Spain – (SPA) – June 27 – July 24

Welcome Global Works travelers, parents and friends.  We are excited to share with you trip updates from around the world.  As our main office receives updates from the trips we will update the page as we receive news from the field.
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Welcome from your Global Works Leaders:
Hello! Our four – week travel adventure in Spain is coming around quickly.  Two of your leaders (Jake and Monica) are already packing their bags as they prepare to head over ahead of the group.  Jake will meet you in Madrid and Monica will join you a few days after arrival.  Your other two leaders, Marisa and Sarah will meet you on day 1 in the Newark airport!  We are all excited to meet you and enjoy this trip with you.

Each of us has a unique Spain experience and look forward to forming another one as a group.  Marisa and Sarah are excited to show you around Madrid – a city they know well and have come to love for its typical Spanish tapas and vibrant atmosphere.  Almayuelas with its close-knit community and long-table, dinners is Monica’s favorite stop along our travels.  Jake knows the history and stories behind Spain and the various places he has visited including Barcelona – our final destination.

As much as we look forward to sharing our experiences, we also are waiting to learn about you and from you.  Spain will be a wonderful time! Prep that Spanish – we are going to get confused, make some funny mistakes, and learn together!
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Update #1:
!Bienvenidos a España!
After a smooth 7 hour flight from Newark, our group arrived to Madrid ready to begin their journey through Spain.  We checked into our hostel which is right in the heart of Madrid, rested for bit and then walked to one of Spain’s most beautiful and famous parks, El Parque del Retiro.  There we played some games and got to know everyone in the group.  We ended the day visiting the world famous Prado museum and took a stroll through the lively Puerta del Sol .

Day two of the trip!
Today we had a full day visiting the best parts of the Madrid, beginning with a guided walking tour though some of the historic neighborhoods.  During the tour the kids learned about Spanish authors, artist, Spanish history and what is happening in present-day Spain. After a traditional Spanish lunch (three course meal), we walked through Sol and the Plaza Mayor where kids ate churros con chocolate,  watched street performers, bought postcards to send home, and did some souvenir shopping of their own.

We had a fantastic evening eating ice cream, rowing boats in the park, where many of the kids were able to practice their Spanish as they talked with some of the locals.
Dinner tonight according to all the kids was five stars!  We ate traditional Spanish food and shared our tapas family style…..which is the only way to eat! There were many full bellies and smiling kids this evening on our walk home.

It is lights out and on to Bernabeu, the soccer stadium for Real Madrid soccer team, tomorrow morning!

Olé Olé Olé!!
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Photos!

 

Update #2: July 11th, 2011
It’s been a while but with good reason. Although now in Arenas de San Pedro, we spent the last week in Amayuelas. With a burgeoning population of 20 year long residents, Amayuelas is a sustainable community located due north of Madrid. Unique in its lifestyle, Amayuelas was a fascinating initiation to community service and life. Hopefully, the few moments you spend in reading this update will intrigue you as we have been intrigued throughout the previous week.

AMAYUELAS: Amayuelas is small and surrounded by fields and tiny, Spanish towns. City sounds are replaced by bird song and the absence of city lights makes for brilliant night skies. Meliton, Guillermo, and Violetta guided us through our outdoor service projects from 9:30 – 1:30 everyday. These included the following activities: fixing the exterior wall of a hen house (gallinero), helping in the restoration of an old palomar (bird house), and doing various garden and household duties. We divided into three groups at the beginning of the week and rotated through these activities. Meliton and Guillermo were both quite impressed with the diligent work of our group! During the afternoon, we all learned to take a typical Spanish siesta and then proceeded to cultural activities. MariaJo the baker at Amayuelas gave us a baking lesson. The bread we made was used to create pizzas for dinner that night. The remaining dough was made into loaves and admired the following day at breakfast. Guillermo also showed us how to make soap using olive oil and Meliton showed off his mad skills at traditional Spanish games! A highlight of this week was the soccer game in the neighboring town of San Cebrian. Both teams played very well during this amicable match. All meals at Amayuelas were eaten together in a large dining hall and community was consistently enforced. Ready in some ways to rejoin a more ‘modern’ community and having learned from the conscientious choice of living simplistically, we left Amayuelas on Friday.

ARENAS DE SAN PEDRO: We are now in Arenas de San Pedro. Today, Monday, was our first day of community service. Although we arrived on Saturday, we are only beginning to familiarize ourselves with our homestay families and the town! So far so good! More updates later this week…

SPAIN 4 WEEK WILL BE IN TOUCH SOON WITH ANOTHER UPDATE!

Update #3:
July 9 – July 15: Entering “Stage Four”

The group entered the next stage of our Spanish journey with lunch in Avila, a city completely walled in by an 11th Century Wall, with 88 towers and 9 gates, and a stroll down an even older Roman road.  In addition to being awed by the age of the road and the fact that horses make their way up and down the steep, cobblestone path (as evidenced by the “piles” left behind that we tried to avoid as we found our footing along the way), we were amazed by the beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.  At the bottom of the path we reunited with Pedro our reliable bus driver and guide through the Spanish countryside and headed on to Arenas to meet our host families.

Cultural and Language Exchange:
As the group has faced nervousness over meeting their families and the occasional awkward  silence over the dinner table, everyone has really stepped up to the challenge of connecting with people from a different culture and language.  Whether it be bonding over learning to cook Spanish Tortilla, playing a game of UNO, discussing the differences between Spanish and American culture, or kicking around a soccer ball, everyone has had their own unique and meaningful experience connecting with their host families.  When presented with the challenge of using the Spanish that they know, everyone has found ways to communicate and formed relationships that they will likely never forget.   Some recurring observations and sentiments regarding the homestays have included:

“They won’t stop feeding me!”

“The kids are so cute!”

“The paella was so delicious!”

“They speak so fast!”

“They’re so nice!”

Work Hard and Play Hard:
Our work in Arenas has differed greatly from Amayuelas, prompting us to reflect on the purpose and value of different types of service.  While in Amayuelas we worked alongside the members of a very small community and learned about a very unique lifestyle, in Arenas we have participated in community service that is more like service that we might find back in our home communities.  Well, similar to service work back home if you don’t consider that one of our big projects has involved cleaning a palace built in the late 1700′s.  Every day has brought something new as we have moved from one project to the next, working wherever there is work to be done in the town.  Projects began with varnishing a wooden fence that runs alongside the river, past several impressive stone bridges and up to the large “pantano” or damn.  Our friends in the local government then sent us on to clean the massive staircases and numerous rooms of the palace.  The high up location of the palace provided us with many impressive views over the city on our breaks and its endless rooms full of unique (and sometimes slightly creepy) surprises provided us opportunities to explore and let our imaginations run wild.  Finally, we have collaborated with a local elementary school to brighten up their classrooms with a touch of nearly neon green.  As much paint has made it onto our clothes and limbs as onto the walls and the vibrant color has brightened our spirits as well.

In the afternoon after a full morning of work, a large Spanish lunch with our host families and a relaxing siesta, we have taken advantage of the natural beauty of this area.  Afternoon activities have included swimming in the natural pools, hiking to a nearby river and swimming hole and hiking up a wooded path to a beautiful monastery.  In the evening the group has discovered several favorite spots for ice cream, hanging out and people watching.  We have marveled at the level of activity that continues in the city clear past what we might consider a normal bedtime!  People of all ages stroll through the center of town, enjoy a late dinner, sit and chat on benches and enjoy the cool temperature after the sun goes down.

We are finding our grove here and the time is flying by!  Tonight we’ll have a Global Works Fiesta in the Palacio that we have worked so hard to clean up and tomorrow it’s off to Toledo for the day.  Then one more day of service on Monday and it’s off to Stage Five of the trip in Barcelona!

Update #4: July 19^th
This morning we said goodbye to our host families in Arenas and boarded the bus once more.  We were all sad to say goodbye, but thankful for the experiences we had and the connections we made.  Here are some reflections from the group on our experiences living with families in Arenas and serving the community!

The trip to Arenas gave me the chance to have the little sister I’ve always wanted.  While developing deeper connections with my friends and family there, I also improved my Spanish overall.  Areans was the most beautiful and memorable part of this trip so far.  -Jackie Stoneburner

Arenas was a great way to combine cultures and experience something totally different.  Connections were definitely made and I’m so grateful for that.  Super tranquilo.  -Lindsey Hanau

Words can’t describe how I feel about my experience in Arenas.  It was definitely the most different living situation I have ever been in.  Saying goodbye was awfully sad, but I know we are both leaving with new memories and an amazing experience.  – Sonya Raab

The homestay was a fantastic experience.  I improved my Spanish and learned about a new lifestyle.  I t was awesome.  – Peter Sarnoff

I was so happy with my homestay family, one of my mom’s friends even said I looked like her daughter.  It was an incredible experience.  -Oona Wallace

We all had an amazing time with our families.  All the anticipation and nervousness quickly faded once we saw the families.  They were all so excited to see us!  =)  I am so happy that I was able to have this fantastic experience with everyone.  – Annie Abram

Among the winding streets, pristine natural pools and wealth of fun spots and delicious restaurants, my host family stood out as the best part of Arenas.  Jamming on the guitar with my Spanish brother Alberto was equaled by melon cutting lesson from my nueva madre.  All in all, Arenas was an amazing place.  -Zach Cartun

Though I was originally nervous for the homestay section of the trip, I soon realized they were a funny and kind family shortly after meeting them.  As they would do anything to take care of and protect me, I became very comfortable in their house.  I will miss them very much, but am excited for Barcelona!  -Scott Graf

Hola padres.  ¿Cómo están?  Arenas era muy divertido y bonita.  Me gustaba mi familia, especialmente la comida casera.  Echaré de menos todas las personas en mi familia.  Estoy muy bien.  Adios.  -Ethan Gibbs

Areans was a wonderful city filled with culture.  My favorite part would most likely be doing work in the lovely palacio.  Arenas de San Pedro will be missed.  -Stephanie Bleiwise

When we arrived in Arenas de San Pedro I can say I was less than excited, but slowly fell in love with the people and the quaint town.  My Spanish started to improve and my maturity did as well.  We all had fun improving the community while we were thanked along the way for our selfless work.  -Linsey Blanchette

Arenas was a lot of fun.  My homestay familiy was very welcoming.  – Kaitlyn Fisher

The homestay family’s cooking was amazing.  I’m happy they showed me how to cook their dishes.  -Matt Goldberg

The homestay in Arenas was an amazing experience that I will never forget.  I got to live with a Spanish family, improve my Spanish and learn about culture.  I’m so grateful for the experience.  -Hannah Weinstein

Arenas de San Pedro was a time of meeting new people and truly being immersed into Spanish culture.  Living lad vida de España will always keep me returning to my second homeland!  -Jenna Hennessey

Arenas de San Pedro is a beautiful city!  I love all of the mountains that surround it.  Also, my family was great.  They were all so nice and all the Spanish food was amazing.  Also, I loved all of the Spanish culture immersion.  Overall it was a unique and amazing experience.  -Amanda Derdiger

Being in Arenas really opened my eyes to the amazing aspects of Spanish culture I was able to fully be immersed in Spanish traditions.  Thanks to my beyond amazing family.  I felt so comfortable immediately because they instantly welcomed me in their family.  I know I will cherish memories forever.  -Lizzie Grant

Arenas was so much fun.  Everyone made my time really grand.  -Evan Tomchin

Arenas was probably one of the best experiences of my life.  My family became so important to me and a home away from home.  This will be by far the most memorable part of our entire trip.  -Sonya Chistov

What I enjoyed the most about Arenas was the homestay.  I became so close with my family and they inspired me to continue with my Spanish.  I hope to come back and visit them because they gave me a different perspective on the Spanish life.  I’ll never forget Manuel, Jessica, Nayhara, Silvia and Alba.  They are my second family and I love them.  -Charley Paston

Arenas is a beautiful and very welcoming place.  I loved my family and the community service projects may have been small, but people seemed to be very grateful for what we were doing.  Although I have been under the weather everyone has been very understanding.  Cannot wait for Barcelona!  -Jenna Rosenbloom

Arenas was mucho tranquilo.  I loved my family.  They helped me improve my Spanish and cooking.  I hope to return on day.  -Emma Conlon

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Final Update from Spain!
All our bags are packed and we are heading to the airport in just a matter of hours. We have spent the past the few days enjoying spectacular Barcelona. Our lodging here is at an amazing hostel just outside the city appropriately called, “No Worries.” We have a beautiful view of the town below, a pool, volleyball and ping pong. Just what we needed to relax from all of the service work from Arenas. We began on Wednesday with a bike tour of the city and a walk down the always interesting Las Ramblas. The Catalan language is quite different to the Spanish we have been hearing throughout Spain, but the food here is just as good! On Thursday we hiked up to a spectacular lookout and then spent the afternoon on the beach, the weather couldn’t have been better. We were all exhausted that evening, but we were back at again on Friday to pack in our last day in the city. We toured the awe-inspiring Sagrada Familia and then took in another of Gaudi’s masterpieces, Parc Guell. With that, we said good-bye to the city. Today we challenged ourselves on a high ropes course and just enjoyed our last full day as a group. There are too many memories to put down on one page, but we’re ending on a happy note with many smiles, improved language skills and great friends. See you all soon!!!

Cheers,
JSG and Crew