The Final Week

 ¡Hola a todos! Apologies that it's taken so long for me to post another update, we've had a VERY busy final week in Spain! As I write this post, we're currently back in the USA and are awaiting our next (and final) flight to Indianapolis. Everyone's super excited to see their families and friends again and to tell you all about their adventures here! There's a lot to tell, but here's just a bit of what we've been up to this week:

First off, on Monday we went to the pool! Or, more specifically, a waterpark in Ciudad Real called "Playa Park", where we got to cool off and enjoy the pool and some super fun waterslides!


 










Then on Tuesday we went live on the radio in Ciudad Real to talk about our experiences here in Spain. You can check out our time on the air in the video below:







On Thursday, we went to city hall to meet the mayor of Ciudad Real alongside representatives from the other major political parties, and to officially say goodbye and thank you to this incredible city. We were also gifted traditional pañuelos from the region, which you can see us wearing here! There was also a short article written about the experience, which you can read (in Spanish) here: https://www.ciudadreal.es/noticias/sociedad-y-cultura/22607-ciudad-real-despide-a-los-22-estudiantes-procedentes-de-indiana-que-han-estado-un-mes-en-la-capital.html









Bonus from later that afternoon:


We also had a party to celebrate the 4th of July!

 















Friday was our last day in Ciudad Real, and it ended with our farewell show for the host families, to show our appreciation for all that they've done for us here! The show consisted of a performance of the two traditional dances we've been practicing (the jota manchega and sevillanas), three skits that the students wrote and performed about their time in the city, and finally, a performance of the song Recuérdame from the movie Coco. The entire event ended with us handing out copies of the program magazine that we'd been working on for the past four weeks, a collection of photos and art from the students about their time in Ciudad Real. (Also, earlier in the day there was a water fight! Check out pictures below!)









On Saturday we officially said our (tearful) goodbyes and were off to the big city for our final excursion, but not without a brief pit stop in the lovely historic city of Toledo!

 












We arrived in Madrid that evening, and spent the next two days exploring the city and seeing the sights, including the Royal Palace and museums like the Museo del Prado and Reina Sofia, where we got to see works of art that we learned about in class together, including paintings by world-famous Spanish artists like Diego Velazquez, Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. 

 

























It was such an incredible experience, and everyone learned and grew so much! We were so incredibly lucky to go on this journey with them, and we wish everyone the best in their journeys going forward!

-Ari (& Lindsay)

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