APRIL 8th: Bilbao Town Hall, Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao and Welcome party

On Monday morning we took the subway to the Ayuntamiento, or  town hall, of Bilbao. We learned a lot about the government of the Basque Country as well as the history of the area. Our tour was in Spanish, so although it was a bit difficult to understand at times, it was a positive experience to immerse ourselves in the Spanish culture and language. The building was very beautiful and had architecture and decorations ranging from traditional neoclassical style to an Arabic style of architecture called “mudejar”. Next, we went on a long walk down the river to the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao. It was organized in a very creative way, as each room was characterized by a letter (in alphabetical order) that represented a word which represented a theme of the works in the room. Some of the pieces of artwork were made by Basque artists, while others were made by artists from around the country and the world. It was very interesting and our tour guide was very useful in helping us understand the meanings behind the pieces. 

by Avery Carriuolo

When we got home after our long and fun day at Bilbao, we got ready for our welcome party. We all relaxed for a little bit, and then walked down to the school where it was located. All of the students and their families brought many different types of food for us to eat. But, before eating, we got a big workout because all of the Basque students taught us all of their different dances. At first, we just watched them perform some of their dances and listened to some amazing instruments played by them. Then, all of a sudden, we got pulled up by our partners to try out all of their traditional dances. We danced in circles while holding hands, and even did some partner dancing. It was so much fun and all of the Americans learned (or tried to learn) many of the dances that the Basque students know. After we had done about 5 of their dances, the Americans thought it would be fun to try to show them some of ours. We showed them dances such as the cotton eye joe and the cha cha slide. We danced for a really long time and had to be stopped by the teachers so that we would have time to eat. We also played a lot of fun activities such as soccer, tug of war, and basketball. We then went inside and started eating a lot of food, such as pizza, eggs with ham and cheese, bread, and many desserts, such as brownies and cake. All of the food was delicious and we all ate a lot. We truly felt welcomed after this party and had such a fun time with all of the music, karaoke and dancing. The welcome party set such a good and fun vibe for everyone involved in the exchange and we all bonded together really well as a group.

by Emily Davis

Getxo Scit 2019 Welcome Party