Nikhil Peterson - Spain 2018

Arrival in Madrid

We arrived in Madrid after the seven-hour flight and were all tired and jet lagged but ready to begin our adventure in Spain. We immediately began our immersion into the Spanish culture with a traditional Spanish lunch as soon as we arrived. As we were only with the American group in Madrid, we really had no reason to speak Spanish in place of English, but we started to form language pacts in which everyone had to speak Spanish and whoever spoke English first had to do a funny punishment. During those three brief days in Madrid, we visited a number of famous tourist sites such as the Reina Sofia Museo, El Museo del Prado, and the Royal Palace. It was very interesting and educational to see Spanish pieces of art such as La Guernica y Las Meninas which we had studied in class in real life. I also enjoyed hearing our tour guide explain the significance of each piece and comparing to the way we had studied the art in class. At the Royal Palace we had an audio tour which took us through a variety of throne rooms and showed us much of the gold and silver pieces which the Spanish royal family had accumulated over the years. By the end of our orientation in Madrid, our entire group had grown very close and we all felt like we had known each other for months. The next phase of our trip in Spain was our homestay in the small town of Guadix.

The Royal Palace in Madrid

Brief Visit to Toledo

The bus ride from Madrid to Guadix was approximately six hours but we took a one day stop in Toledo. Before actually entering the city, we stopped on a road outside the city and looked down on the historical city of Toledo. Toledo is built on a large hill and surrounded by a medieval moat and from our vantage point, we could see many historical buildings such as one of the largest cathedrals I’ve ever seen. During our day in the city, we saw the cathedral from outside and roamed around the city. We also learned about the crafting of gold, one of the more famous arts of Toledo. We visited an actual artisan shop and they showed us how the made and carved the gold. They also showed us the difference between handmade gold products and the pieces made on an assembly line. Soon, it was time for us to finish our journey to Guadix and finally meet our host families.

The group of American outside of Toledo 

Homestay in Guadix

As our bus arrived at the bus stop in Guadix to a large crowd of our Spanish families, all of us were feeling a mixture of nervous and excited. None of us knew quite what to expect in terms of our ability to converse with our Spanish families or our ability to assimilate into the Spanish culture, but there was no need to worry. As soon as I met my host family which was composed of my host mother, father, and two twins, a brother and a sister who were about my age, I knew that my time in Guadix with them would be the best part of my trip. My brother and I quickly bonded over sports such as our both being fans of F.C. Barcelona. On my first night in Guadix, my host siblings and I went to dinner with another American and his Spanish host brother. During that first dinner, Levi, the other American, and I were both fairly quiet as we were still struggling to keep up with the quick Spanish conversation. However, we still had fun with our Spanish host siblings laughing about Spanish words we couldn’t pronounce or English words they couldn’t say such as ketchup or mayonnaise. Throughout the almost two weeks we spent in Guadix, we did a variety of activities or excursions which helped us learn about the Spanish culture. On our first night we took a walk through the city and both learned our way around the city and heard stories about the history of the city and certain legends. Over the next few days, we explored the city more, visiting the famous cave houses and doing community service at the park by picking up trash, painting benches, and trimming bushes. Some of my favorite excursions included a trip to a beach about an hour away from Guadix, kayaking in a river, and hiking along waterfalls at Castril. All of the Americans quickly grew close with their Spanish families and we all felt at home in Guadix within only a few days. During our free time my host siblings and I would meet up with the other Americans and host siblings at the park or at the pool and we would either talk or play Spanish card games. During all of this time, I was growing more comfortable with holding full conversations in Spanish and I no longer struggled with the nerves I had felt on the first night. During my stay with my host family, I was constantly being fed by my host mother and I tried a variety of traditional Spanish food. The time finally came for us to leave our host families in Guadix and move on to Granada, and saying goodbye to my host family was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. Although we all somberly waved goodbye as the bus pulled away from Guadix, we also looked forward to exploring the much larger city of Granada.

Our group of Americans and host siblings at the caves in Guadix

Classes and Activities in Granada

In Granada, we took classes for four hours each day, and the classes were highly interactive and enriching. We spent two of the four hours learning about the Spanish culture, usually by walking through the streets and interviewing people from Granada. During the other two hours we focused more on our use of language and improving our ability to speak. Although my Spanish definitely improved during my time in Spain both through the classes and conversing with native speakers, my favorite part of the classes was going in depth with the Spanish culture. I learned a lot about the culture of Andalucia, the region where Granada is, especially their food and long history with the Moors. We went to an authentic Spanish grocery store and asked people there how to prepare certain meals which we later prepared for a party we had. After our classes each day, we had daily activities which enforced our learning about the Spanish culture even more. The highlights of those activities included our visit to La Alhambra in Granada and a lesson in flamenco. Flamenco was great exercise and La Alhambra included a lot of intricate architecture and both historical and religious significance to both the Muslims and the Christians. It was interesting to see the differences between the Muslim and Christian architecture and how the two religions or societies had interacted in the past. As we neared the end of our trip, we began to prepare ourselves for goodbye and our return to the U.S.

La Alhambra in Granada

Last Day in Madrid and Goodbye

To finish our trip we returned to Madrid for one final day before our flight home. It was amazing to see how familiar everything seemed but also how much we had changed in terms of our Spanish abilities, our awareness of Spanish culture, and how our group was even closer. On the last night we went out to dinner at the Plaza Mayor and enjoyed our last meal together. When we woke up in the morning it was time for us to pack up and board the bus to go the airport. The flight home went by much faster than the flight home because I never wanted it to end but when we finally arrived in New York we said goodbye with lots of tears and hugs, and my trip to Spain had officially come to an end.

Thanks

I would like to extend my thanks to the Wilson family for this incredible opportunity and experience in Spain. I met so many incredible people on this trip including my host family, Spanish friends, and American friends which I never would have known without the Wilson family’s generosity. In addition, my ability to speak Spanish greatly improved and I am now even more ready for my final year of Spanish classes at MBA. Learning about the Spanish language and culture has helped me consider more thoroughly studying Spanish beyond MBA in college and after firsthand experience of the Spanish culture I have a greater understanding of different cultures. Once again, I would like to say thank you again for this wonderful, life-changing opportunity.