A Cultural
Exchange
C
arlynton High School students
enrolled in French and Spanish
classes had the opportunity to
spend time in different countries this
past summer. The cultural exchange gave
teenagers the chance to travel, encounter
a wider range of people, broaden their
vocabulary, and become immersed in
rewarding sightseeing experiences.
For eight days in June, French teacher
Billie Vaslavsky accompanied five French
students and several parent chaperones to
Paris, France. The excursion took them on
walking tours to see major monuments,
castles and abbeys. The group visited
Chenonceau and Amboise, castles in
the Loire Valley, and the impressive,
1,000-year-old Mont St. Michel abbey.
The trip coincided with the country’s 75th
anniversary celebration of D Day, giving
way to some history about World War II
and a tour of the American cemetery in
Normandy, the beaches in Normandy,
and the Museum of the Arromanches. The
travelers also had the chance to take a
French cooking class in a culinary school.
Junior Abigail McClain, who felt
fortunate to travel with her twin sister
Amanda and their father, said the history
The travelers used small motorized boats
to explore the narrow canals of Tortuguero
National Park, seeing all sorts of creatures
native to the country.
When in France, a visit to the Eiffel Tower is a
must. The group of students and chaperones
from Carlynton discovered much about the
culture and history of France during an eight-
day visit.
of the country made the most impact.
“Seeing the modern mixed with the old
buildings and having the chance to see
how people live in France gave me a
chance to compare my lifestyle to theirs,”
she said. Because the visit overlapped
with the anniversary celebration
of the invasion of Normandy,
Abigail said the group was able to
Spanish students gathered around a sign for a photo after arriving in Costa Rica with high
expectations for adventure.
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CARLYNTON
view countless exhibits that related to that
period of history as well.
Students enrolled in Steven Vayanos’
Spanish courses in grades 10, 11 and 12
were afforded the chance to travel to
Costa Rica for 10 days in late June. The
“coast to coast” journey took 25 teens and
three chaperones from the Caribbean Sea
on the eastern coast of Central America
through San Jose to the Pacific Ocean on
the west coast. From the country’s capital,
the students traveled to Tortuguero, a
remote area in the jungle near Nicaragua.
Taking small motorized boats down the
narrow canals of the Tortuguero National
Park, the travelers saw sloths, howler
monkeys, toucans, and even tarantulas.
Traveling west to the town of La
Fortuna, teens swam in a river and along
the banks of 200-foot waterfall with
friendly spider monkeys at their side. They
had the chance to visit the active Arenal
Volcano, spending the night in cabins near
its base as howler monkeys called out
to one other and scurried across the
cabin rooftops.
The trip concluded near the west
coast town of Carrillo and included
many oceanfront activities along
the Pacific. All who traveled through the
country agreed it was an experience they
won’t soon forget.
The chance to participate in a cultural
exchange tends to combine the best parts
of travel and sightseeing by allowing
peers to gain a broader knowledge of the
country they visit. Having the opportunity
to gain fluency and conversation skills in
a second language while traveling is the
perfect reward to an experience shared
with friends.