Salamanca Amazingness

Hey everyone! Wow, time is flying by here, and i'm starting to feel panicked with all the things i want to do still!! This past weekend was a good one. On Friday I got up early and went on an all day field trip with a 3rd grade class that i've been going to weekly. The field trip was for my social geography class, a class that places groups of students in different public schools to do projects with a class throughout the semester. It was so much fun to spend the day with kids.





First we went to the University and gave them a tour and did science experiments. We then took a bus to another building and played games and had lunch. The kids loved it and it was so good to see them happy. THey all come from a very poor neighborhood in valpo. A number of them didn't have coats and a few of the girls didn't have stockings to wear under their skirts (mind you its about 40 degrees here). I've attached some pictures of the kids below. I'm goign to miss them. After the field trip I hopped on a bus to Salamanca to meet Erin, Maren, DAve, and Ale, the Chilean brother of Erin. It was a 6 hour ride and I sat next to this nice man that was from Salamanca. We talked the whole time about EVERYTHING. He has lived in numerous towns in Chile and has decided to retire in Salamanca. It was so interesting to hear his stories and was nice to have someone to talk to for the ride up.
Salamanca was AMAZING. Ale's parents have a house in the country at a vineyard but htey live in town. The house i s HUGE and beautiful. I got there around 11pm and Erin and Maren had just made vino navegado (hot wine with cinnamon, sugar, and oranges). It was just what I needed after being out in the cold. The fire was going and we spent the night talking and playing cards. The next morning we went for a hike up a mountain. It was BEAUTIFUL out and the first time I've been warm in months. The mountain was filled with cacti and by the end of the trip our legs looked like they had gotten in a fight with a cat. That night we cooked Shashuka and apple crisp....yummmmm.....The next morning we made fresh squeezed OJ w/ oranges right off the tree and made french toast for lunch / breakfast. It was so relaxing and I wish we could've stayed longer! Ok, I suppose that is all. I hope everyone is well!