G&B's Travel Journal: Spain
One Student shares her experience of living with a host family and traveling while studying abroad in Spain.
Sitting in the airport waiting to board my plane, I cannot help but acknowledge the knot that’s sitting in my throat. In a matter of hours I will be in Spain, taking classes, experiencing the culture and having the time of my life … I hope.
It’s hard to believe that was two summers ago at the beginning of my study abroad experience. I had the time of my life, just as I had hoped. I met members of my group in the Philadelphia airport and the rest at the Madrid airport. From there we took a five-hour bus ride to Castellon, where we would spend the majority of our time while in Spain.
I truly believe I lucked out with the best host family while I was abroad. The family was so similar to my own that it was frightening. I had two sisters and a brother, the same as in my family -- two daughters and a son. The family was caring, which made my experience much better. My first night they gave me a cell phone and a set of house keys for when our group went out at night. My host sisters, Cynthia and Paloma, were 21 and 14 respectively while my host brother, Manuel, was 18.
I spent the majority of my time with Cynthia when she wasn’t in school and I didn’t have something I had to attend. She accompanied me out on the town with the group, and everyone enjoyed her company. Manuel was in school as well, and left to play tennis in a competition in the Canary Islands so I didn’t see him much. The youngest, Paloma, was in school like the other two and a track star. She had meets a lot of the time I was there, so I saw her at night before we would go out.
I attended Audio Gil, the language institute in Castellon, and although it was a good experience, I feel I learned more from my family than from the institute. We took classes in grammar and cultural learning, which included weekend or day excursions and keeping a journal of every day of our trip.
We traveled to Barcelona, Morella, Peniscola, as well as a few others for the weekend. While in Barcelona, we visited La Sagrada Familia (the Holy Family), a large Catholic basilica designed by Antonio Gaudi. My friends and I visited Parc Guell, designed by Gaudi as well. Street vendors and shops also held our attention.
Morella and Peniscola were very serene. Our group also took a day trip to Benicassim, about an hour north of where we stayed in Spain. We played soccer, sat on the beach and swam in the Mediterranean Sea, ate Spanish paella and watched a show where anyone could go into a ring and play with bulls. We had quite a few brave boys that ventured into the ring, as well as a few girls, but they didn’t last as long. Later that night we were supposed to spend time at a club in Benicassim, but we decided to return to Castellon.
Although those trips were amazing, I truly feel I learned more from the conversations I had with my family. I enjoyed spending time with my family whereas most students were with their host families just to eat and sleep.
The last 10 days of the trip we spent traveling before departing for home. The country was absolutely beautiful. We visited Granada, Cordoba, Seville and Toledo. In Seville we attended a mass in the cathedral, which is the third largest in the world. As a Catholic, this was very significant and enjoyable for me.
In Cordoba we saw the Calle de las Flores (Street of Flowers), which is a beautiful sight, and one of the things Cordoba is known for. Our group saw a breathtaking flamenco show at a small place in Granada, as well as picked up some souvenirs and trinkets from the open-air gypsy market. We also visited La Alhambra, a palace in southern Spain that was built by the Moors to house Muslim kings and was turned into a museum. We spent a few hours in Toledo where we saw designs etched into gold and silver jewelry; it was a really neat process.
Madrid was our last stop and probably one of the most enjoyable. There was much to do in Madrid. I visited Museo Nacional del Prado, the art museum, as well as Museo Nacional Reina Sofia, which houses one of Picasso’s most famous paintings, “Guernica.” I really enjoyed both of those museums.
This summer I returned to Spain with my best friend and my younger brother for two weeks. We flew into Madrid and over the next week visited Seville, Cordoba and Granada. In each city I took them to places I had previously visited as well as a few new places. We returned to the Street of Flowers in Cordoba, the cathedral in Granada, and went to another service in the cathedral in Seville.
The second week we stayed with my host family again and spent the week at the beach, enjoyed the city’s nightlife, and spent time with the family. We went out on the town and met some of the daughter’s friends. We tested our bravery by sneaking into a club that turned us away because it was full and my brother was too young. The culture is different when it comes to going out in Spain; they wait until about 11 to 11:30 p.m. and don’t come home until 7 or 8 in the morning. Those nights were interesting to get accustomed to but were fun nonetheless.
