The summer of 2013 again, proved be a year of growth and our biggest year to date as we brought over 31 Spanish students to different host families all over New England and the Washington DC area. More than a dozen American families repeated last summer to help host our students and 10 students came back with us from the year before. For the first time, we were able to network into the state of Rhode Island, sending two students to Warwick. Other students were placed in Vermont, in three different towns, Massachusetts in seven different towns, Connecticut, in nine different towns, New Hampshire in two towns and one in Maryland, just outside Washington DC.

Our students ranged in age from 13 to 17, and mostly came from the Basque Country, from the cities of Bilbao, Pamplona and San Sebastian, while others came from Burgos, Malaga, Seville and Madrid.

Students got to attend local summer camps, such as drama and adventure camps. They attended local church gatherings and youth group parties. Other got to join the local tennis and swim club. Some traveled to Boston, Cape Cod and Montreal and two lucky students went on cross country trips; one to a family reunion in Minnesota, almost winning the family cribbage tournament and the other to Oklahoma near the famous route 66. Others marched in July 4th parades, camped out and made smores around the campfire, went tubing, fishing, surfing and practiced swinging a baseball bat in the batting cages.

The trip to New York was successful again, as we brought 30 Spanish students and 26 Americans to the Big Apple. We shopped down 5th Avenue and Times Square, had a bird’s eye view from the Top of The Rockefeller building, took photos with celebrities in the wax musuem and rode the thrilling BEAST speedboat ride out the statue of Liberty.

A successful month where many valuable experiences and relationships were formed.