LITA: A Unique Approach to Language Immersion in Spain

I did the northern Spain trip in the summer of 2023, and I gotta say it was very fun and a very well thought out experience. The only problem was the leadership, specifically Sofia Papa and Jordan Romm. So Sofia Papa wasn't a permanent hire, that or she got fired. Probably because a lot of my peers on the trip flamed her in the post trip review. Anyway they wanted to kick me out about 3 weeks in, because of some bs town gossip that I got in a fight with someone. At first I was so confused because I don't remember any fight, I kind of thought they were joking. There was some video of me in the town square at night where I threw a fake punch. I guess they thought it was real, but even from the video you could see the hit did not land! Like it was so obviously a joke and the leaders were like, I feel like traumatizing a 17 year old today. So it was like a whole drama for a week, we kept having to do chats and stuff, and the whole time they were deciding whether to keep me in the program or literally make my parents fly all the way to Spain to pick me up??? At one point they even said I could stay, we had a whole zoom call with my parents where they tried to leech a good review from them and say it was all a misunderstanding, (not happening bud). And then literally 2 days later they messaged me and said we need to talk again. Worst emotional rollercoaster theme park of my life. I guess they were trying to cancel the rest of my trip so Jordan didn't have to pay for my food anymore. Totally insane stuff, I remember being in such distress the whole time. I cannot exaggerate enough, it was the most traumatizing time of my life. I stay up at night thinking about what happened and I'm almost 20 now. I must add that all my friends tried vouching for me, they sent messages to the leaders and stuff, and that's probably what helped me stay in the program. Also in these meetings, Jordan kept citing his local friend (I forgot his name), who basically made up a bunch of stuff about me like that I threw a rock at a car??? Which I swear to god never remotely happened. And I kept telling them that and they didn't believe me, which I have a couple of theories on why. Ok, so why did they realllyy want to kick me out? Here's what I think: 1. Jordan Romm is a greedy businessman who doesn't want to spend money on his paying customers (he literally kicked my friend Charlotte out of the program later for "not socializing enough", she went through a similar situation as I did on the same trip. I was lucky and I managed to stay.) Adding to the greedy businessman idea, he literally made us pay for our own dinner a couple times, which is super inappropriate for such an expensive program such as Lita. 2. Sofia Papa hated me from the start (I think this is the main reason). I'll tell you why she hated me (and honestly everyone else on the trip, I don't know why she works with kids). She hated me because I was better at Spanish than her, really humiliating honestly lol. I remember she mis-corrected me once about the word "oido" on our hike in the Pyrenees. She said it meant "sound" when it really means "ear". Such a basic word and when I re-corrected she was seething it was hilarious. Like if you're gonna suck at Spanish at least own it and don't be so cocky and mad when you're wrong. I'm not perfect at Spanish and when people correct me I don't try to ruin their summer and give them lasting trauma. Womp womp so sad Sofia you suck at Spanish and you've been learning it longer than I've been alive. Maybe you'd be better at ukulele or baking. BTW Jordan Romm is super super good at Spanish. He is totally fluent so no worries there. Ok where was I -- oh yeah why did Sofia Papa hate me so much. Because her hair is turning gray, she's divorced or something, and she's an elementary school director. Speak of an insufferable combo. People like that always spread their misery around. So in retrospect I shouldn't have been surprised. Anyway no one really liked her, I remember us (the kids) were always talking about her behind her back. And the stuff said was pretty funny. I cannot stress enough... no one liked her! How is Jordan Romm trusting this insufferable hobbit in a matter so grave like kicking me out of the program? And he treated it as if it were a common thing, like every trip there are a couple of kids that get kicked out. Yeah kick someone out from your program and keep the money.. I guess I should've read the terms and service for once. Anyway that's about it. If you want more information or evidence (journal entries, screenshots, pictures, "the video") or if you are Sofia Papa and are reading this and you finally want to apologize (maybe you're married now and not so insufferable) then contact me at [email protected]. And if you're wondering why I'm writing this 2.5 years later, well right after the trip I felt like it wasn't worth my energy; but after 2.5 years of reliving trauma I felt like writing this would tie up the whole event and help me let it go.

During my time traveling through the north of Spain with LITA, I was exposed to cultures and customs far more intricate and personal than could be taught in any classroom setting. My travels with LITA began in a striking rural home/inn located in a northern province of Spain. For the first week, my fellow group members and I got to know each other through very intentional activities and daily excursions, including hikes, meals, music concerts, visiting landmarks, and more. The people I met during this initial period of my time in Spain, have stuck with me ever since. Each person that our group organizer/head of program planned for us to meet, was incredibly hospitable and welcoming. Additionally, being in a rural part of Spain introduced me to lifestyles and traditions very different from my own and was extremely eye-opening and informative, while also being very engaging. During the next three weeks of LITA, I was welcomed, with thoughtfulness, into the host community where I stayed. During this portion of the trip, I participated in many excursions with my incredibly kind host family, and was exposed to true Spanish culture in many different ways, including taking a daily siesta with my host sister, and enjoying mid-day family time. I was able to visit many well known Spanish cities, and go on local adventures through the daily classes the program offered. Most importantly though, I have kept in contact with my host family since the program ended, and plan to continue doing so, as they have become a great presence in my life. The final week of LITA was filled with adventure, including a two day hike, and exploring cities, while continuing to meet friends of the head of our program, who were all very talented and gracious people. LITA provided me with an experience that will forever be a highlight of my life, as I grew in my ability to speak Spanish while having a great time. I was also able to see the dedication of each group leader, monitor, and member, who created a thoroughly curated program and provided support and resources to ensure each student had the best possible experience. Thank you LITA!

LITA is a program unlike any other I’ve seen or heard about. Their focus on full immersion in the Spanish language, combined with an enjoyable and safe environment, left me feeling that I had truly experienced authentic Spanish culture. Some of my friends and classmates participated in other immersion programs, and they said that the lack of immersion and the frequent use of English kept them from fully engaging with the language and culture. I highly recommend LITA for anyone who wants to be fully immersed in Spanish culture through fun, interactive activities while building meaningful connections with host communities and fellow participants.