Summer in Spain “Unforgettable”
With barely a pause to catch their breath, a dozen Rivers students finished their finals, packed their bags, and hopped on a plane for two action-packed, lesson-filled weeks in Cádiz, Spain. Accompanied by language teachers Melinda Ryan and Mary Lane Brown, these eager participants in Rivers’ Summer in Spain program immersed themselves in the language and life of Spain, living with local families, taking traditional language classes in the mornings, and visiting historical and architectural sites each afternoon. Their adventures have been captured in Rivers’ Summer in Spain blog, filled with photos and student reflections.
“I was not expecting this program to be some of the best and most meaningful weeks of my life,” wrote Rachel Mann ’20 in the final post from the trip. “Before leaving home for the airport I was nervous because I thought of everything that could go wrong. What if I can’t communicate with my family? What if I get homesick? What if I don’t like the daily schedule? Instead of this, everything went right. I came to know Cádiz and its people and made amazing, lifelong relationships along the way. My host family, Milagros and Juan, could not have been more welcoming and kind. Jackie (my roommate) and I were extremely comfortable in their home and could not imagine anywhere better to spend these past two weeks… If I received this opportunity again, I would do it in a heartbeat. This experience has inspired me to continue traveling and to continue learning Spanish. I am thankful for these two weeks and the people I got to spend them with.”
After classes each weekday morning at Colegio San Felipe Neri, students visited sites throughout Cádiz—the oldest city in Western Europe—tracing the route where the first Spanish Constitution was written and signed, touring Phoenician and Roman ruins, making paella from scratch, visiting the bull ring in El Puerto de Santa María, learning the Andalusian dance called Sevillanas, touring the offices of the popular daily newspaper Diario de Cádiz, and relaxing on La Caleta beach. They sampled the local fare in markets and restaurants when not enjoying the homecooking of their host families.
In preparation for the trip, students met weekly throughout the spring, and many of them took the trimester elective “Medieval Spain: An Age of Exchange among Jews, Christians, and Muslims,” in order to maximize their experiences in Cádiz. Upon their return to the United States, the students will complete a final project for the Interdisciplinary Studies course that accompanies this program, “Cádiz: At the Intersection of History and Contemporary Spain.”
As part of their ISD studies, they appreciated a special visit to class by Fernando Rodríguez Izquierdo, from Sefarad Judería Cádiz, who spoke about Jewish heritage and culture in Cádiz. His talk, which covered from early history to the Franco era to the present day, was enlightening, and encouraged students to look for the many secret symbols all around Cádiz left by the crypto-Jews throughout the centuries.
During the middle weekend, the students went to Granada, visiting the Alhambra, the Capilla Real where the remains of the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand are located, and La Casa del Arte Flamenco to get a taste of real Spanish dance. On the final afternoon of the trip, the students visited Gibraltar, a British territory on the Iberian Peninsula.
Then as they posted with regret on the final Saturday: ¡Ya está!
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