The last week of Fall Euro 2022 was a whirlwind of finishing up our books, plein air painting, and working on our carnets (sketch/travel journals). We went to our final French, art history, and literature classes on Monday and used the rest of the day to walk around Aix for the last time. On Tuesday we went to Dave's friend, Danielle’s vineyard. We had meant to do our last plein air painting there, but decided to work in our carnets instead.
This past week, we went on an incredible voyage to Valencia, Spain. The five days we spent there were filled with traditional Spanish food, Flamenco, so much historically significant art, gelato, group dinners, sketching in our carnets, the beach, card games, milkshakes, walking, bus rides, an aquarium, and lots of educational opportunities.
After several weeks exploring connections between course material and experienced history, culture, and language in their “home region” of Castilla y León, Proctor en Segovia students traveled south to Córdoba and Sevilla. There they experienced firsthand the history, culture, and architecture of the region of Andalucía.
II’s the night before we embark on our 2nd journey of the term, to Valencia, and I want to recap on the past week. Being here for the past month has been a dream, the art, the culture, and the food is all incredible.
Onto the fourth week, the term's halfway point. It was also the first week which the group spent in Aix after a weeklong excursion spent in Amsterdam. Personally, I was not sure how we were going to continue to have fun in Aix after returning, but this past week was more than fun.
After returning from Basque Country, Proctor en Segovia students have spent the past week closer to their home base in Spain. They are not lacking, however, in opportunities to continue their Spanish history education, first during morning history classes and then in the castle tower high above the old quarter of Segovia and in an underground basilica in the Guadarrama Mountains that separate Segovia and Madrid. Another highlight from this past week was the Thursday night cooking class featuring a parent visitor and guest chef and host mom Lujan!
After several weeks living and learning with host family and establishing a class and afternoon activity routine, Proctor en Segovia students traveled north to El País Vasco, Euskadi, or The Basque Country. To complement their History and English coursework, they studied Basque history and culture firsthand and contemporary art at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
First week! We all arrived last Wednesday, of course exhausted. Even though we spent most of the first week getting over jet lag, we were all able to have a lot of fun. The past week and a half has been orientation and getting ourselves situated in our new lives in France.
