A group of ten Proctor students live and learn in Segovia, Spain during all three academic terms. They learn the Spanish language and culture through immersion in life with a Segovian host family. Academic class curriculum takes full advantage of place-based, experiential learning, both in Segovia province (Castilla y León) and while traveling to at least two distinct regions per term. In this first post of the spring 2022 term, Proctor en Segovia students reflect on one of the quintessential elements of any culture, cuisine and culinary traditions. Read on for a mouth-watering account of what their Segovia host families have been preparing during their first week and a half studying abroad.

In this final post of the winter 21-22 term, Proctor en Segovia students write about just how much their perception of the world, their place in it, and themselves changed over the course of just one trimester abroad, in Segovia, Spain. They reflect on personal growth, forming deep relationships with strangers, and developing a sense of place while far from home. 

Ciaran ’22 reflects on the Proctor en Segovia group’s final long excursion of the term, to Sevilla and Córdoba and the southern region of Andalucía. Coursework in Proctor’s off-campus programs employs place-based learning, and students explore connections between course material and experienced history, culture and, of course, language. In the case of Proctor en Segovia, this learning occurs in the home base of Segovia (Castilla y León) but also in several of Spain’s distinct regions when students travel on excursions.

Sundays in Spain have a particular rhythm. They are largely an opportunity to find the time and space to slow down, spend time in community, and reflect on what is truly important. Eliza ’23 and Katharine ’22 write about their recent Sundays in a small town outside of Segovia and the capital city Madrid, respectively.

After a week and a half of host family life, classes, afternoon programming, and local excursions, Proctor en Segovia winter 2022 students ventured north on their first overnight excursion of the term. Enjoy this window into life on the road in a cultural and linguistic immersion off-campus program.

As Proctor students returned campus in Andover, New Hampshire, ten students traveled from Boston to Madrid and then onward to the small city of Segovia in central Spain. Apart from safety-related shifts due to the ongoing pandemic, the core of this off-campus program remains unchanged. Just as they have since the 1970s, host families welcomed a new group of Proctor students to their city and into their homes, providing them with invaluable linguistic and cultural immersion (and life) experiences.

Proximate learning does not occur without risk, but it is in those moments where students are living their education alongside the issues they are studying that world views are transformed.

Proctor en Segovia completed their term abroad and have returned safely home after a nine week immersion experience. The power of living with a host family, exploring the city of Segovia, and learning about all aspects of the Spanish language and culture will continue to impact this group of ten students for years to come. Enjoy a final anonymous reflection from the fall Segovia group below.