Our daystay in Albacete has been one of the best experiences we’ve had in Spain! Spanish families picked up our group members in the morning and brought them back at midnight. What did they do all day? All kinds of fun things!
“My daystay experience was very exciting. I was able to visit my sister’s small town and meet her friends and family. It was really great to try new foods, practice a lot of Spanish, and see a very different place. I visited a castle, went to the pool, and watched soccer games.’’
– Gabriella
”The day was not what I had expected. When I imagined a day alone with a Spanish family, I pictured sitting in a room not knowing what to say. My experience was almost the exact opposite. My Spanish sister’s name was Elisa, and I loved her and her parents. The four of us, along with Alexia O’s family and Seanie’s family, drove a little over an hour through the outskirts of Albacete to two different lagoons. Although the car ride was a bit awkward, Elisa’s parents were very interested in learning English, so I tried helping them with English as they helped me with my Spanish. Once we arrived at the first lagoon, we pulled out our stuff and, after many photos, went into the water. The lagoon was surrounded by grass with natural slides to use and rocks to jump off of. After about a half hour at this lagoon, we made our way to a different lagoon for lunch, which was amazing. We ordered a huge paella for us all and it was delicious. Then we had time to swim in the other lagoon, which was larger and had more places to jump from. After we all took our 30 minute siesta, we made our way back to Albacete. Once back at their home, Lucia’s family prepared a huge meal for us. The food was amazing and there was so much there. We ate three different types of sausages, chicken, ham and so much more. The day was amazing and I’m so glad that it happened!”
– Emily
”This week in Albacete was my favorite week here in Spain. It allowed me to use all of my Spanish speaking knowledge in a matter of days. I was really nervous about having to be with my Spanish sister because I’ve never used my knowledge in Spanish this way, but I had the best time. I realized that I was better for it and I formed what I know will be long-lasting friendships.”
– Alexia L
The whole group got back together for our final day in Albacete. After a vocabulary lesson to learn words to talk about local agriculture and plants, we took a workshop on how to weave a local grass and picked lavender to make sweet smelling sachets.
Then the Americans went out for lunch and shopping with their Spanish hermanos. We took a quick siesta, then headed back into town for the main event of the day – the going away party. We all dressed in white for the Mediterranean themed fiesta de despedida. There was great food, music, dancing, and karaoke. It was a great last night to share with our new friends!
