Experiment in International Living - Spain (Cherrise Dorsey)

While experimenting in Spain this summer, I learned what it means to be an experimenter. An experimenter is an ambassador who represents their school and the Experiment in International Living (EIL). 

This summer, I attended EIL’s Art History program in Spain. Though Spain was not my first choice, I loved the experience. I explored different cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Girona, Figueres, Cadaques, and Toledo. I learned new things about artists that I studied in art class prior to my trip. On the ESAS program, we studied artists like Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Antoni Gaudi, and Salvador Dali. I studied three out of the four artists in school.

The majority of my trip was based around getting to know a new culture. In the beginning, I felt out of place and that I didn’t belong but I then got used to the Spanish culture. During my homestay, I felt a little uncomfortable because I was in a different surrounding, but my host family made me feel welcomed. I had two sisters in my homestay, Andrea, 19 and Claudia, 15. Andrea was the oldest and she was someone who loved to go to the beach and have fun. She had taken me out around the town and showed me the life of a Spaniard. I had lots of fun with her, from riding the trains to seeing Spain win the World Cup in futbol and going to the beach. My other sister Claudia was disabled so while we couldn’t go out, we talked about a lot of things like her love of horses and that her favorite color is brown. My host mother and father were great. My mother made sure I was well fed and comfortable. My father lives his life like everyday is his last. He goes hiking, swimming, and bike riding. He actually took my sister Claudia and I bike riding one evening. He is also a great cook and he cooks a dish that is now my all time favorite Spanish dish: Paella. Love it! Love it! Love it! While my host family was concerned about the amount of time that I spent on the computer and on the phone, we were able to resolve those issues.

While the homestay was a memorable part of my experience, I really enjoyed the art experience. I was so fascinated by a lot of thing that I saw and was thankful that I got to see such amazing artworks in person. Pablo Picasso, one of my favorite artists, has a piece called Guernica. While I was able to study the Guernica in my class in the states, being able to go to Spain and see it in person was a life changing experience for me. I was also able to explore the home and tomb of famous artist Salvador Dali, which was another amazing experience. Dali created a piece that I also like called The Persistence of Memory. Joan Miro was also a great artist whose works of art had deep meaning to it. He actually studied the author Dostoevsky, whose book, Crime and Punishment, I read over the summer. I thought it was fascinating that I’m not the only one who studied Dostoevsky. And Antoni Gaudi was an architect, whose work was beautiful and something of an imaginary world. Learning more about these artists and where they come from made me realize how grateful I am to have what I have.

During this trip I leaned things about Spain that would have never crossed my mind. I’ve learned that most of their land was built on high ground to prevent people from attacking or invading them. I learned how the Jews were kicked out of Spain and that today, there is not 1 Jewish person residing in Spain. In Spain, I also learned that they are conservative about energy. They line dry all of their clothes, which is great. The food, some was great and some were not my favorite. Patatas Bravas and Paella are my favorites! Also, the Ice Cream is indescribable! It’s rich and delicious and I spent nearly $60 American dollars on ice cream! Their fruit was very delicious as well, but some Spaniards don’t eat the skin. I was eating the skin and they looked at me as if I was crazy, but I told them that’s where most of the nutrients come from.

Overall I fell in love with the landscape of Spain. It was just so gorgeous that there was never a day where I didn’t want to go out. It was hot, but everyday was always a beautiful day to do anything.

Anyone who is looking for a good time and sites to see would really enjoy going to Spain. One day, I want to go back on my own time or study abroad so that I can learn more about Spain and its culture.