News Detail
A "Salamazing" Time Was Had in Salamanca
For a program that has been running for 17 years and counting, there must be something that makes students want to go each summer, and possibly return even years later. Fortunately, Mr. Murphy's wife and frequent Salamanca chaperone, Maryann Woods-Murphy, has written a first-hand account of the 2013 group's experience, offering a glimpse of what daily life in Salamanca was like for the students earlier this summer -- and it's enough to convince anyone to join in on next year's trip!
Salamazing. If you travel to Salamanca, Spain, in July with the Dwight-Englewood School, that’s what you get – Salamanca + amazing = Salamazing. Every year, Dwight-Englewood students head to Salamanca, Spain, to study Spanish at the world-famous University of Salamanca and to live with Spanish host families. Dwight-Englewood teacher Joe Murphy has been running this trip for the last 17 years and now it was our turn to experience the program.
After shaking off the dust from the school year, we boarded the “yellow limousine” to Newark Airport and by morning, we arrived in Madrid. The winding streets were packed as we walked past metallic street artists, who appeared to be suspended from thin air; others who sketched caricatures along side rows of tables covered in white linen; and Spaniards enjoying the fresh air and conversation. We were in Spain and here, we would need to use Spanish to communicate, to ask for a café solo or a Fanta con Limón. We would meet our Spanish families in Salamanca the next day, so this first day was a time to get to know our travelling companions and to get used to being in a new country without our families.
After a good night’s sleep, we boarded the bus to Salamanca. The countryside was flat and filled with sunflowers, thick Oak trees and an endless horizon. Señor Murphy pointed out the sites as we rode by – the Valley of the Fallen, the walled city of Avila and the gigantic Osborne Bull, painted in rich black (pictured). After about 2.5 hours, we arrived in Salamanca, where our Spanish families were waiting for us with a representative from the University of Salamanca. We traveled to our respective homes with them and ate our first Sunday meal that consisted of two main dishes and fruit or a dessert. Right away, we had to get used to our host families and new ways of eating. We ate our meal, took our first nap or siesta, put our clothes away and got ready to meet our chaperones, Señor Murphy and Maestra/Profe Joanna in the Main Square of the city, right under the gigantic clock at 6 p.m. When we got there, we toured the city and discovered the magnificent carved golden stones of Salamanca’s buildings, built at the height of the Renaissance – the Cathedral, the façade of the University of Salamanca and numerous palatial residences everywhere we looked. Clearly, we had left New Jersey.
The next few days were all about getting ready for academic classes. The first day, we had an entrance test to evaluate our level of Spanish. By the end of the day, we had our books and schedule of classes. To discuss our placement, we met in Caballerizos, a place that was a centuries-old horse stable that had been converted into a café for university students and their professors. The next morning, we began our classes that took place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. At quarter past twelve every day, we would meet Señor Murphy under the clock to discuss the day, troubleshoot cross-cultural issues and figure out our plans for the afternoon. Some afternoons, we would swim, and others, we’d go on tours of major monuments, convents and palaces, led by University of Salamanca’s art historians.
Before we knew it, it was Saturday and we were excited to be leaving the city for a special tour of the city of Segovia. Segovia is famous for its first century Roman Aqueduct, with a total of 166 arches on two levels. One of the most amazing things about the aqueduct is that it is built of unmortared granite – a feat of Roman engineering. Walking up the hill from the aqueduct, we found ourselves at the Alcazar Palace, a favorite of the Catholic monarchy, Ferdinand and Isabel. We spent the whole day in Segovia walking through the city with our guided tour. We welcomed some free time at the end of the tour to taste typical foods like cochinillo and pasteles.
After leaving Segovia, we travelled to the tiny town ofPedraza, whose inhabitants were in the middle of lighting thousands of tiny tea candles that lined the streets to make ready for a classical music concert that night. Some of us tried to imagine what it might be like to live in such a place, so high up on the top of a steep hill, without many of the trappings of our civilized lives. The view of the open countryside from the highest part of the town gave us a hint of the peace and tranquility one might find in such a place.
The next day was Sunday, and Sunday in Salamanca is a special day. Salmantinos dress up and stroll arm in arm with the scent of delicious tapas or appetizers in the air from the many cafésthat specialize in offering a tasty bite of typical food, served with a cold beverage. Many of us went to the Rastro, or open-air market, with many typical items lined up for purchase. Others went straight to one of the five municipal pools in Salamanca, where we could find a welcome and cool respite from the hot afternoon.
On Monday morning, we were back in our classes and by Wednesday, we had our final exam for our class. Each day, we had some homework, but nothing overwhelming that would take us away from enjoying the sites, food and people of Salamanca. By Friday, we had improved our language skills, cultural awareness and knowledge of history, and we were ready for our final Salamazing banquet, held at Palacio Fonseca. At the dinner, we received our Salamazing t-shirts, a beautiful photograph of the Plaza Mayor and our certificates of study from the University. We all succeeded in our classes and were proud of the results of our hard work. The banquet served as both a graduation from our program and a farewell party.
On Saturday morning, we packed our bags, said goodbye to our Spanish families and went off to Madrid for our last day of the trip. We visited the world-renowned Prado Museum, where we were able to see the work of Velazquez, El Greco and Goya. Later, we strolled around the city, eating our delicious Spanish ice cream cones, bocadillo sandwiches or sipping a last cup of aromatic coffee. Though we were happy to return to our waiting families in the United States, we truly understood why the trip had been called Salamazing.
Salamazing. If you travel to Salamanca, Spain, in July with the Dwight-Englewood School, that’s what you get – Salamanca + amazing = Salamazing. Every year, Dwight-Englewood students head to Salamanca, Spain, to study Spanish at the world-famous University of Salamanca and to live with Spanish host families. Dwight-Englewood teacher Joe Murphy has been running this trip for the last 17 years and now it was our turn to experience the program.
After shaking off the dust from the school year, we boarded the “yellow limousine” to Newark Airport and by morning, we arrived in Madrid. The winding streets were packed as we walked past metallic street artists, who appeared to be suspended from thin air; others who sketched caricatures along side rows of tables covered in white linen; and Spaniards enjoying the fresh air and conversation. We were in Spain and here, we would need to use Spanish to communicate, to ask for a café solo or a Fanta con Limón. We would meet our Spanish families in Salamanca the next day, so this first day was a time to get to know our travelling companions and to get used to being in a new country without our families.
After a good night’s sleep, we boarded the bus to Salamanca. The countryside was flat and filled with sunflowers, thick Oak trees and an endless horizon. Señor Murphy pointed out the sites as we rode by – the Valley of the Fallen, the walled city of Avila and the gigantic Osborne Bull, painted in rich black (pictured). After about 2.5 hours, we arrived in Salamanca, where our Spanish families were waiting for us with a representative from the University of Salamanca. We traveled to our respective homes with them and ate our first Sunday meal that consisted of two main dishes and fruit or a dessert. Right away, we had to get used to our host families and new ways of eating. We ate our meal, took our first nap or siesta, put our clothes away and got ready to meet our chaperones, Señor Murphy and Maestra/Profe Joanna in the Main Square of the city, right under the gigantic clock at 6 p.m. When we got there, we toured the city and discovered the magnificent carved golden stones of Salamanca’s buildings, built at the height of the Renaissance – the Cathedral, the façade of the University of Salamanca and numerous palatial residences everywhere we looked. Clearly, we had left New Jersey.
The next few days were all about getting ready for academic classes. The first day, we had an entrance test to evaluate our level of Spanish. By the end of the day, we had our books and schedule of classes. To discuss our placement, we met in Caballerizos, a place that was a centuries-old horse stable that had been converted into a café for university students and their professors. The next morning, we began our classes that took place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. At quarter past twelve every day, we would meet Señor Murphy under the clock to discuss the day, troubleshoot cross-cultural issues and figure out our plans for the afternoon. Some afternoons, we would swim, and others, we’d go on tours of major monuments, convents and palaces, led by University of Salamanca’s art historians.
Before we knew it, it was Saturday and we were excited to be leaving the city for a special tour of the city of Segovia. Segovia is famous for its first century Roman Aqueduct, with a total of 166 arches on two levels. One of the most amazing things about the aqueduct is that it is built of unmortared granite – a feat of Roman engineering. Walking up the hill from the aqueduct, we found ourselves at the Alcazar Palace, a favorite of the Catholic monarchy, Ferdinand and Isabel. We spent the whole day in Segovia walking through the city with our guided tour. We welcomed some free time at the end of the tour to taste typical foods like cochinillo and pasteles.
After leaving Segovia, we travelled to the tiny town ofPedraza, whose inhabitants were in the middle of lighting thousands of tiny tea candles that lined the streets to make ready for a classical music concert that night. Some of us tried to imagine what it might be like to live in such a place, so high up on the top of a steep hill, without many of the trappings of our civilized lives. The view of the open countryside from the highest part of the town gave us a hint of the peace and tranquility one might find in such a place.
The next day was Sunday, and Sunday in Salamanca is a special day. Salmantinos dress up and stroll arm in arm with the scent of delicious tapas or appetizers in the air from the many cafésthat specialize in offering a tasty bite of typical food, served with a cold beverage. Many of us went to the Rastro, or open-air market, with many typical items lined up for purchase. Others went straight to one of the five municipal pools in Salamanca, where we could find a welcome and cool respite from the hot afternoon.
On Monday morning, we were back in our classes and by Wednesday, we had our final exam for our class. Each day, we had some homework, but nothing overwhelming that would take us away from enjoying the sites, food and people of Salamanca. By Friday, we had improved our language skills, cultural awareness and knowledge of history, and we were ready for our final Salamazing banquet, held at Palacio Fonseca. At the dinner, we received our Salamazing t-shirts, a beautiful photograph of the Plaza Mayor and our certificates of study from the University. We all succeeded in our classes and were proud of the results of our hard work. The banquet served as both a graduation from our program and a farewell party.
On Saturday morning, we packed our bags, said goodbye to our Spanish families and went off to Madrid for our last day of the trip. We visited the world-renowned Prado Museum, where we were able to see the work of Velazquez, El Greco and Goya. Later, we strolled around the city, eating our delicious Spanish ice cream cones, bocadillo sandwiches or sipping a last cup of aromatic coffee. Though we were happy to return to our waiting families in the United States, we truly understood why the trip had been called Salamazing.
Mailing Address: 315 East Palisade Avenue Englewood, NJ 07631gps: 81 Lincoln Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-9500 Email: d-e@d-e.org
Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.