Every Wednesday throughout this trip we are fortunate enough to take daily excursions to surrounding towns of Trujillo. Each one, has educational values pertaining to the classes we are taking here. Two of the main subjects offered on our trip are Communication and Political Science. During these trips, we focus mainly on cross culture communication and food politics. My favorite Wednesday field trip so far has been our trip to Parque Nacional de Monfragüe. Monfragüe is a town in Extremadura about forty-five minutes outside of Trujillo. The natural park we were able to visit is known for its wildlife including vultures, and the view of the top of the castle. We had a tour guide take us up on a long walk up the small mountain up to the castle. Each place we stopped for him to explain certain cultural aspects and the views were breathtaking. There is a large river that runs through the park and it is the longest river in Spain. After walking back down the mountain, we went to another part of the park where our guide set up a few binoculars for us to watch some of the vultures in their nests. It was very interesting to learn that vultures in Spain are not given the negative connotation that we have of them in the United States.

After our time spent in the park we drove another twenty-five minutes to a large farm where we were able to learn about some of the food policies they have in Spain, and then a large meal prepared from some of the animals on the farm. We had another guided tour around the farm and were able to learn how the cows and pigs live and how differently their livestock is treated here compared to the U.S. After the tour of the land and getting up close and personal to some of the pigs, we had a very large meal prepared for us by the staff of the farm. The food included fresh jamón, lomo, and chirizo which are all Spanish meats that were fresh. This was accompanied by fresh cheeses, and bread. The meal was delicious and after we were able to practice how to shave the jamón off the pig leg. Which sounds disturbing but was interesting and tasted so much better than regular ham from the states. I love having these fieldtrips because although they are fun and entertaining, they are also educational, and I feel more knowledgeable especially about food policies.