¡Bienvenidos a Palma!

On Sunday the ninth of July, we welcomed our excited but weary travelers to our beautiful paradise island, Mallorca. Everyone arrived safe and sound at Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma de Mallorca. Astonishingly enough, not a single piece of luggage was lost in transit– a first in my experience as a Program Leader. After being greeted with snacks and water, the students got to meet their host families for the first time. We snapped a picture of them with their families and then they were off to experience their first night in a Spanish home. Some students even had the energy to explore the city a little or go to the beach with their host families. Hats off to them!

    After a night of much needed rest, we all met in the heart of Palma, La Plaza de España. This is one of our main meeting points throughout the program. Many of the host families were kind enough to accompany the students on their first journey to the center of the city. Afterwards we headed to our second main meeting point, Ele Usal (a language school from the University of Salamanca with 800 years of history!) There we started our orientation. This was a great opportunity for students to learn what they can expect from our program, their host families, and Spain. With bathing suits ready and lunches packed, of traditional mallorquín or Spanish food, we headed off to Sa Feixina Park. There the students got to know their Program Leaders and fellow group mates through icebreaker games and conversation. 

    Finally the moment we were all looking forward to came. At three o’clock I was happy to shout ¡Vamos a la playa! (Let’s go to the beach!) We took a stroll to Playa Can Pere Antoni, located right in Palma with a stunning view of the Catedral-Basílica de Santa María. Our amateur marine biologists were ecstatic about what they discovered next to us on the beach! Under an enclosed and protected structure almost 80 sea turtle eggs lay protected. I explained that these were the first ever recorded instance of a mother sea turtle leaving her eggs on the island of Mallorca! A truly special and unforgettable experience for our young learners!