Lakeland Spanish Students Explore Overseas
May 21, 2019
The Spanish Honor Society and Spanish classes spent the 2019 spring break in Spain to learn about the culture and enhance their learning experience. This amazing trip all came together because of a rant.
During the 2017-2018 school year, Spanish teacher Ms. Diaz was ranting to math teacher Mr. Andrew Truong about how it’s unfair that her husband got to go to Disney World with his baseball team. Mr. Truong asked her if she wanted to make him jealous, and thenceforth the 2019 Spain trip was born.
Students visited the Cascade Fountain in Barcelona.
Ms. Diaz and Mr. Truong worked hard to build a trip that would take students to places that would not only be memorable, but teach them more about the culture and language they have been studying for years. Mr. Truong was a great asset in the planning of the trip as he took his Asian Cultural Club students to China last year, so he is experienced in overseas travel with students. Once the trip was established, the two teachers then began recruiting students from Spanish Honor Society and Spanish classes who showed a passion and aptitude for the language and culture. Once the students signed up, they began fundraising all year through Krispy Kreme and empanada sales.
Students got the opportunity to get immersed in the the Spanish culture – including the food!
Mr. Truong told The Ledger how the trip was a great opportunity to expose students to new places and cultures. ¨Most of these students have only ever traveled domestically¨, says Mr. Truong. ¨Only one or two has traveled internationally, and even then it was to some place like the Carribean. Most didn’t even have passports.¨
On Easter Sunday morning, April 21, 2019 the group began their journey. But it wasn’t easy. They almost didn’t have a bus driver because of the holiday; the bus driver didn’t want to be away from home in the middle of the day, so they had to leave at 11am, making them hang out at the airport for six hours. They then embarked on an eight hour flight, with a layover in London.
Students look part in a scavenger hunt while exploring the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona.
The tour was started in Barcelona, where Lakeland was joined by South Bronx’s Laboratory School of Finance Technology’s AP Spanish class. Some highlights from Barcelona, according to Mr. Truong, were Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, and a scavenger hunt in The Gothic Corner of Barcelona. Towards the end of their days in Barcelona, the group split into two. One went to a futball stadium with Ms. Diaz, and the others to explore parks and beaches with Mr. Truong.
Visiting the Alcala Gate while in Madrid.
After a great three days in Barcelona, they all hopped on a bus to Madrid. In Madrid they visited The Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, Puerta del Sol, Almudena Cathedral, and the Alcala Gate. Once again the group split up to visit another futball stadium, and more parks and beaches.
On the last day, the group went on excursion to Toledo, Spain. ¨I think this was everyone’s favorite part,” reports Mr. Truong. ¨What was nice about this is Barcelona and Madrid are very much like modern cities, but going to Toledo was like stepping back in time, with river moats and cobblestone.¨ In Toledo, they visited some churches where they got to see Greco paintings, and attended a Spaniard sword making workshop.
The group, in Toledo, takes a picture with the Puente de San Martin, a medieval walking bridge, in the background.
Mr. Truong got to meet his mini-me nephew for the first time while in Spain.
Mr. Truong also had a special moment on the trip, and got to see his sister and meet his baby nephew for the first time, who were vacationing in Spain and live in Europe.
Mr. Truong thinks that ¨overall…the students enjoyed themselves. They were able to use the Spanish that they’ve learned to speak to locals and eat local cuisine!¨
Cagggiano went with Ms. Diaz to tour Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, where the Real Madrid play.
Senior Josh Caggiano, who went on the trip, told The Ledger that Spain was “the best week of his life,” and he would “love to go back some day.”
Hopefully Lakeland is able to plan more trips like this in the upcoming years, so the community of Lakeland can have more amazing experiences like Caggiano, Mr. Truong, and the rest of the group did!
