From Coach John Patnott
Thank you: I want to thank Doug Ruch (parent of one of our swimmers) and Eva Dean Folkert for all their hard work of organizing of this trip. It was through Doug Ruch that this trip was initiated. Without his hard work and Eva’s assistance this trip surely would not have happened. Thank you to Excel Sports for planning the trip and to Veronica Bueno our tour manager. Excel, as I had been told, was very easy to work with and Ms. Bueno was very accommodating. Additionally, I would like to thank Hope College for its financial assistance to the students. Again, the trip would not have happened without the financial help. It is my opinion that the money was well spent.
Purpose of the trip: The purpose of the trip was to provide our student/athletes with an international learning experience. If Hope College desires to prepare its students to function in a global society these experiences are essential. I have resisted international trips in the past because of the cost. The international experience was so much more significant than I expected and well worth the money. I encourage Hope College to continue to help finance these trips for its students. We cannot be truly educated unless we understand other societies. One trip does not provide an understanding, but it does provide a beginning and a portal to a better understanding of the world and an appreciation for differences in culture.
My first trip: Like many of the swimmers, this was my first trip abroad, well, out of the US (Canada doesn’t count). I regret that I did not take earlier opportunities offered to me.
My favorite parts of the trip? All of it! No one aspect stood out as more significant than another, except perhaps the interaction with the Swedish coaches we shared the pool with and the club team we competed against. It is through the open interaction with people that we gain the greatest benefit. The attitude of the C.N. Sant Adria club team was enthusiastic. They were so happy to be competing against the “Americans”. I did not expect the social following the meet to last long; however, it lasted well over an hour, even with the difficulty of communication. Many of our swimmers had an opportunity to socialize with the Swedish swimmers and the Czech Republic National Team. I also enjoyed the service project. The Mayor of Calella, Josep Maria, was amazed that these American tourists would spend time helping to clean up a public park. He worked along side of us all morning on a very hot day and invited us to his office for a special recognition. He also invited us back to help clean the park next year.
Sights to remember:
Montserrat - Montserrat is a mountain in Catalonia, Spain. It is the site of a Benedictine Abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and was thought by some to be the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth. The basilica was extraordinary and was completed in 1592. The art museum at Montserrat, Adadia de Montserrat, was exceptional, from my point of view. It contained works by Monet, Renoir, El Greco, Dali, Caravaggio (Ms Schewe was horrified that I did not know this artist but I’m an exercise science major with a state university education), Brueghel, and Picasso.
Girona's Cathedral - 1416. Consists of a big Gothic revival nave, the widest Gothic nave in the world—75.39 ft—and the second widest nave of all styles after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. We could have easily spent a whole day exploring the sights of Girona. Girona is made up of a Gothic quarter, Jewish quarter, and an Arab quarter.
La Sagrada Família was begun on 19 March 1882 from a project by the diocesan architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. At the end of 1883 Gaudí was commissioned to carry on the work. Since his death in 1926, different architects have continued the work following Gaudís’ original ideas. The current architect has varied his approach however. It is not expected to be complete until 2026.
Besalu - The Church of Sant Pere, in the main square was originally part of a monastery built in 1003. Besalu is a very small town and can be visited easily in half a day. Unfortunately we were not able to enter the churches. We did see the Milova, a ritual Jewish bath (Mikvah) dating from the 11th or 12th century which remained from a community of Jewish people who lived in Besalu.
Olympic Museum - I was not initially enthusiastic about visiting the Olympic museum but it was well worth the time. Very well done Barcelona! I am always astounded at the cost of putting on the Olympics. However, Barcelona has benefited many times over from the 1992 Olympics. Additionally, all facilities are still in use today.
Closed on Sundays - and from 2:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day. I appreciate that businesses are closed on Sundays, I miss that in Holland. Many businesses are also closed from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. each day. We should try that at Hope, no wait that’s practice time, scratch that idea.
Greatest difficulty - Not working the swimmers harder. In spite of Jeff Shades comment, the workouts were fairly easy. Swimmers, you have seen the last of those :).

From Jeff Shade
From strolling down Las Rambles, to exploring the Olympic facilities, to climbing the seemingly endless stairs of the Cathedral de Girona, our trip to Spain was such a great learning and cultural experience to be involved in. I enjoyed each and every minute of the trip and really appreciated that we could experience something as beautiful and wonderful as Spain. On the last day of our trip we competed against a local swim team from Sant Adria. This was a good opportunity to get to know some of the locals and be able to enjoy a common interest with them: swimming. The club team was gracious and added plenty of enthusiasm to our last day in Spain. After the meet, we were able to mingle and socialize with the Sant Adria team for a while, and even made a few friends which hopefully we can keep in touch with now that we are back home. I know that our time spent in Spain will be considered one of the best experiences and opportunities we may ever get. I am extremely grateful that I could be a part of that.
P.S. Even in Spain, Coach is able to come up with the most original and grueling practices... :)

From Ariel Humphrey
My overall experience of the Spain trip was fantastic. I truly enjoyed swimming (maybe not so early each morning) but the swim meet was so laid back and fun. Although it was difficult to communicate with the swimmers we were able to have fun. Out of all the touring that we did I was extremely fascinated with the Sagrada Familia. I felt like I was part of history and someday when it gets finished I will be able to say I was there. I also feel special because I was part of the first swimming group to go abroad. I can confidently and proudly say that we positively represented Hope College and Hope Swimming while we participated in swimming and touring.

From Matt Ray
Spain, simply put, was amazing. Being thrown into another culture is always a little bit nerve racking. I felt that we did a very good job of being open and willing to face the challenge that was being an outsider. I absolutely loved Montserrat, and can't wait to go back again (I will go back). Overall everything on the trip was great.

Thank you for the opportunity to go on this trip. It is something that will stand out in my memory of my college years.

From Ann Frisella
It seems like the more I travel, the less I know. This trip inspired me to get myself over to the library and find out as much as I could about La Sagrada Familia and Girona Cathedral. For different reasons those two buildings were the main highlights for me. Montserrat comes in at a very close third place on my list, though. Here is a moment from that day that I will probably never forget:

While hiking up the dirt path that was carved up the mountainside, I was taking my time with my camera— kneeling to get things at different angles and waiting for tourists to pass so that I could get views that were unobstructed. Because of this I was falling further and further behind until eventually I was basically on my own. I was approaching the gigantic statue portraying the crucifixion. Making my way up the steps I noticed an older gentleman, arms folded, sitting a little ways away on the outer ledge, facing the back of the cross. We nodded in acknowledgement and I tried to make my way to the same angle he was appreciating with my camera. I attempted to do this as discretely as possible and made sure I wasn’t blocking him as I didn’t want to ruin his moment of peace. After I decided I got the picture I wanted, I took a seat myself. I started to notice all the details. Like the way the metal for the cross itself was more bronze, like the color of wood. Or the way the cloth around Jesus was made to look like it was catching a strong wind. There was a slight breeze and it was quiet. Really quiet. As I got up to leave I looked over at the man again. This time I was closer; I could see the lines in his face and the way his glasses made him look more intimidating than he probably was. It was just me and him and when we acknowledged each other again it was just so strange. We both smiled and without having to say anything I got the feeling he was just so wrapped up in awe of this place. I couldn’t say if he had just been a first-time visitor that day or maybe lived in one of the tiny, tucked-away towns down below and made the trip up however often he could. Either way I felt like sitting there with him for those few moments and acknowledging each other in that small way communicated our mutual respect for that particular spot on the mountain.

I could not believe how immensely dense Barcelona was. I remember it was so hard to get an agreeable picture that fully captured that the city as we stood on top of the hill at Olympic Park; it was simply too overwhelming. For all of it’s shortcomings at being a trendy tourist hotspot, Calella was definitely the best choice for our team. While the hotel staff, the waiters and waitresses, and the man across the street who sold us bottles of water each day were very genuine people they were also there to please. They made it very easy for us to feel like we were in a comfort zone of Catalonia that was very suggestive of U.S standards, the language barrier being basically absent. At times I remember thinking that I would much rather have had more of a raw experience and not just expect that people would acclimate to me. But this aside, I felt without a doubt that our sports team manager, Veronica, and Excel Sports gave us a fantastic itinerary. There are only so many things you can do with seven days and I felt like we used them extremely well.

I remember eating chicken and fish paella in a secluded plaza off of Las Ramblas. I remember getting chills looking at some of the photographs at the Olympics Museum. I remember searching for Calella’s brand of lucky glass along the beach….I remember walking, climbing up stairs, and a lot of sweating but more often than not I remember being with some of my teammates in a different part of the world. And, as cliché as it may sound, this experience is something that I will be able share with them for a long time and I am so content in knowing that. I feel so lucky and so blessed to have been given the opportunity to go.

From James Richardson
In writing this recap of my trip to Spain with the Hope College swim team, Coach Patnott asked me to discuss what I liked best, or what specific moments from the trip left the greatest impression on me. These are still not easy questions for me to answer, and they are questions with which I have been bombarded by well-meaning relatives since my return to the United States in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Indeed, I saw so much that was novel and agreeable to me that I find myself looking through the pictures I took to remind myself of everything I did and to remember the sequence of those events. The difficulty in answering this question springs not from a dearth of potential answers but from an excess of fond memories. In any case, here is my very incomplete chronicle of my favorite moments from each day I was in Spain.

On the first day, it was especially fun to get to our hotel room and look out on the swimming pool from our balcony, which we shared with the girls next door. Over the course of the trip, it was a lot of fun to relax on our joined balcony with our neighbors at the end of the day. Later in the evening, I especially enjoyed our initial explorations of Calella. It was nice to see the beach for the first time, and to get a feel for the city on our own. It was also strange, in a memorable way, to walk the streets of a truly foreign city for the first time, without any indication what would be around the next corner. Note to parents: luckily, Calella is a very tourist-y town; think Miami Beach Lite. It was really just a series of neon-lit bars and hotels for about a half mile until you reached the main shopping street, which was much more interesting.

On the second day, we traveled into Barcelona itself, and I was treated to feasts of both the visual and culinary nature while there. Barcelona is truly a beautiful city, and we saw all kinds of magnificent old buildings, including the two massive bullfighting rings (one of which is still in use!). Later in our walking tour of the old section of the city, I felt as though I was literally walking through history. We saw Roman columns from the original settlement that became Barcelona, and we saw Gaudi’s church, which itself bore bullet holes left over from the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. Later, during our free time, I ate Paella for lunch with Aria, Jessie and Ann. I was immediately hooked. Coach would say that it has the correct balance of carbohydrates and lean proteins in the form of seafood and chicken and nutrients in the vegetables for recovering athletes. I would say I wish they made it in Holland. I visited two more Paella places during our trip, and each time the results were delicious and authentic.

On the third day, we performed community service (of the non-mandatory or punitive sort) for the city of Calella. After that somewhat tiring task, we relaxed on the beach for the rest of the day. It was nice to get a chance to relax and just enjoy the Mediterranean Sea. The beach was one my favorite that I have ever visited, mostly because the sun was bright and the water was deep and did not require a lot of wading to get deep enough for swimming. Indeed, it was possible to run toward the water, take two strides past the waterline, and dive without any fear of touching the bottom; it got deep that quickly. The beach was still notably different from the American beaches we were used to: aside from the occasionally more “European” style of dress we encountered, there were also roaming massage peddlers (“I MUH-SAAAAAGE YOU” could be heard all over the beach and sometimes disturbed our sleeping).

On the fourth day, we traveled to the holy mountain of Montserrat, which contained a number of sacred locations and a monastery. My favorite part of that day by far, though, was exploring the top of the mountain. After taking the somewhat crowded and hot funicular ride to the top, I enjoyed being able to walk along the spine of the mountain to an abandoned monastic area and enjoy the view all along the way. After the trip back down, most of the group got lunch, but Aria, Ariel and myself decided to spend our time looking through the Montserrat art museum. It proved to be well worth the lunch of only power bars from my backpack on my way home, since I saw a variety of medieval paintings on religious subjects, ancient Greek and Egyptian artifacts (including a sarcophagus and a mummified crocodile!) along with sculptures and an original Dali painting.

On the fifth day of our trip, we visited two local villages in the Catalonia region, Besalu and Girona. These old cities, much like Barcelona, offered excellent opportunities to experience interesting historical locations. Besalu was especially charming due to its small size, and Girona was perhaps my favorite city that we visited during the trip. Girona’s architecture varied with each twist and turn of its aged boulevards, and each new street brought a different and exciting style of building. The massive Girona cathedral and the Norman fortifications around the city were especially interesting.

On the sixth day, we went again to Barcelona to tour the Olympic facilities from the 1992 games. These were duly impressive, as was the museum erected on the location. I was interested to note that the Olympic indoor stadium is still in use, and in fact hosts popular music acts (including American acts like Green Day and Katy Perry). Later, I took the chance to explore more of Barcelona on my own, including the Corte Ingles department store and another Paella place with Ariel and Matt. Later that night, Matt and I decided to go exploring, so we walked to the next city, Pineda del Mar, from Calella. It was nice to get beyond the more tourist-oriented parts of the town and get off the beaten path a bit. We also saw some neat, if somewhat unnerving, Catalonian separatist graffiti. Don’t worry, Mom, we lived.

On the final day, we had a fairly relaxing day. After swimming in the morning, we spent the afternoon taking it easy on the beach and getting some shopping done in Calella. In the evening, we had our swim meet with C.N. Sant Adria. The hardest part to get used to was the different way in which the Spanish swimmers ran their meet. During the first race, our three girls didn’t realize that the whistle meant “go,” (a whistle means “step up [on the block]” in an NCAA meet) a miscue that had hilarious consequences. The rest of the meet went off largely without a hitch, though. I even won the 100-meter freestyle, making me an international champion (albeit of a very low caliber). Speaking to the Spanish team made me appreciate how lucky we were to have the practice facilities that we have in the Dow center. Much as we complain that our pool at Hope is too small (and it probably is a bit too small for the size of our men’s and women’s teams), we have about 70 swimmers between both teams, 6 lanes in which they can all swim, and two practice sessions to relieve crowding. This works out to approximately six swimmers per lane. C.N. Sant Adria, on the other hand, has only 3 lanes and one practice session for their 70 swimmers. That works out to about 23 swimmers per lane. That’s dedication.

The next day, our trip to Spain came to an end. There were other events, of the forgettable sort, like our airplane getting stuck on the ground for a few hours in London, Coach’s luggage not making it to Chicago, and me getting a bathroom window broken all over myself. It seemed like the bad luck waited to strike us until the last day, for which I am grateful, since my trip to Spain was an excellent and memorable experience made all the better by the fact that I was lucky enough to travel with my teammates and friends from Hope swimming.

From Whitney Wilson
This was my first time in Europe and it was a very memorable experience. It would be so hard to pick and choose my favorite parts of the trip because I really enjoyed every part of it. But, if I had to choose, my two favorite days were when we went to the Olympic stadium, and the last day, when we had a swim meet against a local team. The Olympic stadium was such a site to see, and I had no idea there were so many Olympic events! I liked how we could all explore the museum on our own and look at the things that drew our own interests.

On Friday, we had a swim meet against a local team. I was a little skeptical at first on how much we were going to get out of this meet. And because it was our last day in Spain, everyone seemed pretty worn out and just wanted to relax back at the hotel. However, the meet turned out to be really fun! The team was so nice to us. They gave us t-shirts, and pins to remember them by. In addition, a few of us girls switched swim caps with them. We were also able to exchange some e-mail addresses and even become facebook friends with a few of them. It will be easy to keep in touch with them, and maybe they could come to Michigan to visit us sometime! ?. I will never forget them.

Overall, the trip was an amazing experience! (minus the flight home), And even though we weren’t there too long, we were able to do so much in such a little amount of time. I wish we could have stayed for another week or two!

From Elizabeth Nelis
For me Spain was the first time that I have been out of the country. It was a really amazing trip and I learned a lot. I was able to really experience a culture that I probably wouldn’t have been able to without this opportunity. I have been studying Spanish for many years and so being able to go to a Spanish speaking country was really great. I was able to see what I have been studying for so many years. It was also a great because we were able meet people from all over the world, mostly from Europe. We were able to not only see different cities around Spain, but we were also able to compete. All around it was an amazing trip.

From Brandon King
The Spain trip for me was a great experience full of first times. I have never been abroad and I was very excited to see another culture full of ancient cathedrals, beautiful landscapes and people much different than those back home. I enjoyed swimming in the 50 meter pool every morning, especially since it was outdoors which a big change from the musty old Dow is. The only problem with waking up that early was not the swimming, but knowing full well that we would be walking several miles in the hot Spanish sun that day. The sites and cities we were able to go to were worth every penny spent. The Cathedrals such as the Basilica in Montserrat were breathtaking. I had never seen such extravagant buildings inside or out. My favorite Church that we saw which was also my favorite building and possibly entire attraction was the Church in Barcelona called La Sagrada Familia. It is one of the most amazing pieces of architecture in the world. Seeing the Olympic stadium and museum was another fun experience that I am glad I got to witness.

Besides sites and cities we visited I really enjoyed "trying" to communicate with the people. The people in Callela the city we were staying were very nice and loved trying to talk to you even if you had a hard time. We felt welcomed by the people of the city especially when we were given key rings by the mayor for his appreciation for our service project of cleaning up a local park.

The swim meet we competed in was awesome. The pool was not as nice as the outdoor 50 meter pool we were training in but it did not ruin one second of the fun we had competing with our new friends. After the meet we had a social event where we exchanged emails and they gave us t-shirts. We have already been in contact with one of our new friends through email. This experience was once in a lifetime and I am happy Hope made it possible for us.

From Claire Piester
My trip to Spain was the first time I have ever been abroad. I was anxious before the trip because I was going to be in a completely different culture and did not know how to speak or understand the language at all. However, I kept an open mind and I was excited to enjoy new experiences.

The language barrier was not as much of an obstacle as I expected. I was able to use hand gestures and simple English words to get the point across most of the time. There were also some people in our group who knew quite a bit of Spanish, which helped immensely to understand the local people in certain situations.

The point of our trip was to both train and experience a different culture. I thought that the two were balanced very nicely with one practice and small trips daily. I really enjoyed the swim meet with the local team from Barcelona on our last day. Many of the swimmers from the other team enjoyed practicing their English by talking with us. The social after the meet was a good time to get to know each other a little more and they said that they wanted to come to Michigan next summer. I think that it would be a great opportunity for them to experience our culture as we did theirs.

Overall, the trip to Spain was eye opening for me. It made me experience a different culture rather than learn about it in a classroom and just know that it exists. I will definitely pursue my dreams of traveling other places in the world, especially because this was such an eye opening experience for me!

From Clayton Sommers
The trip to and from Spain was very long and wearing, but it was well worth it. While in Spain, I had a chance to experience a world that made the USA seem like a young child in comparison. The architecture alone in Spain separated itself from the US, making the trip very memorable for me. Visiting chapels and cities that were built long before the US was discovered was easily my favorite part of the trip. These images of stone walkways and 100 ft ceilings in a church that was built by hand will stick with me for a very long time. I also enjoyed the very easy going culture in Spain and I have gained a great respect for how patient the people are. I believe that these are values that Americans should grasp.

From Matt Smith
This summer’s trip to Spain was an overwhelmingly positive experience for me, and one I could only wish to repeat. To begin with, not only was I travelling abroad for the first time (with the exception of a few short trips to Canada), it was my first flight since very early childhood. Sitting on the tarmac waiting for the massive Boeing 747 to take off from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, I felt like a child again being so giddy with anticipation. My excitement only mounted as we came nearer to our destination.

We were met at the airport in Barcelona by our guide, Verónica, who stayed with us at the Hotel Sant Jordi in Calella for the rest of the week. She was very friendly, infinitely patient and an excellent resource. Upon arriving at the hotel, most of us only had energy for some cursory exploration before collapsing for the night. The next day, however, there was no rest as we rose early for a multi-cultural church service before travelling to Barcelona. We received a breakneck tour of the city both by bus and on foot, hitting most of the main sights and attractions in order to help get our bearings for our return later in the week. The city was beautiful, the architecture and design all distinctly foreign to me. After returning to Calella, we spent some time about the city before going to bed, despite having to get up early for practice the next morning.

The daily routine was easy to slide into, as was an easy version of our regular practice schedule during school. We got up for practice in the morning, returned to the hotel for breakfast and perhaps a quick nap before proceeding on to our events for the day. Each night we returned for dinner at the hotel, and then had some time to spend as we pleased. I found a pleasant balance between visiting local shops and restaurants and enjoying the view and cool from the balcony adjoining our room. In our trips out, we made friends with a few locals and other tourists, and meeting up with them became a favorite part of the routine. To Coach Patnott’s credit, he did not hammer us with yards in the pool (perhaps suspecting that we had neglected as thorough a conditioning regimen as we might maintain before starting the regular season), and as such we usually had enough energy at the end of the day to find something fun to do. Our events during the day were largely well planned trips to various religious, historical, or cultural attractions, led by our guide Verónica. One of my favorite activities was meeting the mayor of Calella and volunteering with him in a public park. Ryan, Christina, Ann and I helped to dig, pour cement, and place landscaping boulders with a few workers while other groups aided in various other cleaning and landscaping projects. It was enjoyable work, and the mayor seemed very grateful. He later invited us to visit the city hall, where he again thanked us for our time.

On other days we visited the holy mountain Montserrat, the villages of Besalú and Girona, and returned to Barcelona for some free time to explore. These were all great experiences in their own way. Montserrat was a natural wonder which also held a great deal of religious history, striking me even with only my modest knowledge of Catholic history. The villages we visited skillfully hid their true size behind quaint Mediterranean buildings and narrow cobblestone roads. Countless little shops displayed wares crafted by local artisans or fine wines, and upon entering they seemed to extend endlessly around corner after corner room after tiny room. The colors were earthy and bright, a warm change from the often industrial feel of urban America. One thing that smacked of home was the enormous Spanish department store El Corte Inglés. This behemoth stood alongside a main square in Barcelona and measured more stories than I could count or remember. El Corte Inglés carried many upscale and designer brands familiar around the world, as well as many domestic Spanish labels. One could have spent a week riding the escalators between departments in that one store alone.

No trip abroad would be complete without culinary immersion, but this proved to be the least exciting of our adventures. The food did not vary as greatly in variety and flavor as one would hope, and often the quality left something to be desired. The prospect of paying an arm and a leg for each small glass of water was distasteful as well. However, we found refuge in paella, the signature dish of Spain. The massive skillets provided meals for several people. With the amount of walking we did, not to mention training, we certainly had the appetite for it. In our final day, we received some much needed free time to relax out on the beach, the sand of which was delightful and intriguing. The grains were much larger than anything found in Michigan, and they tickled our feet every time we stepped off the boardwalk. After getting our fill of sun, we travelled to Sant Adriá for our first international swim meet. The team CN Sant Adriá consisted of swimmers of all ages and abilities, with several of our own age. They were affable and we had a good time talking and sharing stories after the meet. Hope performed well on the international stage, and I think we were all surprised (myself especially) at how well we swam considering our modest level of preparation. We again made friends, and a relationship which we may hope to nurture in subsequent years.

Exhausted at the end of a long week, we survived the trip home, although not without difficulty. Unexpected injuries, random security searches, and faulty jet engines delayed us long past our expected arrival, but we made it home in one piece. Without hesitation, I think I liked interacting with people there the best out of all our experiences. We got to visit countless museums and relics, but out of all of it, the people made it worthwhile. There were annoyances, like the overly-unconcerned attitude that made simple tasks stretch, in some cases, to ten times as long as they would take here in America. But perhaps that is something for me to learn from as well. In a nation so young as we live in, perhaps we needn't put rush around quite as frantically as we do. These older countries, with more history in each ordinary cobblestone than in any of America's oldest colonies, have stood the test of time and withstood it well. Perhaps there is something there to learn from. Whatever we each took from this trip, none will forget the first ever Hope Swimming international adventure.

From Alicia Tuuk
Our team trip to Spain was more amazing than I could have ever imagined! Practicing in an outdoor 50 meter pool was a fun way to practice, while also getting a tan. At the hotel we were able to meet different swimmers from all over the world who were training at the same pool. Our tour guide Veronica showed us many historical and beautiful places; such as the 1992 Olympic buildings and many exquisite cathedrals within the Barcelona area. One morning we were also able to help clean the community park in order to show our love and thanks to the people of Calalla (the town we stayed in); the Mayor was very thankful and happy that we were able to help.

The meet we participated in against the Spanish team was my favorite part of the trip! Their team was very enthusiastic and they could not wait to compete against us; the atmosphere of their meet was nothing that I had ever experienced. When they cheered they were enthusiastic and had memorable sportsmanship. I will always remember my team trip to Spain and I hope our team can learn to be as welcoming as the team we swam against. Thank you, to all of the people that made this trip possible and also to Mr. and Mrs. Patnott! It is an experience that I will never forget! Thanks!

From Jessie Parsons
Our trip to Spain was my first venture abroad, and as cheesy as it sounds, I truly came away from this trip with a new appreciation for different cultures and a new perspective on the American lifestyle. I thoroughly enjoyed our short contact with the Spanish culture and learning a bit about its history. Spain’s old buildings and architecture fascinated me, as well as the stories behind them; I especially loved the medieval town we visited, with structures built way back in the 900’s AD. Another favorite part of the trip for me was our visit to the Olympic Museum in Barcelona. Reading about various athletes and the history of the Olympics, looking at the Olympic torches, and watching videos of past Olympic events all gave me the chills, and fueled my motivation to be the best athlete and person I can.

The entire week was full of fun and awesome memories, but I think I had the most fun at our swim meet with a local club team. The atmosphere of light-hearted competition and good sportsmanship was a joy to be in. The Spanish team welcomed us enthusiastically; although most of us could not communicate verbally with each other due to the language barrier, their smiles and handshakes spoke volumes. After the meet, we got a picture of both teams together and had some time to socialize. The team was so generous; not only did they serve us wonderful food, but everyone received a club pin and t-shirt. We were all sad to leave, but eventually we had to go back to Calella. The whole team waved to us and cheered us until the bus was out of sight.

This trip to Spain was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I am extremely grateful I got to be a part of it! The memories I made with my teammates and the experience of being in another country are priceless to me. A huge thanks to Excel sports, Mr. and Mrs. Ruch, Coach and Mrs. Patnott, and everyone that made this trip possible!!!

From Kate Williams
Having been my first trip abroad, I had high expectations for the kind of experiences our swim team’s trip to Spain would entail; I must say, upon my return to the States I find myself far from disappointed. The first day or so involved a bit of jetlag coupled with minor culture shock—I was unaccustomed to how different the lifestyles of locals would be; people there generally seemed friendlier, with a genuine interest for what life was like in the United States. We were able to speak with groups from Sweden, Holland, the Czech Republic, Scotland, Germany, and Spain; each of these conversations involved different topics, but at the end of the day I felt more knowledgeable on what life was like across the globe.

What seems to be the outstanding memory in my mind is from the day we went to visit Montserrat, a religious site and monastery in Spain located in Catalonia. On this day trip, we were given the opportunity to tour the facilities, which dated back thousands of years, and also walked a few rugged trails to seek some of the more concealed (but just as incredible) structures. Our tour guide, Veronica, informed our group this was a destination for many religious pilgrimages since the 12th century—to think about how many people visited this destination before us made quite the impressionable on me.

On our last full day in Spain, we traveled to compete against a swim team located just outside of Barcelona. When we first reached the pool, none of us knew what to expect. No one in our group spoke enough of Spanish to hold a decent conversation, and their group felt the same way about their English. Despite the obvious language barrier, our groups were able to compete in a low-key meet, which was both fun and exciting for both of our groups. The meet ended with a mixed (male and female) relay and a quick dinner outside where our team was gifted t-shirts and buttons bearing the team’s name on both (C.N. Sant Adria). The team and their families were extremely accommodating and hospitable, and everyone there agreed to make an attempt at remain in contact throughout the following years.

As previously stated, I expected a lot out of this trip—I intended on visiting some of the more famous sites in Spain, I hoped for social interaction with varying cultures, and I also wished to strengthen my existing friendships with my teammates. I truly feel as though this trip allowed us to do all three.

From Ryan Nelis
Overall, I was amazed with the experience of going over seas. The shock of the different cultures as well as the environment of Spain is what I enjoyed the most. I thought it was very interesting how laid back the people were in Spain. In the States, everyone is always on the go and ready to do work. The mayor was even surprised at how willing we were to work on our volunteering. The environment of Spain was also very interesting. Everything there is hundreds or thousands of years old. It is crazy to think that people have been going to the Churches that we saw for over 600 years. Most buildings that we see in the United States aren't even 100 years. The final part of the trip that I enjoyed was swimming in the outdoor pool. It is nice to enjoy the weather while swimming, instead of always being indoors.

From Mitch Ruch
Some of the memories and experiences that I will take with me from the trip are, walking down the main drag from the hotel where all of the fun bars and shops were located, running to the beach and swimming in the Mediterranean whenever we had any free time, and hiking through the mountains until I felt as if I was going to pass out. I also had a wonderful time at the swim meet at Sant Adria, the meet was very laid back with no timing system (which I must say I was quite fine with) All of the swimmers on their club team were extremely friendly at the social after the meet and I hope to keep in contact with some of them. Overall, Spain was an awesome experience that I feel I learned and grew from in multiple ways.

From Tommy Knecht
I really enjoyed our trip to Spain. I loved how this trip contained a combination of swimming and site seeing all in one trip. Swimming every morning and then hopping on the bus and heading to the Mountains, downtown Barcelona or some of the oldest cities in Spain. I really enjoyed the trip to the 1992 Olympic games site, it definitely was the most interesting to me. The swim meet at the end of the week was also amazing. Not so much the swimming but the relationship with the Spanish teams. They were so excited to meet us and hang out with us.