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April 22-24, Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain (HCAYS) students visited the autonomous community of the Basque Country, or Euskadi in Basque, in the northeastern part of Spain, near the border with France. They visited historic sites and a museum, and had a chance to learn how to play jai alai.

Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain (HCAYS) students visited the island of Mallorca on Feb. 19-21. The island has become known in recent years as a prominent tourist destination, though human history on the island goes back as far as the Paleolithic period (6000 to 4000 B.C.).

Last week, 28 students from Hamilton, Grinnell, Scripps and Smith College visited the Spanish region of Andalusia as part of the  Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain orientation trip. Andalusia is the most populated Spanish Autonomous Community.   Among other products, Andalusia is also known for its olive oil production.

Thanksgiving is not a holiday observed in Spain. However, on Thursday, Nov. 26, students in the Hamilton Academic Year in Spain (HCAYS) got together to mark the American holiday.  They celebrated Thanksgiving in a special meal featuring turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin and apple pie made especially for them at La Gamella restaurant.  The group was very grateful for this opportunity.

Students on Hamilton’s Academic Year in Spain program left Madrid on Nov. 12 for a four-day cultural trip to Barcelona, the second largest city in Spain. Capital of Catalonia, and the most important port of the Mediterranean cost in Spain, Barcelona offers a wide diversity of cultural experience. The students were able to explore the city´s unique personality, language, and culture, and experience first-hand its strong sense of identity and uniqueness.

Twenty-four students from Hamilton College and several other colleges (including Williams, Swarthmore, Davidson and Grinnell) visited Galicia last week as part of Hamilton’s Academic Year in Spain.

Joana Sabadell-Nieto, professor of Hispanic studies and director of Hamilton’s Academic Year in Spain, delivered a plenary lecture titled “Transitional Discourses, Impossible Selfies” at the XV Conference of the International Institute of Sociocriticism: Literature, Community, Memory.

Besides having the opportunity to study a different culture and history in the beautiful city of Madrid, Hamilton’s Academic Year in Spain (HCAYS) provides students the chance to get out and explore Madrid, Spain or the rest of Europe.  With classes taking place Monday through Thursday, most weekends are free for students to travel with friends or explore Madrid on their own. Participants also look forward to the three HCAYS-organized trips that take them to cities and towns where they can immerse themselves in the culture and not feel so much like a tourist.

Almost every student dreams of the opportunity to study abroad and at Hamilton it is not only possible – it’s encouraged. Hamilton’s four programs in China, India, France and Spain are popular, not only with Hamilton students, but also with students from other small liberal arts colleges. This past week the 20 students participating in Hamilton’s program in Madrid, Spain, traveled to Galicia.

Students in the Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain program (HCAYS) began their spring semester with an orientation trip to Andalusía. They learned about history and shared cultural and culinary experiences during visits to Granada, Sevilla and other cities and towns.