Back in America

Now that I'm home and starting to get back into my normal routine, my trip to Spain almost feels like a dream. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I still can't believe so many of the things that I saw and got to do. I miss it so much. I miss all the amazing people that I met, walking through the beautiful city every day, coming home and eating lunch with my host mom, and laying on the beach and just relaxing. I love my home and my life here, but every day that we woke up in Spain there was always something new to see or do and something exciting to experience. Since I’ve been home I’ve had to start worrying about summer assignments and applying to colleges and typical teenage drama. In Spain, I didn’t even think about those things. We lived for three weeks without any stress or any worries. One huge part of the program that really helped to eliminate our stress was the staff. They were all so approachable and helpful that we all felt comfortable going to them with any problem. I had an ear infection the last few days and Javier, one of the staff, took me to pharmacy to help me explain the problem to them and find a way to fix it. They also make the classes fun and effective. We spent a fair amount of time learning grammar and rhetoric, but we also did a lot of applicable lessons that we could take out into the city, which made our classes so much better than traditional ones at home. Other than classes, we had a lot of really great group activities. I really liked going out to dinner as a group, because it encouraged us all to talk and get to know each other while enjoying really good Spanish food. By the last dinner on the last night, sitting around a table with 27 other kids felt completely normal and comfortable. I also really enjoyed going to the National Spanish Ballet, a flamenco show, Torre Tavira (a tower where you could see the whole city), and the Museum of Cadiz. The ballet was a little bit of a culture shock just because it was so much different from American ballets that I’ve seen. The costumes were very vivid and dramatic, and there were many different stories that were told. My favorite weekend trip was to the gorgeous city of Ronda, which was a completely different climate than Cadiz. One of the best parts of my trip was my homestay and host mom. Although our apartment wasn’t what I was used to at home, it was cozy and cute. Our mom, Noelia, worked so hard to keep us comfortable and happy. She was so generous with her home, always telling us to go wherever we like or use whatever we like. She was truly one of the sweetest women I have ever met and I hope I can go back and visit her someday. All in all, my trip to Spain and my experience with Abbey Road was phenomenal. I loved every minute of it and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. Ever since I’ve been home, all I’ve wanted was to go back to Cadiz, and hopefully someday I will.