Thank you Letters from Spain

Dear family Trenn:

How are you? I hope you are fine. I am ok but a little bit stress with the school.
I miss you so much! I want to thank you for the time we spent together in Vienna. For me it was one of the most special moments of mi life.
It was nice to meeting you, we shared a lot of great moments and I had a lot of good memories of you.
With you I felt at home. We did a lot of things together and we laughted a lot.
And I just want you to know that I love you very much.

With love,

Bea Rubiales

Dear Helga, Julia and Manfred:

How are you?

Everything is all right here. Thanks for your letter. I was very pleased to know that you enjoy in your stay in Madrid . Mine in Austria was amazing as well , that is why I want to thank you for your support and dedication when I was in Austria.

Of course I enjoy your culture and food (especially the applestrudle) and I still remember the tortillas' day, it was so funny!!! Please, could you send me the photos of that day?

Two weeks ago we went to the funfair in Madrid, and we remembered the Prater in Viena. Also, in Educrea everyone remembers “the Austrians”, we still have the paintings in the fresquera, and the other day they gave us a magazine about this year in which the longest article was about the exchange!

It is for sure that you will be in our minds for a long, long time, I hope that for ever.

Greetings for all the people I knew there (in the choir, Vicky, in the school...) and especially for your wonderful family I will never forget.

LOTS OF KISSES AND HUGES!!

Inma

Dear family,

I´m writing this letter for a simple reason, because I want to thank you for the time that we spent together.

First of all because when I stayed in your house I felt at home. The whole family was very nice with me, you gave me every thing I needed and I had a really great time with you.

Also because with you I had the opportunity to improve my English and to get to know more about your interesting culture and about your way of life from which I learned a lot.

What I like most of this trip was the friendship that I had with Alex, she was always helping me with my problems, giving me a solution or making me things easier.

With Jasmin I loved talking too, because we are similar in many ways so we understood each other perfectly. I am very glad because all of you were fantastic and I´m looking forward to seeing you soon.

I want to let you know how grateful I feel, especially with my host mother Silvie, everyday she was trying to make me feel comfortable and she taught me a lot of things.

Thank you very much!

Love

Andrea.

Dear Agnes and family,

This letter is to thank you for taking part in the programme and for being such a nice family with Vanessa during her stay in Vienna. Unfortunately she left school this year but we wanted to let you know how grateful we feel to you Agnes and to your wonderful family.

Thank you for taking care of her while she was sick, thank you for being so tender and nice. She felt at home with you and We hope you enjoyed together and learnt from each other.

She will never forget this wonderful experience that you all shared together. We hope you keep in contact but anyway you will always be in our hearts.

Thanks indeed for your help !

Warm Regards,

Mº Jose and Felicity.

Hello Katrin and family,

I am writing this letter because I want to say thank you for all the effort that all of you have made for me.

I know that having a foreign student in your own house is a very difficult thing, but I want you to know that you make me feel at home and I felt very sad when I left.

Sometimes it was very difficult to agree in some things to work together in the Comenius topics etc but the best is that we finally solved everything.

I will never forget all the things we lived together… your knock in the head with the faucet, the jam Serrano, the Palachinke, when your zip obstructed your jacket and my father had to help you ,the Prater, the Danube Weatlands, the Carnaval party, the hard rock café, all the sightseeing…

All those things that makes my exchange in Austria unforgettable!

And I hope the same for you in Spain.

Evelyne, Kerstin and Katrin, thank you so much for all the moments we spend together!

Many greetings and kisses from my family

And I hope we can keep in touch!

Hi Marlene and family,

I want to say thank you very much for all the time we spent together in Austria.

Thank you indeed for your support and for offering me your house I really appreciated it and I will never forget it.

The time that Ana, Marta and me were there with you was absolutely incredible!

I will never forget your beautiful house, your horses, when we saw “new moon”, the delicious Austrian dishes that your cook prepared for us, your dog, your mum, your dad and of course, you!

Every time and everything was special for me, also when every morning you put chocolate in our room, it was so cute! Also when your bird wakes everybody up in the mornings, and, of course, the last day when we made those beautiful photos in the field…

I know it was so difficult for your mum to host three people in her house and I feel very grateful for that!

I hope we keep in touch for long!

I will never forget you and your family, many kisses and hugs from Spain!

Nerea

Dear Kreindl Family.
To begin with, I want you to know how much I liked your letter, It was so emotive and of course we feel the same about you. We enjoyed so much our time in Austria, and it has been an incredile experience I would never forget, specially because it was by your side. Besides you all were so attentive with us... we really felt like at home.
I would like to tell you a secret... and it is that I have always thought I have been the most fortunate person for sharing almost everything with you, maybe because I consider you a really nice person or beceuse your parents are wonderfull. Even though your father did't knew enought english, it was quite fun the comunication with him, pff and your mum is one of the most sweet and good person I have ever met. Imposible to express what I felt there with all of you.
It is true that this project sometimes has been a little bit hard to stand it, but obviusly it was gratifying too.
Now I know what is to really miss someone, because when we were gone and we left you back... I felt a hole inside of me imposible to fill.
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING MY SPECIAL FAMILY

Marta

LETTER OF GRATEFULNES

First of all I wanted to thanks to the Comenius project and to the teachers that without their support this project wasn`t been so successfully.

My partners and me have had the opportunity to know the culture of another country and the customs of Austria.

I want to give my gratefulness to Lukas´s family because when I was in Austria they give all of things that I could need, I felt like in house.

The most exciting experience was a festival because all of us were been dancing and more things that I can`t explain.

In general all the activities were very nice, all having something especial or interesting. My favorite excursion was to the wetlands of the Danube.

Well in general was very nice and I`m very happy to have done the travel.

Dani

Hi Cris!

How are you? I am fine but a little bit stressed because of the school .This years is more difficult .

I am writing this letter to tell you THANKS FOR EVRERY THING because I had a very good time in Austria. For example when we watched films or when we stayed at home with your family. Thanks for these beautiful moments that I will never forget.

I want to say thanks to your mum because she did everything that she could to explain me every little thing that I didn´t understand or even when she tried to speak English to allow our communication.

I want to say thanks to your dad, because he tried to communicate with me in German. It reminds me of my father because he usually does the same with me.

And I want to say thanks for all the things that your family gave me: the sweets, the presents all the things...

I want to see you! Because I miss you and I miss your family!

Thank you indeed for all the moments that we lived in Austria. I really had an unforgettable experience thanks to you.

All my love

Carolina González

Dear janach's family:
I have to say ''THANK YOU'' because you have been like my Austrian family.
You helped me in everything that you could, and I have done unforgettable moments with you,
for example, when I flew by plane, when we ate Austrian typical food, etc...
so congratulations because I have felt like at home with all of you.
I want to see you as soon as possible.
BYE-BYE

Carlos de Alvaro

Dear Dessi ;

How are you ¿ I am very good, a little bit stressed because I started school and this year it’s more difficult and we have new difficult subjects…

I am writing to you to say Thank You for sharing with you and the rest the time that we were there enjoying with all of you the school, the city, the excursions, the moments in your house, all the parties.. Every Thing ;)

I don’t know exactly what to tell you… Just that incredible effort that you made to have fun in Austria when we were there, you were very worried and preparing things to do with us and your friends to go to the disco or just to have an ice-cream but it was perfect.

You know? I miss you a lot, an all the moments that we share and I think that that experience has made us grow as a person and be more “adults”. I had never made an exchange with people from another country, and I really recommend it to everybody.

I know too that we had our differences but that’s the trick of that things, because with this exchange we had the opportunity to know and meet people from another country and learn the habits and the way of life of each other and know the things that we don’t have in common and we are not agree, but it doesn’t mean that we got on bad for little things, because we can share ideas and talk a lot.

Seriously, thanks for everything and for spend time preparing things to make it funny and interesting our visit in Austria.

Kisses,

Beatriz Garcia.

Dear Marlene, Corinna and family :

I have to tell you that I remember you everytime, every moment that we spent together, I really miss you..

When I was at your house I felt great, I didn’t miss anything and I had everything I needed.

I still remember our arrival at Austria, when we opened the door of the room for the very first time and we saw all those little presents. Lots of chocolate or sweets were waiting for us on the table. I remember our making-up classes with Marlene, the amazing food from Silvia's restaurant, the sweety Corinna, Bernad, so funny... and, obviously: Akin.

I will never forget you, and you will always be my second family.

I just have to tell you that my life is OK here, everything goes right. Do you know that I have already bought a dog?

Yes! I could convince my mother! Haha.. it's a Siberian Husky, and I'm in love with him! Haha..

I hope you are fine and the restaurant goes right that your grand-parents are fine and also Marlene's horses.

Lots of kisses and hugs from Spain.

Anni

Dear klemens, Andrea and Rudi,

You know how much I enjoyed my stay in your house. Now I want to say thank you one more time, for being so kind to me and my family this summer. It was great to have the opportunity of meeting you again. I hope you can do the same and visit me and my family.

I am grateful because you prepared such delicious meals (you know I like your cooking very much!) and, moreover you told some of my new Austrian friends to share that time with us. I know you were very busy at that moment, so I appreciate it even more.

My family and I were impressed at your new winery and wish you the best of luck. You could send me some photos when the works have finished and so we can have an idea of what it looks like, will you?

Well, this is all by now, as I said before, I hope you visit us back some time or another.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!

Adri :D

Thank you!

We would like to thank Ulrike's mother for showing us how to prepare this lovely Apfelstrudel. We had a great time! Vielen lieben Dank!

Farewell Party in Austria

We celebrated the last night in Austria with a farewell party in Marlene's restaurant.
All students of the exchange program were there (the Spanish students, the Austrian students, their parents, the teachers...)
We dressed up nicely, the girls wearing dresses, shorts or smart trousers, and the boys jeans and shirts.

First we had dinner. It was a buffet that had everything: meat, vegetables, it was so delicious food. Also there were sweets, like cake and biscuits.
After dinner we took some photos and then the Spanish teachers gave a present to the Austrian teachers: a small olive tree that meant the beginning of a friendship that we hope continues growing and growing. Also, Austrian students handed milka chocolate and a bouquet of flowers on to the Spanish teachers. Then everyone thanked everyone for the effort that was made in the exchange program. It was a touching moment.
But there was something strange: Klemens wasn't there! When we came back to our tables, someone told us to put the chairs in a different way, because Klemens had brought his partner and they dance for us!!! They did it very well, we were astonished. They danced a twist, a salsa, but the best was the pasodoble, typical from Spain!



We were mood to party and went to our favourite café without the parents and teachers.


It was a wonderful evening, but there was also this sad thing: the following day we had to leave Austria.

by Inma

Letters from Austrian students

Dear Hernandez family,

The reason why I am writing you a letter is because I want to tell you, how grateful I am about the chance of staying at your house, getting to know your culture better and practicing my Spanish and English.
You always treated me like your own child and that’s amazing, great,…..
I can’t find words to express my gratitude. What I liked most, was that you gave me the feeling that I was at home.
You worked very hard in order to make me feel comfortable.
Another special thing I want to mention is that it is now unbelievable for me to live without my second family.
During my stay in Spain I got two sisters, who always helped me, when there was a problem, two brothers, who entertained me, so that I wasn’t bored and two lovely parents, who did everything for me, no matter what it was. That’s why I am writing to you, because I want you to know, that I will never forget you, no matter what will happen. I love you. Thank you for everything.
Yours, Marlene

Dear Rodelgo family and especially Adrian,

In this letter I want to tell you what I liked most about my stay in Spain and especially in your house. You are a very friendly family and I really felt very well all the time. I liked cooking with Mr. Rodelgo and eating with the whole family in the evening. Mr. Rodelgo, Fernando, was like a father for me during that time. After school, when we returned to your house, I was happy to see Thilthe, this sweet little white dog.

Often I was sad, because I missed my dance classes at home so much. But in Austria I had the possibility to dance for Mrs. Rodelgo, Maria Jose, and Adrian and all my Spanish friends and now I hope they have a bit of understanding for me and my situation in Spain.

All the people from the Comenius project spent a lot of time in the city of Alcala de Henares. I also have wonderful memories of this city and I will tell you the best information which I can remember.

At the beginning of our walk through Alcala, on the first Saturday we learned something about the history of the city. At first it was an Ibero-celtic development, later it was a Roman city. The village was also very famous for very good agriculture because in the past there were three important rivers and so they had enough water.

What I find very impressive is the chapel San Ildefonso, where the beautiful tomb of Cardinal Cisneros is. The city is also very famous, because Cervantes was born there. He is the world famous author of “Don Quijote”. When Adrian visited me in Austria he brought a wonderful present, namely two tea cups with a picture of Don Quijote. All of our family were happy about this nice present from Spain and especially from my host family Rodelgo. I often think of our nice time in your country and finally I want to say thank you very much for everything!

Yours sincerely, Klemens


Dear Pablo, Charly, Cuan and Mar, the best host family ever!

I miss you a lot and I want to say thank you for these great two weeks. I enjoyed them very much and there are only good memories in my mind.
When I came back from Spain I had a great feeling and lots of things to tell my family. When I think of you, I always smile. I hope you, Charly, had kind of the same feeling when you came home.
The best thing that I remember was when I came to your home and you showed me all the rooms. When we were in the kitchen, Mar, you said to me “our house is your house”. It was a great feeling for me and from that moment I felt part of the family. Like the third son.
I also will never forget the best food in the world: Paella! When I talk with my family or with my friends about food, I always remember this moment when I sat with you at lunch and ate this great Paella. Then I tell them that they have to try it one day.
For me this was one of the best times in my life. I now have a second family with two brothers, Charly and Pablo, and also great parents.
I really look forward to the summer holiday and I hope I am able to come to Spain one more time with my family.
Please write back soon! I hope you are fine!
Yours Christoph
!DOS BESOS!

Dear Nerea, Marisol and Rafael,

I want to thank you very much for the great time I had in Spain.
It was a great experience in a unique country and I also hope that you enjoyed the time with me.
I really enjoyed staying in your family, because I felt like a family member and like a daughter of your parents. Your family gave me the opportunity of seeing the daily life of a Spanish family. I have to say that there are lots of differences between Austrian and Spanish people.
What I liked most was the open-mindedness of the Spanish people.
For Spanish people saying hello means giving two kisses which is quite different in Austria. In Austria you only shake hands. I liked sightseeing in Madrid a lot and the excursions we made on the weekends together with the families.
I will miss the time in Spain very much but I hope that we will keep in contact and will see each other again.

Yours,
Katrin

Dear Spanish friends,

How are you?

I hope Inma arrived safely in Madrid and told you more positive than negative things about Austria.

I am writing to you, because I want to thank you for all the things you did for me, when I was in Spain.

It was very interesting to get to know a different culture and taste typical Spanish food.

Especially, I liked that you always were happy and eager to show me new things.

Even though we only spoke Spanish and I didn’t always understand what you meant right away, I don’t think we had any communication problems.

Furthermore I was also touched by the way you integrated me into the family. I got to go to church choir rehearsals with you and even to celebrate Irene’s first birthday.

I hope Inma wasn’t too disappointed with Austria, its culture and food.

I wish all of you the best.

Please, say hello to María José and everyone at the school and church for me.

Yours,

Julia

Dear Anna and Marta,


In the four weeks that we spent together we learnt how difficult it is to live with people from a foreign country. 
We shared problems and also happy moments and we lived an experience that we will never forget. 
What I liked most in Spain was your family and the new culture. Your family was very friendly and helpful. I felt very comfortable in your house and the food was very good. The best thing in Spain was the “Siesta” =). 
In the first week we were overwhelmed by lots of new impressions, because the culture in Spain is very different from that in Austria. The people are much more out-going and they tend to communicate in a very loud way. 
Last but not least I want to say thank you for the great time and I´m looking forward to coming back to your wonderful country.


Best wishes and lots of kisses, 
Corinna

Dear Benny, Andrea & Vane,

First of all, I want to thank you again for the warm reception in Spain. From the beginning I felt as if I had been at home and not only because you always said, „My house is your house!“.
A great "thank you" goes to you, Benny, because you are the best chef in the world! You even beat my grandmother and I think Vane told you, that her cooking skills are also worth mentioning. Without doubt I´ve never put on so much weight like in those two weeks.
In the evening I really loved it to speak with you, Andrea. Although you are „only“ eight years, you speak good English. Moreover I really realised that your English was getting better and better.
In the end I´ve to mention that I´m really glad that Vane was my Comenius partner, because in my opinion we went along great.
I´m looking forward to visiting you in summer.
A lot of kisses

Agnes

The Press - Die Presse

“Immer bestens informiert”, in English, “always up to date” is the slogan of “Die Presse”, an Austrian quality newspaper, which we visited with our school on Friday. First we were given the basic information about the history and the newspaper as such. At the beginning 500-600 people were employed by the newspaper and more than 50.000 copies were sold annual. In 1938 a supporter of the nationalists denigrate the newspaper, because of the Jewish employees. In 1953 the new owner of “Die Presse” was Fritz Molden, because his father Ernst Molden died. In September 1996 “ Die Presse.com” was established. Every newspaper has its special subjects with “Die Presse” it´s politics, economy, culture and comments.

by Andrea & Alexandra

Class on Sigmund Freud

Class on Sigmund Freud

The teacher came to the class and introduced herself. Then she gave us material with information about Sigmund Freud. We read his biography and his theories. Freud was a Jewish-Austrian neurologist who founded the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. He was one of the most important thinkers and he elaborated the theory that the mind is a complex energy-system. After reading the biography we read the dream symbolism and how Freud interprets dreams. Then we played a game that was like a puzzle with a number behind each jigsaw piece. The aim was to interpret dreams in groups at the end.

After that class we went to the “Sigmund Freud Museum”. A guide told us everything about his house, his life, his furniture. It was impressive!


by Bea




The Danube Wetlands

On the bank of the Danube there was a large wooden boat, called Tschaike. We got on the boat and rowed. There were about twelve oars altogether. It was very difficult to row at the same pace, we counted one, two, three and started. Finally the owner of the boat, who had actually built it himself, switched on the engine. This type of boat was originally brought in by the Turkish 500 years ago. They also used the river to take soldiers from one side to the other and when a bridge collapsed or when there was no bridge they put a number of these boats side by side so that people could cross the river.
At this time of the year the water line of the Danube is one meter lower than usual because it is still very cold and the snow in the mountains has not melted yet.
In the Danube wetlands there are lots of beavers. In the past they were a rare species, but now there are many more.

Nerea

Visit to the Spanish Embassy

INTERVIEW

Before the meeting Carlos and Marta prepared some questions for the culture councillor, and one of them was:

-Which activities are carried out to make people get to know Spain?

-The culture’s function is much more than this, I mean, it has a lot of repercussion in the GDP or PIB (Gross domestic product- Producto interior bruto). Functions that enter in direct contact with the members related to the culture. They establish a relation; singers facilitate the access to artists, painters, musicians... There are lots of cultural events, like theatre plays.

So they are a way of communication, they work like a “bridge” or like a “connection” between two sides (two countries in this case). Here an example:
At the end of June ends Spain's leadership of the UE. Important people are invited and there will be a special celebration with a Spanish Mezzo Soprano. In fact it is one of the best in the world. He is going to receive 20.000 Euros for one evening.

-Do you know which is the most famous destination in Austria?

I am sure it is Sissi’s Palace.

- Is it necessary that the staff at the embassy is Spanish?
That depends on the department; The diplomats must be of Spanish nationality, the civil servants too, but other employees can be Spanish, Austrian or of a third nationality.

-Which languages are indispensable for a diplomat?

English, Spanish and French are obligatory, but you can also be a diplomat with more languages of course; Russian, Arabic, Italian…

After this meeting we had the opportunity of getting to know the Spanish Embassy building from inside. The culture counselor showed us around the main rooms, where they usually invite people.

Everything looked very elegant and the staff was very professional. We saw different rooms. The last room was the most important: There was a very big table and the decoration was amazing. Actually they tried to copy the former style of the building, because it all had burnt down in the war.

At the end of the excursion Carlos de Álvaro and Marta Hernández thanked Jose Luis for receiving us and for his time.

My personal opinion is, that it was the best excursion we have had, because the topic is intriguing! In other words, I think it was a great idea to have a meeting with someone who works at the Embassy, because he can transmit a lot of personal and noteworthy information. In addition I liked that it was in Spanish. I felt "at home" and could relate to the culture counselor easily. But the main reason is, that I am thinking about going that way as well, one day maybe forming part of a embassy.

I am really interested in the issue, because I love languages and travelling, meeting new people, new places… So, this excursion was very positive for me and for the rest of my school mates as well. We enjoyed it a lot.

To sum up I have to say that Jose Luis was very nice with all of us and he knew exactly how to make us feel comfortable.


by Marta

Hi from Austria

we are really happy to be here and we really had a very warm welcome. We are living wonderful experiencies and children seem to be very happy here. We want to thank everybody: teachers, families for the great effort they are doing to make this exchange possible.
Felicity ( Bilingual Programme Coordinator)

Personal Opinions

It's the first time in my life that I've felt really excited because of going to school! We've gone to an excursion through Wagram, a town from Austria where the Austrian's school is. We've seen the church, lots of beautiful houses, a monument about the first and the second World War... and we've had to climb a tower about three hundred steps! But, I can swear, that it seemed like taking three thousand! When we finished the visit, we came back to the school and we had normal classes.
In the afternoon we went to the "Prater", which is a very famous fun fair, but it seemed an amusement park! It was huge!
We did all the fairground rides we saw and we had a lot of fun there.
We spent all the afternoon at the "Prater", so we finished exhausted...
What a day in Austria! A day to be repeated!

(Anni)

The first day in Austria!!!

¡POR FIN!” After a lot of time waiting for this moment… we are in Austria. We have already arrived and everything seems completely perfect. I feel like being in a fairytale when I’m walking through Austrian streets. The houses are so beautiful, with many little details. We have had an absolutely great welcome from the Austrians. When we arrived, they were waiting for us with balloons and a poster.This afternoon we’ve had a good time in the school party. A lot of people were ther, even some that we haven't meet before! There was a banquet with lots of types of food, and everything was delicious. Now, I’m laying at my new bed, and actually: I’m very tired… but happy when I think about the reason: it has been an EXPLOSIVE DAY
(Anita)

Austrian Day

Goodbye!

The Austrian people leave tomorrow. Although we're going meet in April, we feel so sad. We don't want them to go!
Today we did some especial things in the school to say goodbye. Some pupils performed a great theatre about Mozart's life, the Austrian students did a presentation about their country, and 4th of ESO danced a very funny dance which mixed the two cultures. And, of course, we had to show what we had been doing in the topics. We also read a speech and some people cried at the end.
Thanks to everyone, and SEE YOU SOON IN AUSTRIA!

Dear students,

Two weeks ago I asked you what you hoped to get out of our Comenius project.
I have summed up your answers:
I want to
get to know their points of view
make friends with people from a different culture
learn more English and practise my vocabulary
see lots of sights in Madrid
improve my Spanish
get to know new people
show the Austrian students our way of life, typical food,
make a newspaper about our experience
practise speaking English
learn to adept to new situations
become a better person offering all that I have
try to understand German
spend a lot of time with my Comenius partner
find out how Spanish people live
teach some Spanish to my Austrian student
learn more about Spain

I hope
to learn a lot of new things
to improve my English and Spanish
to learn as much English as possible
that the Austrians will enjoy their stay here
to work together
to get to know the Spanish culture
to play volleyball
to see interesting things
to party
to have fun
to go to a typical Spanish restaurant
that we will stay in contact after the project has finished
that I will meet a lot of new people
the Spanish students will like Austria
to give a good presentation
I can use what I learn in the project for my final exam
I will learn more about Austria
we will meet again after the project is finished
the Spanish people will enjoy their trip to Austria

I have enjoyed working with all of you. Thank you for sharing your time and thoughts with me. Working with you and your teachers has broadened my horizon and has given me an idea of what it means to be a European.
I would really like to know which of the above hopes have been fulfilled/not been fulfilled; how you feel about the cultural differences you have encountered; what hopes you have for the second part of the exchange. Please use this blog to stay in contact with me and with each other. Yours sincerely, Elisabeth Neudorfer

El Prado

El Prado in Madrid is one of the most important art collections of the world. There we saw many wonderful pictures by the most important painters ever. The most impressive works of art were “Las Meninas” by Diego Velazquez, “Charles V at Mühlberg” by Titian and “Danae and the shower of gold” by Titian.

Family life is great...

here are some of the most striking impressions that Austrian students had at home:

• I am looking forward to cooking with my family tonight. It is very interesting to see how they prepare their food, because there are some differences to Austria and new things I can learn.
• I like the fact that the people spend a lot of time with me: playing cards, talking about the day during the dinner and especially the sobremesa
• My family helps me a lot with learning the Spanish language. Sometimes I can't understand a sentence and they explain it to me in detail - so my Spanish is improving a lot!
• The first sentence they said was 'Mi casa es su casa'. That means that I am not only a guest but a family member who can use everything in the house and really feel at home. My life there is very comfortable!
• When I arrived my host mother kissed me like my mother never does. The truth is that I liked it and I will tell my mum to hug me more often.
• My host parents are very helpful, caring and open-hearted. They ask about my well-being a lot, so that I always feel sound and safe.
• My family shows me around a lot and introduces me to their way of life as much as possible. I even went to church with them which is a crucial part of their culture.
• In my house I am free to do whatever I want. My family lets me participate in day-to-day life and they even share their cooking secrets with me! I will cook Spanish dishes in Austria for sure!
• I feel connected to the Spanish culture because of my family and the fact that they talk to me a lot. When there is something special or new, my family explains it to me in detail - so it's easy to really feel at home!
  

Thursday

Today we went to Madrid, we visited ''El museo del Prado'', it was good.
Then, we went to ''El Madrid de los Austrias'', I liked it very much.
We visited ''The Mayor Square''(La plaza Mayor). I think that it was very exciting.
Now I'm going to play tennis.
Bye-bye, carlos

More personal impressions from the Spanish side...

First day: Austrian people arrive! All of us (spanish people) were so nervous because of this event! We thought that it would be an unforgettable experience... and it is! At first Austrian people seemed a little bit shy, but that wasn't a problem. On Tuesday: It was Marlene's birthday! And we (my sister, my parents and me) decided to give her some presents. My parents gave her a leather case with pens. Me and my sister bought a frame where we put a photo of ours and a set of candles . Then all the Spanish people gave her a cap, a scarf, a clock, a bracelet and an elephant felt. I think that she liked all the presents a lot! Well, I hope so. All this week we were getting in contact with them and finding out some of their customs. I think that their customs are a very important thing for them because they can't put them out, I mean, I think that it's difficult for them to adapt. On Friday, we went to Alcala, just to show them some places and to have a walk there... we went to McDonal's... On Saturday I organised a party at home because I wanted all the Austrian people to have fun! At the beginning I was thinking about a normal party, but then I realized that it was carnival! And I decided to prepare a carnival party =). In this week we are relating more each other and I think everything is going better. I hope that all our guests will have a great time in Toledo and then here, in Madrid, because on Friday and on Saturday we are going out.

Hello to everyone!

Today is Wednesday, 17th. I'm very happy about this exchange. We (Spanish people) understand Austrian traditions much better now. The students came here one week ago, and now we are like brothers and sisters.
Tomorrow we are going to go to Madrid. Although they went there already last Friday, I would like to show them the capital of my country myself, as I hope they will do in Austria.
(unknown Spanish student)

the host school online

http://www.grupoeducrea.com/principal.html

Topics on Wednesday

After clarifying organisational questions for Thursday (Visit to Madrid, Prado Museum), all 24 students of the exchange program created two individual maps of Spain: The Spanish students made up a jigsaw with information about their country that they consider very important, while the Austrian students made up a jigsaw with things they have learnd in the last 10 days, their image of Spain according to their impressions so far.

Snow in Educrea

Yesterday the whole school went crazy, because it snowed. Some students got picked up by their parents because they were afraid that they would not be able to get home if it snowed more. Most Spanish people do not have winter equipment for their cars and because of that, there is a traffic chaos when it snows.

In the Spanish lesson some students of our age taught us some teenage language. Here are a few examples:

Te voy a dar una leche.
Estas to flipo?
(Agnes, Klemens, Christina)

The most famous son of Alcalá

Among the other things we saw in the historic centre of the city were the birth house of Miguel Cervantes. His book „Don Quijote de la Mancha“ is the 2nd most translated book the world, after the wholy bible. His birith house - now a museum - is located in the Calle Mayor, the commercial street of Alcalá.

Cultural differences according to a Austrian student

Things that we consider a bit weird, because they don't happen in Austria:

Spanish people usually do not take off their shoes, not even in the house
tend to leave the doors open
fry everything
the driving style is “loco”,
never heard of pavement, stop signs, etc.
a lot of people watch TV as a background noise
there are a lot of bathrooms
church is important and sometimes controversial

Guernica - big, excellent, interesting, and exciting

On Friday we went to Madrid to see the famous painting “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso. For all the students it was very interesting and exciting to see the painting. Some girls said that it gave them goosebumps. For me it was very interesting to see the original and I liked it very much. I enjoyed discussing the picture and we got a lot of information from each other. (unknown)

For more information see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7986540.stm#featuretop

The museum Reina Sofía...

is dedicated to Queen Sofia of Spain. In the past this building was a hospital and the new part is very impressive and modern.
The world-famous painting “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso is shown there.
Many of us said that this picture gave them the creeps. We were lucky to have studied the main symbols before we went to the museum.
For me the mother with the dead child in her arms is the most emotional element in this painting.
(Klemens Hofer)