The beautiful view outside the caves
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Photo 5- Barry Goldsmith
My host brother, Niemah, and her host sister Angela, and me in a small pueblo right outside the caves
Spain- Barry Goldsmith
Wednesday June 29th
Today was the first day in Spain and everybody in the group was exhausted because we took a direct flight from JFK to Madrid instead of changing planes in Paris, so none of us slept on the flight. Today we just took a quick walk through the city and we saw La Puerta del Sol and La Plaza Mayor. We ate dinner in a restaurant right next to the hotel called the café Lupulo. The food was really good and I had my first taste of Spanish food with a dish called patatas bravas.
Thursday June 30th
My roommate and I Diego woke up at 8:00 in the morning to shower, it was way too early. At 10:00 we started walking through the city again, but this time with a guide. We walked through several other major plazas and saw some huge palaces. We ate lunch in a really good restaurant; I had steak for the main course and an appetizer that they called ensaladillo de rusa. I also enjoyed the desert which was a type of cake. We walked so much today, my feet were sore when we got back to the hotel. I like my roommate Diego. Tonight we might go to a Gay Pride festival, but it’s also possible that we might go try to see a movie.
Friday July 1st
Today we visited 2 art museums: the art museum of Queen Sofia and the Prado. I didn’t like the first museum very much because the people who worked there were not nice at all to us, but I did have the opportunity see a lot of Pablo Picasso’s artwork. At the second museum we saw a lot of famous paintings, such as Las Meninas. I liked that museum but we had a crazy tour guide who annoyed me. After the first museum, we went to the park to have a picnic. We played some games like Big Booty and duck-duck-goose. At night we went to the theatre to see the Flamenca. After the theatre, we went to a Spanish version of an American restaurant. The restaurant played pretty stereotypical American music and served typical bar-food.
Saturday July 2nd
We went to a small medieval city about an hour outside of Madrid called Toledo for a day-trip. It had some very old churches and it even had a castle. I loved Toledo and I bought a gift for my grandparents; it was an orange, mosaic bull. I also bought a leather bracelet for myself. It was a really fun day and at night we went to see a concert in a little plaza called Callao.
Sunday July 3rd
We had to wake up really early today to go to the bus station. It was a 4 hour trip to Logrono where I finally got to meet my host brother and my host parents. My host brother’s name is Daniel and he is 16 years old. Logrono is a really small city but it has some beautiful horticulture and a great view of the mountains. At night I went to a restaurant with Dani where we met up with some of his friends (Angela, Peter, Axel, and Carlos). We played some card games and had a good time.
Monday July 4th
I slept like a baby all night, but I still had to wake up at 9:00. For breakfast I ate toast with the best olive oil I have ever had in my life. The bread in Spain is indescribably delicious and is much better than any bread I have ever eaten in the US. At 10:00 Dani and I went to the park to play sports with Niemah, her host sister Angela, and Axel. We played basketball and tennis. For lunch I ate vegetable soup, and when mixed with fresh cheese and the perfect bread it’s actually delicious. I absolutely love the food in Spain, and I plan on gaining some weight. In the afternoon Dani and I laid outside on the lawn and just talked with Angela, Niemah, Swarna, Peter, Axel, and Carlos. I also met his neighbor Laura. I love my host family and the house is perfect.
Tuesday July 5th
Today Dani and I went with the whole group to see two of the oldest monasteries in Spain, named Yuso and Suso. Suso is the older of the two and is actually carved into the side of a mountain and it happens to be the birthplace of the Spanish language. Yuso had some fantastic architecture, with some beautiful statues and very ornate stonework. The paintings and morals covering the walls and ceilings were beautiful, but the tour guide was not very nice and would not even let us sit on the benches to rest. Afterwards the whole group went to a pool where we spent the remainder of the afternoon, and at night Dani and I went to Angela’s house.
Wednesday July 6th
Today we went to a park with the whole group, minus Carly and her host brother and also minus Deidra and her host sister. The park was right next to a lake and offered a pristine view. Peter, Carlos, and Swarna also came with us. The park was called La Grajera and was only a few miles outside the town, so of course we walked there and back. Right before we all left we had a water war and my brother got soaked. Afterwards the whole family went to the supermarket to pick out food for the next week.
Thursday July 7th
Today we went to a water park with the whole group called Las Norias. There were pools, fields to play sports on, and a few slides. The host sister of my friend Chelsea is very pretty and we talked under the trees while lying on our towels for a lot of the afternoon. We went to Burger King to eat dinner; I thought I had escaped fast food when I left the US but I guess not.
Friday July 8th
During the morning I went with the whole family and also with the Angela’s family to see some of the oldest vineyards in La Rioja. The first vineyard was the third oldest vineyard in La Rioja and they still did all the work by hand. I also got to taste some wine, just a sip of course, and then I bought a bottle to take back to Nashville as a present for my mom. After visiting the vineyards we went to this wonderful Spanish restaurant where Rosa (my group leader) and I quite literally sampled every dish of food brought to the table. Then we went to a museum that explained the history and process of wine-making. At night Dani and I met with the whole group at a restaurant called Krunch to eat dinner and then we spent the rest of the night with everybody.
Saturday July 9th
During the morning we went up into the mountains to see the caves. They were magnificent, filled with stalactites and stalagmites. The colors were also very vivid in the caves. We also visited a little town called Torrecilla. We ate lunch picnic style right next to a lake. When we got home I took a quick 20 minute nap and then we had a group activity. The group activity turned out to be a guided tour through Logrono so that we could learn about the history of the city, but a group of actors acted everything out. Once again we ate dinner at Burger King and then we spent the whole night out with the group. We were going to go to a town party, but we decided not to because the town was too small.
Sunday July 10th
Today I woke up at 11:00, it was great to sleep in. We didn’t do much today which was nice because I was very tired. But we did go to a town named La Guardia. I loved the architecture of this medieval town. Then we all went back home to eat lunch with Niemah and Angela’s family.
Monday July 11th
In the morning we went shopping with Niemah, Angela, and Dani’s friends. I didn’t buy anything this time. Then we went to Carlos’ house to play videogames and just sit and talk. We also listened to some really good music and I learned that Carlos like me was a fan of Eminem. He also showed me some really good Spanish rap. Then we watched a movie called Insidious, it was supposed to be scary but I didn’t really think it was. Then we went home to eat dinner with Dani’s cousins.
Tuesday July 12th
We went with the whole group to see another vineyard but this one didn’t particularly impress me because everything was so clean and modern as compared to the other one that I had visited. Then we went home to eat lunch and to rest. At 5:00 we took the bus to the mall to go shopping with the whole group. I bought a t-shirt from one of my favorite snowboarding companies: Volcom. It was raining when we left the mall, the first time I had seen rain since I got to Spain. We went to the house of my friend Nina and her host sister Aida to see the movie Saw VI. It was entirely in Spanish but I still understood most of it.
Wednesday July 13th
During the morning Dani and I walked through Logrono, visiting some schools and seeing the whole town. We didn’t do much but I liked that because it was relaxing. We went back home and I ate some fantastic meatballs. Afterwards I took a siesta and watched some TV with the family. At 5:45 the whole group went to a modern art museum called the Wurth. It was very boring and the tour guide spoke way too much. We went back to Logrono to eat dinner and we got some delicious kebabs from a little restaurant right next to Aida’s house. We then went back to her house to see another scary movie, but I didn’t really think it was all that scary.
Thursday July 14th
In the morning I went with Dani and his mom to the mall to go shopping again for an outfit to wear to the discoteca. I bought a nice polo from a store called Jack Jones. We went back home to eat lunch and to take a siesta. That night we went to the bar owned by the dad of Carly and her new host sister Candela (or, as I called her, Macarena) to make a toast and to celebrate our time in Logrono. Then we all went to Aida’s house to hang out until the time when we would go to the discoteca. At 1:00 we went to Concept, the best discoteca in all of Logrono. We all danced with Rosa and Anparo and some of the parents who were there. There was nobody in Concept because we were so early, but it was still really fun.
Friday July 15th
It was my last day in Logrono, so we didn’t do much. I slept in until 1:00 in the afternoon and for the rest of the day we didn’t really do anything. During the night we went to Aida’s house and then my host parents took me down one of the most famous streets in Spain, la Calle Laurel, to eat tapas and drink mosto. I really didn’t want to leave.
Saturday July 16th
I had to wake up very early in the morning to take a shower and finish packing my bag. It was very difficult leaving my host family and I almost cried. I slept through most of the train ride to Barcelona. When we got to Barcelona we immediately went to the apartments where we would be staying and then we started walking through the city. We went to a very famous bar called Les Fades Café that was fairytale themed. We saw a very famous market called La Boqueria. We ate some incredible gelato. Surprisingly, the primary language of Barcelona is not Spanish. It is, in fact, a mixture of Spanish and French called Catalan. Barcelona is smaller than Madrid but I already like it more. There are a lot of tourists in Barcelona.
Sunday July 17th
The whole group was tired in the morning. At 11:00 we walked to the beach, which turned out to be a horrible idea because it was about an hour and a half walk there. I got to swim in the ocean, but the water was very cold. Afterwards we went back to the apartments to change and then we went to La Plaza Real to eat lunch. We then visited a very famous church that has been in construction since 1886 called La Sagrada Familia. The church is very odd looking and I don’t really like the architectural style.
Monday July 18th
During the morning we went and toured an apartment complex that was designed by the famous architect Gaudi. Then we had lunch and went to a park that was also designed by Gaudi. The park was magnificent and offered a fantastic view of all of Barcelona. We saw a cowboy singing and playing the guitar and he was really funny. Then we went to La Sagrada Familia to see the inside of the church.
Tuesday July 19th
In the morning Diego and I went on an adventure through downtown Barcelona. Nina was asleep in her room and didn’t hear the other girls in her room knocking, so Diego and I took a taxi to get an extra room key. Afterwards we all took taxis to the bus station to take the bus back to Madrid from Barcelona. The trip was a very long 7 hours. After arriving back in Madrid, we went to a restaurant close to el Palacio Real to eat dinner. It was a steakhouse and the food was pretty good. It was my last night in Spain, and I was sad to be leaving the next morning.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thanks! by William Reames
I cannot thank the Wilson family enough for such an incredible trip. While in Italy, I not only had the opportunity to dig deeper into the Latin language and culture but also to experience modern day Italian culture. From sight reading in the forum, to eating the wonderful Italian food I had a great and meaningful experience.
One of the most beautiful places to translate
Sunday, August 14, 2011
BIG THANKS- John Mark Bellet
This trip was truly eye opening and so fun! Every second of each day held a new challenge or unfamiliar situation. A HUGE thank you to the Wilson family for your incredible generosity. Your donations go farther than plane tickets. I will certainly never forget this incredible experience with which you provided me. I hope to use the things I learned on my trip to improve the Chinese program at MBA and to discern some of my interests as I finish my MBA career and head off to college. Once again thank you so much, I will never forget this experience!
Shanghai- John Mark Bellet
Our final stop was Shanghai! The incredible size and scale of the city was incredible. Shanghai was very expensive though. We got to use the subway system to get around and I was able to
practice lots of Chinese!
Yangshuo- John Mark Bellet
We traveled to Yangshuo next. Yangshuo is a backpackers town full of beautiful scenery and shopping everywhere. I got to bike ride to a cave and swim in a mud pit and then bathe in a hot water spring one morning. I bargained and argued with street vendors and had a great time in Yangshuo. One day we went on a boat ride in bamboo rafts on the river (above) and the scenery was incredible. The crowded streets of the city at night were also really fun.
Guilin Departure and Rice Terraces- John Mark Bellet
After taking final pictures with Qingshuan and leaving Guilin we visited another minority where the women never cut their hair (above) and I got to go through the marriage ceremonies with one of the girls there. It was very bizarre and part of the ceremony involved the family members circling around you and pinching your butt? Then we visited what some people consider to be the most beautiful place in China. The rice terraces pictured above stretched out all over the horizon in front of you. On the way up and down the mountain a full sized bus sped at high speeds on tiny roads up the mountain and seemed like it would flip at any moment! And on top of that since many buses were going up and down they had no way of seeing each other around tiny 180 degree turns on the mountain side and only honked the horn when coming to the bend to warn other traffic!
Das Alles Ist Braunschweig- Week 3 (6/30/11-7/6/11): Chris Habermann
My third and final week in Germany was also great. On Thursday, I did not do very much; I went to school and then watched TV and played video games with Fabian. On Friday, we went into the Harz Mountains. First we explored a Gold- and Silver-mine there. It was very dark, damp, and small (see the picture on the left). I am glad that they gave us hardhats, because I hit my head multiple times. Down there, we heard many stories of the hardships of mining in the Middle Ages before the use of machinery. I tried using a hammer and chisel, but I couldn't get any work done. On the way out, however, I was given a chunk of silver ore. Then we took a lift to the top of the tallest mountain there. The view was amazing! Then we went to the town of Gossler, known for its witches.
On Saturday, I went with Fabian to the airport to wish him well on his trip to England and say goodbye. Then I said goodbye to my host family, who was going on vacation to France, and moved in with a new host family, Familie Struss, who
was already hosting another American. On Sunday, I went with them to the Phaeno, a very hands on science museum in Wolfsburg. I had a lot of fun there, especially in the tilted (see picture on the right) and rotating houses. On Monday, we started school off normally, but that night we had our Goodbye Party. We brought American food and decorations (I brought American flags, a Tennessee flag, an American map, a Tennessee map, and a Nashville map) and provided the entertainment. Along with many thank you speeches, we performed a skit based on our difficult first day of traveling, we sang "Das Alles Ist Braunschweig" (a song we made up with similar lyrics and melody to "Das Alles Ist
Deutschland"), sang the "Star Spangled Banner," gave flowers to our host families, and lit sparklers because it was the Fourth of July. On Tuesday, instead of school we went into the city and did some last minute souvenir shopping. Then we went bowling (see picture on the left). I had a lot of fun! On Wednesday, after several sad goodbyes, we got onto our bus and went to the airport. Thankfully the trip back went much more smoothly than the trip there. Though I am sad that I had to leave. The trip was amazing and easily the best part of my summer. I would like to thank the Wilson family for the opportunity which they gave me! I had a blast, learned a lot, and met some really great people with whom I became great friends. Even though I am sad that the trip had to end, I am so happy that I was able to go on the trip in the first place. And for that I would like to say "Vielen Dank," which means many thanks in German.
Rural Homestay Guilin: John Mark Bellet
The rural home-stay in Guilin was my favorite part of the trip. Upon arriving at the village we were greeted with the constant crack of firecrackers strands that could go off for over an hour! I don't think I've ever met people that were more inviting and generous than the people of our village. I was especially lucky to be put with a family with two brothers near my age and two cousins that always hung around the house that were around my age as well. My closest brother who was officially assigned as my home-stay brother, Qingshuan (the tall one in the pink), showed me around the village the first day while my little sister followed us around keeping a cautious distance from my brother and me. The first night they served me snails and pickled chicken feet (possibly the grossest thing I have ever tasted) since I was the guest of honor. Even though the food was sometimes far from appealing I never turned down anything they gave me because they always gave with enormous generosity from what they had.
Thanks!: McLean Hudson
I had an absolutely amazing time on this trip, and I will never forget my experiences in Spain. A special thanks goes out to the Wilson family for making all this possible. I am extremely grateful for everything you've done for all of us grant winners. I hope you enjoyed my posts!
Roll Red
Adventures Abroad: McLean in Spain 2011: McLean Hudson
9: 55 PM, July 26, I landed back in Nashville after what seemed like a year in Spain. Halfway to baggage claim, I sat down at an abandoned gait, my legs heavy with the realization that my incredible trip was finally coming to an end.
Spain lived up to every expectation I had, and continued to surprise and delight me each day. Of course it did not hurt that the members of the EIL group I traveled with grew to be some of my best friends in only a week. The fourteen of us quickly adjusted to Spanish food and culture and shared our difficulties with the Spanish language. The friends I made on this trip made an already unforgettable experience the trip of a lifetime. For all this, I must once again thank the Wilson Family for sponsoring this trip, which has greatly enhanced my appreciation for Spanish culture and the Spanish language.
Spain lived up to every expectation I had, and continued to surprise and delight me each day. Of course it did not hurt that the members of the EIL group I traveled with grew to be some of my best friends in only a week. The fourteen of us quickly adjusted to Spanish food and culture and shared our difficulties with the Spanish language. The friends I made on this trip made an already unforgettable experience the trip of a lifetime. For all this, I must once again thank the Wilson Family for sponsoring this trip, which has greatly enhanced my appreciation for Spanish culture and the Spanish language.
Photos of the Home Stay: McLean Hudson
above: my family and I shortly before my departure from Cabra 
above: the sun sets on our beloved Zuhero as we march on... 
above: the castle-ish structure next to the fountain in Zuhero 
above: the base of the castle is just barely visible to the right of the fountain; also visible is the railing above the drop off to the valley below 
Above: halfway to the peak on the first day Below: a cross near the peak 
The photo below is our first view of Zuhero. 
below: The goat path we descended into Zuhero from the mountain pass
The Alhambra
above: a view of part of the walls of the Alhambra from a garden below: my favorite garden we visited
below: a serene courtyard
below: an example of the incredible detail work in an archway
below: another beautiful building in the Alhambra
For some annoying reason, the videos refuse to upload so I will post this and then hopefully make a second post with the three videos that were supposed to be on this page.
For some annoying reason, the videos refuse to upload so I will post this and then hopefully make a second post with the three videos that were supposed to be on this page.
July 8 - Chengde Day 6: Rett Hooper
Today we hiked up to a really famous rock formation outside of Chengde. The hike took a while and was topped off with a climb up to the base of the rock. Two friends and I licked the rock. The rock and the views were awesome, but the bathrooms there were horrible.
French Alpine Adventure: Henry Richardson
7/4 - Today is our second day in the little city of Annecy, a small mountain town by one of the most beautiful lakes that I have ever seen. We just got back from a hike to the top of Mt. Saint-German, about 10 miles down the lake from the town. While hiking, our guide, whose name I seemed to have already forgotten, showed us the interesting native plants of the region. Among them were fatally poisonous berries, seeds that had so much nutrition they rivaled a multivitamin, and even some apparently edible larva. Today was my first glimpse of the beautiful French mountainsides that I hope to see everyday on the five day mountain trek trough the Alps that we go on on the end on the trip. Unfortunately, I only got one good pick of the hike today, but I would say that its hands down the best so far. After our hike, Andrew let us walk around the city all afternoon, giving us our first real free time of the trip. After wandering around the old city for a couple hours, swimming in the lake, and talking to a few natives in the park, I decided that I officially liked Annecy more than Paris. The more laid-back nature of it feels a lot more welcoming than Paris, plus the people seem more eager to give directions. While it may be the forth of July back in the U.S., it seems that I have to wait another 10 days for fireworks here.
7/17 - Today I returned from a 4 day camping trip with my family and their friend family. My family has a 16 year old sister, a 14 year old brother, and a 9 year old brother. However, you could consider the dad, Francis, to be one of the kids. He is definitely one of my favorite member of the family. Even though he speaks the least amount of English in the family (arguably even less than the 9 year old), he seems to be the one that I can most converse with. He constantly made fun of me for being the "strong American," which would lead to us having wrestling matches in front of the whole family. While camping, he pegged me with with pine cones all day long. I saw my chance to get him back when we were kayaking one day and he was standing out in the middle of the river. I came up behind him, wrapped my arms around him, and threw him in the river. Following this act of bravery was a thundering applause from both his and his friend's family standing on the bank. They had been waiting for me to get him back for days. When we weren't joking around with each other, he talked about how I should ride his motorcycle with him. Knowing the mom wouldn't allow anything of the sort, I declined saying that I was afraid his ponytail would keep slapping me in the face.
7/25- Today was our last day hiking in the Alps. After saying goodbye to my host family, we took a short bus ride to the small town of Nevache. From there we packed a few key items in our backpacks, and set out on a five day hike into the Alps. Words can't describe how beautiful the scenery was. We spent our nights in "refuges", or small cabins lacking sheets, electricity, and free showers. Although the nights were pretty rough, seeing one of the most beautiful areas in the world all day made up for it. Can't wait to upload all of my pics onto my computer. Tonight I don't think I'll have any trouble getting asleep. Tomorrow we get to go back to Paris for one last night!
Thank you Wilson Family!!
Journey into Paradise: Jake Macey
The first group shot at Air France. These people were like my family for the next month in Spain. Each had there own opinions, lifestyles, interests- something that added variety to our Spanish "family."
My journey began at 4am rushing to make a flight in the early morning at the Nashville New York Paris Madrid
Capital Hall in Madrid. Just the tip of the iceberg of incredible architecture.
Spanish protesters in la Plaza del Sol. They were protesting for better rights and wages.
The very center of Madrid. Myself and four other group members were doing a scavenger hunt in the city when we found this landmark.
Futbol!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next, we journeyed to the ancient city of Toledo- Morocco in Toledo 
Waking early the next morning, we journeyed to Jerez de la Frontera via speed train. With the butterflies flying in all of our stomachs, we arrived to see a huge crowd of families waiting for our arrival. As I got off the train my host mom yelled YAKE (they did not pronounce the J, ever) and my family came to greet me with hugs and kisses. After a few goodbyes to my group, we piled into their car and we were off to Arcos de la Frontera- the town where my family lived. Arcos as built upon a mountain cliff overlooking a river and farmland- a true beauty with its many white houses. My host father was a photographer, insurance agent, as well as a farmer. He taught me just about everything there is to know about each- all in Spanish. Besides “hello” and “what’s up,” no one in my family knew how to speak English. My fifteen year-old host brother was a trendy, popular guy who was really fun to hang out with. My host sister was nineteen and worked most of the day but went out with us a few of the nights. On the way to their house, I was telling them how much I loved the ham sandwiches in Spain 
Within the first few hours I had already met some chicas guapas friends of my host brother. The house turned out to be very comfortable and in a great location. After a huge dinner, I was off to bed to tour Arcos with my group in the morning. In the morning we did a quick tour of Arcos and then I went to the pool with my host brother- taking along a backpack full of bocadillas and juice. I spoke Spanish with many of his friends and got to know several girls. That afternoon my dad took me to his farm and I helped weed the tomato beds and pick HUGE figs to make jam the next morning with my host mom. As far as understanding the Spanish, my host family spoke very, very fast. At first I could barely understand; but as the days went on, I was able to understand most everything and communicate well with them. They understood my challenge and often would speak much slower with me and would enunciate words more deliberately. Most of my host brother (Alfredo)’s friends found my accent hilarious and would make me repeat different words and laugh, all in good fun. A few days later my group traveled to Jerez lake of Arcos Spain is soooo much better than USA Cadiz 
Had to wake up at 6am to leave my last day. It sure was hard leaving. These people had become just like my family at home and had given me the best immersion experience that I could have asked for. They had given me advice on life, money, everything!
After tears, hugs, kisses, and goodbyes, we boarded the train and went on our way to do community service in Zaragoza . Each day, we would walk to the Red Cross facility, and stay from 10 until 5 working with under privileged children to help them with activities, homework, and games. The children quickly became attached to us. Afterwards, we would all rush to the fruit shop and buy handfuls of peaches, nectarines, and all sorts of fresh fruit for little money. Night time usually consisted of hanging out in the hotel or walking around shopping. 
With the trip coming to a close, we departed for Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona 
This trip has made me fall in love with
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