The American Teen
Picture a 6’4” American teenager who appears to be slightly apprehensive as he navigates his way through a quaint Spanish town, towards a beautiful stretch of an ancient, towering aqueduct where he is supposed to meet up with some of his American classmates. Watch as every single Spaniard he passes on the busy streets throws him an "hola", and "¿como estas?”, or flashes him a wide, inviting smile in greeting. Notice as the apprehension seems to dissolve and the American teen begins to look more confident. As he responds to each of the warm gestures, it occurs to him that walking through Segovia feels sort of similar to walking across the Proctor campus, yet also feels very foreign in comparison to walking down a busy Boston city street. Nine short weeks, yet what feels like a lifetime later, the American teen lies in his room in the cozy apartment that has truly become his home and thinks about how much the U.S. could learn from Spain. He has truly come to ...