IUHPFL Leon 2019

To think that six weeks in León flew by sounds very distant, or perhaps impossible, or maybe hard to understand. In any case, that period allowed our 28 students to experience a life-changing cultural, literary, linguistic, and grammatical experience. Beyond the classroom, students were able to visit local sites (museums, monuments, restaurants, fields, fairs, etc.) and other towns around Castilla-León, Asturias, and Galicia. Furthermore, students developed long standing relationships with their Spanish host families. They lived together, they laughed together, they ate their meals together. Their parents took them to school and picked them up. They lived a very Spanish (Leonese) life. A very unique experience.

We hope that with the years to come, our IUHPFL alumni reflects upon the life changing six-week immersion into Spanish culture and its importance in their daily lives and careers. We always encouraged them to be curious, creative, and, equally important, to engage with the language and the people’s traditions and history. From our first excursion to the Lagos de Europa and Covadonga, to our trip to Santiago de Compostela (and our 20 km. way of St. James), we feel that the journey was both an academic and a cultural one for everyone in the program, and we want to thank the opportunity for working with very talented young people. Special thanks and acknowledgment go to all of the site host families, as well as to Sira Quindós, our onsite coordinator. Thanks to Israel Herrera, Sarah Grauvogl, Sarah TeKolste, and Ollin García Pliego for their outstanding work in the classroom. Furthermore, special thanks go to Loni Dishong, the IUHPFL Managing Director.