Read Student Essay – The Experiment in International Living

Spain: Spanish Arts and Culture

Read Student Essay
Each student has a unique and individual experience on their Experiment program. The following essay is a single glimpse into a program from one student’s perspective.

Chelsea Cohen – Spanish Culture and Exploration (ESG)
Led by Erica Thomas
13 September 2008

Experiment Essay
How can I accurately sum up such a life changing experience in just a few words? But here is my best attempt. Simply put, my trip to Spain last summer was unforgettable.

When I arrived at the JFK airport that July morning, I was extremely anxious. The thoughts running through my mind were along the lines of, “What will my group be like? Will my host family like me? I hope my Spanish is good enough. What if we can’t understand each other? Oh gosh, what if I say something wrong and offend them?? Oh hey, that lady with the sign must be my leader…” And with that, my experience began. With papers to fill out, people to meet, and icebreakers to discuss, I no longer had time to be nervous or to worry; I was very grateful.
After getting through the preliminaries, I began to realize just how lucky I was to be part of the experiment. I already felt comfortable with my group members after just one international flight. My group members and I continued to grow closer from then on. We braved the streets of Madrid together, attempting to complete a scavenger hunt with only a map and our broken Spanish to guide us. We toured parks, museums, and La Plaza mayor. We argued like brothers and sisters over the best places to eat and walked in circles every night, only to end up eating at the original restaurant. We hung out in la plaza by El Corte Ingles, and played on the monkey bars with kids who were ecstatic to finally practice their “Hello, How are you?” But most of all, we established an incredible bond that left us questioning whether we wanted to continue on into the homestay portion of the experiment. Nevertheless, we boarded el tren to Vejer de la Frontera three days later.

The homestay turned out to be my favorite part of the experiment. My host mother welcomed me as if I was her own daughter, cooking for me and explaining to me all the various Spanish traditions and phrases that made her Andalucian home special. I will never forget our mealtime conversations and how they grew from the simple “Mmm…me gusta el pescado,” to “Sí, tambien pienso que los jovenes deben practicar la religión. Hay demasiadas personas que no creen en nada y creo que es una lástima.” By the end of my trip we would talk about anything and everything, and I could tell that she enjoyed learning about me and my culture as much as I loved discovering more about Andalucía. We both were sad when it was time to say goodbye, only cheered up by my promise to visit again in the future.

Three days later, I discovered that the hardest goodbye was yet to come. As my group members and I awaited our flight back to the US, we sat in disbelief that everything was actually coming to an end. We reminisced about our days in Madrid, Toledo, Sevilla, Córdoba, and Vejer. We laughed at our numerous inside jokes and rapped our Vejer-inspired parody of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” We scribbled last minute entries in our shared journal and wrote heartfelt letters of goodbye to our closest friends, promising to stay in touch. And lastly, we cried. We sobbed our little hearts out because, while no one had exactly the same experience, each of us made friends that would last a lifetime. This trip made best friends out of complete strangers, instilled confidence in even the worst of Spanish speakers, and brought people of different regions and cultures to share in a mutual understanding of each other. The experiment was truly a once-in-a -lifetime experience, and I will never forget it.

(Not part of the essay but: Thank you so much for allowing me to have this experience, EIL!)