Judging by the amount
of people indulging in a siesta on the bus to Salamanca , the SCFC students were wasting
little time getting into the Spanish swing of things! Now though, it was time for
them to wake up and discover the city that they would call home for the next
ten weeks.
We had already seen
the Palacio Real earlier in the day, and the time had arrived for our intrepid
group to move into their own stately homes. Firstly, our boys were whisked off
by Carlos to their bachelor pad in the North of the city. Then, our bus swung
around to drop off the girls who – with the usual excited squeals of
anticipation - entered their apartments, all handily placed within a short
stroll of each other. Erika, Nura and Courtney, meanwhile, nervously met their
home-stay families, soon to be acquainted with the fantastic cooking of our long-serving
AIFS mums, Clara and Luz.
The next day was a
Sunday, but while Salamanca
slept, our troops were up early(ish) for an Orientation Walk with Andy and
Carlos, and a presentation led by Sarah. It wasn't quite ice-cream weather in
the Plaza Mayor, the square glistening from a rainy night as the group
assembled. However, the lluvia that threatened during our stroll finally gave
way to sunshine towards the end, lighting up the golden stone of the Iglesia de
San Esteban. And what on earth were those up on the roof? Yep,
they were our old friends, the Salamanca storks!
The sit-down orientation gave a chance for the guys to rest their legs and absorb the veritable avalanche of program information and advice from the AIFS staff and the Faculty professors, Dr Guttman and Profesor Sfeir. Two hours later, with brains overflowing with advice, tips, rules and horarios, it was finally time for lunch and a free afternoon in the Manc…Woo-hoo!
We brought our arrivals weekend to a close in traditional fashion, with our welcome meal in Zaguan Restaurant. Paella “mixta” always brings a “mixed” reaction. But those who fell on the wrong side of the love/hate paella divide, a second course of chicken and French fries made sure everyone was happy. Or perhaps that was just the wine?!
Ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses. Salamanca 2013 is officially go!
We brought our arrivals weekend to a close in traditional fashion, with our welcome meal in Zaguan Restaurant. Paella “mixta” always brings a “mixed” reaction. But those who fell on the wrong side of the love/hate paella divide, a second course of chicken and French fries made sure everyone was happy. Or perhaps that was just the wine?!
Ladies and gentlemen, raise your glasses. Salamanca 2013 is officially go!
Andy
No comments:
Post a Comment