Getting ready!

The school year's winding down, therefore I am able to devote a bit more time to our upcoming trip to Spain.  I am currently taking an on-line graduate course in advanced spanish grammar to polish my skills.  It's helping a lot, as I find myself thinking more and more in spanish.  I am also speaking a lot more spanish around the house with the children (which is driving them crazy!).  But it is working; they are understanding me more and more; and they resist less and less.

I plan on doing a quick 5 week "Spanish Camp" at my house this summer to get my soon to be 7th grader and her friends ready for spanish next fall.  It will be their first time taking it.  Most of the activities will be conversational.  We will put on skits, make music videos and do a spanish cooking show.  We wiy kids comfortable speaking and learning spanish.  Anything that involves their friends will work. We will continue our communication with friends via Skype through out the summer.

I did a Google Earth search of where we will be living while in Pamplona and was surprised to see how modern the city looks.  I was expecting to see many older apartment buildings and historic edifices, but this area is definitely modernized.  While taking a virtual walk around the neighbor, I was texting Carlota, our spanish exchange student 2 years in a row.  We are actually staying in her family's "extra" house.  Carlota and I text on "WhatsApp" a few times a week.  This free app allows photo and video and when you utilize the spanish keyboard, you can write or even speak (using the microphone) to create your text.  If you think voice texting  results in crazy texts, you should try doing in in spanish!  I was being funny with Carlota and taking screenshots of pedestrians and asking her if she knew them.

http://sanfermin.pamplona.es