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 appreciate how life is far more relaxed here. As he ponders his imminent return to the U.S., he reflects on his time here and a number of things jump out at him, the first being that no one he came across during his time here ever seemed stressed out. He wonders whether the intense focus on family has anything to do with that?

While his own family is extremely close, there is something different about the familial relationships he has encountered in Spain. He is amazed at how Spaniards do not seem to allow work to get in the way of their time together. In fact, being with family, both immediate and extended, is their top priority and the societal norm.  

He thinks about all of the times he sat in the living room watching The Simpsons with his host parents, brothers, and his host mom’s sister with her boys. This would be quite an unusual occurrence in the U.S. to have that many family members all at home, unplugged, and together at the same time, but this had now become a normal day for this American boy with his Spanish family.

He can hear the sounds of their laughter and feel the happiness that their constant conversations with him always bring. Even though there is clearly a 6’4” American boy sitting in their living room, he realizes that his new family doesn’t see that. They see only a member of their family.

It happened one warm, sunny day on the northeastern coast near Barcelona. He and his classmates, now friends, went for a walk. Little did he know what this walk would turn into. The group was only supposed to travel on a portion of the trail. A wrong turn and a quick decision by the American teen turned what was to have been a 6 mile stroll into demanding, physically exhausting 14-mile hike along the beautiful Mediterranean coast.

He made the decision without knowing what was up ahead, or even how far away the end was. The American boy was feeling strong and willing to take the risk. He saw an opportunity to push himself out of his comfort zone and he felt a strong sense of curiosity and enough confidence in himself to carry on and discover what lay ahead.

As this scene fades, notice the quiet confidence that the American teen is going to bring onto the plane with him and carry home to the US. He will pack with his belongings a new sense of his own capabilities and an understanding that taking risks and stepping outside of his normal comfort zone can pay him huge dividends.

The countless memories of the kindness of the Spanish people, their rich history and tight family bonds have been captured into his personal highlight reel and will be able to be accessed again and again. His hope is that that his own priorities will be shaped by the influences of this clip and that he will be able to share that with people who are important to him. Watch closely.