Párrafo de la foto de Darlene

Porque no tengo mi teléfono para la mayoría de este viaje, no tengo muchas fotos, pero mi foto favorita es un selfie de mis amigas en la cima de una de los castillos más antiguos en España. Estaba en Segovia, y aunque nosotros no pasemos mucho tiempo en Segovia, disfrutemos las vistas y el paisaje mucho. Cada vez yo veo esta foto, recuerdo las memorias buenas de mi viaje con mis amigas mejores.

Darlene's Reflection

I truly believe I will never experience a trip as amazing as Spain. I developed my speaking and listening skills incredibly; now I believe without this trip I would have never been able to survive AP Spanish this year. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and all of the people involved, like Señoras Escamilla and Casco, the teachers at the University of Salamanca, my wonderful new friends, and my host mother Pepita. Each day was filled with new experiences that I could never have imagined, like kayaking or visiting ancient cathedrals or churches and even cooking paella. Spain really helped me understand that learning Spanish is nothing without learning the culture behind it.

Párrafo de la foto (Hanna)

Esta foto es mi foto favorita porque se ve muy tranquilo y pacífico. En esta foto se centra en una flor mientras la luz entra del sol. La foto fue tomada al lado de una piscina en un día caliente pero bonita. Esta foto me recuerda a España porque de lo hermoso que es. En España es muy bonito con toda la arquitectura, monumentos y paisajes donde quiera que vaya. España no es como los Estados Unidos y tampoco es la foto, España y la foto son similares debido a cómo diferentes se comparan con todo lo que estamos acostumbrados cotidianamente.  

Párrafo de la foto (Gracie)

El pasado verano, las chicas de Ursulina todo visitaron Salamanca, España. El primer día que llegamos, todos estábamos muy cansados, pero tuvimos un día ocupado por delante de nosotros. En el primer día, todos tenemos que ir en botes de remo y remar por el río. Tengo algunas fantásticas vistas de la ciudad, pero yo también tengo que pasar tiempo con gente nueva. Esta foto es una de las muchas grandes vistas que teníamos desde los botes de remo. Fue una gran primera aventura y había muchas más por venir.

Párrafo de la foto (Alex T)

Nosotras chicas de Ursulina fuimos a España por dos meces y vivíamos con un familia en Salamanca. Por un día nosotras visitamos la ciudad Segovia y era muy pequeña. La ciudad no había mucha gente pero tenía muchas estructuras del historia España. En la plaza mayor de Segovia, había un castillo grande y bonito. El cielo era muy azul y maravilloso. Este día, nosotras escalamos muchas escaleras en un castillo. Cuando llegamos a la cima, es posible que vea mucha de la ciudad Segovia. También, nosotras compramos recuerdos y comimos helado delicioso. Me encanta el viaje de España mucho y espero que visten otras veces. 

Párrafo de la foto (Celine)

Este es un fotografía del Acueducto de Segovia con el grupo en un buen día. El cielo es claro sin nubes y el sol es luminoso arriba de nuestras cabezas. El acueducto contrujé en el primer siglo A.D. durante el imperio Romano. Es el más famoso acueducto en todos España. Hay un mito del acueducto que dije que Lucifer contrujé el acueducto en solo una noche para ganar el corazón de una niña joven. Pero Lucifer falta un piedra a la aurora y hay marcas de los dedos del diablo en todos las piedras. Hoy, el acueducto es tambien he llamado “Puente de Diablo”.

Post trip reflection Hanna

This trip was an absolutly amazing experience that I will never forget! Because of this trip I have learned so much about the culture of Spain which is something I really wanted to learn about. I have also expanded my vocabulary a lot since my trip and I am now able to understand more spanish. During the two weeks I was also able to have a close relationship with my host family and get to know my roommate even better, as well as the other girls in this trip. This Spain trip was everything I expected and more, and hopefully I will be able to go agin one day!

Photo Paragraph (Alyssa)

Yo escojo este foto porque lo es de un edificio con muy bonita arquitectura. El edificio es el palacio blanco del gobierno Mayor. El palacio construyo de la piedra caliza y granito a protege lo de los fuegos. En el pasado la familia real vivia aqui, pero ahora la familia real viva en el palacio zarzuela. El palacio blanco es una obra maestra con las esculturas y construccion elegante. Me gusta este foto del palacio mucho porque lo mira la belleza del palacio. 

Kelsey's Reflection

My trip to Spain this summer was an experience I will never forget. My host mother, Pepita, made my time in Salamanca truly amazing. She was also one of the reasons that my conversational skills grew throughout the trip. Darlene and I would talk to her about anything and everything, and she even trusted us to hold a conversation with her friends one day at lunch. I also made so many new friends on this trip, and I can't believe I only have one more year to spend with them at Ursuline. They made the trip so fun and so worthwhile; I couldn't imagine going with anyone else. I think we all know that the thing I will miss most is the ice cream. Going from three ice creams a day in Salamanca to zero back in Dallas was quite an adjustment that I'm still not used to. I hope that someday I can revisit Spain and Salamanca with my friends or family. It is definitely a special place that I will always remember. I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to expand my spanish speaking abilities and to experience a new and different culture!!!! 

Párrafo de la Foto Maria

En Salamanca toque muchas fotos, pero la mejor es la foto de la vista de la Catedral del Rio Tormes. Ésta es mi favorita porque muestra la hermosa ciudad de Salamanca y tambien me recuerda del primer día  cuando pasamos el tarde en los barcos pedales. En el fondo de la foto, se puede ver la torre y el domo de la Catedral Nueva que se construyieron en el siglo XVI. Tambien entre estas estructuras, hay La Catedra Vieja de Santa Maria que fue completada en el siglo XIV. Alrededor de Las Catedrales están edificios antiguos que son ejemplos de la arquitectura tradicional en Salamanca.

Párrafo de la Foto

¡Hola! Me llamo Lauren y bienvenido a España. Este es una fotografía de la interior de una iglesia en la cuidad de Salamanca. La iglesia es muy grande y muy bonita. Dentro de la iglesia, hay muchos vitrales y pinturas de Jesús, y el altar es de oro. También, hay mucho espacio por todos los católicos para sentarse y escuchar la palabra de Dios. Esta foto fue tomada el primer domingo del viaje cuando todas las chicas de Ursuline fueron a la iglesia para atender la misa. Hay muchas personas de Salamanca en la iglesia para atender la misa. Aunque la misa hablaba solamente en español, el sacerdote habló con claridad. Él era fácil para entender, y yo comprendí toda la homilía. Él dijo para confiar en el Señor cuando estás teniendo problemas. ¡Me encantaron todos los aspectos de la iglesia, y ojala que yo pudiera ir a la iglesia en el futuro!

Celine's Post Trip Reflection

This past summer’s trip to Spain was an incredible journey filled with new cultural experiences and close bonding with my Ursuline friends and host family. It was such an amazing experience for me that there are no words in the English language to describe how I feel and how much I miss Spain.

I feel that I greatly benefited from this trip. I am very thankful for being given the opportunity to study at the University of Salamanca and practice my Spanish with the locals. Although I am not yet completely fluent in the language, I feel that I have greatly improved with conversation and grammar. I am also more confident in speaking the language.  In fact, this trip has made me more interested in learning all about the Spanish language and culture. The afternoon activities and especially living with a host family allowed me to indulge in the Spanish culture in person. Living their daily routine of later meals, siestas, and lots of walking brought me closer to the Spanish culture. Those two weeks alone made Spain feel like my second home.

If you asked me what my favorite part of the trip was I wouldn’t be able to decide; the classes at the University, the delicious food of Basi (my host mother), the live music in the narrow cobble stone streets, shopping and eating ice cream in the plaza, etc. I am eager to say that I enjoyed EVERY SINGLE part on the trip. It didn’t bother me that we didn’t have air conditioning in most places or that we had to walk many, many miles around the city. Even when I had to study for the final exams I enjoyed it because every single day I was there and every day afterward, I think of how fortunate I am to have joined the API by Aspire program. I enjoyed making memories and becoming very close to some girls I hadn’t known before the trip. I definitely recommend traveling with Ursuline to the beautiful county of Spain. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible and memorable.

Post trip reflection Alex Gholi

To me Spain was an opportunity and an amazing trip I will never forget. Not only did I have an amazing time, but I was able to improve my Spanish so much. By staying with my host family, I was forced to use my Spanish at all times. Also I loved spending time with my host family and all the friends I made. I would recommend this trip to any or Ursuline girl because learning a language in another country is more fun than just sitting in the classroom. I was so immersed and interested in the culture that I forgot I was even in school. I am so thankful I got to go on this trip,and I hope I can go to Spain again soon.

Paragraph about picture

Mi mejor foto que yo toqué en Salamanca es un foto de La Plaza Major. La plaza es en el centro de Salamanca y muchas personas se encuentran allí. Durante la noche, la plaza es muy divertido. Muchas personas bailan y se sientan en la plaza y comen helado. La plaza es mi lugar favorito en Salamanca y espero que yo visite un vez más.

Gracie's Post Trip Reflection

While I was in Spain, I had many opportunities to improve my Spanish. I realized that after my travels, I have improved immensely in my Spanish vocabulary and grammar. I have also been able to speak Spanish easier and been able to put sentences together faster. Also, by immersing myself in the culture, for example living in a Spanish home, made me more aware of the traditions in Spain. I believe that by going to Spain gives me a better chance of being able to not only speak Spanish, but also understand the origin of the language. But most of all going to Spain let me meet new people and make memories that I will never forget!

El párrafo de mi foto (Karina)

Cuando vivi en España para dos semanas, mis amigas y yo fuimos a la Plaza Mayor mucho. La Plaza Mayor está en el centro de la ciudad de Salamanca. Todas las chicas y yo nos encontramos debajo del reloj cuando fuimos a un excursión. Hay muchas tiendas, restaurantes, y heladerías en la plaza. El helado en Salamanca era muy delicioso y muy rico. También, mis amigas y yo fuimos a La Plaza Mayor en la noche para beber Coca Cola antes de dormir en la casa. Había mucha gente en la Plaza Mayor todo el tiempo cuando nosotros estabamos en Salamanca y la plaza es un lugar muy popular en Salamanca. 

Lauren's Post Trip Reflection

I had such a wonderful, life changing experience on this trip. Not only was I able to immerse myself in the culture of Salamanca, Spain, take interesting classes completely in Spanish, and enhance my Spanish skills, but I also strengthened my friendship with my fellow Ursuline sisters and made new friendships in Salamanca, extending the borders of the United States.Going on fun excursions (such as paddle boating), learning new things outside of the university (the cooking class), and experiencing "normal" Spanish social culture (hanging out at the plaza and eating ice cream) truly opened my eyes to how different the world is outside of the U.S., and instead of categorizing these differences as "weird," "funny," or "strange," we should embrace it and celebrate our similarities instead. I felt so immersed into the Spanish culture that even after returning home, I found myself continuing the habits I had picked up in Spain from my host mother, such as wearing socks/shoes indoors at all times, taking a nap around 2:30 (the normal siesta time), and eating a larger lunch than dinner.I am so grateful for everything that I have learned. After this experience, I feel more culturally aware and eager to understand other customs and cultures as well! I am so glad I went! 

Maria's Post Trip Reflection

Spain was an unforgettable trip that proved to be highly educational in ways that I did not expect. By this I mean, as anticipated, I took home a new knowledge of the Spanish language but I also picked up on and embraced many aspects of Spanish life. For example, after staying in a Spanish home for two weeks and observing my host mom's behavior, I now find myself turning off every light when not in use and wearing socks while walking around the house. I even remember feeling confused by being able to respond to adults in English after arriving back in Dallas. I find the integration of behavior I learned in Spain in my daily life especially interesting because it demonstrates how even a short exposure to a different culture can shape one's life and habits. After all, the two week trip to Salamanca was enough time to make things I have spent my entire life practicing such as English foreign. I believe that now that I am aware of the changes made possible by complete cultural immersion, I am now more eager to familiarize myself with new cultures and people. Although I value the Flamenco lessons and cooking classes greatly, it is the new view of traveling's impact on one's daily life that I will remember most from this trip.

Alex's Post Trip Reflection

Spain was an experience I will never forget. I learned so much about another culture and its importance. As much as I thought I knew about Spain, I really had no idea. The whole trip was a long learning experience about adapting to a new city. Learning the way around and the food to eat all seem simple but actually take a while to get used too. Spanish was a difficult task on this trip, but I learned more than ever. Salamanca is nothing like Dallas and it gave me a new point of view on the world. Every place we would walk into had a story behind it. I remember learning all about them in the many tours we endured. I really enjoyed my experience in Spain and wish I could go back. It's so fascinating how Salamanca is so easy to remember. Even Madrid which was only hours away was so different. I learned that the culture is actually over a small area rather than a whole country.

Alyssa's Post Trip Reflection

The trip to Spain was a trip of a lifetime for me where I got to explore another country, improve my Spanish skills, and learn about another culture. The trip broadened my view of the world and let me completely experience the Spanish culture for two weeks. In Spain I learned about its history, Flamenco, siesta, and the different times people in Spain come together for their meals. The trip greatly improved my ability to speak in Spanish and left me wanting to pursue the language more than I had before. This trip helped me to learn about another country and want to pursue higher Spanish classes. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to go to Spain, experience its culture, and learn more Spanish than I knew before.

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Karina's post trip reflection

Our trip to Spain was a unique and memorable experience, and my first time visiting Spain as well. I loved staying with a host family and learned so much from my host mom, Pilar. Over time I got used to speaking Spanish and by the end I did not have to think as much about what I was saying because speaking felt natural. Now, I feel much more confident about speaking in Spanish. I also learned so much about the culture while we were there through the classes we took at the university, the flamenco class and show, and the cooking class. Not only did I learn how to cook a couple Spanish meals, but I also got the opportunity to try many famous Spanish dishes through the trip. I feel like I was completely immersed in the Spanish culture. I made lots of memories and many new friends by the end of the trip and I think my Spanish speaking and interpreting skills have definitely improved. 

Martina's post trip reflection

My experience in Spain was a new and exciting one. The trip was so amazing and really helped me to understand and appreciate Spanish culture and broaden my horizons. Spanish culture is similar but also very different to our own in America. Getting used to the different schedule was challenging but I learned to appreciate it and look forward to 2pm so I could eat lunch, talk with my host family, and enjoy siesta, a well cherished aspect of Spanish culture that we all enjoyed. The food was always delicious and incorporated a LOT of jamón which surprised me and also a wide variety of seafood. My appreciation of the Spanish language was greatly expanded as it fully came in to focus that Spanish wasn't just a course taught in school, it was an actual way of communication for these people  and a way of life. I really think that the acclimation aspect and only talking in Spanish the entire time, though daunting, really helped me to be able to understand and expand my knowledge of the Spanish language. I strengthened bonds with girls I already knew but also made a lot of new friends. This experience was absolutely fantastic and if I had to choose if I'd do it again I would say yes in a heartbeat.

Michelle's Post Trip Reflection

A mix of incredibly fun afternoon activities, immersion into the culture of Spain, weekday classes, and exploration of a completely different landscape, this trip to Spain was unforgettably unique. As I spent more time with this group of people, I solidified friendships and made memories with the people I had not known before going on this trip. As a group, we participated in several activities, with each one helping to reveal a different aspect of Spain, whether it be culture, landmarks, history, or customs. In just two weeks, I was able to familiarize myself, through personal encounters, with the customs and ideas of the people of Spain. Enjoying a lifestyle completely different from our own, we tried different delicious and typical Spanish dishes, such as tortilla Espanola and paella. And as I learned about this Spanish culture, I was able to adapt their customs to my own lifestyle and way of thinking. For example, I learned that food and meals are used to bring friends and family together, which showed me that they value face-to-face conversations, unlike in America where many people replace conversation with more convenient ways of communication, such as text messages. So I enjoyed meals with my host family since I was able to learn more about their life in Spain and to discover their favorite pastimes. And having improved my proficiency in Spanish through conversations such as these, I have been inspired to continue to work hard to develop fluency in this language.

Gaby's Post-trip Reflection

My time in Spain was a very new experience for me, as I had to adjust to a new schedule and all of the cultural differences. This was my first overseas trip, so I was surprised to find out how easily I was able to settle in and grow acclimated to the country. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity and I enjoyed being able to learn about it through experiencing it. One of my favorite activities was our Flamenco dance lesson along with the kayaking excursion. I also grew to appreciate the Spanish language more, and improved my comprehension and communication skills tremendously. I think this was a valuable experience that will really help me with my Spanish classes and cultural awareness.