Milton Academy Concludes Its 25th Spanish Exchange
By Siri Chung ’28
On Thursday, September 17, ten students and two teachers from El Pilar, Milton’s sister school in Madrid, left Boston, concluding the 2026 Spanish exchange, described as a huge success by participants. “The Spanish exchange was an experience that I will never forget,” Amelie Hamel ’29 shared. She agreed that the exchange improved her Spanish skills significantly, but more importantly, she will remember the “loveliness” of walking the streets of Madrid and talking with her exchange friends.
In its 25th year of supporting global learning and connection, the exchange sent a group of Milton students to Madrid for three weeks in June, pairing them with local families who hosted them for the full stay. In turn, the Milton students hosted their Spanish counterparts at the beginning of the school year, with the Spaniards arriving in late August and staying through the beginning of classes. Boarders who were unable to host their counterparts in the dorms found day families willing to step in.
Led by Mr. Bill Hamel last spring, Milton students toured Madrid and many other destinations within and beyond the capital during their three-week stay, including an overnight in Spain’s southernmost region of Andalucía, to experience the remarkable Alhambra, a medieval Moorish palace and fortress built in the 13th and 14th centuries. Day trips by van or train included a meal at the Mesón de Cándido in Segovia, a world-famous, family-owned restaurant known widely for its suckling pig so tender that the waiter ceremoniously cuts the meat with the dull edge of a plate. Meshva Patel ’28 recalled the non-programmed joys of the exchange, reminiscing, “Throughout all of the day trips, I feel like we bonded so much in the free time we got to explore each day…we all loved Llao Llao frozen yogurt so much!” Patel’s favorite memory from the trip was the relief she felt when she learned that the hotel in Andalucía had a rooftop pool in the 101 degree weather. Gabriella Ramos ’28 enjoyed it when all 20 Spanish and American students spent time together. Whether it was in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor or watching the Michael Jackson movie in the air-conditioned Yelmo Cines movie theatre, Ramos “loved every second of it.”
In turn, this September, the Spanish students visited many local spots around the Greater Boston area, including Concord to pick apples, the Salem Witch Museum, and Rhode Island’s Newport mansions. When asked what his favorite part of the exchange was, Álvaro Buitrón cannot choose. Aside from the field trips, he decided that the people made the trip especially memorable, writing: “The people were amazing; everyone was so friendly. I felt so welcomed by Milton and my [host] family.” Additionally, the students from El Pilar found Milton’s campus, in contrast to their very urban background, to be one of the highlights of the trip. Buitrón describes the campus as “amazing” and “incredible.” Another Spanish student, Marina, shares that her favorite part of the exchange was spending time with her host student Gabriella Ramos and host family. On hosting Marina, Ramos reflects, “As an only child, it was like having a sister.”
For me, as one of the Milton students who participated in this exchange, living in an unfamiliar Spanish culture and language for three weeks was initially filled with awkward conversations and embarrassing mistakes. Nevertheless, reflecting now, I understand the importance of the exchange and the lessons it left me with. Travel helps us see how much we are alike despite all our uniqueness. My host sister Olivia and I, over our six weeks together, found out we love the same stores, TV shows, flavors, and music. In sharing each other’s culture, we discovered over and over again that there are so many ways to live in this world.
We have already made plans to visit each other this summer, and we are not the only pair of correspondents who plan to keep this friendship. Ramos reflected, “I feel like I have a lifelong friend in Spain now,” while Ángela, a Spanish student, added, “I have left having new friends, and I can’t wait to go back and visit them.”