By Per Peterson
When you think of Spain, oftentimes, the Running of the Bulls comes to mind. Or maybe the Sagrada Famiilia or El Escorial. But if you dare partake in a game of word association with TAHS Spanish students who are fresh off their two-week sojourn to Spain, chances are you’ll hear two words repeatedly: “ice cream.”
“The ice cream is so much better there,” said student Katrina Olson. “I miss a lot about Spain, but I think I miss my host family the most. Oh, and the ice cream!”
Same for Lexi Tauer: “I miss having their ice cream,” she said. “There’s something about it that you can just not find over here.”
Hannah Jensen?
“I really miss the ice cream,” she said. “Also, I miss all the walking and seeing things that I’ve never seen before.”
Ice cream isn’t the only thing Anna Johnston misses, but …
“I miss the warm, springtime weather, and all of the neat shops in the cities,” Johnston said. “I also miss the food (Empanadas, croquetas, and lemon Fanta, especially) and having near instant access to ice cream at all times.”
Of course, there is more to Spain than ice cream. This year’s group of students visited the Royal Palace in Madrid, as well as a number of Cathedrals during their two-week long stay.
TAHS Spanish teacher Pamela Anderson was making her 15th trip to Spain with the school and said that not only was this year’s journey “fabulous,” the locals were as impressed by the American students as the students were by Spain and all it had to offer.
“This was a wonderful group of students to travel with,” said Anderson. “We got compliments all along the way on how well they behaved, how polite they are, who well-educated they are.”
Anderson said the students saw the Royal Palace in Madrid, as well as some Cathedrals.
“We didn’t get to go to the beach in Barcelona because it was raining. The last day, they got to spend at the pool on the rooftop of the hotel, and European hotels typically don’t have pools, so that was a treat. They got to see a flamenco show, which was a treat.”
The students spent six days with their host family, and many commented about how well they got along with their new, temporary familia.
“I miss my host family,” Hannah Brockway said. “They were some of the nicest people I have ever met.”
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.