February 17

1. We left school  at 12:30 a.m. and took an one hour flight from Boston to Philadelphia
2. Then we took a flight from Philadelphia to Madrid and arrived in Madrid at 8 a.m. (Spain time which is 6 six hours later than Brookline time).

February 18

1. We were picked up by giant tour bus from airport and driven around spain. We saw the Estadio de Real Madrid and went to the bar in the asteroid, with a giant window looking out on the stadium.  We also got our first taste of spanish bocadillas de jamón y sumo de naranja. Bocadillas de jamón are small sandwiches for snacking, that consist of salted ham between two slices of french bread.
2. Then we arrived at el Hotal Ganiveti at 11:30 a.m., and got situated.
3. We went to la plaza mayor de Madrid (the main plaza), and saw a protest against domestic violence. There were signs on the ground that said “con maltrato no hay tart”, and the ground  was littered with symbolic red shoes.
4. We then had our first spanish meal, lunch, which is the biggest meal of the day. It consists of three courses: appetizer, main dish, dessert. Most of us had only gotten 1-3 hours of sleep since leaving the US (within 48 hours), so we were running on very low energy and couldn’t quite soak in the city yet. People were falling asleep face first at the table.
5. Later, a group of night owls, went out and toured Madrid with Sra. Fuertes. The buildings were gorgeous and lit up, the streets were packed with people, and the city was alive.

February 19

1. We went to el museo de la Reina Sophia, a contemporary art museum in Madrid with renowned artists such as Picasso, Miro, and Salvador Dalí.
2. We then embarked upon our three hour trek to Salamanca, a city up North. where our host families were waiting for us. As we arrived, a feeling of nervous excitement enveloped the group as we met the people who were going to be our new families for the next two weeks!  
3. We were taken back to our new homes and the families showed us to our houses.  Shortly afterwards, we congregated once more in the Plaza Mayor del Salamanca (many cities have a plaza Mayor which is a center point for the city, surrounded by many people and shops).
4. We were then given a brief tour of the city, as the sun set. We were immediately taken aback by the entrancing beauty of the Golden City. The architecture was intricate and gorgeous. Some of the buildings were as many as 800 years old, most of them dating back to the 17th and 15th centuries.

February 20

1. We started our first class at Letra Hispánica. The group was divided into four different classes for the remainder of the trip.  Here we had our first lessons about the culture, grammar and common phrases of Spain.  The teachers were all very enthusiastic and welcoming to us as we adapted to our new life for the next two weeks.
2. We were given a more detailed tour of the ancient monuments/cathedrals of the city, which consisted of many history lessons.  There was one lesson in particular about the University of Salamanca, where the architect placed a well hidden frog in the intricate designs on the front of the building, and visitors and students all look for the frog because it is said that if you are able to find it, it will bring you good luck.

February 21

1. Today, after having class from 9:15-1:30, we went to a spanish school. We were split up into two groups, and each group presented about the US to high school students. After, each group hung out and chatted with the spanish students. Everyone was extremely friendly, we spoke in spanish to them while they spoke to us in English. One very outgoing spaniard starting freestyle rapping in spanish for us, while two other guys dropped a beat for him; the vibe was very light and carefree.
2. At night we went salsa dancing with the spaniards that we had met at the school. It was very fun to learn how to Salsa!