Vivian ’26, recounts a special day, surrounded by new friends and her home stay family. In an effort to continue a fully immersive language experience, this blog post is written in both Spanish and English.
Hoy es mi cumpleaños y tengo diecisiete años. Yo estoy nerviosa sin mi familia, pero mis nuevos padres y mis amigos de la escuela celebran conmigo. En la mañana, Izzy ’25, Maisy ’26, y yo woke up and made breakfast. The traditional baguette with butter and marmalade is our favorite. During our quick walks to school, we pass by las tiendas y las personas en la calle. Everyone either takes the bus or walks to work/school. Durante las clases, Juan, nuestro profesor, enseñó sobre el pretérito perfecto. It is a type of conjugation used when referring to actions that have occurred without a specific time or date. Our class schedule allows a thirty minute break to play on the patio. Maisy ’26 and Izzy ’25 have adopted new Spanish friends. Their names are Marta, Claudia, Blanca, and Ana. They are around ten and eleven years old. They love to draw pictures for us and talk about their favorite television shows. A los estudiantes del colegio les gusta jugar fútbol y baloncesto con los estudiantes de Estados Unidos. Our friends, Ruben and Alvaro, have taught us many slang words and the Spanish rules for the game Uno!
When we arrived home, mi madre, Victoria, preparó una pasta similar de carbonara. At the end of the meal, she surprised me with a Nutella ice cream cake porque es mi sabor favorita! My family and roommates sang happy birthday and we enjoyed the sweet treat. Después de la siesta, nosotros estudiantes de Deerfield practicamos skills bailando. Profe Calcaterra was very enthusiastic about Flamenco. I learned the movements to one song, which required serious rhythm for a girl without any coordination whatsoever! I had so much fun clapping my hands and tapping my feet. When we watched our instructor, her moves were strong but graceful. She was incredibly precise and it was interesting to watch. To end the day, I visited the beach, played soccer with my friends from school, and bought ice cream. It was a little cold and windy, but the sunset es siempre bonita en Cádiz!
