Posts from day 2 to 5 will be coming out together.. Internet was patchy at best back in the Hotel, and in the school, truth be told, there was simply too much going on to sit down and write blog posts!

- 2nd July. -

After opening speeches by IBO director general Jeff Beard and president of IE university Santiago Iñiguez, the conference kicks off with keynote speaker Houston Spencer. 

Crowd-exciting speakers aren't really my cup of tea - nontheless, Houston Spencer is a great speaker with an essential message - his keynote establishes the mindset we need for the conference, and after it. How to look inwards as well as around us, how hubris and humility can go hand in hand - how a leader defines reality, says thank you at the end, and is a servant in between. The first part, defining reality, is itself a simple yet profound concept to think of - how hubris can be the vision needed to change reality.

Lotfi al-Ghandouri from the 'Are You Ready 4 Us' project is up next, also with thought-provoking words about finding who we are, what we love, what we excel at, and taking steps to moving big things.

To initiate learning the Design Thinking process, we meet with our 'Global Action' groups for the first time, and come up with ideas for a service our groups can offer to benefit everyone else in the conference.

After dinner, we skip the film and walk the short distance out to town in small groups. At this time most shops are closed, and the streets are quiet. Up close, the aqueduct looks even more impressive. I walk back to Candido with a group of other boys. It takes me a while to realize the sun is still shining brightly at 10pm because its summer. We are also just in time to catch the rising of the full moon - here in Spain it looks bigger than I have ever seen it before. 

The Aqueduct