Daniel Cowan: Spain

Arrival in Spain - June 25/26

The seven hour flight from Boston to Madrid seemed to take an eternity. I was deathly afraid to travel to another country to speak Spanish in an immersion program with people I've never met, but I was certainly ready for the challenge. We landed in Madrid at 6:30 am local time, and while all of us were zombies due to the jet lag, we had the whole day in front of us. We hopped on a bus and drove 4 hours to our college, Ave Maria Casa Madre, in Granada, stopping for breakfast on the way. All of the students got to know each other immediately - we got settled in our rooms, met our roommates, met our counselors, and went straight into team-building exercises. After the typical get-to-know-you games and the warming up of our Spanish speaking skills, we were given free time, and we started the tradition of playing a game of handball during this 'tiempo libre.' They took our phones, which might have been the hardest part of the trip, but seeing how tight our group was after just one day, I felt like I wouldn't be needing my phone much at all. I was right.

Quick stop for breakfast on the way to Granada, everyone dawning the orange shirts of Middlebury Interactive Languages

The patio on which we played soccer, handball, and basketball, with an amazing view of La Alhambra

The Weekday Routine

On weekdays, I woke up at 7:45 to shower, dress, and be the first one to breakfast at 8:30. Every day, the kitchen offered Frosted Flakes, Cocoa Krispies, fruit, milk, and coffee to eat and drink, and every day, I entered the dining room, grabbed a bowl, poured my milk and Frosted Flakes, and ate before the mass of students came to 'desayunar' - eat breakfast. My friends and I would often play 'eliminación' - a soccer game much like a penalty shootout, but you are eliminated if you cannot score as a shooter and make a save as the goalie - before the morning assembly. The camp leaders would tell us about the activities of the day and make announcements, and to end it off, the whole camp would always dance to a number of different songs. Next were classes - I would walk every day after assembly to 'aula 6,' classroom 6, to the class of Carmen, my 'profesora' for the 4 weeks of camp. For three hours, we learned about Spanish culture, including what Spaniards eat, how they learn and progress through school, how Spanish immigration works, and how the economy is different from that of the United States (or Great Britain, as there was one girl who was from England). We were placed into cultural exploration classes each week, so after class, we went to our assigned class for an hour to learn the Spanish culture through hands-on activities. During week one I did a class called the art of gastronomy, which taught the Mediterranean Diet (what the eat in Spain and countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea) through art activities; during week two I did a photography class and was able to see and take photos of the beautiful city of Granda; and during week three I did a clay molding class, and in addition to making things with clay, we were given the opportunity to go out to a shop and watch Spanish clay molders in action. After classes and lunch, we were given free time (normally used to nap or talk to friends, because the heat barred us from doing things outside), and after free time we always had activities to do before dinner. After dinner was the perfect time to play sports or stargaze, because the temperature was perfect every night. We were all in bed by 11:30, ready to do the routine over again.

Our level 4 class with teacher Carmen

My teacher, Carmen, and I

Activities and Weekend Excursions

Every weekday after free time, there were a list of activities to choose from and participate in. The lists varied - we all did a cooking class, and there were also a bracelet-making class, a keychain-making class, a CrossFit class, a calligraphy class, a mask-making class, and several others. We were also given the opportunity to go to the city almost every day in groups alone to eat, get ice cream, or go to the mall. Because the Euro Cup soccer tournament was going on during camp, we frequently watched games together after dinner. Sports were an almost daily activity - games of handball, soccer, basketball, and 'eliminación,' described earlier. took place frequently on the patio. We had three parties, the first being when we invited real Spanish students to the campus to dance and better our speaking skills, the second being a dance competition, and the third was the farewell party. Each weekend we took a different trip - the first weekend was Fourth of July weekend, so on Sunday we had a scavenger hunt in which we rotated through different stations with a different task in hopes of finishing all the stations first (and ended that with a really fun water fight), and on Monday, the Fourth of July, we went to both a city called Frigiliana to eat and visit a very old church and the beach in a city called Nerja. The second weekend, we visited the Alhambra, which is an ancient city and fortress, and made bread in a city famous for bread-making, Alfacar. The third weekend we went back to the beach, but in Málaga as opposed to Nerja. The last weekend, we had another scavenger hunt, but this time it was a city-wide hunt that had us visiting the most prominent features and places of the city, including the Cathedral and the 'Banuelos.' Classes were undoubtedly a great experience, but for me, the activities were how I made friends and how I got to know the Spanish culture, and those are what I'll remember most.

At the beach in Nerja, holding our counselor, Jose

Breathtaking views on a hike before making bread Week 2

Bread-making fun in Alfacar Week 2

A large majority of the guys at camp - there were only about 25 of us total

A Big Thank You

Upon arrival back in the United States, I realized all that this trip has done for me: I have a deeper knowledge and understanding of Spanish, can converse with native speakers, have a greater appreciation for the Spanish culture and foreign cultures in general, and have broadened my horizons in a way that, before MBA, I did not think possible for me. I have to thank Middlebury and everyone associated with the program for making this immersion experience in Spain the best it could possibly have been. I also want to thank Sr. Kamm for advancing my comprehension and skill of the Spanish language to the point where it was possible for me to make this trip. Many thanks also to Sr. Paolicchi for handling the complicated processes leading up to the trip and getting everything done so smoothly, and finally, a huge thank you to the Wilson family for allowing me and everyone else the opportunity to travel and learn in this way - it truly is a blessing, and I'll never forget this experience.

The end of an unforgettable month