Jun 19 2008
The Summer 2008 Language and Culture in Italy Program, taught by Dr. Remi Lanzoni, has completed two weeks of a four week intensive Italian language course.
Below is a picture of the Italy Summer 2008 group in Venice.
(click on the photo for full-size view)
Jun 11 2008
We have just about completed our first week of the intensive Spanish course. The students are now comfortable in their home stays in Mérida, we have finished five chapters in the textbook, and the students are beginning to feel comfortable in the city. On the first day in the Mérida, Dr. Van Bodegraven (“Maestra”) took the students on a walking tour of the Plaza Grande (the main square) of the old city including a visit to the murals painted by Fernando Castro Pacheco in the government palace.
Our excursions have included a guided tour of the Museo de Antropología (Museum of Anthropology) of Yucatán, a stop at a traditional open air market in the town of Uman, a visit to the archaeological site of Uxmal, and a spectacular Yucatecan buffet lunch at Hacienda Ochil, a converted hacienda with a museum that describes life on the henequén (sisal) plantations in the Yucatán peninsula in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Upcoming plans: More class, a visit to the archaeological site of Dzibilchaltún, a lecture about conservation efforts in the Yucatán, and a day at the wildlife preserve of Celestún where we will take a boat ride to see flamingos, pelicans and other shore birds and enjoy the beach.
Photos! (Click on the photo name to open the photo file.)
ST08Mexico1 - Students in front of Casa de Montejo on the main square in Mérida.
ST08Mexico2 - Kellie Barth and Ryan Duffy share a moment in a “confidente” , a park bench especially designed for romantic encounters in Mérida.
ST08Mexico3 - Group enjoys a little shade in the Cuadrángulo de los Pájaros (Cuadrangle of the Birds) at Uxmal. The Templo del Mago (Temple of the Magician) with the mask of Chaac as the entrance can be seen in the background.
ST08Mexico4 - Group at Uxmal. You can see the Templo del Mago (Temple of the Magician) in the background.
ST08Mexico5 - At Hacienda Ochil, after a fabulous buffet lunch, we hitched a ride on the small-gauge railroad originally used to transport cut blades of henequén from the fields to the processing plant on the hacienda.
Jun 10 2008
The Summer Intensive Spanish in Mexico Program arrived safely.
The Summer Italy Program arrived safely.