Spending Time With Pablo and Javier

Over the last few days, I have been able to experience Spanish culture and become closer with Pablo and Javier. On my first full day (Wednesday), I was able to experience their school. It is considerably different from our school. There are only around 50 people per grade and instead of students going to different classes, teachers go to different classes. I found this really interesting, as I have become so accustomed to moving to different classes throughout the day. Additionally, students do almost all of their work on paper instead of on an iPad or a computer. Coming from Silicon Valley, this seemed very strange to me. However, it must be nice to not have a device distracting you all day long. After school, John, Pablo, Javier, and I were able to walk around the city and see some of the important/significant buildings in the city such as the Palacio Real and the Plaza Mayor.

On Thursday, John and I were able to visit Gran Via. It was nice to experience a more touristy section of the city, as were able to see many of the old buildings as well as the more commercialized area of the city. 

On Friday, we attended school with Pablo and Javier and then went home and ate lunch. Afterwards, we toured the Salamanca neighborhood, an older section of the city with many shops and cafes. Additionally, we were able to see the Real Madrid soccer stadium. Pablo and Javier explained to me that it was under construction and when it is finished it will seat close to 100,000 people. Finally, we ate dinner at a traditional Tapas restaurant. It was fascinating to experience a traditional aspect of Spanish culture.

On Saturday, Pablo, Javier, John, Torri (a friend of Pablo and Javier), and I went to the local amusement park. It was exciting to see how a typical American activity has influenced the culture of other countries (such as Spain). I thought it was interesting to see how much of an impact the US has on other countries' culture. 

On Sunday, we explored the beautiful town of Segovia. We toured an old royal glass factory that had been turned into a museum. We were even able to see people make some glass vases! Additionally, we were able to see the gardens of the Spanish kings. Finally, we saw the old Roman aqueduct in the city. It was amazing to see such an old structure still standing

!