Louick, Emily

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryInquiry Journal 2013 Inquiry JournalSpring 2013"Menudas Vueltas da el Destino": How Choosingto Live in a Homestay Brought Me Closer to aCultureEmily LouickUniversity of New Hampshire - Main CampusFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/inquiry_2013This Commentary is brought to you for free and open access by the Inquiry Journal at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Inquiry Journal 2013 by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationLouick, Emily, ""Menudas Vueltas da el Destino": How Choosing to Live in a Homestay Brought Me Closer to a Culture" (2013).Inquiry Journal. 14.https://scholars.unh.edu/inquiry_2013/14The author during a flamencodance class at the CristinaHeeren Flamenco Foundation,summer 2008.—Emily Louick (Editor: Jennifer Lee)Emily Louick graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in the dual major ofSpanish and theatre and dance.When I first learned about the International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) at UNH, I was intrigued. Thiswas the fall semester of 2006 and I was a sophomore. The program offered students grants to conduct independentresearch abroad in a field of their choice, during the summer after their junior year. As a dual Spanish and theatremajor, I loved that I could design an individualized course of study combining my two majors as well as my skills andinterests in the arts and Spanish language.Having been greatly influenced by the dance program at UNH, I decided to centermy IROP research on one of the most famous aspects of Spanish culture: flamencodance.  I found that my resources to learn about this topic in the United States werevery limited, and I was eager to contribute a new art form to the Department ofTheatre and Dance. My intention was to come home with an advanced knowledge ofthe technique and history of flamenco dance in Spain. I spent ten months writing mygrant proposal, and I was accepted to the program! In Spanish, there is a common saying, Menudas vueltas da el destino. As a whole, itmeans “Funny how life goes around”; but translated literally, it means that destiny“gives us small changes or turns”—a phrase that I love.  This saying has come tosignify many of my experiences abroad.In my IROP application, I had proposed to live in the Andalusian cities of Granadaand Seville. In Granada I would focus on the cultural impact and history of flamenco,and in Seville I would learn the dance technique. I found an intensive six-weekprogram of study at the Cristina Heeren Flamenco Foundation in Seville, where Iwould spend six to eight hours a day in dance class or history lectures taught by myforeign mentor, Pepa Sanchez.My initial plan was to live on my own in an apartment or student housing, thinkingthis would provide more flexibility for me to study and conduct interviews with localflamenco artists. However, my UNH mentors, Jaume Marti Olivella and John Chastonof the Spanish department, encouraged me to pursue homestays. They insisted itwould not only be safer but would also enrich my cultural experience in Spain. I agreed, remembering my previousexperiences abroad in homestays and the relationships I had cultivated with those families. I wasn’t expecting anexact repeat of those experiences though, just a place to live and to get my work done. Menudas vueltas da eldestino.Granada, where my summer research began, is a city known for its culturally diverse citizens and the famousAlhambra, a palace dating back to the late 800s. I had been assigned a homestay with Luis and Fernanda Bermudez,a couple with grown children, living in a lovely apartment in the more modern section of the city. They had recentlybecome host parents, and I was to be their first female student."Menudas Vueltas da el Destino": How Choosing to Live in a Homestay... http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2013/menudas-vueltas-da-el-de...1 of 4 5/14/2013 3:14 PMThe author with her Granada host parents, Luisand Fernanda Bermudez, winter 2013.When I arrived at their home in late May of 2008, I was warmlygreeted by Luis, who gave me a big hug and exclaimed “Guapa!”meaning “Beautiful,” a common welcome offered by Spaniards. Hetook my suitcase and ushered me to the living room, where abeautiful lunch had been prepared by Fernanda. They watched ineager anticipation as I wolfed down arroz con pollo (chicken withrice) and soup to start, then strawberries and cream for dessert. AsLuis signed the housing contracts I had drafted in English andSpanish, he mumbled “muy bien, muy bien” (another of hiscommonly used phrases)and asserted that as long as I was in hishouse, I was to eat, study and enjoy myself—everything he felt I“deserved” as a guest in his home. Not having had grandparents, Iimagined this is what it would have felt like.Fifteen days came and went quickly. In Granada I attendedflamenco shows, interviewed artists, dancers, and musicians andgot adjusted to Spanish life. I spent most of my free time with Luisand Fernanda in their living room watching television anddiscussing my research, their childhoods in Spain, and the differences between Americans and Spaniards. Luis helpedme with my vocabulary by turning on TV game shows in Spanish. By the end of the two weeks, I was able to guessmost of the answers before the contestants on the show could. When it came time to leave, Fernanda told me I was her daughter and that any time I wanted to return, their doorswere open. They said they were grateful to have had me stay with them and appreciated my passion for flamenco.They wished me luck in Seville. I thanked them and promised that I would return as soon as I could. In that momentI realized that I had gained much more in Granada than I had ever intended: I had not only completed thebeginnings of my research but had obtained a family as well. Had I lived alone, my research and cultural experiencewould have been vastly different.When I arrived in Seville, I was met at the train station by my host parents, Macu and Armando, and their two youngsons, Juan and Armandito. As we walked to the car, the boys fired questions at me in rapid Spanish. I struggled tokeep up but managed to hold my own, thinking that after the next eight weeks my Spanish would have improvedeven more. From the front seat, I tossed little presents of candy from America back to the boys, and joyouslywatched their faces light up. I contemplated how they would respond to the jars of peanut butter lining my suitcases.Macu and Armando lived in a large house in Tomares, a community just outside the main city. It was comforting tobe in a quiet area, which would be relaxing to come home to after a day of flamenco lessons. I settled quickly intotheir beautiful home and extended family. That night, I learned that each of my host parents was the fourth of sixsiblings, many of whom also lived in Seville. Within days, I was introduced to Macu’s parents, siblings, in-laws,nieces and nephews. I also met the woman responsible for my homestay in Seville: Armando’s sister Inma, whosebest friend was UNH faculty member Carmen Garcia-Rasilla. I felt lucky. I immediately clicked with everyone and developed a distinct bond with each person. I loved how warmand affectionate they were with each other, the ease with which both sides of their families blended, and how intentthey were on including me in everything they did. It didn’t take long before I was spending time on my own witheach of the siblings, taking beach trips with them to their summer homes, and playing big sister to the sisters’combined seven sons. As a child, I had begged my mom for a little brother. Funny how life goes around!One Friday afternoon, towards the end of the summer, I was studying in my room. I was exhausted from myintensive dance courses and was having trouble understanding the differences among the four schools of flamencodance. Pepa was not shy about giving me extra work to do and my plan was to spend the weekend reviewing myassigned reading and beginning work on my final paper due that fall for IROP. I needed the time to begin pullingtogether all I had learned and experienced in both cities when I heard a knock on my door. It was Macu.“We’re going to the beach in Rota!”Without turning around, I said “Great! Have fun! I’ll see you guys Sunday then.”     “No.” she replied firmly. “We are going to the beach. You, me, Armando, and the boys.”“Oh, thank you, Macu,” I said, “but this is the last weekend before classes end. I have so much work to do. You guys"Menudas Vueltas da el Destino": How Choosing to Live in a Homestay... http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2013/menudas-vueltas-da-el-de...2 of 4 5/14/2013 3:14 PMThe author with the Ruiz-Lopez family, herhosts in Seville, winter 2013.The author with Mayte and Guillermo,members of her Granada host family, inGranada, winter 2013.enjoy.”“Mimi,” she said, calling me by the nickname her younger son had givenme. “I wasn’t asking. You’re part of my family now, and I want you tocome with us as our family member.”I looked at my pile of books. I also looked at my bathing suit hanging inthe bathroom, still drying from the previous day’s trip to the family’ssummer country club.“I know that in the States there is a lot of focus on studying, and Iadmire that,” Macu continued “but you have to take some time to enjoylife, too— and you’re in Spain. Please come to the beach with us. Youcan bring a book or two if you like.”“OK. OK. I’ll go. Thanks, Macu!”I turned back to my desk. I felt her still in the doorway.“Emily”“Yeah?”“We’re leaving right now.”“Right! Right!”I scooped up my books and swimsuit and hastily packed for the weekend away. I knew Macu was right; I hadn’tcome to Spain just to study, and I wasn’t living with a homestay just to have a safe place to live. I was living thereto develop relationships and gain a deeper understanding of the culture where I was living and studying.That weekend, sitting on a beach on the coast of Spain, I saw the most unbelievable sunset. Standing with my“family,” listening to them sing and dance as the sky became dark, I studied the tip of Africa extending far out intothe ocean in front of me and realized that my IROP experience had given me far more than just a ten-week studyabroad trip. It truly had given me a complete understanding of a new culture and, above all, the thing I hadn’trealized I most wanted: two additional, wonderful families, and lifelong personal connections.Since that summer of 2008, I have maintained regular communicationwith my host families. I love being able to still include them in my lifeand to be continually updated about theirs.  I also get the chance topractice my Spanish. In 2011, I was able to reciprocate the families’hospitality when Luis and Fernanda’s daughter, Mayte, visited New YorkCity with her boyfriend Guillermo. They even spent Thanksgiving with myfamily. This past winter, after four and a half years apart, I was able to makegood on my promise to return to Spain. I spent two weeks visiting bothfamilies in Granada and Seville, as they happily included me in theirChristmas and New Year’s celebrations and took me to places I still hadyet to visit like the Sierra Nevada, Triana, and Lanjarón. The trip wasunforgettable! I eased back into my life there as if I had never left andmet even more family members.They remain people whom I love with all my heart and miss daily. Untilthe next trip, these photos bring them closer to me. This experience could not have been possible without the support of a great many people. I want to thankGeorgeann Murphy, Peter Akerman, and the Hamel Center staff, who spent hours with me editing my proposal; theBoard that approved my trip; and Dana Hamel and Margaret Clarke Norman for being my wonderful sponsors. Mythanks also go to my mentors and advisors for believing and trusting me with this work: Pepa Sanchez of the"Menudas Vueltas da el Destino": How Choosing to Live in a Homestay... http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2013/menudas-vueltas-da-el-de...3 of 4 5/14/2013 3:14 PMCristina Heeren Flamenco Foundation in Seville; and UNH faculty Gay Nardone, John Chaston, and Jaume Marti-Olivella. More thanks to my host families in Spain and to my tough-as-nails dance cohorts and everyone I had thepleasure of meeting while abroad. Last but not least, thank you to my parents, sister and friends, who weathered thesix-hour time difference and answered my calls at all hours to give me support, guidance and love. Alumna Emily Louick is currently a freelance producer for television. She is based in New York City and callsBrooklyn her hometown. She has worked with MTV, CBS, Fox-Utilisima, ABC Primetime Casting, and the CookingChannel, among others. Emily finds her knowledge of Spanish is useful at her work and when looking for work. Moreimportantly, she uses it regularly to communicate with her host families and Spanish-speaking friends.       Contact the author >>Top of Page >> Copyright 2013, Emily Louick"Menudas Vueltas da el Destino": How Choosing to Live in a Homestay... http://www.unh.edu/inquiryjournal/spring-2013/menudas-vueltas-da-el-de...4 of 4 5/14/2013 3:14 PM

Menudas Vueltas da el Destino : How Choosing to Live in a Homestay Brought Me Closer to a Culture

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Menudas Vueltas da el Destino : How Choosing to Live in a Homestay Brought Me Closer to a Culture

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