First off: A huge thank you to those of you who have taken the time to follow or bookmark our blog. It's emotionally gratifying to know that you all care enough about us to follow along as we undertake what seems like such a monumental effort. I love the crazy combo of people, from our family members, to friends, to classmates, and even students (Hola Will!). Thank you for being there to support us.
Now, onto the blog!: I can't help but have a line from a cheesy 80's song stuck in my head "It's the final countdown!"
And if either my husband or father-in-law were here I know that they could tell me the artist, song title, rest of the lyrics, and/or the year the song was recorded, but alas... for the next 15 hours it's just me and I have no ability to recall such things (note to all: if you're ever on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" do NOT pick me for your lifeline).
Dan's first flight will leave STL in about 2 hours and I know right now he's sitting in the airport nervous as can be. 6 years ago-and I can hardly believe it's been that long- I was in the same exact position as him. I was getting ready to hop on the plane for a long stay in Spain and was equal parts nervous and excited about what lay ahead of me. In a strangely vivid way these past two weeks have really reminded me a lot of studying abroad 6 years ago. It's made it very hard for me emotionally because I'm seeing so many places that I remember seeing when I was alone, far from home, and wondering what my life was going to be like when I returned. I missed Dan so much when I was gone the first time, but our relationship survived, thrived, we eventually got married and now he's coming out to experience Spain to its fullest with me. It's a really beautiful full circle. We visited Madrid three years ago for 4 days, but this will really give him a taste of what life is like here in a country that is actually still in the running for the World Cup (:P).
We're going to stay in a hotel in Madrid the first night so he can adjust a little to the new time zone. We'll buy our train tickets up to Pamplona then, and then he's arranged for a taxi to take us to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port right across the French border. So, we will actually begin walking July 1st, and will probably arrive back in Pamplona for the Fourth of July before continuing towards Santiago.
I do not know how much Internet access we will have en route to Santiago de la Compostela, but we will try to update as much as possible. Any requests for photos or info along the way? Pictures of us with buildings? Pictures of the terrain? Pictures of the refugios where we'll be staying? Counts of how many km/m we walk each day? What food we eat? Who we meet? Funny things we see along the way? Anything else you can think of or would like to see? Let me know! I have Internet access for 12 more hours!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Dan's Turn!
Tomorrow I leave for Spain so I should introduce myself into this blog. For the past two weeks, Julie has been in Spain with her colleagues and students to lead a trip for the students, but soon I will join her and we will be hiking the Camino de Santiago. I heard about this trip when I was 18 in my Spanish 5 class and thought it would an amazing journey if I ever got the chance. Well, this summer, Julie and I made it happen. Many people have told me that this will be a "life-changing" experience. Honestly, I don't know what will happen. But follow along on this adventure as my beautiful wife and I travel her second home: Spain.
Two things I'm very excited to see:
1) The Festival de San Fermin(Running of the Bulls)
2) This church http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h1V6PF50xc
-Dan
Two things I'm very excited to see:
1) The Festival de San Fermin(Running of the Bulls)
2) This church http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h1V6PF50xc
-Dan
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
In Spain!
After a crazy series of flights with 15 teenagers in tow I have finally arrived in Spain.
It's odd to say it like that because it feels like I've been here for years already. We ended up having to spend the night in Atlanta because they had bad weather which made us divert to Memphis and miss our international connection. However, in the process of rebooking us onto the next flight they moved my ticket to a flight to Paris with a connection to Madrid. Sensing the errors of leaving 15 teenagers alone on a plane with a single escort they then booked me onto the same flight as the students, but in first class. It was lovely in first class, I must admit. It wasn't quite enough to make up for the night in Atlanta, but it was nice to have a little more room to stretch out and a dinner that lasted for two hours. In the end, I probably would have slept better if I had been in coach because I didn't get a single moment of rest next to my snoring neighbor.
Upon arriving we went to the hotel (after submitting lost luggage forms for one of our poor students) and then embarked upon what can only be referred to as a death march. After 5 hours of sleep in Atlanta, whatever moments they managed to snatch on the plane, and being awake at what would be considered 5am STL time we took our kids on a walk through central Madrid, through an art museum and then toured the Royal Palace. It was amazing to me because I honestly felt connected to each and every one of my kids. The feeling of being the one to make sure they didn't pass out in Goya's Black Period, protect them on the Metro, and animate them to wake up enough to enjoy the bizarre 12 foot long guns in the armory made this maternal instinct I had never felt before come roaring out of me.
It sounds bizarre, but as much as I felt like I had connected with my students before, it can't compare to how I've opened up with these kids. I am not a touchy person.I don't really do hugs or pats on the back or anything beyond eye contact, but I was at the Alhambra yesterday and asked a student to take a picture of me and another student who was next to me threw her arms around me in this huge hug to be in the picture with me and I was totally OK with it. I had another student who broke down and was terrified before going into the family stay and I calmed her down. I hugged her and talked her down and make her confident enough to be the first one to step off the bus and greet her host family successfully with the traditional kiss on each cheek. Seeing her smile when she realized that she had done it was so rewarding for me I almost cried right there in front of a hundred waiting family members.
I don't think I can describe here how rewarding this experience has been thus far for me. I've grown so close to these kids, answered a milion questions, and helped to give them an even better experience than the one I was fortunate enough to have when I was their age. I am so indescribably proud of them and how well they've done. Our kids make the kids from the other schools we're travelling with look so amateur. They've been speaking in Spanish the whole.entire.time. Even our tour guide said he's never seen students speak as much Spanish as ours have been. They even created games to play on the bus to entertain themsevles, like MASH in Spanish. They are so awesome. So very, very awesome.
Maybe a little bit of that was due to how well we prepared them and were clear as to our expectations, but the other students in our group speak constant English and I've walked behind some of ours in the street during their free time and heard them speaking Spanish to each other, listened at their hotel room doors to see if they were asleep yet (while doing bed checks-so you know I'm not a creeper ;D ) and heard them speaking it to each other. It's so above and beyond anything I was able to do when I was in their shoes and I'm so excited to see where they go from here.
So... anyways, back to the trip. I've now been to Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Sevilla, Granada and now I'm currently camped out in a hotel in Talavera de la Reina in case they need anything during their family stays. It's been so cool to go back and see some of these sights with a guide. I didn't even remember seeing the Alhambra from when I went 10 years ago (good God that makes me feel old) and it's just so nice to be back here in this country that I love so much.
This is the Roman aquaduct in Segovia. It's 2,000 years old and was being used up until a couple of decades ago when modern plumbing finally surpassed its capabilities.
The city of Toledo and the Tajo River as seen from the hill where El Greco painted "Vista de Toledo"
This was the view of the incredible Catedral de Sevilla and the Giralda (now bell tower originally built by Muslims in 11th century to announce the call to prayer) as seen from our hotel's balcony. Gorgeous, no?
A scene from the bullfight that we went to. This deserves a post all of its own considering I'm a former vegetarian and crazy animal lover and actually thought it was cool.
I'll try to upload some more pictures ASAP. Otherwise, I hope you guys back in STL are staying cool with the heat wave. We've been having slightly cooler than average weather here, and it's warm, but I know nothing to complain about.
Take care, miss you all.
It's odd to say it like that because it feels like I've been here for years already. We ended up having to spend the night in Atlanta because they had bad weather which made us divert to Memphis and miss our international connection. However, in the process of rebooking us onto the next flight they moved my ticket to a flight to Paris with a connection to Madrid. Sensing the errors of leaving 15 teenagers alone on a plane with a single escort they then booked me onto the same flight as the students, but in first class. It was lovely in first class, I must admit. It wasn't quite enough to make up for the night in Atlanta, but it was nice to have a little more room to stretch out and a dinner that lasted for two hours. In the end, I probably would have slept better if I had been in coach because I didn't get a single moment of rest next to my snoring neighbor.
Upon arriving we went to the hotel (after submitting lost luggage forms for one of our poor students) and then embarked upon what can only be referred to as a death march. After 5 hours of sleep in Atlanta, whatever moments they managed to snatch on the plane, and being awake at what would be considered 5am STL time we took our kids on a walk through central Madrid, through an art museum and then toured the Royal Palace. It was amazing to me because I honestly felt connected to each and every one of my kids. The feeling of being the one to make sure they didn't pass out in Goya's Black Period, protect them on the Metro, and animate them to wake up enough to enjoy the bizarre 12 foot long guns in the armory made this maternal instinct I had never felt before come roaring out of me.
It sounds bizarre, but as much as I felt like I had connected with my students before, it can't compare to how I've opened up with these kids. I am not a touchy person.I don't really do hugs or pats on the back or anything beyond eye contact, but I was at the Alhambra yesterday and asked a student to take a picture of me and another student who was next to me threw her arms around me in this huge hug to be in the picture with me and I was totally OK with it. I had another student who broke down and was terrified before going into the family stay and I calmed her down. I hugged her and talked her down and make her confident enough to be the first one to step off the bus and greet her host family successfully with the traditional kiss on each cheek. Seeing her smile when she realized that she had done it was so rewarding for me I almost cried right there in front of a hundred waiting family members.
I don't think I can describe here how rewarding this experience has been thus far for me. I've grown so close to these kids, answered a milion questions, and helped to give them an even better experience than the one I was fortunate enough to have when I was their age. I am so indescribably proud of them and how well they've done. Our kids make the kids from the other schools we're travelling with look so amateur. They've been speaking in Spanish the whole.entire.time. Even our tour guide said he's never seen students speak as much Spanish as ours have been. They even created games to play on the bus to entertain themsevles, like MASH in Spanish. They are so awesome. So very, very awesome.
Maybe a little bit of that was due to how well we prepared them and were clear as to our expectations, but the other students in our group speak constant English and I've walked behind some of ours in the street during their free time and heard them speaking Spanish to each other, listened at their hotel room doors to see if they were asleep yet (while doing bed checks-so you know I'm not a creeper ;D ) and heard them speaking it to each other. It's so above and beyond anything I was able to do when I was in their shoes and I'm so excited to see where they go from here.
So... anyways, back to the trip. I've now been to Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Sevilla, Granada and now I'm currently camped out in a hotel in Talavera de la Reina in case they need anything during their family stays. It's been so cool to go back and see some of these sights with a guide. I didn't even remember seeing the Alhambra from when I went 10 years ago (good God that makes me feel old) and it's just so nice to be back here in this country that I love so much.
This is the Roman aquaduct in Segovia. It's 2,000 years old and was being used up until a couple of decades ago when modern plumbing finally surpassed its capabilities.
The city of Toledo and the Tajo River as seen from the hill where El Greco painted "Vista de Toledo"
This was the view of the incredible Catedral de Sevilla and the Giralda (now bell tower originally built by Muslims in 11th century to announce the call to prayer) as seen from our hotel's balcony. Gorgeous, no?
A scene from the bullfight that we went to. This deserves a post all of its own considering I'm a former vegetarian and crazy animal lover and actually thought it was cool.
I'll try to upload some more pictures ASAP. Otherwise, I hope you guys back in STL are staying cool with the heat wave. We've been having slightly cooler than average weather here, and it's warm, but I know nothing to complain about.
Take care, miss you all.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Pre-trip Stress
I'm freaking out right now. I catch a flight in 6 hours and I'm nervous to take students out of the country. I've chaperoned many marching band trips, but never anything of this magnitude where I was in charge of so much.
However, I know that as nervous as I am, the kids are even more so. Just over ten years ago I was gearing up to take my first trip to Spain through the same program we're travelling with. I was so nervous and I returned a completely changed individual. I am so excited to see that again through the eyes of my students and to see them actually using the skills that we've been teaching them for years. It's going to be so amazing and inspiring for me as a professional. I can't wait. =)
After two weeks the kids will head back with my colleague and my husband will fly out to meet me. Then we'll head on to start the camino. I'm trying to put that out of my mind right now because I don't feel physically prepared at all. I walked 5 miles (not just 5K-we parked a good distance away) the other day as part of the Race for the Cure and my feet felt pretty good afterwards. I think they'll suffer after repeated abuse, but I feel like I've got a good pair of shoes and I'm as well equipped as I'll ever be. Now it's just up to me.
Wish me luck...
However, I know that as nervous as I am, the kids are even more so. Just over ten years ago I was gearing up to take my first trip to Spain through the same program we're travelling with. I was so nervous and I returned a completely changed individual. I am so excited to see that again through the eyes of my students and to see them actually using the skills that we've been teaching them for years. It's going to be so amazing and inspiring for me as a professional. I can't wait. =)
After two weeks the kids will head back with my colleague and my husband will fly out to meet me. Then we'll head on to start the camino. I'm trying to put that out of my mind right now because I don't feel physically prepared at all. I walked 5 miles (not just 5K-we parked a good distance away) the other day as part of the Race for the Cure and my feet felt pretty good afterwards. I think they'll suffer after repeated abuse, but I feel like I've got a good pair of shoes and I'm as well equipped as I'll ever be. Now it's just up to me.
Wish me luck...
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