Spain-bound!

It has been nearly a year since I last updated this blog but I'm hoping to revive it during the next couple of weeks, as I'm returning to Spain on Sunday for a 10 day journey! I used this blog last summer to write about my five-week adventure across Spain and to upload pictures of the places I wrote about. I plan to do the same throughout the next two weeks whenever I have WiFi access.

I'm traveling with two of my friends from Carroll High School who are also Spanish teachers. They are leading a student trip and another chaperone and I will join them on what I know will be an unforgettable trip to an idyllic location where I first fell in love with Spanish. I was a 16-year-old high school sophomore in Spanish II when I traveled out of the country for the first time with my Spanish class. We spent nearly two weeks in and around Barcelona and it was then that I realized I had to learn Spanish.

The culture fascinated me as we explored the city that modernist architect Antonio Gaudí had decorated with parks, buildings, churches and more. The food intrigued me although I have to admit I didn't much care for it at the time. Latin music was making its big debut into the U.S. market and I remember buying a few CDs in Barcelona because my love of music in Spanish was starting to grow. And then there was the language ... speaking Spanish fascinated me. I thought it was so amazing to be able to speak another language and have people actually understand me. And I wanted to learn more. I was a little frustrated at the time because I couldn't fully understand what the people were saying. I told myself after that 1997 trip that I would return one day when I was more proficient in Spanish. It took 14 years and a generous Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant to finally make it back to Spain and Barcelona last summer, but it was well worth the wait. In four days, I'll be back to the place that set the stage for where I am today, both professionally and personally.

The four of us will travel back to the Iberian Peninsula with 23 students on a total immersion program. The goal is to speak exclusively Spanish so that the students get the most out of their time abroad as they work to enhance their language skills while experiencing a new culture. We will also live with Spanish families for three days as part of the tour. I couldn't be more excited.

We depart from Indianapolis early Sunday afternoon and fly to Newark, where we have a layover for a few hours. (The Newark airport has a Jamba Juice in terminals A and C, so I have my Jamba Juice gift card packed and ready to go!) From there, we'll have about a seven-hour flight to Madrid. We will arrive around 10 a.m. Monday and begin our adventure around Madrid. I'll write more about the itinerary later.

I've been getting ready all week in between finishing end-of-the-year school work and taking care of some other commitments at school. I'm planning to take my hiking backpack again to avoid having to use a suitcase. I only took a backpack last summer when I was in Spain for five weeks and it worked out great.

I'll write some more tomorrow about where we will travel and what we will see. I hope you'll follow us along the journey via my blog.

Take care,

--Justin

My luggage for Spain ... still empty but I'll pack everything Saturday night!