IMMERSIVE TRIPS OFFER CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
May 2017
T-shirts for a month, check. Passport? All ready to go. An English-Spanish dictionary because there might be no electricity, check.
You hug your parents goodbye at the airport and step onto the airplane with a sense of finality. You take a deep breath, ready to experience six weeks in another country.
This was the experience of Jackie Thompson, a senior who went to the Dominican Republic as part of a cultural immersion program called Amigos de las Americas.
Amigos is an intensive cultural and volunteer experience that takes place over the summer and can have many benefits, such as meeting people from other parts of the world, learning the language, and experiencing another culture.
While Amigos has many benefits, this type of intensive cultural experience may not be possible for everyone. Carlmont currently offers intensive programs such as Amigos as well as a French exchange program, but some students are interested in experiencing a foreign culture in a shorter period of time and with less intensity.
“I would do a shorter cultural immersion trip if the cost was reasonable. Also, I think more students would feel comfortable traveling in an unknown country with their peers,” said Tara Najafi, a junior and Spanish student. “If the Spanish program offered a cultural immersion trip that wasn’t as intimidating as Amigos, I think it would be a good way to broaden perspectives.”
Many schools that do shorter trips often do them over spring break or even during the school year, when the whole language class travels to the country whose culture they’re studying. This is a way to introduce a new culture without too much commitment.
Carlmont doesn’t offer these kinds of shorter trips at the moment. French teacher Katya Burton used to hold trips to France for her French classes during the school year, but stopped several years ago. She may restart doing it, but as of now is not after many years of doing so.
Despite the lack of shorter trips, Burton said, “I highly encourage students to host a French exchange student, since a lot of them make connections with our students and end up hosting them in France.”
However, that’s not to say that more intensive programs like Amigos don’t have their benefits.
Thompson said, “There were two main reasons why I wanted to go on [Amigos]; first, I love to try new things. On Mondays we had a thing where I learned how to make a mango smoothie with my host sibling and cousin. There was also the cultural aspect of it since I’m half-Latina, so [going on Amigos] had more personal meaning to me.”
Spanish teacher Bertalicia Godina also mentioned that cultural experiences can differ for everyone.
“Some kids [in Amigos] got homesick and flew home early, so [the experience] can be different for every person,” said Godina. “However, I saw tremendous improvement in language skills from many students who went through the program.”
So while a shorter trip might currently not be possible at Carlmont, there’s time after graduation to experience an immersion experience like Amigos. Many students take a gap year after high school or college, and are able to fully integrate themselves in the culture, and possibly even work in the country.
Rayna Yang, a senior at University of Washington, Seattle, took a gap year when she received a chance to go to Madrid, Spain as part of a research opportunity for her major. She went for the opportunity to work and learn, but also for the chance to see life abroad.
“When you’ve lived in one place for most of your life, you become accustomed to the culture and norms of the people around you,” said Yang. “Then again, you could also live abroad and still leave with the same mentality. Ultimately, being abroad is just one way of diversifying your experiences and it’s up to you to decide how you want to incorporate those experiences into the way you live and interact with others.”
Experiencing life in another country can affect people in different ways. Thompson was inspired by the six weeks with her host family and wants to go abroad again, possibly as a supervisor for Amigos.
Godina, who herself has studied abroad in college, said, “I highly encourage students to challenge their worldview, experience new culture and language. Students should consider Amigos or something like this because it’s worthwhile -- you never know where it can take you.”
Even if going abroad isn’t possible in high school, there’s always time after graduation. Senior Hanna Francis chose to do just that -- she’s holding off on college and preparing for a year abroad in Germany.
Francis said, “I think [my experience will] be alright; it might just be a bit challenging in the beginning. I mean, I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t worth it!”
You hug your parents goodbye at the airport and step onto the airplane with a sense of finality. You take a deep breath, ready to experience six weeks in another country.
This was the experience of Jackie Thompson, a senior who went to the Dominican Republic as part of a cultural immersion program called Amigos de las Americas.
Amigos is an intensive cultural and volunteer experience that takes place over the summer and can have many benefits, such as meeting people from other parts of the world, learning the language, and experiencing another culture.
While Amigos has many benefits, this type of intensive cultural experience may not be possible for everyone. Carlmont currently offers intensive programs such as Amigos as well as a French exchange program, but some students are interested in experiencing a foreign culture in a shorter period of time and with less intensity.
“I would do a shorter cultural immersion trip if the cost was reasonable. Also, I think more students would feel comfortable traveling in an unknown country with their peers,” said Tara Najafi, a junior and Spanish student. “If the Spanish program offered a cultural immersion trip that wasn’t as intimidating as Amigos, I think it would be a good way to broaden perspectives.”
Many schools that do shorter trips often do them over spring break or even during the school year, when the whole language class travels to the country whose culture they’re studying. This is a way to introduce a new culture without too much commitment.
Carlmont doesn’t offer these kinds of shorter trips at the moment. French teacher Katya Burton used to hold trips to France for her French classes during the school year, but stopped several years ago. She may restart doing it, but as of now is not after many years of doing so.
Despite the lack of shorter trips, Burton said, “I highly encourage students to host a French exchange student, since a lot of them make connections with our students and end up hosting them in France.”
However, that’s not to say that more intensive programs like Amigos don’t have their benefits.
Thompson said, “There were two main reasons why I wanted to go on [Amigos]; first, I love to try new things. On Mondays we had a thing where I learned how to make a mango smoothie with my host sibling and cousin. There was also the cultural aspect of it since I’m half-Latina, so [going on Amigos] had more personal meaning to me.”
Spanish teacher Bertalicia Godina also mentioned that cultural experiences can differ for everyone.
“Some kids [in Amigos] got homesick and flew home early, so [the experience] can be different for every person,” said Godina. “However, I saw tremendous improvement in language skills from many students who went through the program.”
So while a shorter trip might currently not be possible at Carlmont, there’s time after graduation to experience an immersion experience like Amigos. Many students take a gap year after high school or college, and are able to fully integrate themselves in the culture, and possibly even work in the country.
Rayna Yang, a senior at University of Washington, Seattle, took a gap year when she received a chance to go to Madrid, Spain as part of a research opportunity for her major. She went for the opportunity to work and learn, but also for the chance to see life abroad.
“When you’ve lived in one place for most of your life, you become accustomed to the culture and norms of the people around you,” said Yang. “Then again, you could also live abroad and still leave with the same mentality. Ultimately, being abroad is just one way of diversifying your experiences and it’s up to you to decide how you want to incorporate those experiences into the way you live and interact with others.”
Experiencing life in another country can affect people in different ways. Thompson was inspired by the six weeks with her host family and wants to go abroad again, possibly as a supervisor for Amigos.
Godina, who herself has studied abroad in college, said, “I highly encourage students to challenge their worldview, experience new culture and language. Students should consider Amigos or something like this because it’s worthwhile -- you never know where it can take you.”
Even if going abroad isn’t possible in high school, there’s always time after graduation. Senior Hanna Francis chose to do just that -- she’s holding off on college and preparing for a year abroad in Germany.
Francis said, “I think [my experience will] be alright; it might just be a bit challenging in the beginning. I mean, I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t worth it!”