Spain a world apart from Spanish class

Everyone was jet-lagged from the numerous time zone crossings, tired from the lack of sleep aboard the red-eye flight and definitely not ready to experience the wonders of this city.

The combination of exhaustion and immersion in a completely foreign culture made for a strange introduction to Spain.

To prepare for this trip, our group of Steller students had weekly meetings for a few months before we went. We had homework, instruction and lectures aplenty to prepare us, yet the culture shock was still powerful. The smallest things made the difference clear.

In our hotel, the elevators had swing doors in front of the retracting doors. The showers did not have full curtains. The vending machines had alcoholic beverages. The smoking lounge was open to those 16 and older.

The refills for Coca-Cola were not free in any restaurant that we visited. Prices for many things ended not in 0.95 or 0.99 but in whole euro. In fact, I was in Spain for almost a week before I saw a single cent.

And of course there were more obvious and expected differences. History was everywhere and especially evident in the cities of Toledo and Seville. The narrow streets were designed for pedestrians and horses, not cars and buses. The medieval walls of those cities stood next to modern apartment buildings. We couldn't walk down the street without seeing a monument or memorial of some sort.

Of course, everyone spoke Spanish. But this wasn't a teacher's articulated, evenly paced classroom Spanish. This was native-spoken Spanish. Every question directed at me required at least one repetition.

Long silences were common as I contemplated the correct verb conjugations, word order, pronouns, objects and countless grammar intricacies that I was bound to forget, mangle and misuse.

During the weeklong home stay that followed our tourist activities in Madrid, Toledo and Seville, we had no choice but to try and communicate. Embarrassment ensued as misunderstandings led to confusion, befuddlement and, in at least one case, an egg on a hamburger.

Spain was nothing like a Spanish class. The bell did not ring after 45 minutes. We did not proceed to math class afterward. We couldn't always ask for an English translation.

The total immersion was an experience that could not be replicated in the classroom, and the learning experience was unparalleled.

Sam Holley-Kline is a recent graduate of Steller Secondary.