoriferous experience. The distinct smell of pig permeated throughout the city. Vic is a city that produces and is famous for its sausage and it was quite evident with the aroma. Despite the strong fragrance I still enjoyed visiting the town. I also enjoyed eating some meat from Vic. There were a lot of neat little restaurants and bars in the center of town. Also, there was a large square where special events take place and it was lit up at night and looked cool. In this town I met and talked to some people from England. There seemed to be a lot of tourists around.
Rupit was a pueblo in the mountains. To get to it we had to go up through curve after curve in the mountains. It made me very dizzy as my head and stomach can attest. Once we got to the town, I took a look down and knew it was worth it to come up all this way. It was like a town stuck in the medieval ages, surrounded by forests. We walked through the long, narrow streets and saw the whole town by foot.
The last place we visited was Olot. We were there on the evening of October 31st. Walking around the city at night, I was surprised to see some people dressed up in costumes. I don’t know what it was for, because Halloween is not celebrated in Spain. I was a little sad that night, thinking about the candy and Halloween fun I was missing. However, the next day came and we headed to a place called La Fageda. La Fageda is a famous dairy farm where glorious dairy products are produced. We bought some very tasty cream to eat.
The last place we visited outside of Olot was a volcano. There seem to be a lot of dormant volcanoes that are covered by trees now. In one part of it the sides were cut out like terraces that looked like a wedding cake. We were actually able to see the inside of the volcano. Now the volcano is covered with trees so it didn’t look like much. But as we got to the part that was cut like a cake we could see how smooth the rocks were.
Afterwards, we headed back home in the “autocaravana.” It was a fun and exhausting trip where we did a lot in such a short time. Still, I’m happy and thankful my family is taking me to new and different places. I feel I’m getting to know Spain a little at a time.
Vic was the first city we visited and it was quite an odoriferous experience. The distinct smell of pig permeated throughout the city. Vic is a city that produces and is famous for its sausage and it was quite evident with the aroma. Despite the strong fragrance I still enjoyed visiting the town. I also enjoyed eating some meat from Vic. There were a lot of neat little restaurants and bars in the center of town. Also, there was a large square where special events take place and it was lit up at night and looked cool. In this town I met and talked to some people from England. There seemed to be a lot of tourists around.
Rupit was a pueblo in the mountains. To get to it we had to go up through curve after curve in the mountains. It made me very dizzy as my head and stomach can attest. Once we got to the town, I took a look down and knew it was worth it to come up all this way. It was like a town stuck in the medieval ages, surrounded by forests. We walked through the long, narrow streets and saw the whole town by foot.
The last place we visited was Olot. We were there on the evening of October 31st. Walking around the city at night, I was surprised to see some people dressed up in costumes. I don’t know what it was for, because Halloween is not celebrated in Spain. I was a little sad that night, thinking about the candy and Halloween fun I was missing. However, the next day came and we headed to a place called La Fageda. La Fageda is a famous dairy farm where glorious dairy products are produced. We bought some very tasty cream to eat.
The last place we visited outside of Olot was a volcano. There seem to be a lot of dormant volcanoes that are covered by trees now. In one part of it the sides were cut out like terraces that looked like a wedding cake. We were actually able to see the inside of the volcano. Now the volcano is covered with trees so it didn’t look like much. But as we got to the part that was cut like a cake we could see how smooth the rocks were.
Afterwards, we headed back home in the “autocaravana.” It was a fun and exhausting trip where we did a lot in such a short time. Still, I’m happy and thankful my family is taking me to new and different places. I feel I’m getting to know Spain a little at a time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)