20th Anniversary
Introduction / Introducción
Essays / Ensayos
Jennifer Hilgert (DC' 95) Academic Year 1993–1994
When I received the request for stories and photographs of my time spent in Málaga, I immediately opened up my photo albums and took a wonderful journey down ‘memory lane’. As I looked at the photos of all of the different places we visited as a group and exciting things we did while there that year, I realized my best memories were of the people I spent time with while in Málaga.
I remember mid-year after the first semester had ended, calling home to talk with family about whether I should stay the second semester. Although the feelings of ‘missing home’ overwhelmed me, I felt even more convinced that I wanted to stay for the complete year. And I am so glad I did…. my second semester in Málaga was even better than the first, something I didn’t think was possible!
Who could imagine I would be living with a new family, seeing all of the best sights of Spain and the neighboring countries, watching bullfights, making wonderful friends…and all of this within one year!
My year spent in Málaga was one I will never forget and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to participate in the program.
Muchas Gracias!
Bethany Kehs (DC '96) Fall 1995
“Hay qué rica!” “Hay qué rica!” The cry of a vendor selling almonds in the center of Malaga is as defined in my memory as any postcard or souvenir in my scrapbook. The vendor was stationed a block from the window of my Spanish home. Although the message was meant to convey the quality of his product, the repetition of his words also provides the theme music for my experience abroad in Malaga in the fall of 1995.
Ten years have passed and I continue to look at my semester in Malaga as a pivotal experience in my life. In 1995, I was a senior at Dickinson as I made my way to Malaga. By studying abroad, I had expected to improve my Spanish, make some new friends, and have a stamp in my passport; what I gained was all of that and more. As I rolled my luggage through El Centro in Malaga on my first day, I knew I was not in Carlisle anymore!
My Spanish mother, Carmen Sanchez Conejo, met me at her door with a hug and two kisses. What a wonderful greeting! After three flights of stairs, I found my room, unpacked, and prepared to meet Malaga. And meet Malaga I did. From the “Bienvenidos” and “Adiós” parties at El Pimpi, classes near the Cathedral and then at the new “Center,” and flamenco lessons with Ana Soto, to October days at the beach in El Palo (watch out for stray dogs!), shopping at Corte Inglés, and bus rides to my class at Teatinos, Malaga had much to share.
Early in the semester, I was side-lined by an illness which resulted in a 9 day stay at the Parque San Antonio Hospital. Dickinson students, faculty and my host family demonstrated care and concern through visits and overnight stays. I recovered from my illness and was able to explore Spain with my classmates. Excursions to Nerja, Frigiliana, Granada, Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Cordoba, and Sevilla offered new adventures in the Spanish way of life.
Some of my favorite memories are the every day events of my life in Malaga. These include watching my Spanish mother cook tortilla, meeting Doug T. and Betsy in El Centro, dancing with Lori, Jack and Allison F., and enjoying sardines and sangria at a moraga. These events have provided me with a scrapbook of memories, an emotional connection to Spain, and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Hay qué rica!
Joanna Castro (DC'98)
Academic Year 1996-1997
What made my Málaga experience a memorable one…
I don’t know where to begin. All I know is that Málaga was one of my first eye-opening experiences into what the real world was all about. I arrived not knowing much about a group I was going to share a year of experiences and left with wonderful friends, great memories and a better understanding of myself.
When I applied to the Málaga Program, my idea was to stay one semester and get a feel for what the old continent had to offer. I had lived 9 years in Caracas, Venezuela. However, my first couple of days in the capital of the “Sunny Coast” were quite humbling. I had spoken Spanish since childhood. My parents made it a point that both my sister and I speak Spanish to our father and English to our mother; thus communicating with them in their respective native tongues. However, Caracas and Málaga were very far apart; physically as well as linguistically. The base was there but that was pretty much it.
During the first couples of days, between the jet-lag and my lack of understanding of the nuances of the language, made it a challenge. As time went by, it proved to be life lesson number one: speaking a language was only the first step. Thus, you need to immerse yourself in the culture and only then, will you enjoy the experience so much more. This was life lesson number two.
Indeed, as the days and weeks went by, it got easier and it actually became fun. By mid-October, my gut asked: why go home in December when you can stay until the following May. The question was easy and so was the solution. I went to Prof. Jarvis´s apartment and gave her the news. She gladly concurred and we happily celebrated with some cava (Spanish champagne). As I later found out, she always had some cava in her fridge for emergency purposes. And so came life lesson number three: always have good wine or cava at hand- celebrations come when you least expect them and might as well enjoy them with something tasty.
So, my horizon kept expanding. In addition, classes on Spanish culture, art and history blended to near perfection with our school field-trips. By the end of the year, we covered almost all of Spain thanks to our monthly expeditions. They were special on two fronts: we got a chance to build a family away from home, share many-a-laugh and build deep friendships. On the more intimate level, I began to see more clearly something my mom had tried to ingrain in me from an early age and thus leading to life lesson number four: do something you love; life is too short to be stuck doing a job you don’t like. Professor Jarvis was a great example of that. She exhaled fun and learning all in one breath.
However, when May rolled around, a bitter-sweet moment had arrived. It was time to return home. Part of me was extremely happy to see my family again but another part of me wanted to stay. I still remember sitting on the plane back to Washington, looking over Malaga’s mountain range and thinking that I didn’t want it to end. I had found part of myself that was missing in US culture. So, two years later, I embarked in another adventure of sorts. This time, I would try life in Málaga as a Dickinson graduate. Five years later, I am still living in Spain and following my love of art as a graduate student at the University Carlos III of Madrid.
Imágenes / Images
