Last Day

Today was not only my last day but also the last day for speaking exams. I have been working with groups of students on their speaking parts since the day I began. Therefore, today was a great celebration. They were singing songs, dancing, and eating snacks and candy. It was a fun day. I'm excited that many students came close to almost perfect marks. All students tried their best and that's all I can ask for. 

Today I received cards, a poster, food, and a tshirt. The staff and students at the school are all very sweet. Tonight I will spend my last night with my family. It doesn't seem real that tomorrow I will be leaving. I plan to stay in touch with my teacher and with my family. My family discussed me staying longer if it was not for graduation. Mark (host brother) said that I can do that over Skype. We have already discussed them coming to visit me in the states. 

I am very thankful to have been given this opportunity. I met some wonderful teachers, worked with some great students, and had an amazing host family. I will encourage others to take on the same adventure. Not only do you learn about other cultures but you also discover things about yourself. 

The beginning of the end

Today is my last Monday teaching here. It is bittersweet. Although I miss my family and my American things, I will also miss my family, my teacher, and the students here in Barcelona. I am looking forward to finishing the English speaking test this week with the students. I look forward to seeing the progress that they have made since I first began. 

Unexpected Adventure

This weekend the SPED girls took a trip to Italy. First we started in Rome. There we visited the Vatican, the Colleseum, and the Trevi Fountain. It is a beautiful place filled with history. We took a bus tour around the city which was nice. 

The next city that we visited was Florence. The city looks older and is filled with art museums. We took a bus tour on this day also. It rained on this day which made it kind of lousy. We did visit a museum which housed Michelangelo's statue of David. They would not let us take any pictures unfortunately. 

The final two days were spent in Venice. The town is gorgeous. It looks like something out of a movie. Here we took a water taxi through the city on the first day to visit the Palace. On the last day we took a gondala ride through the city. It was a gorgeous day. 

While loading the airport shuttle I noticed that my purse was unzipped which I found weird. I looked and my second purse inside it was also unzipped and opened. Somehow in the mess of people pushing and shoving to get on the bus someone managed to get through three zippers to steal my wallet. Because we were about to load the plane I had all my things ready for airport security. This included my passport, ID, and credit card. All of it was taken. There I was with no money or identification. I reported it stolen and then Annie and I began the adventure back to Florence to the US Consulate. We were unable to get a flight out of Florence, therefore we took another train back to Venice to catch the next flight out to Barcelona. We are currently awaiting our plane in the airport. I can not wait to get back to my family in Barcelona and back to a normal day at school. I miss my students! 

Friday

Everyday at school I work with students to prepare them for their English speaking test. First we did a practice with each group then began the actual test for their school mark on Thursday. I was very impressed with the amount of practice and effort that the students had put into their parts. I had one group to even pretend to be in an aquarium. They pointed to the wall and began discussing various fish. I have learned so much about my students through this assignment. I know about their families, their hobbies, and their career plans. They tell me where to eat, what I should visit, and where to shop. 

On Friday when I left school I had multiple students to stop me in the hallway and tell me to have a good weekend. It is crazy how attached I have become to these students in such a short time. I wish that I could stay longer to hear how they do on their actual tests. I know that most of them will do very well. I can't believe that we only have 3 days left next week.