Expectations for Spain!

I am so excited to be traveling to Europe for my first time, and to have the opportunity to fully immerse myself into the Spanish culture. I have many expectations for the upcoming trip. I hope to improve my conversational Spanish and learn more grammatical Spanish. Outside of the classroom I hope to make many new friends and create a bond and relationship with my host family. I am also excited to explore the city and see the different architectures, experience the museums, and visit special cities or landmarks. Last but not least, I cannot wait to try new foods! Overall, I hope to fully expand my horizons and learn more about the Spanish culture.
-Adios,
Sydney 

Viaje a Salamanca-Trip Expectations

It's my first time travelling to Spain (or even Europe),  and I could not be more anxious and excited. You'd think I would at least have some sort of knowledgeable expectations or a mind at ease since I am fluent in Spanish, but I honestly have no idea what to expect for this trip. I can only imagine how incredible my meals will be, or how breathtaking the paintings of the Prado Museum will be, or how ancient and majestic the buildings will be, but the truth is I really won't know until I see (or taste) all of these famous Spanish trademarks in person. Because I already have a considerable chunk of the Spanish language down (with maybe a few grammar errors here and there), my focus on this trip will be to enrich my cultural awareness and be able to notice as well as appreciate the differences in the way Spanish people go about their daily lives vs. Americans. Not only do I hope to learn about culture, but I also expect to learn about history while I am traveling abroad. Reading about events of the past in history class or textbooks can be very enlightening, but I think that actually walking through places and buildings that have been alive for hundreds and hundreds of years will definitely allow me to really experience those crucial moments in history that make Spain what it is today. I truly believe and hope that this experience will enrich, open, and introduce my mind to a bigger part of the tiny bubble I have lived in for the past 17 years. More to come soon... Eugenia S.

Trip Expectations Blog Entry by Jaycee

The most important part of this trip to Spain is mainly to practice my Spanish by immersing myself in the language and culture. I am excited to get to know my host family and experience everyday lifestyle in Spain. I cannot wait to tour the museums, see the beautiful architecture and learn about Spanish culture. This will be my first time to Spain and I feel safe going with Ursuline. The only place I have been to in Europe is Paris, France so I am excited to travel to another European city! I am also excited to meet new people and make memories with the other girls and teachers from Ursuline!
-Jaycee 

Spain Trip Begins Tomorrow!

Hi this is Cici! I am very excited to be leaving for Spain tomorrow. This will be my first time out of the country. I am looking forward to experiencing the kindness and love from my host mom. I hope I packed well for the weather and style of Spain. I am interested in seeing how I will adapt to the full language immersion and how much my spanish will change. The food that we will be learning how to make, I believe it's gazpacho and paella, sound delicious and I cannot wait to cook those dishes. For the excursions, I am interested in seeing if I can actually kayak, and I am excited to visit the museums and learn about the history of Spain.

Viaje a Salamanca

After months of anxiously waiting to pack up and go, I can hardly believe that tomorrow we'll be leaving this country for another. Ever since I found out I would be able to take this incredible opportunity, it's become an abstract idea. Without a doubt, I knew that I would soon be studying abroad in the beautiful city of Salamanca. I knew when I signed up, I knew when I renewed my passport, I knew when we got the itinerary, but in my mind, it was still just a notion, simply a far-off event in time to look forward to. And now with just hours away from our departure, the abstractedness has left, and I've found myself eagerly expecting the unexpected. From the times I have travelled before, I have learned that every city and every country will catch you off guard in their own way and that you can never fully anticipate what it will be like to be in a new place. There will always be cultural nuances and shocks that will enrich your life and understanding of the world in new ways, and I love the thrill of never being able to be fully prepared for it. The history, the architecture, the food, the people - I look forward to all of it in Spain, especially the language. I have been studying Spanish for several years now, but this will be the first time I will be able to extensively practice Spanish and truly engage with the culture. Language is the gateway to a culture, and I hope that after this trip and course, I will have experienced Spanish culture to the fullest extent.

My Expectations

I'm so excited to leave for Spain tomorrow and go to Europe for the first time. All I know about Spain is what I've seen in photos or heard from family and friends who have visited before, so I'm not exactly sure what to expect. Most of what I hear about is delicious food, beautiful and friendly people, amazing scenery, and ancient buildings. It's going be a completely new world and culture than what I've ever experienced before, and what I'm most looking forward to is exploring and trying new things.
Travelling to a whole different continent can seem intimidating, but I know I'll be with girls who are just as excited as I am. After seeing pictures from last year and talking with girls who went, I know I will not be disappointed. Whatever I see and do these next two weeks, I'll remember it forever. I expect to learn a lot of Spanish and be more comfortable with having normal conversations with Spanish-speakers. I expect to eat lots of ice cream and Spanish foods whatever those may be. I expect to miss my family and friends but make lots of new friends and come home with lots of adventures to tell everyone about.
See everyone soon!!!

I am very excited to visit Spain. Spain is the land where Don Quixote and Sancho Panza entertained the masses and inspired countless readers to venture outside the normal subjects of literature and seek to learn more about the world around them. Like Quixote, I hope to learn about Spain and find something that takes my breath away. I hope to learn more about the Spanish language and culture and to learn new things about myself in the process. I am especially excited to go to the Prado and see works of art that I have only seen in books, like Guernica and Las Meninas. I eagerly await the trip to Spain and the chance to improve my Spanish. 

My Expectations for the Spain Trip

Hey, Audrey L here. I don't really know the desired format for a blog so I'll just be brief and maybe we can get more personal later. My expectations for the trip mainly are just that I'll have fun, be homesick, be awfully hot, and to learn a lot. I'm pretty nervous but hopefully I'm be able to adapt quickly and I packed correctly. I'll try to make myself open to new experiences but I don't know if I'll be able to fully push myself out of my shell. Thanks for reading, bye

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG 2016!

Post about your expectations for this trip. What do you hope to learn and experience?

Take a look at these video introductions to the Universidad de Salamanca where our courses will be held. For an introduction to the region you may also like Rick Steves’ overview of Salamanca, Madrid and Spain.

Universidad de Salamanca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyzwEZNOw1Q&feature=youtu.be

Salamanca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_-oLjv7C1Y&feature=youtu.be                                                                  

 The post is due by Friday 1^st, 2016

Blog rules:

Ø  First name ONLY, do not enter your last name.

Ø  No identifiable addresses or phone numbers.

Ø  Always be a great representative of your school.

Ø  In English so UA friends and family can share.

Blog requirements:

Ø  1. One pre-departure post on your expectations for the trip. Post by July 1^st 2016.

Ø  2. Two posts in Spain about your activities (1 per week): 2-3 pictures, 1 paragraph, 1 comment.

Ø  3. One embedded video: details to follow.

Ø  4. One post-trip reflection, date TBD.