iGracias y Adiós!

At our farewell dinner the other night, one of the teachers at Pare Manyanet said to me: These exchanges are not only important in terms of language--after all, you can learn a language wherever. Rather, the significance of them lies in the cultural understanding, the joy of getting to know others, and the friendships that in many cases will last a lifetime.

Many thanks to all the teachers and administration at Pare Manyanet who have made all these special moments possible this past week, especially P. Josep Ma Taulats and of course Anna Buñuel who with her tireless planning and thoughtfulness, makes it all happen.

Port Aventura

Our last day before the weekend will be spent with the school at Port Aventura, a very large amusement park outside Tarragona, a city near Barcelona. This annual trip marks the end of the school year at Pare Manyanet and will provide a happy ending for all of us who have had a great week with our new friends here in Barcelona.

Barça and Pueblo Español

Sports mania is not foreign to us in the United States, but the obsession with European football--or soccer, as it is known to us--is one that exceeds even the most rabid of Red Sox fandom. Last night's match for the European championship between Football Club Barcelona and Manchester United was, according to my host, "el espectáculo más grande del mundo." That comment seemed an exaggeration to me, but to many Europeans and certainly almost all Catalans, it was indeed the most important event happening in the world this week. At any rate, Barça prevailed, much to the delight of the locals, and their victory provided not only one more example of the recent dominance of Spanish sport in Europe, but also, and more importantly in this city, proof of the superiority of the Catalan team (and hence of Cataluña itself) over its arch-enemy, Real Madrid. In all of Europe, soccer is not just a sport, but also a political game, and Pingree students have had the rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of this cultural phenomenon during an important week.

On a less political and philosophical level, after morning classes today, we will go to Pueblo Español, an outdoor museum that provides a taste of village life of all the provinces of Spain--a cultural experience of a different kind.

Tonight, the school and families will host us at a dinner to mark the end of our experience here.
The week has provided all of us with an overview of Spanish and Catalan culture, language, family life--and especially its hospitality--which we will carry back home and hope to revisit soon.

Parc Güell

Today´s classes featured conversations in "primaria" with the school´s little kids all of whom had prepared questions to ask in English. Learning English has become of paramount importance here, as in the rest of Europe, and even young adolescents are tri-lingual, speaking Spanish and Catalan as their native languages, and taking on English and often German as a 4th. It is a good reminder to us Americans to get going and work on our Spanish at the very least.

Today´s excursion is to Parc Güell, the utopian vision of Antoni Gaudí, father of the movement known as Modernism and architect of Sagrada Familia, one of Europe´s great cathedrals.

We continue to enjoy wonderful hospitality from the administration and teachers of Pare Manyanet and especially from host students and their families.

Força Barça!!

Classes and Sitges

After classes this morning, we were taken to Sitges, a really beautiful seaside town about 1/2 hour outside Barcelona. The Mediterranean sun is hot for this time of year, so time on the beach was limited, and there was plenty of time for lunch before coming back by train to arrive in town by 4:30. Train was slow, but everyone was entertained by the impromptu dancing of Pingree guests in the aisles, accompanied by buskers who were surprised at the attention.

Big news for tomorrow will be the GAME for the European Championship of soccer between Barça and Manchester United. There are Barça banners hanging from windows around the city, and one can feel all the excitement of a Red Sox/Yankee playoff. It will be a sad night here if ManU prevails.

First day in school

After the rest of our group arrived yesterday afternoon--in a more timely and less adventurous fashion than those who came on Friday--today´s schedule includes a welcome breakfast with Pare Manyanet administration and host students, as well as a lecture on the architecture of the Barrio Gótico and the Boquería Market both of which are on this afternoon´s schedule of visits. Tomorrow will feature two classes and an excursion to Sitges, a seaside resort town outside Barcelona. Lectures and tours are in Spanish, so the language has come alive for all of us.

This photo features the group outside Sta. Maria del Mar, Barcelona´s oldest cathdral and the subject of last year´s best seller, La Catedral del Mar.

Landed a little late, but with bags

Pingree seniors Katie King, Zani Manginis, Emily Melden, and Audrey Wilson arrived in Barcelona early this afternoon, tired but happy to be here after two long flights and a delay in Rome. Girls are with their families now and will spend the weekend seeing sights. Two photos attached--one in Boston thanks to Kurt Melden, and the other on arrival in the baggage area at El Prat, Barcelona´s airport.

More exciting news on Monday after the arrival of our second group.