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Seeing the World: American Swimming and Diving Returns from San Sebastian, Spain

Sophomore swimmer Brennan Hogan kept a journal last week as the men's and women's teams participated in the 8th annual Ciudad de San Sebastian Invitational and then attended the parades at the Festival of San Sebastian.

Sophomore Brennan Hogan kept a journal during the team's trip to Spain and competition at the VI Torneo Ciudad.

Friday, Jan. 18 -- What a day! We left from Dulles last night on a 6:10 flight, which seemed to last forever. It was a very long flight, but I am very excited. A weekend trip to Spain, what an opportunity for the AU swim team! We flew through the night and landed in the Frankfurt airport at 7:50 AM. There was no time to hang out in the airport, as our flight to Bilbao, Spain, left only an hour and twenty-five minutes later. We finally landed in Spain at 11:35 this morning, and after an entire day of travel, arrived in San Sebastian this evening. As guests of the swim club Easo (which American swimmers Junkal Irogoien and Sarai Justes both belong to), we were treated fabulously. After practice and dinner, we are all headed to bed now for some much-needed rest.

Saturday, Jan. 19 -- We spent most of the day at the pool for the swim meet. With incredible efforts by everyone, the meet went very well. While most of us suffered from jet lag and a lack of sleep, the entire team stepped up and showed our true Eagle spirit throughout the day. We had a short break between the morning and afternoon sessions, and then the day was capped off with a live broadcast of the evening's races on the Spanish television station TVE.

Sunday, Jan. 20 -- Last night and today, the city was in a state of constant celebration for San Sebastian Day. On Saturday night, we witnessed the beginning of the festivities when guns were fired and the drumming started at midnight. Parades of men and women marched in the streets banging drums and playing traditional songs for the next twenty-four hours. This morning we ate breakfast and had practice, then we had the rest of the day to explore the city on our own. The spirit and fervor of the Spainards throughout the celebrations on their feast day was truly overwhelming.

Monday, Jan. 21 -- This morning, we woke up early to begin the long journey home. Almost ten hours of flying, combined with the time spent in airports and on buses, made for an exhausting trip and we are all tired. We landed back in Dulles at 3:55 PM today. I have to rest up tonight for an early practice tomorrow!

All in all, the opportunity to compete in an international meet and experience a cultural tradition like the Feast of San Sebastian was amazing. While the traveling and the time changes were difficult to adjust to, it was a wonderful experience that my teammates and I will never forget.