Meet Jadon, a LITA North Three Week 2025 student, as he reflects on his host family experience, language growth, and the connections that shaped his summer.
Who are you? (name, age, when did you participate in LITA, where are you from)
My name is Jadon Gottfried, I’m from San Diego, and I’m 15. I participated in LITA this past summer (2025).
What made you decide to participate in LITA?
I have always loved learning Spanish and have liked it more and more as my conversational skills have improved. I really wanted to challenge myself to take my Spanish to the next level, and LITA seemed like the perfect program for prioritizing immersion, teaching so much about Spanish culture, and developing such strong connections, both with fellow group members and host families.
What stuck out to you about LITA compared with other programs?
First and foremost, no other program I have heard of commits to the same level of immersion of LITA. LITA encourages and requires you to speak Spanish without the handicaps tourists usually receive - you speak Spanish not just with group members and teachers, but with Spaniards who won’t understand any English, giving you the opportunity to experience authentic Spanish.
Second, the amazing host families made me feel comfortable with my decision to leave for another country without my parents! Our families were carefully chosen for us by matching up interests, personalities, and preferences, which made me feel much more confident about meeting my family. Additionally, before leaving, LITA participants are encouraged to communicate with their host families to begin to form connections with them. Also, LITA emphasizes that the relationships formed do not end with the trip - they continue through your life. I am actually still talking with my host family, and definitely don't plan to stop!
Tell me about your experience with your host family. What were some of the shocks that you might have had coming in with your host family, and how long did it take you to settle in? Do you have a particular memory with them that you could share?
Upon arriving in our host town, everyone felt nervous, me included. We all wanted to make a good impression, which made it a bit stressful. However, every family welcomed their new family members, and the tension, for the most part, dissolved remarkably fast. Of course, there were still challenges. In my experience, it wasn't any one thing that shocked me, but rather the combination of a lot of little things I found different or unfamiliar from home that unsettled me - five meals a day, wearing slippers inside, siesta, going out late at night, not being in your room, etc. None of these differences were bad, just unfamiliar. It took me a few days to adjust, but I definitely did.
I remember the first night with my family, my host brothers took me out for a walk around the pueblo at around 10 at night. We went to a bar to grab a bite to eat and ran into some of their friends while we were there. Immediately, they pulled me into conversation - my host brothers and their friends. Before that moment, I had kind of been thinking "what am I doing here?" I was in another country, living with this family that I had just met, and only speaking Spanish. However, talking and laughing with everyone at that table, I felt all of my worries vanishing. For the first time, I felt like I was meant to be there.
What was your level of Spanish like before the program? And how would you say it improved during LITA?
Before LITA, I had taken three years of Spanish. I was capable of holding a conversation and had a decent vocabulary. However, LITA improved my Spanish tremendously. I stopped translating things in my head before saying them aloud, learned an incredible amount of new words, and spoke with much more confidence. I could understand people talking fast and those with difficult accents. I also got really good at expressing myself even when I didn't know a key word, by describing it or working around it. Overall, my Spanish started to change from the structured formulas of school to the true freedom of expression that languages provide.
The fear of speaking a foreign language is what stops a lot of people from diving into immersion. How did you overcome this?
I had to accept that at times, I was going to sound a bit ridiculous. You will, without a doubt, run into a situation where someone seems impossible to understand, or you mess up a sentence so badly it's unrecognizable. What helped me was realizing that everyone on the program with me was experiencing the same things - even the monitores made mistakes! The goal of LITA is not perfection but improvement. I had to learn to accept asking someone to repeat something over and over or even write it down. It's not a failure when you can't understand or say something - it's just a part of the process.
Are you still taking Spanish classes and/or how are you planning to continue growing in your abilities?
Yes, I am still taking Spanish classes. I also talk with friends who are learning Spanish and my host family. I plan to keep speaking Spanish whenever I have the opportunity!
What was a challenge you ran into during the trip? Were you able to overcome it?
With my host family, I continually felt awkward whenever they went out of their way for me. I was grateful, but I couldn't help feeling a little bit guilty. For example, on the first day, I learned that I would be staying in one of my host brother's rooms - he had given up his room and bed for me. At first, I didn't know what to do, but then I realized that my host family probably felt just as nervous as I did. I knew that my family had chosen to give up so much for LITA because they truly wanted to host someone. Later, my host brothers and I actually talked about that first day, and they admitted they had, in fact, had no idea what they were doing - that they were just as nervous as I was. I put myself in their shoes and realized that it probably made them more comfortable if they could do something for me. My point is, you shouldn't hesitate to ask your host family if you need something - they're happy to help. Obviously, you can't take it too far, but you also can't get into the mindset of trying not to ask your host family for anything - they want to help you. It can be awkward to ask, but you'll both be better for it in the end.
Is there an experience or moment from your trip that stands out to you? Why was it so special?
Early into LITA, before the homestay, our group visited a small pueblo and spent the majority of the day there. We all felt self-conscious and insecure about our Spanish to some extent, so we spoke with some moderation. Then, for lunch, we stopped at a small bar, where the owner heard us talking and came over. He talked with us, and we told him we were visiting Spain to learn Spanish. He told us that he understood the hardships of learning new languages - he himself spoke more than five! He encouraged us to keep at it and kept talking with us to help us practice. He even let us try a Coca Cola Cero Cero(Coke with no sugar and no caffeine) for free - which became one of the group’s favorite drinks! Overall, he really helped us to gain confidence in our Spanish and dissuade the fear that kept us from speaking. That day became a turning point for us.
What surprised you most about the experience?
I was very surprised about how diverse Spain is. Spain is only about as big as Colorado, yet it is incredibly diverse. I learned that Spain has four different official languages - Spanish, Catalan, Gallego, and Basque, depending on the autonomous region (the Spanish equivalent of a state). The foods drastically differ too. In Galicia, next to the ocean, we ate an abundance of different cheese and seafood - Galicia is known for its pulpo (octopus). In central Spain, we ate more tortilla and sandwiches. The geography was also completely different - Galicia was green, with mountains, rivers and valleys. Central Spain was extremely flat, dry, and volcanic - it was a lot hotter than Galicia! Finally, In Guadalajara, there were also mountains; it was cooler than central Spain, but much drier and rockier than Galicia. Also, it is covered in forest.
Overall, the way in which geographical differences influenced culture was incredible to see - it’s amazing how little you have to travel to find vastly different lifestyles in Spain!
How would you say your peers influenced your experience?
Throughout all of LITA, my peers kept me motivated and encouraged. We all bonded remarkably fast, and within the first few days, we were all close friends. We kept each other accountable for only speaking Spanish and shared in the difficulty of it. With our host families, we would see each other every day, and it was inspiring how fast the host siblings were pulled into our friendships. My peers 100% influenced my experience for the better - I got so much more out of my experience because of them.
What advice would you give to students considering LITA?
If you can do LITA, do it. You will experience moments of awkwardness, uncomfortableness, and culture shock, but it is definitely worth it. You will have an amazing experience. Your Spanish improves tremendously - everyone on my trip, myself included, started having genuine conversations where everyone felt free to express themselves fully in Spanish. We were by no means perfect, but we could really use our Spanish, which is hard to do if solely school-taught.
However, the more you put in to LITA, the more you get out. My advice would be:
Commit fully to Spanish immersion - speaking 100% of the time in Spanish improves your speaking skills the most. Also, the bonds you form on the trip are so much stronger if everyone struggles through Spanish together rather than reverting back to English.
Show your gratitude for your host family - they are sacrificing so much for you! At the same time, don’t be so formal and respectful to where you can not form a friendly, familial relationship. It can be a hard balance to find, so I would err on the side of caution in the beginning, but you can relax as you settle in. Obviously, this is not to say don’t respect your host family - be a considerate guest, show your gratitude, and respect them, but don’t let the formality prevent you from bonding.
What were some other things you did to prepare before the trip that really helped you?
Before the trip, I spoke as much Spanish as I could to prepare - it became a fun exercise for me to name everything I could when I walked into a room. LITA also hosts online meetings, and they were a big help to prepare for Spanish culture.
Is there anything else you want to share with people who are thinking about doing LITA?
If you really want to improve your Spanish, LITA is the way to go - it was such a fun and insightful experience! If you’re worried about speaking only Spanish for such a long time, it starts to become natural after the first few days and the more you commit to the immersion, the easier it is. If you’re worried about culture shock, if you just try to keep an open mind and communicate, you will get through it. If you’re just worried about going to a foreign country on your own, you will be with a wonderful community that will support you. If you are able to, I highly recommend LITA!
