
Notable quotable: Hey, I can skip a stone five times!!!!
Jessica is really good at skipping stones. Jessica can be a bit shy but around her pals Sarah and Frieda she really likes to let loose. Jessica is extremely flexible, she goes with the flow, which makes for a great traveler. You never know what the day brings. As I say to all of the students: "The more flexible you are, the more stable a person you become. Jessica, you figured this out early. Good for you!!

Notable quotable (Me: Angela, you KILL me) Angela (Deadpan) "and yet you're still here"
Angela was our translator extraordinaire and she wowed all natives that we came in contact with her level of Spanish. Even our guide, Roberto, was impressed saying that her grammar questions were quite advanced. She is already fluent in Mandarin and English - I can see her as a linguist some day. Angela celebrated her sweet 16 in Barcelona. Hopefully this isn´t a birthday she won´t quickly forget.

Notable quotable: "Ms. Gruner, there´s the cathedral! You mean we could've just walked through the town instead of doing this 25 minute hike!"
Yes, Tejas figured out in San Sebastian. That walk around the mountain was completely unnecessary but it was great exercise. Plus it got us nice and warmed up for the cool dip in the Cantabrian Sea - right?! Anyway, Tejas is a huuuuuuuge soccer fan, getting us all jazzed about the Spain and the U.S. soccer matches. Of course it was a bummer when USA got eliminated but he was elated when Spain beat Portugal. As was the entire town of Calella.

Sarah: Notable quotable: "This trip to Spain, on a scale of one to ten, I´d give it a ten. Nope, let me change that to a 9.25 - hey nothing´s perfect."
Sarah - in response to that: You kill me!!! Yes, and I´m still here. Anyway, Sarah always, but always, has a smile on her face. She´s always laughing and enjoying herself, even when she´s not quite feeling well. Sarah is also really athletic, is into Madrid´s soccer team ¨"Real Madrid" . Other athletic activities displayed on our trip: Bike riding, logging major miles in Madrid and Barcelona, swimming at Calella and, of course, pillow fighting with her roommates (like I didn´t know! :) Anyway, Sarah is planning to take Spanish next year at JLS!!! See you then.

Notable quotable: (Me: Do you want go to the beach?) Nathan: "No"
(Me: Do you want to hang out at the pool?) Nathan: "No" (Me: Do you want to go bike riding) Nathan: No response - just a shrug. When Nathan shrugs, that means he´s excited about the suggestion.
Nathan or Natan, is a man of few words. But, according to Mr. Howard, he really is quite the cyclist. He´s very strong and understands the gears.
Also, Nathan is also a joy to have around, he´s gentle and has a wonderful sense of humor.

Frieda:
Notable quotable: "C´mon Ms. Gruner, I just want to take just one more picture of you!
Aside from hanging out at the beach, it seems that one of Frieda´s favorite activities is to take a picture of me. Preferably when I´m about to bite into something or some other funny pose. Thanks alot Frieda!!!!!Anyway, Frieda had a chance to chat with a Spanish boy who admired her using her Spanish learned at JLS (I told you all that it would come in handy one day!) Anyway, Frieda keep up your language skills!

Ay, Mario! Mitch is a real charmer, always with a wide smile on his face and is very much a gentleman. Whenever I asked Mitch or his pal Tejas to do something they always answered back with an "okay, okay". Mitch loves Spain´s colacao chocolate, he guzzled a liter of it on the last day of our trip, proclaiming it to "be the best". He also loves KAS orange soda (only sold in Europe, I´m afraid). Anway, he´s very athletic, biking and paddleboating at Costa Brava, walking miles in Barcelona, no complaint. Fun times.

Notable quotable: "My legs are screaming but no one is listening"
I love that. Along with his taking out his roll of oreo cookies at the Barcelona Harbor and asking the waiter for a tall glass of cold milk. The waiter gave us a triple take. I loved that too. Jun-oh was kind and gentle and always went with the flow. He also had the local children in a fit of giggles at Calella when he wore his bull cap (see photo). Jun-oh don´t ever change!!!
Well, so many thoughts of my trip comes to mind. I just want to say to all of you that you were wonderful and I sharing this experience with you all. If you are going onto to high school, please come by JLS and visit. If you´re going to 8th grade - I look forward to seeing you around campus. Que tengan Uds. buen verano!!!! Abrazos, Ms. Gruner