Today was a milestone for our immersion trip. Every Sunday during our stay in Spain is scheduled as a “Family Day”, and each of us spends our day either by going on excursions to the beach or park with our families or enjoying the many other diverse aspects of the Spanish culture. This being the first Sunday of our trip, it was a new and exciting experience for me as I am sure it was for the rest of our group. I was lucky enough to travel with my family to a small community in Conil de la frontera, a town of approximately 22,000 about a 40 minute drive to the south of Cádiz. There I met many cousins of my family members along with countless more family friends at what they refer to as “El campo”. Essentially this is their summerhouse that they go to visit with relatives on the weekends. Situated far away from the more densely populated areas of the Province of Cádiz, this was a place to unwind and experience more the nature that the south of Spain had to offer. Along with Will Connaughton whose Spanish mother is the cousin of my Spanish mother and my brother Fernando we went mountain biking through the dunes and forests in order to get to the field where we played soccer with some of Fernando’s friends. After losing decisively in an intense game of fútbol, Will, Fernando and I returned through the dunes to our house where we were greeted with sandwiches and, a personal favorite, gazpacho. I swam for a bit in the neighbor’s pool with my little sisters, Naiara and Juana, and before we knew it was time to have dinner and return to Cádiz for a restful evening.
This past week getting to know my family has been fantastic. As far as hospitality goes they have been some of the nicest people that I have ever met. They are very understanding when it comes to communication between us, and if I ever have any trouble communicating my parents or sisters are always there to help out. I have tried many different dishes including different types of fish, potatoes cooked in many different ways and salads. To be honest, they have yet to cook a meal that I have not enjoyed. I have learned so much already about how they go about each day as well as their values and cultural customs. I am very excited to see what the next two weeks have to offer, but am not looking forward too seeing the time fly by as there is so much left to do and talk about with my friends and family. Finally, here are a few photos from the past few excursions that we as a group have taken throughout Spain. Some personal favorites have been the visits to the Cathedral in Sevilla as well as the Torre Tavira. You will see that there are many photos of Spain from above. We are both figuratively and literally getting new perspectives on Spain and its culture as a whole.
-Carson Straub
Roxbury Latin Abroad 2016: Cadiz, Spain 