Miércoles 21 de Junio. Ya se acabó! Hoy ha sido un día completo, primero las cuevas de Güixas que hemos podido disfrutar. Una auténtica maravilla. Después hemos visitado una cascada y hemos podido comprar souvenirs en una tienda cercana. La tarde ha ido bien, hemos preparado un lipdub (una coreografía grupal) que hemos disfrutado muchísimo, y hemos terminado el día con una fiesta de despedida que nos ha mantenido en pie más de lo normal. Ahora, a dormir que mañana nos espera un largo día. Saldremos para Madrid a las 9, esperamos poder llegar a una hora decente. Los chicos os avisarán en el camino, no os preocupéis.

Para finalizar, deciros que ha sido un auténtico placer llevarnos a estos chicos a este campamento. Creemos que se lo han pasado bomba, y hemos visto que han practicado el Inglés casi las 24 horas. Al haber estado 24 horas interactuando con los monitores y con nosotras, se han visto forzados a hablar en Inglés todo el rato. Estoy segura de que os lo van a decir.

Y ahora os voy a dejar con Diana, nuestra asistente de conversación con la que he tenido el honor de compartir esta experiencia. Os quiere decir unas lineas, podéis pedirles a vuestros chicos que os lo traduzcan si lo necesitáis.

A todos, muy buen verano, y muchas gracias por la confianza depositada en nosotros.

Un abrazo,

Elena Santa

Hello, Las Lagunas parents!

Diana here! I was the redhead running around outside the buses Sunday morning passing out slips with the link to this blog and counting to make sure we didn't leave any students in Rivas! I have had the greatest pleasure this year teaching and getting to know your children, and when Elena asked if I would be interested in coming along, I could not resist. 

Before I say a few words about this amazing week, I just want to say a few things about myself. As Elena said above, I was one of the language assistants in your kids' classes this year. I am from Arkansas (USA), a small state in the South next to Texas where I was an English teacher. Arkansas' state nickname is "The Natural State" because of our abundance of state parks, mountains, rivers, and beautiful natural scenery. I knew, if nothing else, coming up here with this group would be an amazing experience because the landscape is so similar to home. Yes, the landscape is beautiful (as is all of Spain, it seems!), but this week has been one of the greatest weeks of my year in Spain for a different reason: the students.

This week I have seen your children speak more English without as much hesitation than I thought possible. The relaxed setting of the mountains and the ridiculously fun activities planned by the fantastic staff up here really created the ideal setting for a full immersion experience. I was always taught to go out and just play outside, and that was often where I had the most fun. I got to rekindle (have fun translating that word!) my love for playing in the dirt while here, and the students got to have classes outside, running around and generally enjoying learning (even though they may not have even realized they learned a lot!). 

My absolute favorite part of the week was the day we went to the kayaking and canoeing river. There were so many different activities for the students, we got to take a hike there and back, the water was incredibly cool, and you don't realize how funny kayaking can be until you come across a few boats that have gotten stuck in the narrow stream. The staff there had a great field on which the students largely played football, but what made it ten times better was that there was a sprinkler out in the middle spraying water on everyone. It helped keep us cool in the hot sun and made for an hilarious toy for everyone. All the while, to get students thinking and talking in English, I started asking them riddles. By the end of the day I had multiple students coming up asking about the Pelican Sandwich, My Green Door, and a riddle about an object with a face and arms that no one has been able to solve as of yet. They asked so many questions (all in English!) and came up with some bizarre theories. That day at the river was exhausting, but it was definitely an incredible day.

If you ask your children to describe me this week, I am fairly certain the words "emotional" or "she cried a lot" will be mentioned. I got to know your children so well this year, and this week is my last week with all students. I had such an incredible time in Rivas with all the students, the teachers, Elena, that leaving all of this to go home is very difficult. The students have so much character, they are so passionate, they make me laugh on a daily basis, that I wish I could bring them back to Arkansas with me. I cannot wait to see where they all go in life. If they put as much effort in to their futures as they did at this immersion camp and go at it with the same amount of passion, I do not doubt they will all lead fascinating lives (hopefully using this English they are working so hard to improve!).

We will see you all tomorrow, and if I do not get to say it then, have a wonderful summer, and I hope next year is just marvelous! I will miss each and every one of these kids.

Good game,

Diana Brown