I got back from my trip in August. It is currently mid September, and my parents have just returned from their week-long trip to Spain. As they describe their trip to me, I almost laugh. They got to see Spain through the eyes of a tourist, I got to see Spain through the eyes of the local. My personal connection I now feel to Spain is all thanks to the strategic planning of LITA. The majority of the trip was focused on the three week home stay in small towns. The lack of commercialization in these small towns is purposefully chosen to make sure that we do not have locals trying to practice their English on us. Each group has its own small town where everyone knows everything about everyone, the kids all go to the pool by day and out for ice cream by night, and the Spanish culture is thick and raw. Sure, my Spanish sister might have helped me once or twice with a word I couldn't remember in Spanish because she was good at English, but other than that she respected my wish to only speak Spanish. My American friends and I also only spoke Spanish with each other. We all thought of it as a fun challenge, and knew we would be excited to show off our skills in the upcoming school year. I left the trip in tears, not wanting to speak English, or leave my new Spanish and American family and friends. I bonded with everyone on the trip, no matter if it was through a friendly conversation with a tour guide, playing childish games in the town pavilion until 2 am, singing with my group, or even chatting with our bus driver, the beloved Manolo! There was not one part of the trip I would recommend to be taken off. From the first week to the very last, I cherished every single moment and wish that I can go back and relive them. I still can't get over what an amazing time I had this summer with LITA, and even more so can't wait to see where I take my newfound love for speaking Spanish in the future.

My wonderful time with Lita can only be described as “alucinante.” Alucinante is a spanish adjective (of course!) that roughly yet beautifully translates to being so captivating and amazing that it is hard to put it into words.
Spending my summers with Lita was easily the best decision I have ever made. As many of the other reviews allude to, Lita is a program that stands above the rest for its level of authenticity and attention to detail. Directors Jordan and Michela truly get to know each and every student on a personal level: their passions, their hopes, and their fears. They are always available and attentive to the needs of the individuals and the group. The attention to detail is very apparent from matching families in charming small towns to making sure students find an internship or class that encourages them in their passions and language abilities. This past summer, I had the opportunity to intern with a local ceramicist. Our mornings included lots of painting and numerous conversations over coffee that opened my eyes to Spain past and present. My spanish improved exponentially over the course of just a few weeks during the homestay and classes. While I came away with a better knowledge of spanish, I also came away with a better understanding of myself and the world around me, as well as a heightened awareness and appreciation for the things that connect us all.
Before embarking on this experience, I truly had no idea how monumental it would be for me going into the future. I truly needed this experience for it pushed me out of my comfort zone, gave me friendships and skills that will last a lifetime, and showed me where my passions lie. While it can be challenging, it is wholly worth the time and effort. This experience will open your eyes and encourage you to keep opening. If you are looking for authenticity: in your relationships, experiences, and yourself, then I highly encourage you to consider this amazing experience!

I had an incredible experience traveling to Spain and living with a family there through the LITA Program. The program is uniquely small and only does trips to Spain which means that you receive a lot of individual attention. This is very nice when faced with the difficult yet incredibly rewarding task of being totally immersed in the Spanish culture. It can be overwhelming to all of a sudden be living with a new family that only speaks Spanish and lives in a part of the world you have never been to before. However, LITA prepares students very well for the language barrier, culture shock, and other challenges that they will face living abroad. Once students are living with their host families they are in for a very special and pretty life changing experience. LITA puts students in small and rural Spanish towns so students will get to know not only their host families but also the surrounding community and all the kids who live in the town. Furthermore, the fact that these are rural towns means that the majority of people in the town don't speak English. This forces students to become totally immersed in the Spanish culture and use Spanish almost 100% of the time. Being forced to use Spanish greatly improved my understanding of the language and made my experience much more authentic. Living in a small community also allowed me to form strong relationships with many people from Spain some of whom I am still in contact with today almost 2 years later. By the end of the trip I had a much greater understanding of Spanish. I also looked at the world in a much different way as a result of my experiences. LITA is a very rigorous experience but it is more than worth it in the end. The program definitely changed how I see the world and gave me some of the best memories of my life. This is an incredible program and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a passion for Spanish and a passion for adventure.

LITA is by unarguably one of the most enriching, educating, and enjoyable experiences I have ever had. It is a perfect opportunity to see how beautiful Spain is while also improving your Spanish, I only had two years of serious Spanish classes before I travelled to Spain through LITA, and by the end of the fifth week I felt confident in my ability to both understand and have meaningful conversations with native speakers. The most important thing I got through LITA was a second family. The homestay is really the highlight of the trip - my host sister and I have stayed in touch throughout these past two and a half years and will continue to throughout all of the years to come.

What makes LITA so special is the detail with which the program is put together. Every day brings an opportunity unavailable to without the connections the program holds, whether it be a field trip to a private farm for bulls, a cheese store, an ancient castle. The three-week stay with a host family was such a special time-- living out an entirely different way of life, and meeting fantastic people.

I can hands down say that my trip to Spain with LITA was not only the best summer of my life, but also the best experience of my life. I remember so clearly waking up and thinking to myself that any given day on the trip so far had been the best day of my life. I expected to have an amazing experience but am still shocked on how much the trip exceeded my hopes and expectations.
I lived with my host family in a small pueblo named Estepa and grew inseparable from my four host sisters, specifically the younger two closest to my age. I don't have any sisters in Texas and I couldn't even believe how incredible it was to live with four. My host sister, Celia, and I couldn't be more in common. We both loved doing the exact same things and bonded more and more every day. Our days usually consisted of waking up, going to the internship, swimming in her or one of her friend's pools, going home for a family dinner, and meeting all of the other Americans with their host siblings at the parks. However, we strayed from this routine many days, like when I went with all of my sisters to go shopping an hour away in Banalmádena, this beautiful beachy little town area. There, along with countless other experiences, I began knowing what it's like to have sisters. Not only was I completely welcomed into the family, but Celia's friends group readily accepted me and even added me to their ongoing group text. I felt so welcomed and blessed each day that I was there and with each new experience. Celia and I still talk every single day..(we have over a 120 day snapchat streak :)))
Not only was my host family incredible, but the American group could not have been better. I met one of my best friends on the Spain trip and we also still talk every day. We were able to experience the beautiful culture of Spain with some of our closest friends, and I still remember each dinner with the strange but delicious Spanish food we shared. We went to so many different areas of southern Spain with the group and each location was filled with so many fun and distinct opportunities. Our group leaders were incredible and the whole American group completely bonded into a family.
I honestly cannot recommend this trip enough. Seriously. It was so amazing. I miss it so much some days, I just sit at home looking through all of the pictures and talking to Celia. I have to text my American friends from the group from time to time to literally just rant about how much fun it was (I'm serious, this happened last week). I would do the whole thing again and a million times after that. I loved it so much and will cherish the memories for the rest of my life.

Participating in LITA was honestly one of the best decisions I have made so far. Every moment was filled with an exciting new learning opportunity. Whether it be sitting at the dinner table with my Spanish family, conversing in Spanish about whatever came to mind, or wandering the streets trying to navigate this foreign place, every moment was one that I will remember forever. I felt completely welcomed with open arms as I hopped off the bus and was introduced to the family I would be staying with for the next few weeks. Truly living like a Spaniard for these five weeks, I was able to open my eyes to how people in a different society may live.
The attentive and unique nature of this program gave me experiences I would never be able to find elsewhere. Jordan and my group leaders personalized the trip in an amazing way. Activities like singing songs and eating homemade paella in a bodega with a highly appraised musician and making cheese in a cheese factory are only two of the many things that I was able to partake in on this once in a lifetime journey.
I keep in touch with my host sister to this day. I even went back to Spain the following summer so that my parents could meet my Spanish family. The relationships created during this trip are so strong. I felt the support of my group members as we all were suddenly exposed to a new culture, a new way of life, and a new way of communicating for these few weeks. I learned so much not only about speaking Spanish, but about Spain in general and the people that live there. This trip allowed me to gain an independence I did not have before. It created a love for Spain that I still embody to this day and even inspired me to possibly minor in Spanish in college. LITA is a trip you will most definitely not regret going on. I would go back year after year if I could.

I attended LITA the summer of 2013, and I can say with absolute certainty that my decision to attend is, without a doubt, the most impactful experience I’ve ever partaken in. I’m from Los Angeles, CA, and yet despite Los Angeles’ large Hispanic population, prior to LITA, I did not have a passion for Spanish, and was consequently struggling to get by in my high school Spanish classes. Attending LITA, I was given a cultural worldview and a passion for Spanish and Spain that I still hold to this day. This is what led me to pursue a degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, where I am currently a sophomore.

This may come as a shock given how far my University is from my hometown of Los Angeles, but when I was younger, I had a bad experience attending a summer program, and suffered from homesickness. For a long time, I thought a summer program on another continent would never be something I would be interested in; I wanted to stay close to home—to have ready and constant access to what’s ‘familiar’. I decided to step out of my comfort zone & applied to LITA because it gave me both the opportunity to intern in a Spanish restaurant (kitchen) and to hone my Spanish skills. LITA was the most incredible experience I’ve ever been fortunate enough to participate in; it taught me that in order to fully experience the opportunities you’re presented in life, you have to be comfortable and confident enough to step out of your comfort zone.

In high school, the focus is to get into a good college, which is done through high-level academic achievement and by differentiating yourself from the competition. However, what high school doesn’t prepare you for is your first few months of college. Much like one's freshman year in college, an immersion program removes you from your comfort zone. The difference is that an immersion program is far more temporary than a college career. Practicing pushing through the discomfort prior to attending college is monumentally important to one’s academic and social success.

Jordan Romm, the head of the LITA program, makes a strong effort to compile a group of students that bond with each other, and to pair students with host families that they will stay in contact with for the rest of their lives. I am still in constant contact with my host family from what is quickly approaching 4 years ago, and have had the good fortune of visiting them the two summers succeeding the summer I spent in Spain with LITA.

To summarize, in just under 6 weeks, LITA made me proficient in Spanish, which allowed me to excel in my Spanish course, which was the most difficult level offered by the school, and played a huge part in the success I had with the college applications process by differentiating me from other applicants. My host family and I have become incredibly close--we 'WhatsApp' each other at the very least once every two weeks, and sometimes send care packages to each other for special occasions.

The only problem I feel compelled to warn about it that you may leave the program with a vastly altered world-view and increased sense of confidence. You will likely develop a strong passion for Spain; its culture; its people; and its language, and develop relationships to last a lifetime.