Why do they love exchanges?

In the following two videos, both American and Basque students talk about some of their most outstanding and memorable moments in Scituate and Getxo.
In the first one, Joseba interviews Mike:

Anna interviews Laura and Molly interviews Leire during the 

Farewell Party.

Students' Opinion about the Exchange

In the following days ourenglishprojects will provide the readers with some videos where both American and Basque students will give their opinions about the current exchange.

Last Words, by Mrs. Virginia Lima

Last Words, by Mrs. Virginia Lima

Try to imagine 700 teenagers traveling back and forth over the Atlantic Ocean to open their eyes to another world. For 28 years Scituate and Getxo have enjoyed a cultural exchange unlike any other. Our two high schools have transformed the lives of countless people as we have shared our homes for four amazing weeks. All of our lessons, excursions, meals and adventures have created a memorable experience to be cherished.
All of us from Getxo and Scituate are similar in many ways. Our connection to the sea and our unique historical place make us all feel proud. We are happy to call Bilbao and Boston "home" as well. Our distinct cultural curiosities enliven our fascination with each other and the world beyond. Any differences we notice only make our friendships stronger. Now we are left with everlasting memories and real possibilities to see each other again!

Life at the Weekends

It may seem that our American friends spend all their time in cultural activities. That's not completely true. There are lots of things we have not written about. They have had and enjoyed another amazing life with their counter partners after the official activities. They have lived their free time in the things and places they love (beach, shopping, discos, sports...). They have even had new experiences (surfing, rafting...) with their Basque friends and their families. But those are the personal things they will share with their parents and friends when they get back home.

Last Saturday they went surfing. Lucas Rincón, our American Language Assitant at J.C.Baroja High School, was there teaching them how to surf.  They enjoyed time and sea and had a great time together.

A Day on the Beach from J. Carlos Martínez

Fine Arts Museum and Boat Trip along the Ría del Nervión, by Lizzy Tedeschi

 

Fine Arts Museum and Boat Trip, by Lizzy Tedeschi

Yesterday marked the twelfth day of our adventures in Spain, and as always we ended up with memories that are sure to last a lifetime. We began the day by observing a class at Julio Caro Baroja, the high school that the majority of our Spanish friends attend. After an hour or so, we were off to "el Museo deBellas Artes," or the Fine Arts Museum.  

Fine Arts Museum & Boat Trip from J. Carlos Martínez

With the help of a Spanish-speaking guide we learned about a wide variety of art, from sculptures to oil paints, including the history behind their existence and the person that created them. 

      

From there, we began the ten minute walk to  the boat that took us for a ride around Bilbao. In addition to being a great way to spend tome with friends and chaperones, we were presented with a plethora of historical knowledge about famous landmarks as we drifted lazily by. 

            

                                                     

After that, we were given a few hours of free time during which we explored one of the main streets of Bilbao, La Gran Via.

 

Between  the shopping, sightseeing, and cafés con leche, we were definitely happy campers. As our time together came to a close, we headed back to the meeting spot where we took the metro back to our Spanish friends. After a long day we were excited for "la cena," or dinner, with our host families.

A Day in San Sebastian and San Juan de Luz, by Hanna Roy

A Day in San Sebastian and France, by Hanna Roy

Today was a pasaporte day because we were off to France in the small town of San Juan de Luz! I'm sure if the weather wasn't rainy and cloudy the town would have been very beautiful! Lots of people bought baguettes and croissants that were absolutely delicious! The town consisted of many quaint little streets filled with boutiques that had very nice shop owners, some of whom even spoke English!

As the rain continued to fall, we hopped back into the bus and across the border to visit Ondarreta, a beach in San Sebastián. 

It was wicked gorgeous! Even though it was raining and darkout, the beach was amazingly pretty with two big islands across the way. At the end of a long walk we saw three cool iron statues, called El peine de los vientos by Eduardo Chillida, that were spread out on a cliff overlooking the water.

 In my opinion, the rain and rough waters made them look even better!

Our final stop before returning back to Getxo was the city of San Sebastián that was right on the water. When we arrived it was still raining so all anyone wanted to do was find a cafe and have a nice cafe con leche! There were many shops along the main street, and at the end there was an outdoor concert that I could not understand because it was all in Euskera. However, at the edge of the town there was a very pretty beach in front of a long street, and at the end of that street was a beautiful church.

Personally, my favorite part of today was the bus ride. I love looking out the window at the luscious greenery that surrounds the small towns by the highway. The mountains are ginormous and absolutely tower over everything. They are especially cool when the low clouds cover then so that you can't see their peaks, and they appear as mysterious figures in the distance. I have taken many photos over the course of this trip, but not so much of the mountains because I feel their majestic qualities are too great to be seen on film. Definately something to be seen with your own eyes when they are right in front of you in person. These are something Scituate certainly does not have, along with many other things we have come across on this adventure!

Town Hall and Guggenheim Museum, by Andrew Fiddler and Carter Kupchella

Andrew Fiddler and Carter Kupchella

The day began with a long metro ride into the city of Bilbao. We got off the train at Abando and took a short walk over to the City Hall of Bilbao. We entered the building and began our short tour. The first thing we got to see was the Coat of Arms hanging at the top of the stairs. There was one for the City of Bilbo, one for the Mechants Guild and one for the House of Austria. These coats of arms were moved here from the old city hall buildings. We then walked up the stairs to see the Arabic Hall. This hall was built with an Arabic style, similar to halls built in southern Spain. After taking a look outside from the balcony, we continued to walk through he halls and see paintings of former mayors. We then saw the mayor´s office. Finally, and most importantly, we saw the Plenary hall.

After our trip to the city hall, we walked along the River of Bilbao until we could see the Guggenheim Museum. Along the walk we had to guess what the museum looked like. Most guesses were way off, until we actually saw the museum. Everyone knew right away that it looked like a boat on the river. 
We walked around front to see the giant puppy statue. We all took pictures around the puppy and had the opportunity to walk around for lunch. After lunch, we all entered the museum and saw many pieces of art. I think the most interesting part was all of the optical illusions on the first floor. They all made us feel like we were walking around in circles for a long time, when we really only moved about five feet. After this, we continued to walk around the museum until we were ready to leave. We took the metro home and arrived to an amazing lunch.

Andrew Fiddler

Bilbao's Town Hall and Guggenheim Museum from J. Carlos Martínez

Yesterday, (Wednesday) our day trip was to the Ayuntamiento, or town hall, of Bilbao, and to the Guggenheim museum.  The difference between the Ayuntamiento of Bilbao, and the Diputación of Bilbao that we saw earlier in the week, and which is also a kind of town hall, is that the ayuntamiento is specifically to govern over the city of Bilbao, as opposed to the entire province.  The building itself was very beautiful, with enormous marble staircases, bronze chandeliers, and stained glass on the inside, and tons of intricate architecture on the outside.  After a brief tour of the building, we walked up the street to see a panoramic view of the Guggenheim from across the river.  

The building itself is a huge structure of titanium, steel, and glass that is made to mimic the shape of a ship.  Since it was about noon, we dispersed for a quick lunch, and then met by the ¨puppy¨,a giant flowered statue of a dog, for our tour.

I personally very much appreciated the architecture and design of the building itself, but the modern art inside didn't really do it for me: some I found interesting, but in general I much prefer a museum of fine arts like we will see on Friday over the type of art we saw in the Guggenheim, but that is just my opinion.  After our successful excursion, and a very hot day besides, we all piled immediately onto the air conditioned bus and journeyed back to our homes, and to the beaches, in Getxo.

Carter Kupchella