Elizabeth Dean - QLD to Spain

Mon 27 Apr 2009

Elizabeth Dean, from Mansfield in QLD, is currently on a 12 month program in Spain! She writes to us:

"I am having a wonderful time and have a great host family!

I have been in Spain for two months now and it is the best thing I have ever done in my life. Leaving my family, home, friends and everything familiar to me was something that I didn't really think a lot about before I left. Since leaving there have been times when I have felt a bit homesick, but now that I am settled in Spain I have been able to move on from that.

My host family is the best! I have a new home in a wonderful little town called El Escorial! I have lots of new friends, whom I cannot understand all of the time but they are still great! And it feels like I could have lived here for a life-time, everyone is so nice and welcoming!

Throughout the last two months there have been many activities and exciting things that I have done. I have also experienced many emotions. A few days before my arrival in Spain it snowed in El Escorial where I live!!! So when my host family got home from picking me up, my host brother (Fernando) ran over to a clump that was left over (as most of the snow had melted) and brought it over to me. He was sort of excited to show it to me and he made me feel at home straight away!

For the first few days I stayed with my host parents during the day just buying things I needed to get settled, then we went to school one day so that I could enroll and meet the principal. I was put at ease when the principal spoke English with me and we organised my papers and which class I would be in. Then in the middle of the week I started school!

My second host brother, Christopher, is an exchange student from Germany and we are both in Primer Bachillerato, so I already had a 'friend' with whom I would hang around for the next couple of weeks. He and his friends were all really nice and didn't really mind me hanging with them while I was getting settled. I even got to go with them on a Friday afternoon to have a little chill-out band session, which was fun. Everyone in my class is so nice to me and have used the full extent of their English with me!

In my second weekend we went up to a mountain where there was lots of snow and we had lunch in a restaurant looking out on the ski slope and a picturesque mountain range. That same night we went to a restaurant at around 10pm for dinner, and then stayed around to listen to the two man freestyle music band that was being played until one in the morning. After which we went to a discotecha at another little place in my town until 4 in the morning! We literally danced the night away!

Then in my third week in Spain I got a bit homesick just from the lack of Australians and not seeing my family. So I restricted my internet time and talking with my family on Skype to only on the weekends. So I am more involved in my life here in Spain and since this time I have gotten more friends at school and haven't been feeling very low again.

A bit of the way into my second month a group of Finnish people came to do an exchange with my school. One of the English teachers from the school’s orchestra (which I play in) said that I would probably be able to tag along to all the different sites that they would be visiting. So as a result I now have Finnish friends, and I got to visit Segovia, Toledo and have a day walking around Madrid visiting all the historical sections. As I was able to tag along not only with the Finnish people but their host students, who are all in my grade at school, I feel that they have all gotten to know me a bit better and visa versa.

I think the biggest turning point with my friendship with the majority of my school class was when I was totally failing the flexibility test in Sports, to which they were all saying something in Spanish which meant stretch more. But it couldn't be done! Haha.

I have also now become a competent train and metro traveler, though my first solo trip was a challenge and learning curve both for my Spanish and to learn to watch my bag. But I made it into the heart of Madrid, Sol, and back home with only asking several people for help and a very though knowledge of how things work!

Over the last week of the 'Semana Santa' (Easter) holidays I have gotten to travel to see the San Cruz del Valle de los Caídos with my host mother; visit Ávila, the capital of the Castilla and Leon Community with a friend from church, and hung around with my host family. I have also watched some of the Catholic parades on television. We were going to go to the procession but the weather has been very crazy recently. Last week it was hot, then this week it was cold. It actually snowed in another part of Spain the other day.

In my last week of school before the holidays I had my first three Flamenco dance lessons! One of my school friends attends a class on Mondays and Wednesday and invited me to come along, so I am now learning flamenco! Though because I do not know anything I have to attend a class on Saturday mornings as well, it is so fun but very difficult for me as a beginner.

I am looking forward to the next term as well as the summer holidays that are soon. The last two months have been a great opportunity to get settled into my new life and to get to know a range of different people. My Spanish is slowly improving and I understand more every month.

I'm having a great time and will send another update about school and Spain in the next couple of months.

Bye for now, hasta luego!"

Elizabeth Dean

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