A trip abroad, like the trip to Spain and Italy in 2016 is a fun time and also very educational. Going on this trip allows CHS students to open themselves up to a different culture and experience new things. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience, and, if you ever have the chance to go, do it!
BY SARAH MCGRATH
For many years, the Coventry High School Spanish Department has been making trips to Spain along with many different groups of students. Mrs. Hoskins, who is the head of the World Language Department, has been on eight trips. She says that it is “always a great trip and all of the students who go are always happy they went.”
In Spain, the group visits main cities like Madrid and Barcelona. At each city, they tour the city with a tour guide during the day, then have the night to themselves. On the tours, they see the best features of each city they visit. For example, La Sagrada Familia, which is a Roman Catholic Church located in Barcelona. This is said to be a beautiful church. Katie Cronin, a senior at Coventry High School, says that seeing this church was the most memorable moment for her. She said, and I quote, ¨the most memorable moment for me was the La Sagrada Familia. When we were touring it I told my mom I wanted to get married there because of all the amazing details and stained glass.¨
Also while in Spain, the students get to try foods that they have never even heard of. Paella is a food that Spain is most famous for. Paella is a rice dish prepared with seafood. Katie Cronin said, ¨I tried many foods that I have never even heard of before I went to Spain like churros con chocolate and paella with fish that still had eyes!¨ Some may think that this sounds gross, but it is only because Spain is different from America. So even though some of the dishes in Spain sound or look gross, they probably taste great. While there, the adults chaperoning encourage students to try new things so that they can get a feel for the country and really get a feel for their culture, since it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
¨One of my favorite things I do when we travel abroad is to give the kids a mission where they must use their language skills. Last April I took the students to an indoor market where they were all types of vendors selling different items and I told the students to buy whatever they needed for lunch. It was wonderful to see them succeed. The students felt confident and accomplished!¨ Here, Mrs. Hoskins talks about what her favorite things she does on the trip. She allows the students to experience Spain by speaking their language to get what they need, which is really cool.
There is in fact another trip to Spain that is scheduled for April 2016. However, this coming trip is different than the others because the Italian and Spanish trips are being combined so the students attending will get to see Spain and Italy, which is really cool. This trip is being offered to anyone who is a Junior that is taking Spanish/Italian level 3 and to anyone who is a Sophomore that is taking Spanish/Italian level 2. They have already had signups and the first meeting for the upcoming trip and there are more meetings to come as the trip gets closer. The first meeting was an information meeting, talking about where the trip will be, what the cost is, and what people need to bring on the trip.
¨The main purpose of the trips is to make my students more culturally aware of the world around them. I want my students to experience a new culture and gain a new perspective and gain 21st-century skills.I believe that there are many benefits of a travel abroad experience for students.Visiting a foreign country opens your eyes to how the rest of the world lives; I have many past students that still say that Their travel experience had a huge impact on their life by expanding their horizons and changing the way they see the world. All of my students returned from their time abroad with a much larger and in-depth understanding of the world and its many cultures. I believe that travel abroad helps students grow as individuals and receive a global education that is increasingly more important in today’s world.The students that take part in these trips have studied two to three years of a language and it is a wonderful opportunity for them to put everything they have learned to use. It is also great to see them take part in the culture by trying new foods, listen to authentic music and even taking part in cultural dances. It makes me very proud as a teacher to see the students understand the language being spoken and also to be able to speak the language and be understood.¨ Here, Mrs. Hoskins talks about what the main purpose of the trip to Spain is, which is to make students more culturally aware of the world around them.
Overall, the trip to Spain is a fun time and also very educational. Going on this trip allows students to open their culture and experience new things. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience, and if you ever have the chance to go, do it!
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