A look at the way our various projects are progressing!
My apologies for the delay in posting. After getting our Toledo trip updated last weekend, we had a quiet weekend here in Ciudad Real. Then the week started, and with it the madness! Everyone realized all at once that we have a week until the Course Magazine needs to be finished, and we present the farewell show to host families. On top of that, we had a fourth of July celebration Wednesday night, and a thirteen-hour day trip to Madrid on Friday!
All in all, it's been a busy week, and I only now have a chance to start uploading photos. This first entry will cover the early part of the week, leading up to the Independence day celebration. Look for that post tomorrow, and pictures from our trip to Madrid over the next couple days!
All in all, it's been a busy week, and I only now have a chance to start uploading photos. This first entry will cover the early part of the week, leading up to the Independence day celebration. Look for that post tomorrow, and pictures from our trip to Madrid over the next couple days!
***
In order to get things ready for the revista, our course magazine, we worked together twice this week for an hour to put the finishing touches on our projects. The course magazine is both a physical gift to host families, given at the farewell show, and a souvenir to remind us of our stay. Students decided to include Instagram and Snapchat-like pages, plus superlatives, art, memes, letters to host families, and individual profiles.
Here's the whole group, hard at work.
We instructors moved around the room, answering questions and watching the pages develop.
The school is getting a bit of a facelift outside, so there's scaffolding up and, as you can see in this image, occasionally people leaning past to apply fresh plaster/paint. Luckily it's not too loud (except for the occasional crashing sound :-) ).
Here's a look at the Snapchat page coming together.
The guys in the back of the room are assembling student profiles -- which means they had to do individual interviews with everyone to find out a little about them!
Plus, they took pictures of everyone (which means they got a taste of my job!).
Pensive?
Our lovely instructors. Plus Juan. ;-)
Here's our Instagram group!
And our superlatives group. They will have more individual pictures, plus descriptions underneath.
Here's Sofia working on the front page of the magazine. It was still lacking a bit of color then -- but it's all finished now!
Some people still don't want me taking their picture. It's for the blog, Sofia! C'mon, smile.
What? You too, Juan?!
Ah! There's a smile.
That'll work, too.
Here's a look at the day's meal. Lightly fried fish fillets, french fries, yogurt, and a sort of rice-and-green-bean soup. Plus, of course, bread.
Everyone has finished up eating!
Then it was time to wish Ryann a happy birthday with a song, and of course some cake.
Group photo!
Cake pics!
Just one picture, Jennifer? :-)
María José, our onsite coordinator, was there to chat with us that day, so she enjoyed a slice of cake too!
Everyone's finished up and ready to get going!
Out into the summer heat!
You'll see that everyone had on their American clothes for the fourth of July!
Settled into the auditorium!
First, the dance group.
Energy, Stephanie! Where's the excitement!?
Hiii-yah!
Then some theater. On stage, Chaney as the taxi driver, Enrique (in the period-appropriate hat) as Don Quijote, and Paulina as Sancha.
Don Quijote, overturning the television in a bar while the World Cup is on, and Sancha playing on her cellphone.
Quijote, outraged.
Soccer fans, also outraged.
Don Quijote, banished from the stage, while we have another dance number.
And here's Manuel watching from stage right as the scene continues.
Another dance break.
And then time for music.
Jacob on guitar.
Ben, asking questions about the rap section he will be singing.
And thus ends today's update. As I mentioned above, we'll be back tomorrow with more pictures from the Independence day celebration we had on Wednesday! See you then.
-M
Here's the whole group, hard at work.
We instructors moved around the room, answering questions and watching the pages develop.
The school is getting a bit of a facelift outside, so there's scaffolding up and, as you can see in this image, occasionally people leaning past to apply fresh plaster/paint. Luckily it's not too loud (except for the occasional crashing sound :-) ).
Here's a look at the Snapchat page coming together.
The guys in the back of the room are assembling student profiles -- which means they had to do individual interviews with everyone to find out a little about them!
Plus, they took pictures of everyone (which means they got a taste of my job!).
Pensive?
Our lovely instructors. Plus Juan. ;-)
Here's our Instagram group!
And our superlatives group. They will have more individual pictures, plus descriptions underneath.
Here's Sofia working on the front page of the magazine. It was still lacking a bit of color then -- but it's all finished now!
Working hard or hardly working, guys? I think its the first one.
Some people still don't want me taking their picture. It's for the blog, Sofia! C'mon, smile.
What? You too, Juan?!
Ah! There's a smile.
That'll work, too.
And here's a little bit of art to end the revista work...
***
Next up, a trip to the cafeteria for lunch -- and a birthday celebration. Next week is going to be crazy. We have four students with birthdays in the span of like six days? We're going to need a lot of cake!
Here's a look at the day's meal. Lightly fried fish fillets, french fries, yogurt, and a sort of rice-and-green-bean soup. Plus, of course, bread.
Everyone has finished up eating!
Then it was time to wish Ryann a happy birthday with a song, and of course some cake.
Group photo!
Cake pics!
Just one picture, Jennifer? :-)
María José, our onsite coordinator, was there to chat with us that day, so she enjoyed a slice of cake too!
Everyone's finished up and ready to get going!
Out into the summer heat!
***
Finally, every day after getting back to the school, we would work in the afternoon on the farewell show. Our dance group has four big numbers, our music group is ready with three songs, and our theater group is on its way to having all seven scenes (!!) prepared.
Here everyone is, headed back into the school and up to the auditorium, where we were practicing on the stage for the show (and figuring out how to transition between the dance, music and theatrical parts)!
You'll see that everyone had on their American clothes for the fourth of July!
Settled into the auditorium!
First, the dance group.
Energy, Stephanie! Where's the excitement!?
Hiii-yah!
Then some theater. On stage, Chaney as the taxi driver, Enrique (in the period-appropriate hat) as Don Quijote, and Paulina as Sancha.
Don Quijote, overturning the television in a bar while the World Cup is on, and Sancha playing on her cellphone.
Quijote, outraged.
Soccer fans, also outraged.
Don Quijote, banished from the stage, while we have another dance number.
And here's Manuel watching from stage right as the scene continues.
Another dance break.
And then time for music.
Jacob on guitar.
Ben, asking questions about the rap section he will be singing.
***
-M