Day 15 - Farewell

By Mrs. Virginia Lima

Today we are 52 kids and countless number of teachers and families tying to express how thankful they feel for such an amazing experience.

As we say goodbye after four heavenly weeks together I am so proud of what our two schools have accomplished. Thirty years ago neither Getxo nor Scituate High could have imagined such a strong bond.

This cultural exchange and language immersion is a life-changing experience for the families, the teachers and, especially, the students. We all learn so much about each other, the world and our languages. Our students now understand the joy of exploration and adventure. They have been motivated for years to learn a new language with the hope of participating on the Getxo-Scituate exchange.

I don't think they knew how much fun they would have and how much love they would feel. 

For me, this has, undoubtedly been the best of my teaching career.

Hugs and kisses to all!

Day 15 - Farewell from J. Carlos Martínez

Day 14 Family Party

Time is nearly over, but we have to celebrate many things. 

Everybody is happy. 

There are too many reasons to feel good and glad, and proud of the things done together.

Family Dinner

Day 13. Cabárceno, Santillana del Mar, Santander

By Robbie and Kate Conley

Today was a very eventful day, visiting a number of beautiful places. First, we went to Cabárceno, to the zoo and saw a lot of cool animals including rhinos and gorillas. Everyone especially liked the bear fight and the seal show.

Day 13. Cabárceno from J. Carlos Martínez

Then the group went to Santillana de Mar. Most of us stopped and got some delicious ice cream.

Santillana del Mar - Cantabria

Everyone took a well-needed rest so we could fully enjoy our visit to Santander. There, we had a chance to walk around the area and see animals on display as well as walk to the Palace of La Magdalena.

Santander - Cantabria

All in all, a busy but great day to help round out the trip. It was great to venture out of Bilbao with the Scituate and Getxo students together. 

We are all very excited to enjoy dinner with our families before heading to a discoteca later tonight. ¡Viva El Pais Vasco!

Gracias,

Bilbao - Fine Arts Museum and Boat Ride

By Dylan and  Zach

Today we took our third trip to Bilbao to visit the Museum of Fine Arts and take a boat ride on la ria through the center of the city. 
After walking to school we met in our group to join our students in their first class. I (Dylan) was with Eneko, and I had Euskera. In Euskera, we took a quiz about world languages and learned a song in Basque called Txoriak Txori. I (Zach) was with Ander, and we had Economics. We talked about government intervention in the economy and it was really interesting. We compared the economic systems of Spain and the United States and how they are different.

After class we went to the metro to get to the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao. There we split into two groups and took a tour to see various exhibits of contemporary paintings, multiple sculptures, religious paintings and even fashion from the 1950s. 

After we left the tour we went to take a ride on a bilboat on la ria. We got to see the many parts of Bilbao and observe how the city has grown and developed from a factory based center to a more modern city.
Once we finished our boat ride we finally went to Casco Viejo where we shopped around and waited for our kids to find us. 

Third times the charm in Bilbao; 

the trip with the group was really fun and everything was amazing.

(Pictures to be uploaded)

Day 10: San Juan de Luz and San Sebastian

Nicole Grace

We started the day with a two hour bus ride and we stopped first at San Juan de Luz. We passed the border from Spain to France at 10:30. When we got there it was raining and some people brought raincoats and/or umbrellas while others did not. 
After, we left France at 12 and started heading to San Sebastián to go to the aquarium. When we got to San Sebastián, the sun came out and it became a beautiful day.

Day 10 San Sebastián

First, we went inside the aquarium which was extremely cool as there were multiple different kinds of fish. After, we had 2 hours of free time so we walked around and went to the San Sebastián beach. The day started off gray and rainy, but when the sun came out it became a perfect day. Kaitlyn Capprinni, Maddie Ryan, and I found Baterìa de las Damas and we walked up an amazing mountain trail that led us to Gaztelua Castillo which had the Sacred Heart Statue on top. It was the most beautiful view I have ever seen in my entire life. Even though there were numerous stairs, it was absolutely worth it. 

There are no words to describe the beauty that we just saw.

Day 9: Bilbao's Town Hall and Guggenheim Museum

Ellie and Gabby

We started our Wednesday by walking with our exchange students and meeting with everyone at the school at 8 am. Then, we rode the metro where two men were yelling at each other; we were entertained for we learned some new Spanish swear words. We finally got off the metro 8+ stops later and arrived in Abondo, Bilbao. 

We were excited to see the Ayuntamiento because we were able to take a tour of Bilbao's town hall. Although we were tired from the long night before during the tour, we were all very interested in learning more about the significance of the town hall. 

After seeing the beautiful interior of the town hall, we left and walked across a bridge called Zubizuri to visit the Guggenheim Museum. We were all extremely siked to see the modern art and Puppy. Inside, we had the opportunity to see the marvelous statues and structures. 

In one large room, we were able to walk into these big structures that were so tilted and distorted that we were unbalanced due to its crooked perspective. 

There were three floors to the Guggenheim and we got to see artwork created from gunshots and others of fat ladies. 

After an hour or so, we finished our trip to Guggenheim by devouring some rich and delicious gelato! 

What a day and what an amazing experience! We are still hungry for more! 

Day 9 Bilbao's Town Hall - Guggenheim Museum from J. Carlos Martínez

Day 8: Gernika, Santimamiñe, Mundaka, Bermeo

Kate MacCune y Mondo Kalpin. 

Today we started off at the virtual caves in Santimamiña. Here we were given a 3D tour of the caves because the public is unable to enter due to pollution destroying the paintings of the cave. Next we went to the Museum of Peace to learn about the German bombing of Gernika. We entered a simulation, pretending to be in a civilian house at the time of the bombing. Here we learned about reconciliation rather than vengeance. 
Next we went to Casa de Juntas, to learn about the Bizkaia government and the symbolism of the oak tree. At the Casa de Juntas (Assembly Hall) we saw the assembly room and the new oak tree planted to symbolized the strength and unity of the Biskaia government. 

Day 8 Gernika, Mundaka, Bermeo

We went to Mundaka to have lunch at the beach. We walked along the beach and sea wall to look at the waves and cliffs behind it. 
Lastly we went to Bermeo to walk around the port and enter the little shops. Here we felt at home in the little sea side town with the small nautical venders. 

We had a great day and great weather to spend a trip along the coast of Spain.