Hello everyone! After a little bit of a rocky start, we finally all arrived! Our flight out of JFK was delayed one and a half hours due to weather. We finally got out around 7:30 pm and the flight itself passed quickly and without incident. No problems on arrival... all luggage got in just fine and while our driver took the boys to their respective homes, I collected Alex and Max from their flight. They were then dropped off at their homes. Our afternoon meeting plans were thrown into a bit of chaos when I got a call from Tomek and Marek in Warsaw that they had had problems with their flight getting out of NY and missed their connection to Madrid. The only connecting flight they could get was through Munich, arriving in Madrid at 9:30 in the evening. Apparently they had departed from the gate, were second in line for takeoff and a passenger stood up, announced that he was having an anxiety attack and needed to get off the plane. They had to turn around, return to the gate, remove the passenger, then his luggage and after that, more passengers became agitated that they were afraid he had left something on the plane and didn´t want to fly! They finally calmed everyone down, after the captain threatened to cancel the flight for 48 hours... and took off. These two poor guys were traveling for more than 25 hours. However, they were troopers and arrived smiling and cheerful- I don´t think I could say the same had it happened to me!
We met in the Puerta del Sol on Sunday morning and went to the Rastro, the wonderful flea market that occurs every Sunday morning in Madrid. We rode the metro together, I showed them where the school was, we got telephones, we walked around "Old Madrid". They have learned how to order food, use an ATM, buy metro tickets, use the metro map to find their way around, where the street signs are, how to ask for directions. They now know where to get water and they rapidly learned how much they hate to wait for part of the group when they don´t arrive ontime. So they have learned how to be ontime! I am extremely happy to report that they were ALL on time or even early for the first day of classes today!
Yesterday was the feast of Corpus Christi and outside the Royal Palace was set up for an outdoor Mass and solemn procession. While these are common in Spain, you have to be in the "right place at the right time" in order to see one. We went to the Mass, and after the Mass had front row spots for the procession. There are some wonderful pictures. Unfortunately, I don´t have any as I couldn´t find my camera battery charger...I´ll get some from one one of the students and get some photos posted.
The boys are having a little trouble keeping up with me. They seem to tire (of walking) more rapidly than I (go figure!!!!) But I bravely press on! There is so much to see and do, that I just keep going and they have to keep up!
Today is their first day of class. They have all been tested and are in classes... but they will be moved according to their various abilities once the teachers get to know them. They all tell me they are speaking so much Spanish in their homes and already feel that they understand so much more!
I have a couple of more phones to get today and they will be all set. By the end of today, they should have all had the chance to send emails home.
I am sending the link for the blog to Prep so it can be placed on the Prep website for easier access. I´ll try to add every couple of days! But don´t worry, they are all fine and having a great time!