John White, MBA

7 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~10 ·

Blogging
>
John blog
>
The Tales of Juan Blanco - The Beginning

The Tales of Juan Blanco - The Beginning

The Tales of Juan Blanco - The Beginning

Before Juan Blanco, there was only John White

The year was 1993, and I was 17. I was on my way to Spain for the first time as an exchange student in a summer program to the north of Spain. There were 20 other American teenagers going. We lived with host families totally immersed in the Spanish language and culture. 

But I had a secret. Deep down, I didn't really want to go. I had what I deemed to be a very important social life at the time. I didn't want to miss any of the summer happenings with my friends. At the time, I was too young and naive to know that what was waiting for me in Spain would change my life forever. 

The arrival

That moment you realize that the two years of high school Spanish you had taken were completely worthless. I got off the plane, and the only word I understood was "hola." 

I was scared. My Spanish sucked, and I couldn't understand a word my host family was saying. How the heck was I going to spend a whole summer with these people if I couldn't communicate with them?

Where I lived

The other American students stayed in Santander, a city on the northern coast with approximately 250,000 people. My family lived outside the city on a small farm in a village called, Saucedo. It was a town of about 300 or so. There was a church, small general store, and a bar. (the bar and store were connected)

While I can't say for sure, I was told by several locals that I was the first American ever to go to Saucedo, or at least stop and spend some time there. I was kind of a celebrity in town; everyone would stare and whisper as I walked by.

A man would drive by our house every day and deliver fresh bread and pastries. My host family just left the money in the window seal.  

My Spanish family 

There was a chicken coup underneath the house that was accessible via a little door in the closet off the living room. My host mother would make Spanish tortilla every day with the fresh eggs that the hens laid.

My host brother was 20 at the time. He and his friends took me everywhere. We went to the beach, swam in the river, played futbol, and chased girls.

I'm in touch with my Spanish family to this day. I will NEVER forget them, nor will anyone's Spanish tortilla ever be as good as my host mom's.

A new nickname

People have often wondered where I got the name, Juan Blanco. There is no letter in Spanish that makes an English "J" sound. So saying my name, John, was hard. When they would say my name, it sounded more like "Yhon." So, finally, one day I said, "you know what, just call me Juan." That caught on pretty quick and before long I was known as Juan Blanco, which of course is the Spanish equivalent of, John White.

That name stuck and followed me back to the states. Many of you know that I made it my Twitter handle (@juanblanco76). There was even the time when the new guy at work said he was trying to send me an email but couldn't find "Juan Blanco" in the company address book. We had a pretty good laugh about that one.

My first legal drink

I remember the first time I walked into a bar with host brother. At that point in my life, I had been to a few beer parties in high school in Colorado but had never had a drink in a bar. In Spain, the legal drinking was 16, and I was 17! I will never forget the feeling I had when I walked up to the bar to order a drink for the first time. In case you are wondering, I ordered a rum and coke. 

I felt super cool, as my friends back in Colorado would have to wait until they were 21 to do what I was already doing at 17. 

Playing tennis

Back then I was a competitive tennis player and one of the top juniors in Colorado. I needed a club to play at while I was in Spain. Luckily for me, there was a fantastic club in Santander called, Real Sociedad de Tenis de la Magdalena, founded in 1906. I had a great time training with the area's best players.

The club was just a short 200-yard sprint from the beach. Once we were done playing, we would throw our racquets in the locker room and race for the beach. The refreshing feeling of hitting that ocean water at full sprint after playing 3 hours of tennis was one I will never forget.

The look on my Spanish teachers face

The first day of school the next year, I went up to my Spanish teacher from the year before and started speaking Spanish to her. The look of shock on her face when she realized how much Spanish I had learned was priceless. 

What I learned from Juan Blanco

That summer in Spain changed me forever. Juan Blanco helped me discover a new side of me that I didn't know existed.

  • Your friends will still be there when you get back, and they will be more interested to find out what you did than to tell you what you missed out on.
  • I learned to be open-minded. I gave up closed-mindedness on that trip and have never let back into my life. 
  • If someone presents you with an excellent opportunity to travel, don't think twice about it. Just go!
  • Learning a language from immersion is the only way to go.

Juan Blanco's next trip to Spain

I hope that I will make a trip back to Spain soon. While I will certainly use the opportunity to visit old friends, I look forward to meeting my new friends at beBee in Madrid.

Thank you to Julie Hickman for inspiring me to write this!

About the Author: John White is the CMO and founder of Social Marketing Solutions. He is also a brand ambassador for beBee (a startup social media site based on affinity networking with 10.5 million global users). In addition to writing on beBee, John has a weekly column on Inc. Magazine, where he writes at the crossroads of social media, entrepreneurialism, startups, and marketing. Last year, he completed his MBA in marketing. White lives with his wife and two daughters in Fort Collins, Colorado.



 



 



"
#Spain #Spanish #Juan Blanco #Colorado #John White
Comments

John White, MBA

3 years ago #24

#50
Thank you.

Michael Toebe

3 years ago #23

This was amazing reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

🐝 Fatima G. Williams

6 years ago #22

An awesome article to learn more about you. Your inspiration is priceless. Thank you

Joel Anderson

6 years ago #21

Loved my time spent in Madrid for visits to the embassy between 2002-2004.

Lisa Gallagher

6 years ago #20

Great article (buzz) worth sharing again by John White, MBA

Ian Weinberg

6 years ago #19

Inspiring and wholesome slice of life John White, MBA Thanks for sharing.

Brook Massey

7 years ago #18

What a wonderful article.

Ken Boddie

7 years ago #17

These "I remember the day" gems are the posts that I find most interesting, John. Thanks for opening the door on Juan Blanco and letting your fellow bees see your persona at least partly unveiled. So when are you going back to Spain? As one who has 27 years on you, may I caution you to take care that "one day soon" doesn't become "wish I had when I could have" or "too late now"! 🤗

Lisa Gallagher

7 years ago #16

Glad I found this on twitter John White, MBA (Juan). Okay, now I understand how you got your name.. so cool! What an experience. I would have been scared 'shirtless,' no- not literally shirtless LOL! So, I think it's awesome that you went against your teenage judgment and did it! Your host family sounds like they were really awesome. I bet that Tortilla soup was the best! Do you still remember your Spanish fairly well? I only know a few words in Spanish. It's events like this that can shape our life experiences and broaden our mindset! Thanks for sharing.

Susan 🐝 Rooks, The Grammar Goddess

7 years ago #15

Gracias, Juan Blanco (John White, MBA)! What a wonderful story, and one that I lived from the other side, having had six exchange students over several years back in the '80s. What I missed, of course, was the narrative of someone from America who was an exchange student! And your story is delightful, full of fun details, and a joy to read. Thanks so much!

John White, MBA

7 years ago #14

#36
Sarah Elkins: As you know, I'm always up for a great story!

Sarah Elkins

7 years ago #13

What a great story to share with my boys, Juan Blanco, thanks for taking the time to share this memory.

Bill Stankiewicz

7 years ago #12

I find it is a cool buzz , @John White, MBA. My neighbors son here in Savannah lives in Spain. I do want to visit Spain one day soon.

Pascal Derrien

7 years ago #11

Kool travels open the minds :-)

Paul Walters

7 years ago #10

Nice piece, thank you

Kevin Pashuk

7 years ago #9

The beautiful thing about beBee is that posts like this are so very appropriate. beBee is excellent at developing relationships and we get to meet real people and get to know them in a way that other SocMed sites don't allow. If you get lucky and actually meet someone in person (like Don Kerr and I did), you already feel you know the person well.

John White, MBA

7 years ago #8

#2
Dean Owen: I think there was something to those fresh eggs in my host mom's Spanish tortilla. Maybe we should create a Spanish foodies hive.

John White, MBA

7 years ago #7

#7
: Yes, luckily my parents had a better sense of what would be good for me than I did at 17. Thank you for commenting!

John White, MBA

7 years ago #6

#8
Gert Scholtz: Thanks so much for the note. I will have to tell a few more tales of Juan Blanco sometime again.

John White, MBA

7 years ago #5

#1
Chas Wyatt: Thanks for the note and kind words about this piece. In northern Spain, they have mountains and the coast. The town I lived in was quite hilly. Spain will always have a special place in my heart, and that is one of the reasons I've been so enthusiastic about this platform. I'm glad that beBee has shown you a new side of Spain. I have this crazy fantasy that some day we will all go to Spain for some sort of beBee conference. Maybe someday?

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #4

John White, MBA. Yours is a great post John which I read again today. Overseas experience is a mind-expanding experience. I have been fortunate to live in the USA for five years while at school, and in the UK for five years on a work secondment. Both have been immensely valuable. I hope there is more coming from "Juan Blanco" and I can only encourage with the only Spanish word I know: Ole!

Javier Cámara-Rica 🐝🇪🇸

7 years ago #3

John White, MBA, you are welcome ! Just let us know ! We are willing to meet you. Thanks for your nice and lovely buzz !!! Go bees !!!

Gert Scholtz

7 years ago #2

John White, MBA Ole! (Which is the only Spanish word I know).

Dean Owen

7 years ago #1

Fabulous post! Totally agree, everyone should spend some time in another country at least once in their lives. It changes your perspective. Looking forward to the Tortilla Espanola recipe! :)

Articles from John White, MBA

View blog
2 years ago · 8 min. reading time

How to Use PR to Skyrocket Sales (The Ultimate Guide For Executives)

When it comes to marketing your brand, there are many different concepts and philosophies that you c ...

6 years ago · 3 min. reading time

Two Sessions at Dreamforce 2017 That Will Help Your Company Understand Why People Buy

Dreamforce is the world’s largest software conference. With 2700 sessions, there’s literally somethi ...

3 years ago · 3 min. reading time

This Is The Best Way To Get More Hot Sales Leads

In today’s digital world, it matters how many visitors and clicks you get, and ultimately how many o ...

Related professionals

You may be interested in these jobs

  • United States Air Force

    Emergency/Trauma Nurse

    Found in: CareerWallet US C2 - 1 week ago

    United States Air Force Lake Alfred, United States Air Force Active Duty

    THINKING FAST AND SAVING LIVES · When there's a medical crisis, providing swift and comprehensive care is critical to the patient's survival. Working in some of the most stressful environments on bases all over the world, Air Force Emergency/Trauma Nurses rapidly make lifesaving ...

  • University of Washington

    registered nurse

    Found in: Talent US C2 - 7 hours ago

    University of Washington Lake City, United States

    REGISTERED NURSE - NORTHWEST PACU VARIABLE SHIFTS · UW Medical Center - Northwest has an outstanding opportunity for a PART-TIME, variable per diem shifts, REGISTERED NURSE in the PACU DEPARTMENT. · RESPONSIBILITES · The Registered Nurse is a licensed practitioner who uses th ...

  • Harmony Hospice

    Scheduler

    Found in: Talent US C2 - 1 day ago

    Harmony Hospice Providence, United States Full time

    Hospice Scheduler · Come join our amazing team as our Hospice Scheduler. We offer competitive salaries, and an amazing benefits package. · Job Responsibilities · Prior experience as a Staffing Coordinator or Scheduler preferred · Ability to build strong relationships and gain su ...