First Day Jitters

Hola, que tal?

That's Spanish for "Hi, how are you?" We are happy to report our students have made it safe and sound to Palma de Mallorca, the pearl of the Mediterranean! I am so proud of our students for remaining positive after their group flight was delayed and the luggage was stuck in Madrid. But nonetheless, it gave the students something to bond about and rally together for support. Home stays families were super excited to meet their new students at arrivals in Palma airport. It was  especially adorable to see some families had come in their Sunday's best to meet the students.

On the first day in Palma, everyone woke up bright and early ( gotta beat that jet lag!) to meet in Plaza España which will be our main meeting point in the city centre. We all walked together to campus so we could learn the way. We started the day off with orientation and a picnic at the park with students and program leaders. We got to know each other through games and icebreakers. Later we ended our day at the local beach, we got to walk along the beach front with views of Palma's Catedral. It was majestic and powerful. Once we arrived to the beach, we played games, beach volleyball and of course quickly started to work on our tan. 
 

On our second day of school we had our final day of orientation and picnic at the park. Later in the afternoon we had a scavenger hunt throughout the city centre. This activity was especially fun because we had "Amigos Españoles" join us. Amigos Españoles translates to Spanish friends and they are local students who will join us for some cultural activities. During the scavenger hunt our amigos Españoles hid around different plazas (squares), historical monuments and the cathedral. We had to go around searching for cultural references and take photos of things we found. Winners take local souvenirs. These first two days have been jam packed, but fulfilling as we navigate through this new city and experience together. Until next time!