ASA: Academic Study Associates 2008 Programs

Here in our fourth week in Conil we crossed international borders and headed to Gibraltar, a British colony on the very tip of the Iberian Peninsula that has played a key strategic role in various military engagements over the past several centuries. Today Gibraltar functions as an international banking center and a duty-free haven for shoppers. More importantly for us, however, was the famous colony of Barbary Apes, which we visited after a steep cable car ride up to the very top of the Rock of Gibraltar. While not dangerous, the monkeys are definitely fun and mischievous, and we had a great time getting just close enough to take some photos (and occasionally having a monkey decide to jump on our shoulders....see attached photos!)

On Thursday some of the students participated in a radio program broadcast live in Conil! They had prepared a variety of segments from interviews to jokes to opinion pieces, which they interspersed with some of their favorite Spanish pop songs. Everyone did a great job and some may have a future in broadcasting.

Our creativity is also flowing as we prepare the Libro de Verano, a student-created booklet commemorating our time in Conil. A sort of yearbook, the Libro de Verano contains pages on activities, excursions, local culture, and other important aspects of our summer. It's always exciting to see the unveiling of the final printed copies, which are distributed at the final dinner next Monday evening.

In class we are gearing up for our final oral presentations, which will be Friday in class. Afterward we will celebrate with a fiesta of churros con chocolate! We're also busy studying for our final exams which are on Monday. Our final dinner is on Monday evening, and we're all looking forward to sharing some of our favorite memories of the summer.

What an exciting week it’s been! We started with classes and activities as usual. One of the classes participated in a radio program in which they interviewed a counsel member of Conil. In cooking class we learned how to make two types of ensaladilla (potato based salads) and natillas (a delicious Spanish dessert). On Wednesday night and Thursday your children also got a chance to witness Conil celebrate La Fiesta del Virgen del Carmen, a local holiday honoring the patron of the pescadores or fishermen. On Wednesday night there were barbecues on the beach on early Thursday morning a fleet of boats left the port in Conil carrying the icon of the Virgen del Carmen to the town. Later on in the day was a procession in which the Virgen was carried through the streets accompanied by music and local civic groups, followed by fireworks. The whole town was out and about!
The highlight of the week however, was definitely our overnight trip to Seville, a city whose importance dates to colonial times, when ships leaving for America departed via the Guadalquivir River and returned carrying riches from the New World. Today we started we a tour of the Plaza de España, a square built in 1929 for the World’s Fair in Seville and featured (in digitally modified form) in Star Wars: Episode One. Our guide, then took us on a walking tour of the Barrio de Santa Cruz, a district of narrow and winding pedestrian streets and quiet, hidden plazas dating back hundreds of years to Middle Ages, when Arabs, Jews, and Christians coexisted harmoniously in Spain.
Afterwards we had lunch and then checked into our hotel which is themed with intricate Moorish architecture (click here to see pictures of the hotel).
In the evening we had dinner at the Hosteria del Laurel, an inn famous for its importance in the nineteenth-century theater version of Don Juan Tenorio (as the place in which Don Juan makes his famous bet). Afterwards we headed towards the Torre del Oro (the Tower of Gold that held the treasures Columbus brought back from the New World). From there we boarded on a boat and cruised the Guadalquivir River. It was a beautiful night to see all of the monuments lit up along the riverbank. Right now all of your children are resting comfortably in the hotel.
Tomorrow morning we will start with breakfast and then a visit to the Alcázar, the oldest palace in Europe still used as an occasional royal residence. Though it was built by Christian kings, the Alcázar preserved the Arab architecture popular in Spain throughout the Middle Ages, and it is a beautiful succession of fountains, arches, and intricate wall carvings bordered by lush gardens. Then we will visit the famous Seville cathedral, the largest gothic cathedral in the world, famous for its incorporation of a preexisting minaret from a mosque into the more traditional Gothic architecture. The attached tower, called the Giralda, has ramps instead of stairs leading up to its bell tower so that it could be traversed on horseback. Perhaps some of your children will even climb to the top for a breath-taking view of Seville. After visiting these two amazing monuments we will have some free time to explore the narrow cobblestone streets and soak up the culture, eat lunch, and go shopping (which is especially fun due to the great “rebajas” or sales). Then its back home to Conil!
Next week your children are going to work on creating an ASA newspaper. Right now they are working on their oral presentations which will count as part of their final grade. Their teachers assigned each child a specific topic relating to Spanish society and culture. In addition to this they are also putting together a summer book, which is a sort of yearbook for the month filled with pictures, writings and fun memories. We are also going on a trip to Gibraltar. As you can see it is going to be a very busy week! We’ll keep you posted. Hasta pronto!

These are some pictures from our kayaking trip last Saturday. If you would like to see more picutres, CLICK HERE. From this site you can also download (descargar) the pictures.

Things in Conil are going great! We've been keeping busy and are learning a lot about the town and this region of Spain. On Tuesday the classes went on a scavenger hunt where they learned lots of interesting facts about the history of Conil and its most important monuments. On Thursday, we toured the fishing port of Conil. This part of Andalucia is famous for its excellent bluefin tuna, which is caught using large nets with the Almadraba method that dates back to the Phoenicians. At the fishing port the region's renowned fresh fish are transferred off the boats and auctioned off to distributors from around the world. To obtain the prestigious tag certifying it as artisanal fish from Conil, the fish must comply with very strict standards, such as being purchased within four hours of being caught and being caught with a hook, not a net. With our new perspective on fishing in Conil we are well prepared for the festival of La Virgen del Carmen next week, a celebration of the patron saint of fishermen.
We also went on an afternoon excursion to the city of Cádiz, the oldest continually inhabited city on the Iberian Peninsula. A peninsula, Cádiz has beautiful ocean views on all sides. We visited a Camera Obscura at the top of the Torre Tavira, the former home of a well-known merchant family, where through a special camera lens we saw all of Cadiz projected on a giant dome for a panoramic look at the city. We also visited the waterfront area, which resembles Havana, Cuba so much that it has stood in for that city in movies, most notably in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Later we had some free time to explore the city and returned to Conil for dinner.
Activities are going great....in surf we are learning to stand up on our boards, which is encouraging and makes us eager to keep at it. We made a delicious paella in cooking class that the professors were eager to help finish. In painting class we painted the Torre de Guzmán, an emblematic landmark in Conil, and later went to the top of the tower for some truly amazing panoramic views of Conil and to watch a video. Saturday some of the students are going kayaking in the nearby town of Chiclana, and next week we have an overnight trip to Seville that we are very excited about. Stay tuned for more news soon!

We've been in Conil for almost a week and the students are doing great! When we arrived in Conil, the students met their host families and got some time to settle into their new homes (and enjoy some Spanish home cooking). Later the first evening the group went on a walking tour of Conil and got to know some of the professors and local assistants over ice cream. The weekend was busy with a Fourth of July barbecue on Saturday in the "Casa ASA." The students helped organize and cook...special thanks to Aaron, Spencer, and Adam for sharing their cooking skills! Sunday was "tapas night" and we went out in groups to sample typical Spanish dishes ranging from ham croquettes to fried dogfish to egg fritters with miniature shrimp. Two of the dishes, Spanish omelette and gazpacho, we had already learned to make in Spanish cooking class; this week we will be learning how to make paella, a delicious rice dish flavored with saffron.

We have also begun surfing, soccer and painting classes which have all been lots of fun. On Friday the painting students created panoramic vistas of the town from an elevated lookout point. They were beautiful! Spanish classes began on Friday and the students accompanied the professors to the Piojito, an open-air market in which vendors come from all around southern Spain to sell their items. Tomorrow the students will go on a scavenger hunt to explore the town and interview the locals to find answers related to the history of Conil.

This week we are looking forward to an excursion to the city of Cadiz and a visit to the fishing port of Conil, where we will see how they bring the fish in fresh off the boats and auction it to buyers from around the world. We have lots more exciting activities coming up, so stay tuned!

Welcome to ASA News & Updates! As you finish off the school year, ASA will keep you posted with important information through this feature to prepare you for your time in Spain. Once you arrive at program, staff onsite in Conil will post updates to the site regularly, reporting back to those at home on all of our travel and cultural adventures, including photos.

Please make sure you subscribe to 'News & Updates' now so as not to miss any pre-program details. Encourage family and friends to subscribe as well so that they can see all that you're up to in Spain this summer.

Also make sure to complete all of the ASA forms that are due before departure. If you are not sure what is missing from your file, please log on to your MyASA account, where you’ll be able to check the status and download any necessary forms. Thank you, and look out for the next update!