IT’S has been a rollercoaster here for me. I have been here in Spain for the past year. I was previously a first year high school student from the Philippines but I transferred here during my sophomore year because my father was transferred here as an ambassador. My family has to be here and being the only daughter of the Philippine ambassador to Spain, I was privileged to be enrolled in an international school here in Madrid.

It was a far cry from my days in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines where I spent my freshman at a school called Liceo de Cagayan. Although last names of us Filipinos are in Spaniard, I never knew their real meaning until I enrolled in acquiring Spanish as a second language. Not only that, they also let me enrolled in Spanish cultural appreciation. They said it is meant for cultural tolerance not just of Spain but all of Europe.

As everyone knows, Europe is a contiguous land and is the smallest continent in the world. Yet small as it is, it is composed of different countries with different languages. So the European Union has made it a mandate to make its high school students acquire a second language. The Spanish education authorities in turn are highly encouraging this generation of high school students to take up English.

They say English is feasible because most of the tourists here are British and as part of promoting the country, they want this generation of youngsters to learn English. That is why I knew how to cope schooling here in Spain because my Spanish classmates have excellent English skills albeit admittedly with that unique non-rhotic British accent. Although they are Spanish, they are schooled in an international school because they also want to know cultural appreciation.

When I first came here in August 2006, it was the height of summer and the new school year had not yet begun. My parents toured me in such spots as Palma del Mallorca and Ibiza and I was really privileged to have been in those places. The beaches in Palma del Mallorca are just like those in Boracay in the Philippines although they are more congested and filled with Caucasians, especially British. For some reasons, British and Parisian tourists have filled the Mediterranean beaches here.

They not only enjoy the shores but also the ambience in those beach resorts. Most of the beach resorts here are being given the blue flag accreditation by the European Union. A blue flag accreditation means that the beach resort has already been inspected thoroughly and periodically by quality assurance inspectors sent by the Spanish federal government. They inspect the place in terms of hygiene, sanitation and conformation to quality standards.

After the beaches, I was introduced to the various rural parts of Spain. I soon found out that they celebrate fiestas here just like we do in the Philippines but this is especially intense during the Holy Week. It would have been in April 2007 or a year later that I have to wait for this phenomenon. And true enough, I wasn’t disappointed. The churches were abounding with devotees who are commemorating the Passion and Death of Christ. There are elaborate costume festivals all around.