Proctor en Segovia: Experiencing Andalucía's Rich Cultural Heritage

In addition to immersing themselves in Spanish language and culture through host family life, classes, and afternoon activities in Segovia, Proctor en Segovia students have the opportunity to travel to several of Spain's diverse regions during their term abroad. English teacher and program Co-Director Shelby Wischan challenged students to document their adventures in Andalucía—Spain's southernmost and one of its most culturally rich regions—through reflective writing that would transport the extended Proctor community to southern Spain. Students were asked to focus on "anything you would not do in your day-to-day life in Segovia or Andover" and craft their narratives using a journalistic approach and incorporating rich sensory details, hoping to inspire future students to consider the program. Read the accounts that follow from Kyara '26, Ben '25, and Knox '26 as they invite readers to join them on their Andalucían adventures.

Kyara '26

"Come on guys, we have to go!" Olivia says, leading the way with an exciting voice to go to the Flamenco show. In all of Spain, Flamenco is an art based dance with cultural origins from Andalucía involving singing, guitar playing, dancing, polyrhythmic hand clapping, and finger snapping; within all of those aspects, one important feature is emotion. 
"Guys, come, come!" says Shelby. We all quickly sit in our seats for the show. Suddenly, the lights dim, and throughout the audience there's a murmured excitement. We then are given a brief introduction and the show starts. 

A guitarist comes in, tunes his guitar and starts singing. Seeing him sing feels like a dream, and my eyes slowly start focusing attention on him. Seeing his face expressing what he feels, seeing the tapping of his feet on the stage match the beat of the song, and hearing the song, trying to understand the lyrics to catch the overall vibe, feels amazing. He ends the song and everyone starts cheering. Then came two singers. They sit down and start singing. In Flamenco, singers usually really express their feeling by elongating their rhythm in their words or, as I researched an "agitated Andalusian singing." I got chills around my body hearing and almost feeling what their feelings were. Then came in dancers, stomping and clapping in rhythm with the song. Sitting there and witnessing the feelings being portrayed felt surreal. I didn't even think of picking up my phone to take a picture or take a video. I was so impressed. It was incredible. Hearing "olé" from the crowd and from the singers…in that moment, I felt so happy and filled with joy hearing others cheering, making me feel I'm in a safe environment and part of something bigger than myself. The show ends and everyone claps and cheers. 

Being in this space made me have a better understanding of what Flamenco really is. I felt an emotion while actually witnessing an emotion being expressed. Flamenco is unique with an assortment of different cultures shown with passion and demonstrating a wide range of emotions, from sadness to joy. I encourage you to take a chance in Proctor en Segovia to experience what I experienced.  

Ben '25

While there are many places to see in Segovia, there are also many different adventures that you can have in other parts of Spain. One of my favorite places that I have visited during my time studying abroad has been Granada. This past week, the rest of the group and I traveled to Granada. While on our way there, unfortunately, all of Spain lost power for many hours. While this all was going on, my group and I were on a bullet train powered by electricity. Lucky for us, it was sunny and we were stopped next to a field. For multiple hours, I was able to detox from my phone and spend time talking with my other friends or finding another way to take my mind away from watching the time. After many hours, we were finally rescued by a bus and taken to a nearby city where we were able to find some food and a hotel to spend the night. In the morning, we snatched a rental car and headed on our way down to Granada. 

When we finally arrived in Granada, I hauled my suitcase from the car to the hostel where we were staying. We continued to stay in Granada for the next three days. During this time, I had many different experiences, all of which I enjoyed very much. Wherever I looked it seemed like there was always something good to eat, from Italian food to Mediterranean and then getting gelato for dessert. There was never a time when I found myself going hungry. One of the days during our trip, the entire group took an adventure to a nearby beach, where I swam in the water even though it was pretty cold. I also managed to obtain a pretty nasty farmer's tan during this same time. 

While all of this was fun, it doesn't compare to visiting the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a very unique garden full of colorful flowers and running fountains unlike anything I have ever seen before. I was mesmerized by the experience, and it is one of my core memories that I will always remember back to. 

I would like to leave you with one piece of advice. I would highly recommend visiting Granada and the Alhambra because it is unlike any other experience in the world. 

Knox '26

The trip to Andalucía was amazing. The food, the culture, the hostel we stayed at, and so many aspects of the experience were incredible. We stayed in a small hostel and we had the area to ourselves; there was a table we would eat and talk about our plans, a kitchen where we would get our food ready, and nice rooms to rest in between our action-packed days. We went to many cool places on the trip like the Alhambra, Las Cuevas de Sacromonte museum, and many other places.

My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Alhambra, which is a beautiful palace that we explored right at sunset. I really enjoyed our trip to Andalucía - it was an amazing experience and I loved it.

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