Update from across the pond!
WOW.
The only words I have for the last 6 days.
Thankful, Grateful, BLESSED.
We landed in Barcelona at 3:30am KY time, but it was 9:30am here, with a full day ahead. We left the airport and went to meet our host families at the school. I was so excited to finally hug my host momma on the neck after weeks of communicating via instagram!
After meeting my host mom and sister, we went to the car to load up. When she saw my luggage she said, OH NO! She brought the tiny car, and by tiny I mean the electric car! My luggage and our bodies barely fit, but we made it!
When I arrived at home, I immediately got all the American goodies I had brought out to give them, it was like Christmas! Pep (5) opened all the candy he could get his hands on, and after it was putin a basket, he took it to his room to hide it from everyone. I think the ring pops were his favorite. I gave David his All American white house birthday card, and birthday cake peeps. They didn't know what marshmallows were, so it was interesting to watch then try.
We went to eat lunch shortly after, which I soon learned is a 4 course meal midday. We were celebrating St. Jordi Day and David (15) birthday! I received a rose (the tradition on St. Jordi day, giving women roses) from Juan (host dad) and David, which was such a sweet surprise.
After 3 hours of sleep and a full day of fun, I landed in bed at 11pm that night and slept like a rock. Starting school here was interesting and somewhat overwhelming. The "time table" as they call it was crazy overwhelming, but after 3 days, it is much easier to follow other than getting lost in the school still! haha.
The schedule is amazing:
Tell me this isn't confusing! The school has 4 floors, but only numbered to 3, and all the hallways look the EXACT same! haha
The teachers are all so welcoming and loving, not to mention appreciative of our knowledge and English speaking abilities. I have 1st grade boys and 2nd grade girls through the day and they are so sweet and loving. The structure in the classroom is so relaxed. It is amazing how well the students learn, even still without the structure of classroom management. The content flows very well, but is not stressful on student or teacher which is amazing to see in action.
The atmosphere of the school and faculty is amazing. Having an hour and 15 minutes to have lunch, an hour planning, and another hour of free time for student tutoring, AMAZING. The teachers are so helpful and understanding of our confusion with everything, it has been so nice to not stress about getting lost or being late after lunch!
Side note: my host family is amazing, loving, and so giving. I could not have asked for a better family to stay with! I love the afternoons of sitting at the table comparing Spanish to English and teaching them the KY twang way of saying things! They have definitely made this trip 10x better and so much more fun!
Checkout my daily facebook posts at: https://www.facebook.com/dpippin50
to see the daily adventures!
The only words I have for the last 6 days.
Thankful, Grateful, BLESSED.
We landed in Barcelona at 3:30am KY time, but it was 9:30am here, with a full day ahead. We left the airport and went to meet our host families at the school. I was so excited to finally hug my host momma on the neck after weeks of communicating via instagram!
After meeting my host mom and sister, we went to the car to load up. When she saw my luggage she said, OH NO! She brought the tiny car, and by tiny I mean the electric car! My luggage and our bodies barely fit, but we made it!
When I arrived at home, I immediately got all the American goodies I had brought out to give them, it was like Christmas! Pep (5) opened all the candy he could get his hands on, and after it was putin a basket, he took it to his room to hide it from everyone. I think the ring pops were his favorite. I gave David his All American white house birthday card, and birthday cake peeps. They didn't know what marshmallows were, so it was interesting to watch then try.
We went to eat lunch shortly after, which I soon learned is a 4 course meal midday. We were celebrating St. Jordi Day and David (15) birthday! I received a rose (the tradition on St. Jordi day, giving women roses) from Juan (host dad) and David, which was such a sweet surprise.
After 3 hours of sleep and a full day of fun, I landed in bed at 11pm that night and slept like a rock. Starting school here was interesting and somewhat overwhelming. The "time table" as they call it was crazy overwhelming, but after 3 days, it is much easier to follow other than getting lost in the school still! haha.
The schedule is amazing:
The teachers are all so welcoming and loving, not to mention appreciative of our knowledge and English speaking abilities. I have 1st grade boys and 2nd grade girls through the day and they are so sweet and loving. The structure in the classroom is so relaxed. It is amazing how well the students learn, even still without the structure of classroom management. The content flows very well, but is not stressful on student or teacher which is amazing to see in action.
The atmosphere of the school and faculty is amazing. Having an hour and 15 minutes to have lunch, an hour planning, and another hour of free time for student tutoring, AMAZING. The teachers are so helpful and understanding of our confusion with everything, it has been so nice to not stress about getting lost or being late after lunch!
Side note: my host family is amazing, loving, and so giving. I could not have asked for a better family to stay with! I love the afternoons of sitting at the table comparing Spanish to English and teaching them the KY twang way of saying things! They have definitely made this trip 10x better and so much more fun!
Checkout my daily facebook posts at: https://www.facebook.com/dpippin50
to see the daily adventures!
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