A Slower Pace of Life – Cultural Exchange in Spain

Tea, one of our cultural exchange participants in Spain, wrote to us from beautiful Catalonia. She’s been spending the last few weeks in the peaceful town of Alcover, and here’s what she had to say about her adventure so far:

I honestly have nothing but good things to say about the host family. From day one, they’ve treated me like one of their own. I’ve been invited to go everywhere with them, and they’ve supported me in making the most of my free time however I choose. They even drive me to the nearby city when I ask.

Technically, I’m not in a city—it’s more of a small village. The closest bigger city with a beach, Tarragona, is about 20 minutes away by car. I haven’t gone to the beach as often as I thought I would (though they’d probably take me every day if I asked—but of course, I don’t want to impose). There’s not much to do in the village besides walking and biking, but luckily, the family lives in a beautiful house with a spacious yard, a pool, and three dogs—so I’m not bored.

When I have free afternoons, I usually go for a walk or bike ride. And when I have a full day off, I visit Barcelona or hit the beach in Tarragona.

What I’ve loved most is the slower pace of life, the stunning nature around here, and the freedom I’ve had to explore, go to the beach and try out things like paddle surfing. The host family is wonderful, and I genuinely enjoy playing with the kids (their favorite game is hide and seek, so “¡Escondite?” is the first thing I hear every morning when I step out of my room!).

We’ve done some really fun activities together—like hiking in the mountains, visiting a waterfall, going to the beach, making pizza at home, and soon we’ll be going to a theme park.

When it comes to working with our team, Tea says:

They’ve always been quick and responsive whenever I had questions about the program.

And her message to future participants:

Choose your location carefully—and your host family even more carefully—so you know exactly where you’re going and who you’ll be staying with. Ask lots of questions. Find out what they expect from you, what the house rules are, when your free time will be, and whether you’ll be taking the kids to activities, and so on.