Un último adiós

Our estudiantes (Spanish for students) are going to be returning home very soon and we've been asking them during the week how they feel about it. Some said this experience set a before and after in their life, because it has shown them how to be independent and open minded in a place where they could feel like "outsiders" in the beginning, a few asked if there was a chance they could stay here for longer/forever (they're funny), proving that they've learned to appreciate social behaviours and traditions they didn't grow up with -such an accomplishment, in our opinion-. Others said they were ready to come back home because they miss their life with their friends and families -immersing yourself in a new culture with a new language for a month can be really overwhelming- in any case, this group was mostly wonderful and we're very happy with the results they had. 

When the kids go back to the States, their life in Spain will probably feel like a cloud, like a dream they didn't have, because everything at home will be the same as always, but after a while it'll become more real and they -as it happens- will hold on to their best memories of this trip, like the day they went to the aquarium, the kayak on the río Guadalquivir (a famous Spanish river that goes across Sevilla), when they learned how to cook paella and gazpacho (typical spanish plates) or pestiños and natillas (spanish sweets), the flamenco class, or maybe their trip to Granada (one of the oldest cities in the country and the last Muslim kingdom in Spain). Whatever it is that comes to their minds when they look back, we hope it makes them smile.