Peru: shout out to host families

When I thought about spending three months in Peru, I had a lot of fears. I worried about learning a new language, learning how to use public transportation, and standing out as a tourist. Once I arrived, I realized that using public transportation is easy, standing out as a tourist is inevitable, and learning the language is the most challenging part of the trip. It is overwhelming, and very humbling, to experience living in an area where I required assistance to order food, get directions, and buy groceries, all while being immediately recognized as a foreigner. It became more difficult once I met my host family, who were, and are, determined to improve my Spanish through long conversations.

Despite all warnings of the adjustment period when spending so much time in another country, I hadn’t quite realized just how difficult it would be to completely change my routine and suddenly need to acquire several new skills. Now, almost two months later, I have settled into a routine that I would have found hard to believe when I first arrived in Peru. I am capable of holding conversations with my host family in Spanish, with lots of laughing and minimal translation required. I also spend a lot of time with my host family and have learned a lot about them. In particular, I have an incredibly sweet host mother, who likes to cook, do her own home improvement projects, and loves to travel. Side note: if you ever get the chance, she makes incredible food. I have learned so much about different South American countries from her stories, and we enjoy comparing the differences between Peru and the United States when we have dinner together. For lunch, much of the group frequents a restaurant near our classroom, and I no longer need help ordering my food. I have a favorite snack that I buy at the local grocery store, and a favorite route to run on weekends. Now that I’ve finally settled into a routine, our group is splitting up and moving to different parts of Peru. Having done it once before, I’m excited to see what new challenges arise!

-Erin Clayton, Senior

Living with a host family during my time here in Lima has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had here in Peru. I live in the district of Chorrillos with my host mom, Mary. My host sister, Luana, lived with us until she traveled to Spain one month ago. My host mom and I enjoy watching movies together, laughing about random things, and talking about our days. We also enjoy going out to eat my favorite Peruvian dish, “lomo saltado”. My host mom has a big heart and has made me feel at home here in Lima. I am going to miss her a lot when I leave Lima next week!

-Anika Hurst, Junior

Peru: The Fog of Winter

Garua!

Living in the Southern Hemisphere at the end of October means that we are transitioning into Spring! Warm sunny days are slowly replacing the dense fog and humid cold of the city. Most of our group is used to American winters. We know what to expect and how to dress for the dry cold. We rely on central heating to take the edge off.

Winter in Lima requires that we take a Limeña approach. Extra blankets, layers and warm drinks have become the norm for most of us. Small electric heaters are cheap and easy to find, but the electrical costs are prohibitive. A family of four will spend $200 a month on electricity. When a typical lunch costs around $3, spending double that on electricity per day is a lot. Adding a small heater to your bill won’t go unnoticed. While daytime temperatures are mostly fine, sunset freezes the air and our bodies. On the coldest days, a dense fog hangs over the city all day. Everybody talks about how London is foggy, wet and cold. Lima gets 300 hours less sun than London annually with only about an hour of sunshine daily in winter!

Garua! It sounds like a swear word, and maybe it should be. Garua is a Spanish word meaning drizzle or mist. It never rains in this desert city, but the air is always wet. Apparently, the droplets are just so fine that they can’t form actual raindrops. What a shame! While Peruvians have figured out creative ways to create value using the fog (“Peru Fog Catchers Net Water Supplies”), we mostly just feel its cold dark presence. American author, Herman Melville, said of Lima “it’s the strangest, saddest city thou cans’t see.” We feel you Herman!

Here’s a student’s perspective on the Lima winter:

Close your eyes and picture yourself standing in front of an old analog TV. You’re moving in between channels, but nothing’s on, so every time you twist the knob you’re greeted with another blank wall of static. So you keep searching, but again and again, you find nothing on, only static.

This is what it’s like to live in Lima, Peru’s capital city; it’s a cold place blanketed under a cover of smog or fog or just general grayness, enough that the days start to blend together ever so slightly until you’re not quite sure how long you’ve been here or how much longer you will be. But just like staring into that blank TV, that static slowly absorbs you just enough for you to find the tranquility underneath it all, and just enough so on the days where the sun peeks through the grayness for just a moment in the afternoons, you relish its warmth just a little more, like the faint dashes of color in the mess of black and white.

-Joe Whetzel

Peru: Museo Larco

On September 7th, we visited Museo Larco in Lima. The first part of the museum featured a grid displaying the timeline crossed with geographical regions. It provided an image on which to begin the following historical venture. We then proceeded to walk chronologically through the art of Peru. We started in the pre-ceramic era of 8000 A.C. to 2000 A.C. During this time, there was no calefaction available to bake clay, and instead, they dried materials using the sun or used wood and stone. Caral, the oldest city in the Americas that we would visit a few weeks later, would provide a great example of the architecture and art of this period. After the start of ceramics and the formative era, we dove into what Ulla (our history professor) focused on the most: The Auge Era. This era contained the Mochica culture on the north coast, Lima culture on the central coast, Nazca culture on the south coast, and Huari, Cajamarca, Tiahuanaco, Recuay, and Santa in the Sierra. These regions featured their own architecture and arts. Most notably, there were Huaca de la Luna, Huaca Pucllana, Nazca Lines, and Tiahuanaco structures, respectively.

We immersed ourselves in artwork and pottery featuring birds, snakes, cats, and spiders. These creatures were turned into powerful anthropomorphic figures of gods when they were combined with each other. The bird represented the skies, heavens, and the land of the gods: Hanan Pacha. The cat represented the physical earth, the land of humans: Kay Pacha. The snake represented the underworld, the land of the dead: Uku Pacha. Also featured heavily in Peruvian art is the idea of the spiral, which represents the natural cycle of life. This spiral went through each of the three worlds and was considered to be powered by the duality of life. Juxtaposing figures such as night and day, light and dark, sun and moon, land and water, hot and cold, man and woman, etc. were what allowed life to exist and allowed for the cycle of birth and death on earth.

These motifs were then extended deeply into the erotic arts. The cycle of life was quite literally continued by the combination of the opposing figures of woman and man. Sex held no taboo, but rather a deep reference in their culture. There are countless artistic expressions highlighting the cultural significance of the act. It was viewed as something beautiful and celebratory. The Pre-Colombian cultures even embraced anal sex as a way of reversing the spiral. There were considered certain days when this was important because, on these days, the dead would come up to the human realm, and the gods would descend into the underworld to tend to it. It is fascinating how these ancient cultures, in certain ways, feel more progressive than America now, where “Conservative Christian” culture still has many effects on our younger generation. We are a generation that has experienced purity culture’s damages as well as witnessing nowadays as there are arguments in our politics over marriage rights and contraceptives and much more. This freedom of expression within the realm of art and sex and bodies is something beautiful and pure, and sadly something that feels very far away from where we are today.

-Jaylen Flesher

Peru – First Impressions

First Impressions…

Cross-cultural programs are notoriously busy! We are taking a full load of college courses while navigating a gigantic city (think NYC with 10x less infrastructure) with traffic patterns that aren’t really patterns at all. Everyone and everything needs to be filtered through Spanish, and the history and customs and politics and every other thing is foreign. It’s work! It’s new and stressful.

Amidst all the stress and challenges of our new milieu, we are thankful that we have each other and the regular faces of the program – our leaders (Celia and Kris), our Spanish teachers, our topical lecturers. And of course there are our families! Families form the bedrock of our cultural learning here. We go home to them every night, we talk about church, homelife, politics and customs with them. They worry about our well-being and they are patient with our language. They are so patient with our language!

Even with all the support that we have from family and others, it still feels strange, and fitting in sometimes feels impossible. Here’s a student’s perspective on ‘fitting in’:

I spent the first several days here in Peru wanting to blend in as much as possible. I considered dying my hair darker so that I wouldn’t be as recognizable as someone from the United States: I would think constantly about how I could blend in: can I look more Peruvian? How are these women dressing? How do they wear their hair? How do they interact with other people on the bus, in the streets, or in the market? I have noticed a lot of activewear and tennis shoes. Women here are wearing flare-leg pants or straight-leg jeans. Often they have long straight dark hair that is cut all to the same length. I was hyper-aware of my taper-leg skinny jeans and my lighter + layered hair, which I often have pulled back into a ponytail. I don’t blend in at all really, except for mimicking how Peruvian women act. Still, I laugh too loud when I walk with friends and hesitate too much when I am trying to figure out whether the cashier is asking for cash or card or if I want a receipt. I have been finding myself wishing I wasn’t so obviously from the United States. It’s exhausting, I wish I could navigate better; I wish I could speak better Spanish; I wish I could look more Peruvian. I keep falling short in ways that I feel are intrinsically part of me. I feel frustrated when I spend half an hour, my maps rerouting, turning in circles trying to find a park when I can usually rely on my sense of direction to get me where I need to go. I feel inadequate as a communicator when I have miscommunicated important information because I am still learning Spanish. These, and dozens of other parts of myself that I hold dear feel like they are crumbling. I can only hope that there is some light, somewhere, that is revealed when I strip down all of the attributes and skills, and ways I used to understand who I am.

This past Sunday, I knew I was going to church with my host family. I was already experiencing some stress regarding the 3-hour long service that was awaiting me. I braided my hair, put on my skirt and corresponding shirt, sweater, etc. I was ready. I wanted to show my host mom a) that I was ready to do this thing that she cared about and b) that I owned clothes other than the two pairs of jeans that I’ve worn every day since I had arrived. Fifteen minutes before we were to leave, she knocked on my door. I could tell from the moment she opened her mouth that she was uncomfortable. I wasn’t dressed formally enough for church. I was stunned. She had just told me that jeans were more formal than the skirt I had chosen. I broke in that moment more than I had at any other point in this trip. Some deep-seated feeling of inadequacy flushed through me. I knew that I didn’t understand, and it hurt. Who am I without my communication and navigation skills, and who am I without my ability to understand? Frankly, I am unsure.

-Maggie Garber

GHANA 2022

June 27th: We had our final two lectures at University of Ghana in Accra. Women in Public Life in Ghana presented by Akosua K. Darkwah, PhD, Department of Sociology, University of Ghana. This lecture was conducted by one of only two women who provided lectures to us while we were here. Women contribute at high numbers to Agriculture (41.4% women and 48.2% men), Manufacturing (10.3% Females and 7.7% Males) and Services (28.0% women and 10.3% Males) in Ghana.

The second and final lecture was entitled, Agriculture in Ghana and was conducted by Dr. Naalamie Amissah, PhD. Ghana gained its independence on March 6, 1957, has a population of 30.9 million (2021), has a population growth rate of 2.1% per annum, the capital is Accra and the current President is Nana Akufo-Addo.

Principle Agricultural Exports include: Cocoa, Timber, Horticultural Products, Fish/Sea Foods and their Cultural Agricultural Imports include: Wheat, RIce, Chicken (frozen), Milk and Fish.

June 28th: Today we had a lecture on solid waste management, climate change, and environmental issues in Ghana. Afterward, we visited a waste management facility and watched videos on the processes that occur daily. The plant was under construction, but we were able to view a 3D model of it.

June 29th: Today we went to our site, Glowna. We worked with the children today on prime numbers. We wrote problems on the board and walked around and assisted them when needed and checked over their work. They came up and worked each problem out on the board in front of the class, to ensure they grasped the concept and were able to explain their answers. Lastly, we ended the day by playing a game of Uno.

June 30th: On Thursday, we went to the Art Center. We shopped till we dropped, the market was an amazing experience. It was very fun to look around and see all of the various items people were selling and getting to bargain. Then, we went to our volunteer sites for the last time. It was bittersweet, as we have formed bonds with the children.

July 1st: Friday was mainly our travel day from Accra to Kumasi. Five hours on the bus! We stopped at the Ghana National Cultural Centre. We learned all about the various tribes, former chiefs, the former currency used, tribal drums, and more. Very grateful for the chance to learn more about Ghanaian culture.

July 2nd: On Saturday, we spent the day in Kumasi. Around 8:30 am we left our hotel for a day full of activities. The first thing that we did was visit a Kente Weaving Village to learn about how kente clothing and cloth are made. We got to have a demonstration of how weaving is done and some of us also got to try weaving for ourselves. After we finished there, we went on our way to learn how people create clothing with traditional Ghanian Adinkra symbols by printing them on fabric. We saw a demonstration of how they make the dye that’s used to print the symbols onto the cloth, and some of us even got to give printing a try. After that, we went on our way to the Kumasi Fort and Military Museum for a tour. We learned about the Asante Rebellion and got to see some of the main military equipment and artifacts from the British-Asante war of 1990. And for our final stop of the day, we visited the Okomfo Anokye Sword Site to learn about the ‘immovable’ sword that was driven into the ground by Okomfo Anokye, the history of the Asante people, and why this sword is monumental to them.

-Rayn Robinson

Spain II – Mediterranean coastal cities, learning, take aways

A Beautiful Castle, Beach and History of Peñíscola, Spain

On the weekends, Tarjona language school takes some of its students on excursions to see different sites that we may not know about. On July 24th, we got on the 2 hour bus ride and headed to Peñíscola for the day. On the bus, a few students in our group were able to get to know other students from different countries who were from different Spanish classes. When we finally got there, I was so excited to see the amazing views. When we hopped off the bus we got to see a glimpse of one of the beaches, then started our journey up to the old castle. On our walk, we were able to see the beautiful roads filled with flowers, take pictures of the bright blue water, and pass by many little shops. When we got to the castle, we were able to see artifacts, the church, and if you went up the skinny steep staircase, then you would have seen the most amazing view of Peñíscola.

For my Game of Thrones fans out there, you would have noticed that many scenes were filmed here, which was really exciting to see in my opinion! We were able to take some pictures before heading out on our own for lunch or the beach. A lot of the restaurants were overlooking the water! At the end of the day, we all met up for some fun on the beach before getting back on the bus for another 2 hours. I wish we could have stayed longer in this beautiful city!

We have completed three weeks of language school and almost a month of being away from home. We’ve walked many, many miles – a couple students logged 30,000 steps in one day as they walked the entire riverbed park – La Turia – in Valencia. It’s been very hot as many countries in Europe experienced another heat “storm” and many of the buildings in Valencia have no air conditioning. As we all prepare to reorient ourselves to our families and friends, cooler weather and prepare for what comes next, we invite you to read a few of our final reflections.

– Shania Coleman

Discomfort and Adaptation

Wrapping up cross-cultural this week, I have been reflecting back on things I’ve learned about myself throughout the trip. First, I’ve learned how to be okay being uncomfortable and adapting to a new culture. I feel like traveling is one of the best ways to really grow and learn about yourself because every day is different with new opportunities. Traveling is not going to go smoothly 100% of the time, so learning how to navigate and handle those issues is a big lesson I have learned in Spain. Another thing I learned about myself on this trip is that I need alone time. I feel like when we are traveling in a big group and we all have roommates, it’s hard to get that alone time and regroup. I didn’t know how much I would need that until I came to Spain. Luckily, we have a great group of people in this cross-cultural group who have an understanding of people’s needs and are self-aware individuals. Overall, this trip has been extremely beneficial to learning more about myself. I think it was important for me to come on this trip and get out of my comfort zone!

– Hannah York

Reflections on Our Experience

I was given the hard task of wrapping up the entire trip into one blog post. When thinking back on this trip there were so many high points that I’m not sure exactly what I want to talk about most. Was it all of the museums, the bullfight, the complex history behind the architecture and the city, or was it something as small as being happy to see clouds in the sky, hearing cracked tile beneath your feet on the walk to school, finally being able to have a conversation in Spanish and understanding what was being talked about, or was it something else underlying that made this trip so exceptional?

Some of the best parts of this trip happened when we all gave into the culture and really tried to understand the similarities and differences between our culture and aspects of Spanish culture – when we weren’t afraid to use our Spanish and grow our vocabulary by talking to local people or when we learned how to navigate city transportation with only a few missed stops.

Being on this cross-cultural has provided every single one of us with opportunities to not only grow the skills we came into Spain with but also to learn new skills like speaking better Spanish, navigating a new city, and learning how to fit into a new culture all while discovering new things about ourselves that we will be able to bring back to the U.S. with us.

If you would have asked me before I left for Spain if I thought requiring cross-cultural was a good thing, I’m not sure what I would have responded with. After being in Spain for nearly a month, I can say with certainty that I will now always say “yes”. Although we were only here for a month, we made thousands of memories and learned priceless skills that will help us as we move into the workforce and back into our home communities. As we start our journey back to EMU, I can say that I am going to miss everything about Spain; its welcoming community, the laid-back culture, and the beautiful architecture are a few things that I can say I will never be able to forget.

– Abby Clayton

Poem

To Sweet Valencia:

Surfing the skies,
Riding the trains,
Walking the streets,
And learning their names.

Welcoming every day faster than last,
Glancing aback at the ghosts of the past,
Learning her customs, her language, her ways,
In the sweltering heat of the sun’s mighty rays.

Her people, her people, are her heart and her soul,
The root of the good, the evil, the whole.
For though we might struggle or draw a poor hand,
Laura can laugh and yet understand,
And in even the darkest and hottest of nights,
Salva’s quick wit fans our spirits alight.

Though within our own group, some choice moments transpired,
And it’s here that I’ll read off some quotes I’ve acquired:
Ladies of the night were often invading,
And biodegradable straws were biodegrading,
Is it potatoes or the Pope that we’re baking?
Does lactose intolerance improve decision-making?

Maybe we listen to Larry the Cable Guy more than we should,
But it’s an established fact, his spit tastes kind of good
Whether being too white to get a tan,
Or milking someone for as long as we can,
As we ready ourselves to fly off to the West,
There’s no doubt our quotes are the best of the best.

For these are the memories,
The new bonds we share,
Forged on the streets
Of that old city fair.

And though we’re eager to come home,
Having appeased EMU’s intelligentsia,
May we all someday return,
To sweet Valencia.

– Isaac Spicher

Spain II: Bullfight

Bullfighting in Spain

On July 16th, around half of our group decided to go and watch a bullfight here in Valencia. It’s the centuries-old Iberian distillation of the most classic of conflicts: Man versus Nature. Recently, bullfighting has become taboo out of concerns for animal welfare. To watch an animal slowly lose blood and eventually be stabbed through the shoulders with a sword is not for those with a weak stomach.

Paradoxically, this statement of humanity’s triumph over a primordial fear of the natural world also demonstrates that we still deeply desire the risk of life which we strove to eliminate eons ago. None of us would have attended if there was no risk involved; indeed, many of us were at our most excited when one of the matadors was flung through the air by the bull. I and several others left the arena without fully processing the crossroads of ethics and tradition that is embodied by the bullfight. We are all trying to keep open minds to cultural differences between Spain and the US, and this is one Spanish tradition that we are having difficulty digesting. Is it ethical to continue a tradition that includes avoidable suffering? By watching this event, are we casting a vote for the preservation of bullfighting? What is the grand narrative that this tradition celebrates? We are still processing these questions and more.

-Isaac Spicher

Spain II: Madrid and Valencia

July 6 – 18th

“¿Qué tal vlogueros?” That means “what’s up vloggers?” in Spanish! It’s only one of many new words in my vocabulary.

We’ve been here in Spain for two weeks now. Today marks the halfway point in our trip. So let’s review it, shall we?

Madrid

We got to Madrid on Thursday, July 7th and we hit the ground running. Kinda. After a long walk through the city, we got to our hostel and settled into our rooms. We learned how to operate the air conditioning in Spanish and that our key cards granted us electricity! After we settled in, we ventured out to grab dinner. Deanna and April led us to Plaza Santa Ana with many restaurants and many options. A bunch of us wanted to try the more traditional tapas. That’s where we met and fell in love with patatas bravas and calamari! Deanna gave us a list of foods to try while we travel and that was a great start. Afterward, we were free to walk around the city and explore.

The next day, we met for breakfast at the Santa Cruz Plaza at the Corner Café. That’s where most of us would go for breakfast each morning in Madrid. The waitstaff, especially Xavier, was so friendly and funny! We tried different foods each morning, including napolitana, pan con tomate, Spanish tortilla (eggs and potatoes baked together in the shape of a pie), eggs, café con leche, and other types of fancy coffees. So delicious!

Each day in Madrid, we had some kind of tour. On Friday the 8th, we had a tour around the city of Madrid! We found the oldest restaurant in the world, nuns who make yummy cookies, Felipe III, and the Plaza Mayor, and many others! That night, a group of us went to el Museo Nacional Del Prado — an art museum! With free admission! It was absolutely gorgeous, but we couldn’t take any photos. The next day, we went to the Royal Palace of Madrid. We got there early so we could see the changing of the guard and then had a digitally guided tour of the gorgeous palace.

Valencia

The next day, we were off to Valencia! We took a train to travel and met our host families. Some of us explored the city, others of us just stayed home to unwind. We are staying with host families for the next three weeks here in Valencia and it is an amazing opportunity for cultural immersion, from food to conversation to learning about different family dynamics. We all had our own ways to prepare for what the next day entailed: first day of classes.

No matter what our level of Spanish was before this trip, or even our confidence in the language, we all struggled with the first few days of class. It’s all in Spanish for four hours every day. The days flip, one day we have morning classes with a free afternoon; the next day, we have a free morning (which most of us sleep in) and afternoon classes. Fortunately, we get 20-minute breaks between two hours of class and we all meet outside to say, “Wow. That was hard.”

But each day, it gets easier. We have been totally immersed in the Spanish culture here in Valencia. From the heat and lack of air conditioners to different foods and paying for water, the culture shock is real. We found comfort in the small things and stuck together to get through the uncomfortable feelings. Just two weeks ago, a lot of us were strangers to each other, but now it feels like we’ve known each other for a lifetime.

We spend our free mornings and afternoons in different ways: soaking up the sun on the beach — which is just 30 minutes away by bus, or by walking around Old Town, running in the park and trying to count the bridges, or catching up on our reading journals. We have been busy, busy, busy since we got to Madrid. Our vocabularies are growing more and more each day. Classes have gotten easier! We’ve each gotten used to our teacher’s way of teaching and they’ve learned where we are in our levels of Spanish. Whether we’re reviewing irregular verbs, trying to understand when to use subjunctive, or discussing Walt Disney, we all have been working hard in our Spanish classes. It makes our free time so much more valuable and we make sure to spend it well! From bullfights to museums to dinners of tapas and good conversation, we are enjoying everything we can that Spain has to offer us.

And there are many activities the school puts on for us, as well. Every Tuesday, we get together as a school for the paella parties. Paella is a rice dish with different meats and vegetables. On Sundays, there are adventures to different parts of Valencia, outside of the city. Just a few days ago, we went to the beach, enjoyed more paella in the birthplace (Palmera) of the dish, and took a boat ride through the rice fields. Some of us learned how to salsa dance! We’ve got more activities coming up that we’ll tell you all about next week! Thanks for following us along!

-Ashley Mellinger

EMU in Ghana

June 24, 2022

EMU in Ghana

Monday: Monday was our first official full day in Ghana. We started off the day around 8 in the morning and had our first couple of lectures at the University of Ghana. The focus today was on the slave trade (from an African perspective) and religion and human rights. After class we went to a local restaurant for lunch then drove to the DuBois museum for a tour of DuBois’ Ghanaian home and burial site. Then we returned to our hotel for some dinner, and discussion time.

Tuesday: Our second Day in Accra, Ghana was a full day. Dr. Stephanie Afranie provided lectures around Child Rights and Protection Concerns in Ghana and we visited a Children’s home where we were able to interact with the residents who live and go to school there. In the afternoon we went to our respective placements for service with children with learning disabilities and children who are on the spectrum.

We capped the evening off with a little R&R and went to the Zen Garden for what is called the Jam Jam in an outdoor setting with live music.

Wednesday: Today we had a lecture on mental health in Ghana. We were grateful for the opportunity to visit the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital. We were able to take a tour of the facility and speak to a few clinical staff members who gave us some insight on the hospital procedures and how the wards are set up there. Afterward, we had lunch and then went to our volunteer sites.

Thursday: On Thursday, we went to the university for a lecture on Ghanaian theatre. We learned about the cultural dances from Ghana and then had a chance to learn some of the dances alongside students from the university majoring in dance. Then, we made the short journey to former Ghanian President John Kufuor’s home to chat with him and students who are a part of the Four Scholar’s program. We learned about his service as president and what he does now as a former president.

Friday: On Friday, we took a tour of Jamestown before making our way to the chief’s palace. At the palace, we were greeted by a beautiful display of dance with drumming to accompany it, as we awaited the chief. Then once we were inside the room listening to the chief speak, our very own professor translated for us, as we learned about his duties and the work he is involved in. Then to end off the afternoon we had an amazing lunch that consisted of fish, chicken, yam chips, and more.

-Aliyyah Haggard and Rayn Robinson

Final Reflections: Pilgrimage, Free Travel, Asturias, and what’s to come

June 23

Luke, Laura, Ben, Jacob, Kate

24 hours from the time of writing, our group will be scattering: some of us will be camping out for a night in the airport before connecting flights, some will already be exploring other countries or continuing to explore Madrid, and some will be unloading our baggage into the EMU parking lot or our houses. Regardless of the physical location, all of us will be readjusting—to our recent adventures settling into memories, to bonding across states instead of across tables, to the doubts from our “real lives” shifting abruptly from procrastinated to present. Here are our final reflections.

As our time in Valencia came to an end, six of us decided to head up north to San Sebastián for a few days of free travel. A 9-hour train ride took us from 90s and humid to 70s and beautiful (though the 80° water temp in Valencia was preferred).

We spent our time getting sunburnt on the beach, eating burgers from Bar Pepe, climbing to the Sagrado Corazón, and drinking some of the best-looking cocktails you’ve ever seen. We wrapped up the trip by watching “Top Gun: Maverick” (thankfully in English), and even though the time was short, it was great to be able to share it with some awesome people.

-Luke Short

After splitting up for free travel, it was wonderful to meet up again as one big group. We were hosted by Bruce and Merly Bundy in a lovely house where we could cook and play games together. In our place near Villaviciosa, we were in the countryside, which was refreshing for many of us after living in a city for a while. We had cars to get around, allowing us to have a variety of adventures. Two days we hiked parts of the Camino de Santiago, with people stopping whenever they got tired. Another day we went to a nearby beach, where some of us rented surfboards and taught ourselves how to surf (a few people had watched YouTube videos before, and that’s all you really need for most activities—right?) Another day we toured a sidrería (cidery), which is a large industry in Asturias since it is the apple capital of Spain. …For this reason it was also fitting that we sang Johnny Appleseed before a lot of our meals…

All the activities we did were great, but what made this part of the cross-cultural special was the group we were with. Due to COVID forcing a lot of other cross-culturals to be canceled, a good chunk of our group are seniors. As the trip is coming to a close, we seniors are feeling the sadness of knowing we are moving on from college, and moving across the country from friends. During the days in Asturias, everyone gave a final presentation on various aspects of the cross-cultural. It was obvious in the topics chosen and responses to others’ presentations that the friendships formed on this trip and throughout college are something special, and saying goodbye and heading separate ways from people will be hard for a lot of us. Asturias gave us the space to gather again as a group and share tears, laughter, late nights, stories, meals, affirmations, and love on each other a little more before the cross-cultural comes to a close.

-Laura Troyer

This past week in Asturias has been a great way to conclude our six-week journey in Spain; it was awesome to be in a large house together after being separated by free travel. During our time at Asturias, one of our nightly activities was personal reflections. This was a space for each student to share and reflect on their time in Spain. Throughout the four nights of reflection, there were many happy and tearful moments reminiscing on memories from the past six weeks and our shared college experiences.

A common theme for many of these reflections was questions about our future. With our group having a majority of recently graduated seniors, the question of “what’s next?” was a common reoccurrence. Many of us are unsure about our future after Spain. While this can be an uneasy and scary feeling, it is reassuring to know we have a group of people that will support each other in our different walks of life.

Similar to others, I am also unsure about my future after Spain. While clarity about my future would be helpful, I have learned that it is sometimes okay to not have a set plan. Currently, I am seeking peace and contentment in not knowing answers about my future. I hope to reflect and see how my experiences on this trip affect my future life and career.

-Ben Greenleaf

Throughout this trip I have taken a lot of time to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. From trying exotic foods like octopus and raw squid to even just exploring the cities by myself, I feel as though I have definitely achieved that goal that I had set for myself. One specific example that sticks out to me is when a group of us decided to surf at the Beach of Rodilles. Although it was harsher conditions and the waves were quite powerful, I found the courage to put on a wetsuit and try to tame the ocean with my rented surfboard. While I fell almost every single time I tried to stand during the first hour, I still persevered and had some great encouragement from my friends on the trip. For the last hour of surfing I felt much more confident and was able to consistently catch a wave and then stand up for at least a few seconds. While I will not be attending any competitions soon, I certainly feel as though surfing could be something I would enjoy doing from time to time when I have the chance to. If anything, this trip has taught me the importance of trying new things even when at first they might seem to be too overwhelming.

-Jacob Durren

A Senior Farewell

As we come to a close on the journey through Spain, the group was asked to reflect on their time and experiences. Compared to a semester-long cross-cultural, six weeks seems like a blip in time but, holy cow, there was so much that happened in those six weeks. One of the unique things about this trip was the number of graduated seniors who attended. A pretty obvious question we asked ourselves on this trip was: what’s next? Some of us knew, others had an idea, a few left it to the gods, and some (myself included) came in with a plan but found it totally unraveled during the trip. It’s funny how people who are in a similar group and time of their life walk such different paths. Despite the differences in our walks of life, there is always one constant that we take for granted until it’s time to leave and that is our community. Community celebrates with us in our good times and supports us in our not-so-good times. The past four years, we have been building this community person by person, but now it is time to part ways. The best part is, it isn’t goodbye; just because we are parting physically doesn’t mean the support stops—we just have to be more intentional. So while Spain was a time to learn about a new culture, it also gave an opportunity for each of us who are parting ways to say, “I can’t wait to see you again.”

– Kate Zuercher

(Leader’s note: We are so full of gratitude for this group of 24 students who wholeheartedly lived into their 6 weeks of intercultural learning. We saw a lot of Spain, learned new Spanish words, ate some incredible food and shared stories together. As we wrapped up it was clear that, for many, the relationships nurtured and deepened during our time together is much of what will be celebrated as we move into our individual and scattered lives. One of our goals was to help everyone become better travelers. There is no question we are all better travelers and better humans for having shared these experiences.)

EMU Intercultural Learning