WORDS & PHOTOS: Robyn Bell
My name is Robyn Bell, and this year, I had the honor of being selected for the Dr. Art Engelhard Student Exchange Program. This program, offered through the Hernando De Soto Historical Society, allows local students to visit Bradenton’s sister city of Barcarrota, Spain, and learn firsthand about the history that unites us while being fully immersed in the Spanish culture.
During my time abroad, I stayed with Lucía Vellarino Contador, the student from Barcarrota who visited Bradenton last year as part of this exchange. Her family opened up both their home and their hearts to me over the eight weeks I spent with them, seeing to it that I was cared for even while my own family was over a thousand miles away. I am forever grateful to them, and it is because of this wonderful program that I now have a second family of sorts overseas.
While spending eight weeks in a foreign country may sound like a lifetime, I feel that it has all passed within the blink of an eye. One moment I am attending a welcome dinner hosted by the Asociación Amigos de Bradenton de Barcarrota when I’m fresh off the plane. In the next, I’m writing this article as I pack for my flight home. I can’t believe it’s all over, but I am glad for this excuse to reminisce over the amazing memories I have made in Barcarrota this summer.
My very first week began with lots of jet lag and a meeting with Mayor Miguel Rodríguez and the Councilwoman of Culture Almudena Hernandez. They personally showed me around the townhall, told me a bit about how important maintaining the close relationship between our two cities was to them, and then gave me a formal welcome to Barcarrota by flying the American flag on the front side of the building (informing me that it would remain up for the duration of my stay so that I would always know I was welcome there). During this week, I was also given a full tour of the town by the wonderful people at the Office of Tourism, who taught me all about Barcarrota’s history dating back to the Middle Ages when the first stable settlements were founded (although the area is known to have been inhabited since Prehistoric times).
Next up, I visited the Club de Ocio for the first time (somewhere I would frequent as the weeks went on). Club de Ocio is the children’s leisure club in Barcarrota and functions as a summer camp of sorts for the younger children in the town while their parents are at work. Each week, Monday through Friday, the kids would come to play games in the gymnasium for a few hours before heading off to spend the rest of the day at the pool. I immediately fell in love with the kids; they were so curious about me and never hesitated to let me join in on their fun. It warmed my heart to see that some games like hopscotch, twister, and even Marco Polo were played around the world! Although my most notable visit was when they hosted a version of the San Fermin, better known by us as the running of the bulls (although, in this case, the bulls were fake, of course).
One of the best parts of this exchange to me was how they managed to tailor the whole experience to my interests. When I met with members of the association, they asked me what sort of things I liked, giving me an opportunity to gush about my love for history and the ancient world. The next thing I knew, my calendar was filled with trips to other cities in the Extremadura so I could learn more about the region!
M
y first trip was to Cáceres, the city where Lucia attends university. She showed me all her favorite local places along with the “Old Town,” where a medieval town still stands within its ancient walls. The next of these outings was to the hilltop city of Monsaraz in Portugal with Dolores (a member of the Amigos who has visited Bradenton several times over the years). Then my host family and I were off to the Jerez de Los Caballeros to celebrate the Templario, which was almost like the Renaissance festivals we host here in the U.S. (except so much better since it was hosted all throughout a city that was actually standing during those times). My next big outing was to Merida with Fran and Maggie, a city well known for its occupation during Roman times that to this day still has standing aqueducts along with large scale excavations of both a Roman Theatre and Amphitheater! And to round out my historic tour of the area, I visited Badajoz with Antonio. Together, we explored the Alcazaba de Badajoz before going to the Archeological Museum, where artifacts from all over the Extremadura are housed, including some prehistoric goods found in Barcarrota.
As I mentioned earlier when you participate in this sort of exchange, you truly get immersed in the local culture, and the beginning of the local festival season was no exception. Traveling about half an hour with Lucia’s friends, we visited Nogales, where the festival season is kicked off every year. Following Nogales, I was able to attend two more festivals in the towns surrounding Barcarrota: one in Salvaleón and the other in Torre de Miguel Sesmero. After experiencing them firsthand, let me tell you that these Spanish parties are no joke! They start around midnight and continue well past sunrise with music and dancing, all in celebration of the town’s patron saint.
But the festivals weren’t the only things keeping me busy at night. Early on in my stay, the association asked me if I would be willing to participate in their Visita Guiada Nocturna (the Guided Night Visit) of Barcarrota, a living history-style recreation of some of the most important moments from the town’s history. I said yes, of course, and soon, I was attending rehearsal after rehearsal to ensure all went well and let me tell you it did! On August 2nd, the visit began, and it was moving to see the people of Barcarrota work together to share their hometown history in such a creative manner. People from all over came to see the performance, even news crew from a couple of the larger towns nearby!
Rounding out the end of my stay in Spain, I had the honor of helping select the next Barcarrota Queen during their election. For the past 61 years that Bradenton and Barcarrota have been participating in this cultural exchange, one of the most vital parts has been the visit of the queens. In April, the Barcarrota Queen and her entourage visited Bradenton during our parade season. In September, the De Soto Queen and the rest of the royal family will visit Barcarrota during their weeklong festival celebration. It was an honor to have a hand in such an important event for the town, and I can’t wait to see the new queen and her ladies on their visit next spring.
All in all, my time here in Barcarrota has been truly life changing. I’ve learned so much and forged friendships that are sure to last a lifetime. I truly cannot wait till next summer when the new Barcarrota ambassador comes, and I get to show them the wonders of Bradenton, just as they have shared the beauty of Barcarrota with me!
