Spain: Brad Li
Program: CIEE Summer Language & Culture in Alcala, Summer
Brad’s Major: Biochemistry, Honors in the Liberal Arts, Spanish
What is a custom, food or tradition from your host country that you are taking forward?
I really enjoyed the fresh seafood, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and the big thing is that Spaniards eat everything with bread. I will try to continue to eat a lot of fresh vegetables (especially tomatoes) and will continue to eat more bread in ways that I didn’t before I left. Furthermore, I will also ensure to use extra virgin olive oil when cooking or making the dressing for my salad/vegetables.
I learned that I can get along well with most people and that I am capable of communicating better with others.
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
My most memorable experience from my program was spending my birthday in the city with my host family. The weekend of my birthday, we attended a barbacoa (bbq) at the local club in my neighborhood and the food and drink was plenty. I remember sitting at the table for ~ 5-6 hours for the lunch feast. At the end, we had cake and enjoyed the weather. Later that night, there was also live music and dancing which was fun too. I even got a shout-out from the artists who were singing saying I traveled from the US to pass my birthday in Spain. The dancing was very fun. The following day, we had a long lunch for ~5-6 hours again in one of the oldest house restaurants in the city.
What is the moment you are most proud of?
I am most proud of exploring as many restaurants and bars as possible and communicating with the waiters without a problem. There are many restaurants/bars/cafeterias in Spain, so it was great exploring all the tapas and gastronomy that was offered. My favorite part was either talking with waiters about their life in Spain or when I helped a local chef prepare a lunch meal for my class.