The Buzz

In the final weeks of the spring 2015 term, Proctor en Segovia hits the road, first traveling from Segovia to Barcelona via high-speed train and then north along the Catalan Costa Brava.  Next, on the final long excursion of the term, the group leaves from Segovia in rented vehicles, driving southwest along the Sistema Central mountain range, and then crossing into the Spanish region of Extremadura and Portugal’s Alentejo region. Finally, students traverse eastern Andalucía, visiting Sevilla, Cádiz and rural sections of the Costa de la Luz on the Strait of Gibraltar!

After leaving Rosebud, South Dakota a little bit over a week ago, it seems that we haven’t stopped driving. While going through Nebraska, we met a retired farmer local to the area who pointed us in the direction of a CAFO, a concentrated animal feeding operation. We tried to visit but were asked to get back on our bus and leave almost immediately. Although we were disappointed at not being able to learn about the advantages of this technique, we were all slightly relieved to be leaving the pungent smell and unnatural cattle scene. 

This week on Survivor: Mountain Classroom Edition! The group headed into the wilderness...alone. We left Colorado and the mountains for South Dakota and the Black Hills. We spent the days leading up to Solos preparing by shopping and packing our individual food, learning to set up tarps and discussing our hopes and fears for our time alone in the woods. 

I often find myself sitting outside on our patio under the sun reflecting back on the week. This week is no exception. If I were to sum up all of our experiences this past week into writing, the blog would go on for an eternity.

“No matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done, love can heal your wounds.” The words echoed through the Norris Family Theater as the documentary, Reparando, the story of La Limonada, played to students and faculty last Friday night.

The past week has not been “spring-like” at all. We have seen snow every day, at times accumulating up to our knees. After Chico Basin, we ventured our way up to a cabin nestled in Pike National Forest.