A Morning in Segovia - Tuesday, January 14th
Tuesday, January 14th was such a nice day and super fun. I started off in kind of a scramble waking up at 8:45 and needing to meet Ngan downstairs at 9. Luckily I had packed my bag and laid my outfit out for the day. I quickly got dressed and ready for the day and dashed down the stairs. I made at 9:00 am on the dot, and we walked out onto the beautiful street. Ngan and I live in the same apartment building; I live on the top floor and she lives a floor below me. It has been nice having someone in the same boat, trying to get used to everything in Segovia and navigating a new small city. As we walk to school we pass a couple of little city squares, one by the aqueduct which constantly seems to have people hanging out, talking, and listening to music.
Students become better acquainted with Segovia’s casco antiguo or old quarter by participating in an information search / scavenger hunt activity in teams of three and four. The winning team is pictured here in front of the acclaimed Restaurante José María!
Proctor en Segovia students walk by the the almost two-thousand-year-old Roman aqueduct every day on their commute to school. (Photo credit: Paulina '21)
(Photo credit: Paulina '21)
The school is about a twenty-minute walk from our apartment building, so it often is a nice wake up walk. The school is in the main plaza (Plaza Mayor) and has a beautiful view looking out, and it's especially exciting when the market is going. The day began with English class with Mikaela, which was interesting as we are doing creative nonfiction writing and I love creative writing. In class we talked about what makes a good story verse a bad one. We also read a couple of examples from years past. Then we walked about two minutes around the corner to Café Colonial and got a drink. I got a café bombón which is coffee and sweetened condensed milk. After that it was time for our first of three Spanish periods. I love taking Spanish here because you can go outside and apply what we just talked about in class. Yesterday we began a project where we are divided into groups and each had to do research about one of the monuments in Segovia. I choose “La Muralla” (The wall surrounding Segovia). Finally it was break time!!! (my favorite time). I walked over to the café with Lexie, Danar and Cha. When we got there I got the absolute best, most addicting donut I have ever had. It was just a plain donut with sugar all over the outside, but they cook them perfectly and the dough is nice and light and fluffy. 11:20am and the next two Spanish periods began (oh boy). Rosa (the teacher) went over some simple grammatical stuff, and we talked about furniture during a group activity to make an advertisement for a house. My group was Emily, Ngan and I our house was the best (in my personal opinion). Everyone else in the class said it was too expensive.
(Photo credit: Paulina '21)
(Photo credit: Paulina '21)
Finally the school day was over, after we completed our chores; I swept the small classroom. Once chores were down we had some free time. Ngan and I started back to our home stays, casually strolling in a few shops because we had to be there at 2:30 and it was 2:00. When I arrived at my homestay I was greeted by Maruja who asked me a few questions about my day and told me lunch would be ready in twenty minutes, so I went up stairs and crashed on my bed!
I cannot believe week one is done and that this is my life. I am absolutely loving everything Spain has to offer so far. I could not have asked for it any other way. The group is great, my host mom Maruja is so sweet and the food is some of the best I have ever had.
Hasta luego!
Paulina '21
For more than ten years Proctor en Segovia students have been learning metal engraving from master artisan (and head of the Segovia artisans guild) Jesús de la Cruz Leonor. (Photo credit: Paulina '21)
(Photo credit: Paulina '21)
Afternoon and Evening in Segovia - Thursday, January 16th
La comida is what they call lunch in Spain. In America we learn that lunch is called “almuerzo”, but things are said differently in different Spanish speaking countries. For “comida” I had arroz a la cubana, which consists of rice, chicken, and egg. My host mother loves to feed me, partly because she has five sons, and I ended up eating way too much.
Students travel to the nearby 12th century Turégano castillo (and church of San Miguel) as part of a photography afternoon activity. (Photo credit: Lexie '21)
(Photo credit: Parker W. '20)
After trying to digest my food for thirty minutes, it was time to go to the gym. The “gimnasio” is about a fifteen-minute walk from the house, located just outside the walls of the city, with a great view!
A 3D view of Turégano castle! (Photo credit: Paulina '21)
After an hour long workout it is time for our weekly cooking class at the school. For this week, we made paella. We played music with speakers while a group of students made the paella and a different group made snacks (or tapas), salad, and dessert. This was a great time to bond with students in the group and relax while listening to throwback music. When all was prepared, we all sat down at a large table and feasted. The paella we made was amazing, but the brownies afterwards did not live up to expectations.
Segovia's cathedral at dusk.
We were rewarded with this view after an uphill mountain bike climb.
Once we were all done eating we went into the cinema room and turned on a movie to relax and wind down before going home. At about 10:30 everybody left the school, walking with people who lived near to them, back to their host family's house. When I arrived home, my host mother greeted me with a warm welcome and multiple slices of pizza for my “second dinner.” After a short talk about my day with my mother, I take a quick shower and head to bed.
Hasta Luego,
Parker W. '20
Paella chefs!
(Photo credit: Lexie '21).
Nos vemos pronto!
~ Proctor en Segovia invierno 2020
