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Lasting Impressions

Hello! I can not believe how quickly the 3 weeks in Spain went. I am currently sitting in the airport waiting to get on my last flight of the trip which is heading back to Nashville! I can say that this is one of the best experiences I have ever had and one of the best things I could have ever done for myself. This journey has taught me so much about other cultures, people, and myself. I have done so many things outside of my comfort zone and will never regret any of them. I traveled to three different countries in my time abroad and so many amazing places that I never imagined I would get to see. I am going to miss all of the people that I met while I was there and the beautiful city of Barcelona. However, I am very happy to be back in America and one step closer to seeing family and friends. I have loved the group that I got to travel with and grow close to in this experience and will miss everyone when we are all back home. This has been an experience of a lifetime and a piece of
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Week 3-Culture

Hola, For week three I will be talking about the different culture in Spain. I can say it is very different from our own but I enjoyed learning all about it and getting to be a part of it for 3 weeks. Culture in general affects education all over. In Spain they have a very laid back culture and they have very little discipline. This is very evident in the schools and is positive in the educational setting. With the laid back style students are more motivated to do work and are excited to learn. The children and teachers all get small breaks throughout the school day and a long hour and a half lunch. Many of the students walk home to eat and then come back to school. With the mini breaks and long lunch during the day students don't seem to lose their motivation and energy as easily as students in America. By the end of the day in America students loose their energy or become unfocused more easily but in Spain they have "brain breaks" you could say several times throughou
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Week Two

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Hola, Week two here in Barcelona has flown by! We had a full week in the school and I saw so many great things. I am with boys all day long so the days are crazy but they go by very fast. During the school day I have been assisting my teacher in every class. I have not taught a lesson on my own yet over here but we do more of a co-teach type of method and a lot of one on one work with the students during the day. I mainly help students practice reading English and correct them when they speak. Ms. Alex also ask me to help explain things in English in a way that will be easier for students to understand. All of the American teachers are involved in every classroom that we go into and we all eat together and with other staff members of the school during breakfast and lunch times. The school we are in is very different then the schools I am used to being in. The first big difference is that of the gender separation. I feel that it is helpful in some ways but then in other ways I feel tha
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First Week = First Impressions

Hola, We are about to finish up the first week or few days of being in the school. Tomorrow is Friday but it is a special celebration for the school which means no classes. Instead we will be celebrating Saint George's day or Sant Jordi in Spanish. It is a very big tradition here in Barcelona and the actual day is Sunday but the catholic school we are in uses Friday for a big celebration with food, games, and fun for all students and staff. The tradition is based on a legend here and the guys give the girls roses and the girls give the guys books. It is very similar to Valentine's Day for us in America. I am excited to be apart of this and see how it all works out. My first impression of the school was that it is very huge. It could very well be a small college campus only in one area. It goes all the way from 2 years old to 12th grade. They speak three different languages at the school; Spanish, Catalan, and English which is very different from our schools. They start school
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First Few Days

Hola from Barcelona, This week has been exhausting and a whirlwind of emotions. I wish I could say that I haven't been struggling with letting my anxiety get the best of me but that would be a lie. The first few days have been very hard for me. I have been very homesick and upset. The 7 hour time difference does not seem to be helping with this issue. However, I have gotten to FaceTime the ones I love dearly and that has helped along with the amazing support system I have behind me and all of the prayers being sent my way. Today has been better. I have stayed as busy as I can. The only time it has hit me today is being alone at night getting ready to go to bed. I am going to embrace as much of this experience as I can and continue to stay busy the rest of the trip knowing that it will fly by and I will be home before I know it. The first few days of school have been very different but an awesome experience. I am working with first grade boys who are very busy but love learning.
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The Journey is about to Begin

March 27, 2017 As I sit here and create this blog I can't help but feel overwhelmed with emotions. I can't believe how fast time has flown by since I first began my freshman year at WKU in 2013. Now I am exactly 3 weeks away from getting on a plane to travel abroad to Barcelona, Spain where I will finish the last part of my student teaching before graduation. Coming to college I would have never imagined having this amazing opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and do something I wouldn't normally do. I have always loved traveling, but I have never had the chance to go over seas, especially without my family. I pray that with this journey I learn more about myself as a person and teacher. I can't wait to experience new cultures and see a whole new part of the world. A group of us plan to explore Barcelona during our time there but also plan to travel to Rome and other beautiful countries. I know that my time there will be short so I want to take it all in and
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