El descenso - El Rio Sella

Here are some photos from our 'descent' down the River Sella! We had a great time! What beautiful scenery. It was the perfect temperature until the wind picked up. I tried to post some pictures, but the internet here won't cooperate!

Last full week!

Students celebrate the World Cup victory!
Grease practice - Grease Lightnin!
Students play Ninja in the park!
Conversation class
Hello all! This was our last full week in Oviedo. We had a full week of classes and preparation for the final program. The students were busy with projects and practicing songs from Grease - in Spanish! We are working on a way to video tape it. The students designed a t-shirt which is in production in the US. They also put together a newspaper. The host families will receive a copy the night of the show. The students will receive their copy in the mail. Tomorrow, we have the canoe trip down the Rio Sella. Almost all the students are going on this trip!

Monday we have a normal day of classes. Tuesday the students take a test to see how they have improved over the summer. Wednesday is their final round of interviews in which they receive feedback from the instructors and that night, the final program for the host families. Thursday we have a day off to pack (and shop, I'm sure!).

I almost forgot - Sunday was the final game of the Copa Mundial! Wow - what a scene that was! Students watched the game with their host families and with each other. Many were dressed in red and yellow and others followed the Spanish tradition of jumping in the fountain! Most learned a few new songs to sing the next time Spain plays in some type of tournament!

Covadonga & the Lakes

We had a wonderful time Friday in Covadonga! We stopped in a small town first to see a Roman bridge (see photo). Then we headed to Covagonga to see El Rey Pelayo's gravesite in the side of a mountain next to a chapel carved into the mountain (see photo). We headed up the mountains to see the lakes in the Peaks of Europe, but unfortunately it was so foggy we could barely see each other (see photo). Finally, we stopped in a small town on the beach called Ribadesella. Some of the kids took a dip in the cold water!

Pictures from Santiago & Student Projects

Time is flying by here in Oviedo! We are preparing for Grease - the show we are performing for the farewell party for the host families! It is coming along, but we don't have much time left to prepare! Ahhhhh!

Here is the link again to Robert's photo gallery. There are pictures from Santiago de Compostela and from some projects the students have done in his culture class.

Today we are heading to Covadonga and the Lakes. Covadonga is located in the 'Picos de Europa' (Peaks of Europe). The scenery we will be seeing today is magnificent. (Fingers crossed that it the morning fog clears up!)

Just a quick personal note - I feel so lucky to be a teacher on this program this summer. This group of kids is so much fun to teach! They are all enthusiastic about learning the language and wanting to know more about the culture. I think they have taught me more than I have taught them!

Group in Santiago de Compostela

Santiago de Compostela

Pilgrims in Leon - students had to find pilgrims in Santiago and interview them for Robert's culture class!


La concha (shell) is the symbol of the pilgrim route. These can be seen in Oviedo and other cities along the route.

Paella
The cathedral in Santiago
We had a wonderful time in Santiago de Compostela on Thursday and Friday! The drive was five hours. We stopped for a snack on the way there. We went straight to our hotels to drop off our stuff and then to a park to eat our sack lunches. From there we walked to the cathedral. Santiago de Compostela is the last stop on the Route of Saint James. The route starts in many different countries, but all routes end in front of the cathedral. The city was swarming with tourists and pilgrims. We toured the church and the students had some free time to explore and shop. This is the first place we have visited that is 'touristy' and there was a lot of gift-buying happening with our group! We went back to the hotel to freshen up and then we went to dinner. For dessert, we had the Santiago torte (almond-based). After dinner, we sang karaoke and danced for a few hours! It was a blast! It seems we have a theme-song for the summer. We No Speak Americano. This song is popular in Spain right now (but is in Italian!).

Friday after breakfast, we headed back to the cathedral and sat through the pilgrim's mass. The next stop was the Digital Museum of Galicia, an interactive museum that explores all kinds of things - from race cars to submarines. We ate lunch - seafood paella - a staple food here in Spain! Then we headed back to Oviedo.

Gijon

Friday we went to Gijon on the commuter train! The day started out beautiful, but the fog eventually rolled in bringing cool air. First, we went to a museum about the history of trains. Then we ate a picnic snack by the beach. We climbed up to a park that overlooks the ocean (but couldn't see anything!). The fog made for some fun pictures, though. Next, we went to a museum with the remains of a Roman bath. We ate lunch in a park and some of the kids took a dip in the cold ocean! We left early because of the weather.

Thursday and Friday we are headed to Santiago de Compostela. Santiago de Compostela is about five hours west of Oviedo. It is the end of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. For more on this place see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Compostela

Robert's pictures from Gijon: http://robertpbaxter.smugmug.com/IUHPFL-Oviedo-2010/Gij%C3%B3n/12701187_MiQxP#914002555_9xzt6

Santa Maria de Narranco y San Juan de Lillo

We took an afternoon excursion to two churches near Oviedo on Wednesday. These churches date back to the 9th century! The kids had fun playing frisbee and soccer near the churches and taking silly pictures!





























Ethan, Grant, Julia and Erica are at the Festival of San Juan celebrating the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer!



Friday we are off to Gijón to see the ancient city and maybe take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean!
More about Gijón:
http://www.asturiasguide.com/Gijon-history.html

Robert's Photos

We have our own personal photographer for this trip. Robert brought a lot of camera equipment with him and has been taking some fabulous pictures. Here is the website to see what he has uploaded so far. He will continue uploading throughout the summer. (P.S. - 'Paisaje' means landscape).

http://robertpbaxter.smugmug.com/IUHPFL-Oviedo-2010

Fútbol & León

Last week, we watched Spain play in its first soccer game during the World Cup!












Friday, we went to León for the day. We saw the cathedral with its beautiful stained glass windows. We ate a picnic in a park and the students had a couple of free hours in the afternoon to explore the city.

End of first week

We finished our first week of classes this week! We started planning the farewell show that we present to the host parents. We have decided to adapt Grease (Brillantina in Spanish). We even found all the songs in Spanish on iTunes!

Wednesday night we had a meeting with the host families. The meeting went very well! They are thrilled with this group of students! Only a few we worried about the timidity of some of the students. Sometimes this can be just a cultural difference but we will keep in touch with the host families about anything that arises.

Tomorrow we had an excursion planned to Covadonga and Los Lagos (The Lakes), but because of all the rain, the highway is blocked from fallen rock. It would take a lot more time to get there and if the weather wasn't good, we wouldn't get to see much. We are postponing that excursion and we are going to the city of Leon instead. This is an optional excursion but all the students decided to go! We leave bright and early tomorrow morning.

The group is waiting to eat lunch in a rest stop on the way from the airport to Oviedo. Everyone had 'bocadillos' - sandwiches and they were gigantic!!


Students in the shuttle in Barajas Airport, Madrid!

We are on the stairs leading from the city up to the school during the tour around the city after orientation!

Our first excursion around Oviedo

Here we are in front of the Cathedral in Oviedo. We had our orientation today. We ate lunch together (chicken, fries, noodle soup, salad). Then we took a tour of the city. The students returned home with their host families around 2:30. Giselle is the only instructor who was here last year and she said the students last year did not speak during the first lunch. This year they were talkative and loud!!! They are a fun group to teach!

The trip over went well. We 'lost' one piece of luggage (it has already arrived) and one suitcase lost a wheel.

We made it!

All students are spending their first night with their families! I will update you again soon!

Orientation CD Song List

Orientation CD

As soon as we can, we will post the list of songs that are on the orientation CD and some websites that are fun to use to review your Spanish!

Orientation Pictures

Check out some pictures from Saturday's orientation!

Welcome

Welcome parents of Indiana University Honors Program in Foreign Language! This will be the spot to find out what is going on in Oviedo all summer!