As we say hello to the New Year and get back into our routines, six of our Upper School students are saying hello to a new routine in Madrid as part of a new exchange program. Most of the girls left January 1 and are already ensconsed in the warmth of their Spanish families. The girls are staying between five and nine weeks, returning in late February and early March.

Last fall ten students and their teacher from the Casvi school just outside Madrid stayed here for ten weeks, lived with host families and attended classes at Annie Wright. They left with heavy hearts on Halloween and were thrilled to be reunited with the their American "sisters" once again.

 

Today the girls celebrated Three Kings Day or Dia de Los Reyes. Three Kings Day is just as exciting as Christmas for children because this is the day they get to open their presents. The celebrations started last night, when everyone watched the procession of the three kings through the streets, throwing sweets to the children. One popular culinary tradition is Roscón: a big, sweet, donut shaped bread covered in cherries and sugar with a plastic toy baked somewhere in the mixture. The first to find the toy is said to have good luck for the next year.

 

The girls have wasted no time exploring the city and suburbs of Madrid, trying new foods, getting to know their families and friends, enjoying the holiday lights, and experiencing the rich Spanish culture. School starts on Thursday, and Head of Schools Christian Sullivan will be visiting on Wednesday and Thursday to check in with the girls, meet with their headmaster and tour the school. Middle School Spanish teacher Angelica Calcote will arrive the following week to help the girls settle in. They will all have their own schedules, a combination of shadowing their Spanish sisters, intensive Spanish lessons, volunteering in the younger classrooms, and keeping up with their own studies from home.