Week 4

Welcome back , blogging padres! Can you believe we are already done with week 4?! Time sure is flying, but we are definitely having a fabulous time here in Ciudad Real. Before we get into the nitty gritty of this past week, here is a video that was taken on the way to Córdoba the previous week. Quality is a tad low towards the end, as it is a video that was accidentally deleted and then recovered. Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/Nvk11sGSV58

 On Monday, the students got to visit the Ayuntamiento (Mayor's office of Ciudad Real, currently Ciudad Real's mayor is Rosa Romero Sánchez). The Jefe de Protocolo (Head of Protocol) as well as the Concejala de Educación (Education Counsel Representative) gave us a very nice presentation. Students got to sit in the chairs where the Mayor's office representatives sit during important meetings while we all got an insider's view of how politics work at the local level in Spain, specifically in Ciudad Real, with a special talk about the education system as well. The two representatives engaged the students asking them questions about what they like the best about the city, their future studies, the host family experience and their experiences with learning Spanish.

 

Tuesday students went about their normal days, classes, lunch and theater and choir activities. However, in the evening, we all headed over to a nearby restaurant to watch the USA Belgium World Cup game. While we were quite disappointed with USA's second loss, and consequential elimination from contention, lo pasamos muy bien! (We had an incredible time!)

 Students showed off their skills singing along to the national anthem before the start of the game.
  http://youtu.be/3fhp-6m-acc

Wednesday after classes, students got to attend the local cinema. Students saw either Juntos y Revueltos (Blended), Maléfica, or Xmen.
Quick shot before the movie starts!

After the movies ended, we headed to our fav spot, 100 Montaditos Restaurant like last week. I don't think students ate nearly as much, but the food was as spectacular as always!

Buen provecho! (Bon appétit, a Spanish-French translation, but you get the idea!)

Thursday after the students finished lunch, they had free time for sports during the whole afternoon. 
                            Only a few felt like hittin' the court for volleyball, but here are four, going strong!

Most interest was in soccer on this day...

...and rumor has it that the girls pretty much own the guys in soccer, so a rematch was in order later in the evening at a local park, despite the rain!

Friday was a jam-packed day for sure! We spent all day at Playa Park, a local water park where students basked in the sun, dared to go down one of daunting slides, or wade in the freezing cold water! Despite the water being like ice, the hot sun made up for it and we all had a great time.

Doesn´t get much better than this...

European style!

U  - S - A !!!! 

Luckily students saved enough energy up for the evening, since it was the night of our long-awaited 4^th of July party. The party was held at a local Merendero called El Jaleo, which is basically an outdoor restaurant/bar. Temperatures were perfect with clear skies to make for a perfect evening for the event. Instructors, the onsite coordinator María José, students and their immediate and extended host families attended the event.

These kids sure know how to get down. Choir and dance afternoon activities are yielding very positive results!  Here it is...Enrique Iglesias´s ´´Bailando,´´  hands down the official song of summer 2014...

(BTW, the videos are very zoomed in, i am not sure why this is, sorry! :/ ) 
 

http://youtu.be/o6R2gYrKbgk

Un poco de limbo!
http://youtu.be/AMwU2UW0oIY

Warming up those vocal chords...

Such patriots!
http://youtu.be/brXt1tO50Ek

Happy 4^th!!!!!

Students spent the weekend relaxing with host families and friends and catching up on homework for the following week. Until next time! Hasta luego!