In order to keep parents informed about their students during the Honors Program, the instructors often choose to keep a blog detailing the summer's events. Click below to get an idea about how the IUHPFL in Ciudad Real runs on a weekly basis.
After every summer, Honors Program students tell us what an amazing experience they had, and how much they loved their program site. We've asked alumni to share their own essays about their experiences in Ciudad Real and other Honors Program sites. Note that while some aspects of the Honors Program, such as excursion locations or classroom buildings, may have changed since their experiences, the general structure of the Program remains the same.
Lea K. – IUHPFL Class of 2004 (Munster High School)
I peered out the bus window as we drove from the airport in Madrid to our new home for the summer, Ciudad Real. Looking out at the rolling hills of olive trees as far as the eye could see, I knew that we were far from the rolling corn fields of Indiana, but I didn't know exactly what the summer had in store for me. Four years later, I made the same trip from Madrid to Ciudad Real but this time as a college student studying for the semester in Madrid. I looked out at the endless rows of olive trees as I zipped by on Spain's famous high-speed AVE train. Excited to go back to visit my Ciudad Real host family and reflecting upon my first Spain adventure, I could truthfully say that Summer 2004 in Ciudad Real was one of the most fun, interesting, and influential summers of my life.
Located in the middle of the region Castilla-La Mancha–that's right, home of the famous character, Don Quixote de la Mancha!–Ciudad Real is a perfect little city to explore on a 7-week trip. It's large enough to keep you busy but small enough that it's easy to find your way around and feel at home within the first couple of weeks. So, while I'm confident that anyone could figure out Ciudad Real with ease, who wouldn't like a little peek of what's to come? Whether you're considering applying to the IU Honors Program or you've already been accepted and want to know what to expect, I'd like to give everyone the "inside scoop" on the city that I fell in love with and the summer program that I'd recommend to anyone with an interest in Spanish and a hankering for adventure!
Must Do's in Downtown Ciudad Real
Ayuntamiento
Our favorite hang-out spot downtown was Helados Moran, a tiny ice-cream shop in the middle of Ciudad Real's Plaza Mayor. You can't miss this old-fashioned shop front with its wooden trim and big brown awning. My classmates and I would flock there after school before going home to our host families. It was fun to grab a couple scoops of ice cream (Try the Philadelphia cheesecake or Nutella flavors–you won't regret it!) and sit out by the fountain in the smack-dab middle of town on a hot summer day. But, watch out for the speedy kids playing soccer–Spaniards take their soccer very seriously!
For a more historic hot-spot, check out the Iglesia de San Pedro. This gorgeous Gothic church is right around the corner from Helados Moran and, quite conveniently, stands among the best streets for shopping in the city. After browsing through all the great Spanish stores like Zara, Sfera, and Mango–which will all have their summer REBAJAS (sales!) when you're there–I would take a load off at this beautiful monument in the middle of the city's hustle-and-bustle.
Finally, for all of you with a big appetite and a high-schooler's budget, one of my favorite places to go with my host brother was a busy little tapas bar called La Cabaña. At La Cabaña you can get a glass of "Mosto" (white grape juice before it's made into white wine–it's sweet and delicious!) for 1.5 €. With it comes a free plate of tapas! And I'm not talking about a little saucer of cheese or olives, I mean a large plate of Spain's famous Patatas Bravas (potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce), chicken kebabs, and more! It's small, a little cramped, but loud and lively–a true Spanish tapas-eating experience!
Back to School for the Summer?!
Conversation, Grammar, Culture, Phonetics, and Literature class–while this may not seem like the most fun way to spend your summer days, don't let it fool you. This is not ordinary school! The professors are young, fun, and engaging. It's a great time to get to know your new classmates and friends and to get comfortable speaking Spanish 24-7. For homework, we would write journal entries or read famous Spanish stories and poems. Going through these stories in Literature class at a nice, slow pace had me breezing through these works when they popped up again in my Intro to Spanish Lit classes in college! Also, my favorite homework was for Culture class when we had to learn Spanish refranes, or sayings.
View from Alcazar
These are every-day phrases that Spaniards use in casual conversation. If an American student were to translate these phrases word-for-word, they would make absolutely no sense. So, it was time to get our host families in on these homework assignments! We'd sit around the table at Spanish dinner time, 10:00 PM–usually on the deck, as Spaniards love to be outside in the summer–and my family would chuckle as I'd try to decipher the sayings. Eventually, of course, they would gladly give me the answers and, for the rest of the trip, I felt like I was in-the-know as I recognized these phrases on the streets and on television. I still remember the first Spanish saying that I learned: "Divertirse como un enano", "To have a lot of fun" or, if translated literally, "To have fun like a little dwarf!" This was definitely the perfect phrase to know to describe our summer in Ciudad Real.
Finally, when I was an IU Honors student, classes were at a community center on the outskirts of town with a pool and tennis courts behind it where we would hang out after class. Now, the program has upgraded to a private school in downtown Ciudad Real where classes are held Monday through Thursday. Also, there is a gym near the entrance of town where we were given discounted, short-term memberships. I loved going with my host mom to aerobics classes and meeting other young Spaniards at the gym.
Oh! The Places You'll Go…
While we were in classes Monday-Thursday, the weekends were spent exploring the rest of Spain. We walked through the home of the Spanish artist El Greco and bought the famous little artisan swords from Toledo. In Madrid, we walked through the luxurious rooms of the Royal Palace, explored El Prado–one of the most famous museums of art in the world–and ate a picnic lunch in the beautiful "Parque de Retiro" in downtown Madrid. My favorite excursion was to Granada, home of Spanish flamenco dancing and La Alhambra, a gorgeous group of Moorish fortresses atop a hill. My friends and I spent hours wandering from palace to palace, through mazes of gardens, along ponds speckled with lily pads, and in and out of stone rooms and terraces decorated with beautifully carved Arabic poetry. We finally made it to the top of the hill where we must have taken a thousand pictures looking out over the cliff and down onto Granada. It was a view I'll never forget!
We definitely went to amazing places, but getting there was a big part of the fun. We would turn up Spanish pop music on the bus, like David Bisbal's popular song "Ave Maria"–which we later had our Spanish hosts families dancing to when we performed our funny and totally amateur a cappella rendition at the end-of-the-summer performance. I also had many hilarious conversations sitting next to new friends on the bus and trying to get to know each other entirely in Spanish. It was like a real-life game of Taboo when we couldn't figure out a Spanish word that we needed to say! Eventually, though, we got so used to getting to know each other in Spanish that I remember feeling silly when we spoke to each other in English for the first time when we got home! This was truly a tribute to how great the program was and how much we all improved in our ability to communicate in Spanish.
Six years have passed since I went on the IU Honors Program. Some things may have changed–like the school building or perhaps even some of the excursions; but, as a not-so-recent alum, I can speak to how the program influenced me and the opportunities that I was able to tackle thanks to my experiences through IU Honors. I feel like I have a whole new branch of my family, my host family in Ciudad Real. In fact, I’ve seen my host family three times since the end of the program. I chose to do Spanish as one of my majors in college and found that I had an advantage among many of my fellow classmates in my ability to communicate and read in Spanish. I went back to Spain and spent a semester studying at a Spanish university and interning in Madrid. And, as a recent college graduate, I am seriously considering making my career in the field of International Education as I truly appreciate the importance for American students to get out there and see the world. In my opinion, Ciudad Real is a perfect place to start!
Halina H. – IUHPFL Class of 2008 (Columbus East High School)
Ciudad Real, in Castilla-La Mancha, the heart of Spain, is a vibrant city and a welcoming home for Honors Program students. From the moment you step off the bus to meet your family until you leave seven weeks later, there isn't a better place to spend your summer learning Spanish.
We found countless ways to pass the time with our friends and families in the city. Most of us spent our afternoons in the Plaza Mayor. All the people in Ciudad Real pass through the plaza at least once a day to shop, visit with friends, or simply pass the time sitting by the fountain. After Spain won the Eurocup, a quadrennial soccer tournament in the summer of 2008, the students (including our teachers!) celebrated by jumping in the fountain with our Spanish counterparts.
Halina at Ayuntamiento
After the morning classes and afternoon activities are over, many students hang out together before heading home to their families for dinner. We often frequented Helados Moran, home of the absolute best ice cream in Ciudad Real. Many ice cream flavors such as Pan de Calatrava, Chocolate Blanco con Chocolate, and Crema Catalana are impossible to find in the U.S. My friends and I also enjoyed spending time in Parque de Gassett. The park, with its gardens, fountains, and picturesque walks, is a popular place to pass time.
Also located in the Plaza Mayor is the seat of the city government. This building, although an architectural contrast to the more traditional architecture of the plaza, is an interesting spot to visit. Once a year, a medieval market comes to the Plaza Mayor of Ciudad Real. Fortunately for students, "once a year" often coincides with the Honors Program! At the medieval market, you can visit booths selling traditional Arabic and Spanish merchandise and foods, and get a glimpse into what life was like in old Spain.
Don Quijote is set in Castilla-La Mancha, and the region owes its reputation to this work of literature. The crazy knight tilting at windmills has become known as the symbol of the region. People in La Mancha have a special place in their heart for this fictional character, and in Ciudad Real alone, there are six statues of Don Quijote.
La Iglesia de San Pedro and La Catedral de Nuestra Señora del Prado are two of many churches in Ciudad Real. The churches date from several centuries ago and are a tribute to the past that lives on amid the modern city. Many Honors Program students attend services at these churches with their host families, if only to see the churches on the inside.
Students in Ciudad Real also visit several cities on excursions. The Ciudad Real excursions include Almagro, Madrid, Toledo, Granada, and Córdoba. Almagro is a small Manchegan town, perhaps best known as one of the filming sites of the Pedro Almodovar movie Volver. The highlight of the visit to Almagro is the Corral de Comedias, an authentic and picturesque theatre that has been in use since the 17th century. Almagro is host to a prestigious theatre festival showcasing modern and ancient performances, a festival whose performances take place in the Corral de Comedias.
Toledo at a Distance
Students also travel to Granada and Córdoba on an overnight excursion in southern Spain. Granada owes its reputation to the presence of the Alhambra, which was used during the rule of the Moors as a fortress and palace. Although the edifice has been empty for several centuries, none of its beauty has diminished. Along with the Alhambra, the students will enjoy seeing the Capilla Real, or Royal Chapel, which houses the remains of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella. On the same trip, the group goes next to Córdoba, a little farther north, and visits the Mosque of Córdoba, which has since been converted into a cathedral.
The excursion to Madrid is a non-stop day of walking and touring in the Spanish heat. The trip is well worth the walk, however, as students visit some of the best- known tourist destinations in Spain. The Prado Museum houses classical artwork, while the Reina Sofia is known for its collection of modern art, including Pablo Picasso's famous painting, Guernica, as well as several paintings by Salvador Dali. Students also visit Retiro Park, the Plaza Mayor, and the Congress building.
Toledo, another Spanish city visited by the students, is the old capital of Spain. This winding city paved in cobblestones is known as the 'city of the three cultures,' as it is home to an interesting mix of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian influences. For example, students visit the Santa Maria la Blanca, a synagogue now owned by the Catholic Church, which was designed in the Islamic style. Another site of interest in Toledo is the Cathedral, an excellent example of Spanish Gothic art, and the Iglesia de Santo Tomé, which houses the famous painting by El Greco, The Burial of Count Orgaz.
Although students always enjoy the excursions, our favorite city is our home city, Ciudad Real! The families in Ciudad Real are friendly and welcoming to Honors Program students. In addition, Ciudad Real's size and location make it an unlikely tourist destination; you won't hear much English spoken there. Students who stay in Ciudad Real will have an amazing experience!
