Travel through Spain and Latin America Ever wanted to travel but low in funds? Well here is your chance to travel the world. All you need is your imagination!

Project “This semester, you will travel across Spain and Latin America as a writer for the guide book « Rick Steve’s ». The writer was a tireless traveler who wanted to publish fabulous and useful guides for tourists. He has already published a variety of guide books (Rick Steve’s Spain 2009, etc). But, for his new project, he wants to create a guide for American students interested in traveling to Spanish speaking countries. In an effort to create this marvelous guide, he hired GCIT students (yes, you!) and asked you to spend a semester in Spain/Latin America as an investigator of the best hotels, restaurants, leisure activities, transportation, shopping etc. During your stay, your boss, Señor Steve, wants you to write a description of your experiences, adversities, meetings, and observations in a travel diary. You never know, your experiences could help the readers of his books. Each week, you need to send your experiences to Señor Steve, he is very curious and wants to know ALL.”

Places to visit Spain –Madrid –Barcelona –Sevilla –Salamanca –Bilbao Mexico –Mexico City –Guadalajara –Oaxaca –Acapulco –Cozumel Argentina –Buenos Aires Chile –Santiago Peru –Lima –Cusco Puerto Rico –San Juan –Ponce Cuba –Havana Dominican Republic –Santo Domingo Costa Rica –San Jose

Themes Things to talk about in Spain –Currency –Transportation –Weather –Customs to understand before traveling through Spain (eating habits, siesta, etc) –Cultural activities (bullfighting, la tomatina, tango etc) –Sightseeing –Brief history –People –Eating –Sleeping –Day trips/weekend trips to places nearby Journal Entry # 1 You have just arrived at your destination. Write a journal describing what you do when you get off the plane (ex. Exchange your money). Also include what transportation you took from the airport to your hotel and how much it cost. Describe the weather, your hotel/room arrangements, and any customs that you need to understand before traveling through the city/country. Write about your feelings and your first impressions.

History/People Journal 2 –Brief history –People Journal Entry # 2 Write about the brief history of your city and describe the people who live there.

Sightseeing Journal 3 –Places and sites to see Journal Entry # 3 You are going to explore all of the must see sites in your city. Explain all of the top places to visit in your city. You should include the names of the sites, entrance fees, historical/cultural importance of each place. Rank the places of your favorite to your least favorite.

Cultural activities Journal 4 –Cultural activities Journal Entry # 4 There is a festival going on in your city and you want to be a part of it. What kind of festival is taking place and when? What kinds of activities did you participate in? (Ex. Was there a bullfight? Did you need tickets? Where are you sitting in the bullring etc) Explain what you did throughout the day. Describe feelings and first reactions of being in a foreign country and experiencing their festivities for the first time.

Dining/Music Journal 5 –Dining –Music/Dancing Journal Entry # 5 The best part of any trip is to experience the food and music. Explain the best restaurants you ate in and the typical food that was served in your city. Was the food cheap or expensive? Explain what kinds of foods you would typically eat here for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also include when you would usually eat each meal. What was your favorite dish? After dinner, you would like to check out the music scene. What kinds of music are typical to your area? Where can you go to hear it? Is there dancing? Explain your experiences after trying the local food and hearing the local music.

Day trips/weekend getaways Journal 6 –Day trips –Weekend getaways Journal Entry # 6 You want to experience more of your country so you decide to take some day trips and/or weekend getaways to other cities nearby. Where do you go? How do you get there? What do you do when you are there? What are your feeling towards this place? How is it similar or different to the city that you have been staying in.

Lasting Impressions Journal 7 –Lasting thoughts and impressions Journal Entry # 7 Your trip is now coming to an end. How was it getting around in the foreign language? Were people helpful and nice? What were your favorite moments or things to do in the country? Would you come here again? What do you recommend to other people based on your positive or negative experiences. Describe the process of your hotel checkout and getting to the airport to catch your flight.

Requirements Part I Each week you are required to hand in your journal entries in Spanish. It must be typed and double spaced in 12 font. Please include all resources you used through in-text citations. At the end of the 8 th week, you must turn in a compilation of all corrected journal entries with in text citations. The journals will be count as your research paper so it must be in APA format. Paper must include: title page, journal entries(research paper), reference page. Part II You will be required to present your destination to the class with either a power point, poster or ad. You must present in Spanish. Please read clear and slow so that others will be able to understand.

Grading Weekly journals –All journals that are handed in weekly will be counted as a quiz grade. –Journal entries must be in Spanish, include a minimum of 8-10 sentences, and include in-text citations. You must write this in your own words. This means no use of online translators etc. Any evidence of online translators and a student being unable to explain their own work will result in a zero. –Grading Journals turned in each week = 10 pts Journals that include all of the above requirements = 10 pts Each week ____/20 pts

Grading of Research paper Research paper/presentation will count as 2 test grades.