It was a sunny day in the mid-60s when two Delta Gamma sorority sisters visiting Córdoba, Spain, met who they thought was an important government official.
The two were sightseeing Saturday, Jan. 23, a weekend away from their studies at Alcalá de Henares, a university in Spain where many students study abroad.
After strolling through the streets, they decided to eat lunch at Mercado Victoria, a market that cooks fresh vegetables and meats in front of guests.
Anna Morgan Couch, junior in Spanish-international trade, recalled seeing a familiar-looking man order beside her.
“All of a sudden, paparazzi started running through, and they were taking pictures, and people started freaking out, and this guy comes through,” Anna said. “And I knew I had kind of seen his face on the news before, but I couldn’t figure out who it was.”
She said she asked the man behind the counter who it was. He replied it was Mariano Rajoy Brey, prime minister of Spain.
The prime minister of Spain is the equivalent of the United States president.
“And I was like, ‘No, seriously, who is that?’” Anna said. “And he was like, ‘That’s the Spanish president.’”
Abbey Phelps, senior in biomedical sciences and minoring in Spanish, was sitting at a table watching the scene unfold.
As Rajoy, dressed in a gray coat and slacks, walked by Phelps’ table, she said he was shaking everyone’s hands.
Phelps said he looked at her, leaned over and shook her hand with a firm, business handshake. She greeted him with “Hola” as he kept walking by.
After their initial encounter with him, Anna said people were crowding around Rajoy as he ate at a table outside.
They decided to walk outside and make their way to the front of the crowd. Wanting to get a good photo with Rajoy, Anna started talking to his security guard.
Anna and Phelps had a 10-minute conversation with the guard about where they were from, what they were studying and how they liked it in Spain so far.
When Rajoy was finished eating, he stood and started to walk in the opposite direction. Before Anna knew it, the guard grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward Rajoy.
“Obviously, [my] heart started racing because I was like, ‘I’m about to meet the president,” Anna said.
After a quick exchange of questions with a government official, Rajoy started talking with Anna and Phelps.
Anna said he wished them luck in their studies and took a photo with them.
After meeting Rajoy, Anna messaged her family using Viber, a free text, call and photo sharing app powered by WiFi.
Frank Couch, Anna’s father, said Anna has always been someone to set high goals for herself.
“It’s kind of funny, and it’s surprising, but with her outgoing nature ... there’s not a whole lot she can do that’ll surprise us,” Frank said.
Frank also said he was happy Anna is making the most of her time overseas.
The two students have been staying with a host family, which includes two 60-year-old parents and three children, two of which are married with separate families, and the third is 19 years old.
The parents have a 10-year-old granddaughter who works on her English with Anna and Phelps.
When she met Rajoy, Phelps said she had only been in Spain for a week and a half. Phelps said she was still learning about the culture and politics of the country.
Phelps said she noticed in restaurants, customers seat themselves, a typical Spanish meal has multiple courses with fish, soup, meat and fruit and people use olive oil for almost everything.
She said food there is healthier, and since products aren’t as processed, food can stay unrefrigerated for a longer period of time.
This past weekend, Anna and Phelps traveled to 30-degree Ireland where they toured Galway and Dublin.
Their program will end April 29, and they will return to the United States.
“We’ve already been here for three weeks, and it’s scary because it’s almost February, and we leave in April,” Phelps said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
