The Fulbright Seminar in Valladolid was a deep breath of inspiration. Five senior scholars, including me, had the opportunity to present on our projects in Spain. As I heard others discuss fire safety, law and the environment, bilingual education, and silicon, I couldn’t help but be reminded that success has as much to do with the love we have for what we do as it does with any accomplishments. I had the opportunity to bring my family, who are visible in the back of the group photo. They loved getting to see Valladolid and rubbing elbows with the young teaching assistants who have been in Spain since the beginning of the academic year. In short, these individuals were very impressive, not only because they are brilliant in many ways, but also because they are into life–sports, the arts, hobbies, and so forth–and are making so much with their time in Spain. The seminar helped me get a sense of how so much of my experience in Spain will be shaped by how much I’m willing to immerse myself and my family in the full Barcelona, Spain life. I will have to keep all this in mind as I prepare for my Latino literature classes at the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona and continue to take deep breaths of inspiration.

In the picture, Fulbright Senior Scholars, form right to left: Lesley McAllister, Linda Gerena, José Gonzalez, Christopher Landry.
**Photo courtesy of professor Christopher Landry.