THEY'RE HERE!!!! Yes, all of my students safely arrived in Spain despite a number of flight delays, flight changes, long lines, and the insane fact that the airport has two terminals where flights arrive that are about five kilometers apart (about 3 miles). To get from one to the other you need to board a shuttle that heads off on the freeway then exits to the new terminal (#4). I took that shuttle back and forth at least a dozen times as we tried to track down students and get them to the bus that would take them to Alcalá de Henares. Three of our students had a two-hour flight delay; another's flight number was NOT posted on the arrival board and we could find her for about an hour. But persistence and a lot of prayer paid off.

The students that arrived prior to 12 pm were shuttled back to Alcalá in a bus that took them to the Plaza de Cervantes where their host family was waiting for them. Those that came later were taken directly to their host family's residence in taxi.

They were all tired, hungry, and disheveled, but happy!!!! While they waited for the bus they just talked and talked and talked. I feel like this is going to be a great Spring Term in Spain.  Here are some photos:

I apologize to Taylor, Lindsey S. and Spencer for not taking their picture. They were the ones who had the long delay and arrived rather late. By the time they arrived I had been in the airport for 9.5 hours and the brain had shut down for the day. It won't happen again!

While waiting for the last group to arrive this group of "Tunas" came through playing music. The "Tuna" in Spain has a long history and tradition. Starting as early as the 13th century university students would dress in traditional costume, usually that associated with their university, and go about singing. This practice allowed them to earn money to finance their education. The "tunos" or "sopistas" would sing in exchange for coinage or a bowl of soup (thus the term "sopista"). These individuals were from the poorer class and were well-known for their craftiness, ability to court women, and other diverse and sundry practices. Today the "tunas" do not have the same reputation, but do travel about sharing their talents. You will notice the cape with all of the patches that represent cities they have visited in their travels. The bows or flowers around the neckline correspond to the universities where they have performed. Interestingly, each "tuna" reflects a singular or unique quality associated with the university where they study (or have studied), often found in the songs that they sing.