Field trip to Sevilla

Our field trip to Sevilla was interesting. After we checked in our hotel, we went to visit the city and look for our tour guide. We met up with the tour guide at the Cathedral, which is the third largest in the world. My favorite part from it was the Giralda, the bell tower. We walked up to the top and saw the whole city of Seville from different angles. The views were spectacular. We also saw the tomb of Christopher Columbus and other amazing things. After visiting the Cathedral, the tour guide took us to the Alcázar, the royal palace in Sevilla. We saw beautiful gardens and Gothic architecture that we discussed in class. At night, we went to a Flamenco show. It was incredible. The dancers and musicians were amazing. After the Flamenco show, we went to see the Metropol Parasol, the largest wooden structure in the world. It was an extraordinary building.

Vicente Huizar

Trujillo

The trip to Trujillo was short, but full of things to see. After we arrived we walked to the Plaza Mayor to begin our tour. From the Plaza we had a great view of the fortress on the hill and the statue of Francisco Pizarro, a conquistador who conquered Peru. We walked up through the town to get to the fortress. The fortress provided a great view of the town below.  After walking around the walls we were able to enter the cistern where the inhabitants of the fortress could get water if they were under siege.  After the fortress, we then went to the house where Francisco Pizarro was born and raised. His house was turned into a museum of his life. Walking through Trujillo’s streets, you were able to see things that were older then the United States. Living in America you are not able to see history like you could in Trujillo where things are from the 1200’s and earlier.

Kevin Kountz

Trujillo from the fortress

Francisco Pizarro statue 

Host Family Experience

            I was so worried about living with a host family for a month because of the fact that I am a shy person, but when I met my family they reminded of my own back at home. Of course, I was super nervous when I first got to house; it felt weird at first but as the days went by I got comfortable and it did not feel weird anymore. I got along great with my family. We talked and spent a great amount of time together, they were very courteous to me and made me feel at home. The first day I arrived in Spain my host mom took me out for a walk and bought me an ice-cream cone. I spent most of my time with my host sister due to the fact that my host parents went on vacation for two weeks. My host sister and I really bonded and spent the evenings together everyday; we would drink a cup of coffee, chat for a bit, watch TV, play a game, or walk the dog out. We always had lunch together and the food was really different compared to what I ate in the states.

My host family and I talked about how life was in the states and how life was in Cáceres; it was extremely different, but I adjusted pretty well in a short amount of time. My host family encouraged me to go out and see the neighborhood in Cáceres. My last week in Spain, my host dad cooked and tried to make the spicy food I eat, they also made me my favorites meals. The night before I left, we said our goodbyes and they really enjoyed having me there. I gave a pink rose to my host mom and left a thank you letter. I was the first exchange student they had who was able to speak and understand Spanish, they were absolutely delighted to have me there. I am still in contact with my host family, we email each other once in a while. Living with a host family is honestly what made my study abroad experience life changing that month that I was there. I have not regretted my time with them at all and I think fondly of our time together every day.

Valerie Flores 

Cáceres

It’s hard to believe that just over three weeks have passed since I left the city of Cáceres. As I reflect on my time there, I already have feelings of nostalgia welling up inside as I would love to be there for just a little while longer. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting at O’Hare International Airport waiting my turn to board the large Airbus headed to Madrid.

Arriving in Madrid, our group took a bus from Madrid to Cáceres. After a 9-hour flight and a 3-hour bus ride, I was feeling very exhausted, but the day had just started. I first met up with my host family at the bus Station in Cáceres and they took me to their place to eat and clean up. We soon thereafter headed to the old part of the city where the festival, WOMAD, was taking place at the time. We started at the Plaza Mayor where the majority of the music and festivities were taking place. As you walk down the street, facing the plaza, there are a multitude of bars, sandwich shops, and ice cream shops where you can sit down and take in the beautiful contrast between the various different styles of architecture ranging mostly between the 12th and 17th centuries. It is incredible to walk through the narrow streets of the older part of Cáceres and to think about all of the history and different cultures that have influenced the development of this city. There are a variety of homes, churches, and palaces in the many different plazas that make up a very unique and beautiful scene.

The old part of Cáceres is only one region of a more modern and well-developed city. Lining the center of the city is a long and quaint park called “el Paseo de Cánovas”. In the middle of a largely urban setting, it is very calming to take a walk through this park or to just sit and take in the beautiful picture; trees that line both sides of the park that provide shade on an extremely sunny day, while a variety of different stands selling anything from newspapers to ice cream are available to check out; there are also a few fountains, as well as an uplifted stage where, during various festivals, an orchestra might be found. As you go out further away from the center of the city, you will find the city to be quite modern with all of the apartments, restaurants, mini malls, supermarkets, and recreational facilities; the University of Extremadura, where we studied, is also located towards the outskirts of the city. Cáceres is a fairly mountainous region and you will find that there are many streets going upward and downward; it is also not laid out on a grid like many large American cities which gives the city a very unique and individual atmosphere.

These few words and descriptions can not do it justice. I would hope that anyone who might consider this program would actually make the conscious decision to go through with it. To get outside of the United States and live life in a different place and culture is a very eye- opening opportunity. I would go again in a heartbeat; it was worth every dollar spent as it is an unforgettable experience.

- Andrew Blank 

La Universidad de Extremadura

The University de Extremadura is a great university located in Caceres Spain. This university is filled with hundreds of student excited to learn.  Most of the student s at the university are from the city Cáceres or a city nearby. While visiting the university most of the student explained that this was a university of teaching.  While being there our group did a speed date with the student, which was one of the best experiences ever.  We each pared up with four students from the university and asked each other several questions. The tricky part was we could only speak in Spanish and they could only talk in English. This was a very cool way to get to know the students. Besides the great students that attend the university, the university has a beautiful cafeteria that has floor to ceiling windows where you can see a beautiful field.  There are also cool Coca-Cola tables for dinning and a cool wall full of classic coke and sprite bottles.  The cafeteria also has great reasonable food. The university has a very clean campus and also a huge library where the student s can find resources and study for classes. The university Extremadura is a great university to study while studying abroad.

Gabrielle Smith