As week one in Segovia comes to a close there is so much to look back on already. It still feels like we just got off the plane from Boston, not sure as to what time it was or even where we all were. The first few hours after our arrival seemed like a blur. The group had been up for almost 16 hours straight and then immediately thrown into a new culture.
There is a place about halfway up the Calle Real where a stone wall overlooks the city and the wind is ripe with nostalgia. The cute Segovian homes are scattered in all directions, weaving an incredible maze of streets and alleyways and tile roofs. To the right, the sea of buildings suddenly turns to a field of emerald green grass. And to the left, there is a scarlet mountain range topped with snow.
As we finished our last week in Vauvenargues and Aix we are starting to realize that the term is coming to an end. A scary thought appeared in our minds and reality slapped us in the face: Even though we as a group are still going to talk, we are not going to see each other everyday.
Over the past decade, a shift toward competency based education (CBE) has flooded the world of higher education as universities look to become more efficient in developing a graduate’s skill set while ensuring each student possesses baseline proficiencies. Plenty of obstacles exist to implementing a competency-based educational model in higher education, however, Proctor’s World Language Department continues to pioneer a rethinking of the traditional approach to assessing and evaluating student development used by most high schools.
I could not have come close to anticipating the level of beauty we encountered this weekend. After spending two days exploring the city of Barcelona, we left for our lovely rental house nestled away in the Catalonian countryside. Although I was reluctant to leave Barcelona behind, this new location would prove to be one of the most incredible places I’ve ever visited.
From the language, to the food, to the architecture, Vienna was vastly different from our normal stomping grounds of Aix-en-Provence.
Right now I am walking on a long empty road, forty minutes of solitude, just walking by the sea. I have not seen a single soul in this entire time except a black cat that has crossed my path. But now I have come across an old man sitting by the sea. He only has a stick, himself and a bocadillo while he gazes at the sunset. We are both looking at this gorgeous array of colors in the sky but were seeing it very differently. He has more life experience than me, knows this view better than me, and has more patience than me. But we are both here at the same time and same place looking at that fiery ball in the sky.
Although I arrived a day late and missed an exciting day in the Roman ruins of Itálica on Saturday, I can say without doubt that the weekend excursion to Sevilla was my favorite thing that we have done in Spain so far. From the moment I arrived, I couldn’t contain my excitement to see if Sevilla lived up to its reputation of relentless zest for life and heavenly Mediterranean climate. As Laura and I entered the city and made our way towards the hostel, my excitement manifested itself into frustration. The only thing separating us from the 65 degree weather, the glow of the city under the siesta sun, and the equally vibrant people and colors painting the city was an Uber window.
