My adventure began in Madrid with 3 days of packed hazing. We had places to see and activities to do at all times. In Madrid, the city wakes upat 9 or 10 am and goes to bed at 1 or 2 pm. To fully experience the culture, my group was put on the same schedule the Spaniards were on despitethe jetlag and the exhaustion we were all already feeling from multiple hours of flying. Following Madrid, we spent 3 days in Toledo, one of the oldest cities in all of Spain. Toledo had much tourism, but we spent time with some local Moroccans who had been living in Spain anywhere from 1 to 6 years. In Toledo, we began to get a feel for the three cultures, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, that had dominated Spain. After Toledo my group went to Arcos de la Frontera, a small city in Andalucía, the south of Spain, for a fun-filled home-stay. Spain won the World Cup during this time, giving my group and me a taste of the passion that Spaniards have for soccer. Following two day-trips to Jerez and Cadiz and a bittersweet departure from my host family, Iprepared for a week of community service in Zaragoza, a city in the northeastof Spain. I worked with a Red-Cross camp where I was helped the leaders as a camp counselor helping kids with their homework, playing games, watching movies,etc. This camp was full of Spanish kids as well as foreign children, exposingme to new even more cultures. The final portion of the trip was in Barcelona,where we saw La Sagrada Familia and other Gaudi buildings from the outside. The trip overall was an amazing excursion that taught me a lot about Spanish culture and the Spanish language. I would like to thank the Wilson Family, Mr.Gaither, Dr. Gaffney, and everyone who was involved in making this trip possible.
Toledo from a distance
The Cathedral in Toledo
A park in Zaragoza
La Sagrada Familia, a church designed by Gaudi
My group with the children of the Red Cross camp in Zaragoza
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