We all gathered, in the still-dark but already-warm morning, to bid our families goodbye. I climbed the stairs into the bus and sat down. I watched as they tearfully waved goodbye, slowly disappearing into the distance.
I could clearly remember the first day we met. I remembered when they were still strangers, when I couldn’t understand them speaking, when I didn’t know their names. But I could also remember the connection that grew, a bridge of trust, built on their love and support from the first day. My family’s infinite patience for my frantic requests of “please repeat that” or “please slow down” and the care they took to explain their jokes and sayings to me eased the transition greatly.
As I sat on the bus reflecting on the past three weeks, I thought back to the little moments. I remembered the joy in the way my host brother introduced me to each one of his friends, the smirk from my host sister when she won a card game, the conspiratorial grin from my host dad after a corny joke. I remembered the hearty lunches with abuela, the lazy afternoons at the town pool. I remembered ice cream on hot afternoons and hot chocolate late at night.
The sun rose. I watched through the window as the red light shone on the now-familiar landscape. I had traversed the Castilian countryside outside of my family’s home town on numerous occasions. Day trips had taken me to small neighboring towns and wineries in rolling vineyards, as well as big cities such as Valladolid and Salamanca. I had seen Roman villas and aqueducts, Gothic cathedrals, castles and tunnels. My family took great care to not only give me the daily routine in their home town, but the lay of the land, taking me on day trips to see the incredible local attractions.
I remembered the greatest feeling of accomplishment during my homestay. We had a large family gathering to celebrate my host grandma’s 90th birthday. As we sat down for lunch with all the relatives, worry welled up inside me. I couldn’t understand the unfamiliar voices over the din of the party. My mind was doing double-time trying to keep up with the dialogue. I was struggling to stutter out half-formed answers to the barrage of questions I was facing.
As the conversation shifted away, one of the people sitting near me, an older man with a kind smile, turned to me and engaged me in conversation. I responded, slowly at first, but then faster, with more confidence. The words came naturally and I gradually began to think about what to say, and not how to say it in Spanish. This wasn’t my first natural conversation in Spanish, but it was when I realized that all my practice with my host family and other students was transferable to making real connections with people I didn’t know. I was elated. I spent the rest of the party buzzing around striking up conversations with new people.
I remembered that moment as I drifted back to sleep on the bus, still energized by the joy and confidence of adventure, challenge, perseverance, and accomplishment.
Nathaniel, North Five Week 2025
