Chocolate
chip cookies and Thanksgiving turkey were the order of the day when 20
students from Majadahonda, Spain arrived last September to spend three
weeks in the homes of CRLS families and attend classes with their
American "brothers" and "sisters". This was the second part of a
bilateral exchange with "Instituto Leonardo DaVinci", a comprehensive
public high school 10 kilometers outside of Madrid. Twelve CRLS students
traveled to Spain at the end of June to experience Spanish life,
including visits to iconic places such as Toledo and the Prado Art
Museum as well as coming home to a doting Spanish family. Two CRLS
students received generous travel fellowships thanks to the generosity
of from Friends of CRLS and students who were unable to travel, also
accompanied the Spaniards to Plimoth Plantation and Salem, again thanks
to FOCLS.
In Cambridge, the bond between the two groups of
students deepened, as they were able to share school days together and
experience American teenage life together. In addition, CRLS opened its
doors to the Spaniards and several teachers designed special classes to
give these visitors an unforgettable and enriching experience. RSTA
teacher Rick McKinney and his Culinary Arts students showed the
Spaniards how to make chocolate chip cookies, while in Sharon Lozada's
STARS class, students engaged in a discussion about cultural stereotypes
and misconceptions.
Parents
were also a large part of the exchanges success; the participants of
the exchange were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at the
West Cambridge Youth Center and at another event, CRLS student Jonah
Ellsworth played his cello for school officials and even a
representative from the Spain's Ministry of Education. CRLS parents and
students hosted pizza parties and picked up 20 weary Spanish travelers
from the Alewife bus station as they returned from a 3-day trip to New
York City.
By the end of having spent a total of six weeks
together, both the Americans and Spaniards have forged close ties with
each other and many have expressed their desire to visit Spain again or
return to Cambridge. Many shed farewell tears, but in the meantime,
there's Skype, Facebook, and the anticipation meeting again in the near
future.