Thursday, June 28, 2007 Magsaysay: Three ways of looking at it By Jo Magsaysay Whatever
A RESPITE from my drooling over food sampled with shameless abandon recently should be the following compositions, sophomoric but exuberantly so, written by three foreign exchange students. These young people: Isabella "Issa" Selma, Kaine Gandionco and Don Tirol are fortunate to be blessed by parents (Moises and Evelyn, Niel and Ophelia, Nonoy and Marian) who believe that travel abroad is an enriching experience. So, off they went, two guys and a gal, immersing themselves in a five-week cultural study that is going to last them a whole lifetime.
When I turned seventeen last year, I told my Mom that I didn’t want to have a grand debut party on my 18th Birthday this coming September. I told her that I wanted to travel instead to "broaden my horizons." Mommy remembered that she read a few months earlier that the Institute for Foreign Studies send groups of young students to another country for an immersion program, meaning that they study the language and culture of the country.
After several researches in the computer for this company, Mom finally found it and asked me if I wanted to join a five-week Spain Immersion Program for Summer as their advanced birthday gift for September! I was dumbfounded. I finally got what I wanted… traveling on my own with a group of new friends!!!
Our trip brought us to Salamanca for three weeks and Barcelona for two weeks. Salamanca is known as the "Golden City" and is the area where the purest Spanish is spoken! It has been named a "Heritage City" signifying that it represents the best of European Culture. Barcelona, on the other hand, is located on the Mediterranean coast and is so rich with cultural heritage and beautiful architecture. In between these two places, we would go by bus or by train to the other cities like Madrid, Segovia, Avila, Figueres and Montserrat. We had Spanish lessons everyday during weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Madrid is Spain’s capital, and has the best museums in the world, the craziest nightlife in Europe and various different distinct neighborhoods, with their own special character and something different to offer. Segovia is Spain and Castile at its best – twisting alleyways, beautiful churches, pedestrian streets where no cars are allowed… We also went to the Roman Aqueduct , the largest and best preserved of its kind anywhere, which also served as a mintmark on all the coins struck in the city . We also went to the Alcazar Castle where Queen Isabel promised Columbus the financial backing he needed to discover America!
Another beautiful place I visited was a walled town called Avila. The massive wall is 2,500 meters long and encircles the whole town with heavy stone towers. It is where St. Teresa had frequent visions and ecstatic experiences. Nearby the church stands the house where St. Teresa lived.
In Salamanca, I found the best surprise of my life! I found a pastry shop named I. Selma…my name! I found out that the Selma name is of Brazilian origin! I bought candies with the Iselma trademark and kept it to prove to my family that we had origins in Europe.
The other surprise I had was that I had a housemate who is really a certified matador.. Twenty years old and oh so handsome! He has hazel eyes and his name is Luis. I really couldn’t concentrate whenever he was around.
Three weeks in Salamanca flew so fast…Traveling to Barcelona was a train ride, a long one, and full of suspense! We were able to watch a real soccer game, we went to Figueres, the hometown of Salvador Dali, the famous artist. The museum is home to one of the largest collection of his work. The building in itself is a work of art! We also visited the famous "La Sagrada Familia" (Catalan, 'The Holy Family') which is a large Roman Catholic basilica under construction. Antoni Gaudi worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour. On why it took a long time for him to finish it, Gaudí is said to have joked, "My client is not in a hurry." After Gaudí's death in 1926, work continued until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935.
One of the best places I went was in Montserrat. It is a spectacular and beautiful Benedictine monk mountain retreat about an hour by train from Barcelona. The mountains and the natural beauty surrounding the monastery is simply breathtaking!
Now I know the value of family, money, and education. I have found out that experiencing a different culture in another country means taking risks, and trying new things to find my own identity.
Te amo Espana!
*****
Kaine Gandionco relates:
Madrid was very nice.. we saw a lot of Filipinos there; it wasn’t as cold as Salamanca though. On the next weekend, we went to Segovia and visited the aqueduct which was huge and nice, and we also visited a castle which was really beautiful--it was the castle of the king and queen of Spain in the past, but now was just a museum. It was filled with all sorts of weapons such as cannons, swords and guns. On our way back to the bus it was hailing...it was so cold; I was so wet then. After we got on the bus, we then headed to Avila and visited the cathedral and went to some café to hang out, after that we went back to Salamanca.
We also visited an Automobile museum in Salamanca were I saw vintage cars and Michael Schumacher’s Benetton Formula One car. One time, our group leaders prepared a game for us where we had to take pictures of the famous tourist spots all around Salamanca and collect different items. It was really tiring we had to walk to get to those places. In the end, my group lost but it was okay as it was really fun.
We spent three weeks in Salamanca which was really fun. First two weeks were so cold, but then in the last week in was so hot just like here in the Philippines.
***** Don Tirol narrates:
When we went to our school Enforex, I couldn’t understand anything...the teachers were speaking Spanish....and we had our entrance test and they placed me at 1st level basic Spanish.
We went to our respective rooms and met our teachers and I didn’t understand anything till we had real class. Then everyone started understanding the language and all, we learned how to survive by ourselves. We had five language classes and one culture class.
During our spare time, we went shopping everywhere like Placa Catalunya, Las Ramblas, El Corte Ingles ,H&M, Pull and Bear and a lot more!
I give a special thanks to our leaders Allan and Anna and extend my thanks as well to the Institute for Foreign Study!
