Lizzy Burke
Features Editor
Summer is a time for travel, and for many students a time to go abroad. Teen programs have become more common in recent years, where students travel with a group like ARCC or Overland to international locations and experience the culture. “The one thing I gained most was confidence,” sophomore Devin Selvala said of her trip to Barcelona. “I dove in head first and ended up having a blast.”
Others choose to stay with host families, providing a completely different adventure. “The best part of my trip was spending time with my host family,” junior Spencer Lambdin said of his language immersion trip to Cadiz, Spain. “Going to the beach with them, being able to meet their friends and learn through hands on experiences about their own culture was something I will never forget.”
Junior Mckenna Crowley, who spent a month in St. Laurent du Var, France, shared similar views on the benefits of rooming with a host family. “Being able to stay in their home and see what it was like to live in France was amazing,” Mckenna said. “The friendly home environment was perfect for learning a new language.”
Although Devin didn’t stay with a host family during her trip, she was also able to improve her skills in another language. “My three weeks in Barcelona greatly improved my Castilian [non Latin American Spanish],” she said. “The amount of time allowed me to not only learn Spanish but also sight see and meet new people.”
Mckenna agreed that this time period was fitting for language and cultural immersion. “A month is the ideal time to be able to travel and see the area as well as practice the language,” she said. “Anything shorter would have been too quick and would limit the experience.”
Travelling abroad helps students gain experience with the responsibility of learning how to handle themselves in a different environment. “I found I had to take everything in without hesitation, and go into it with full confidence in order to succeed,” Devin said.
Spencer’s ideas were very similar to Devin’s in terms of the maturity traveling abroad can evoke. “We really had to be responsible in handling ourselves in cities of a foreign country, and were forced to consider every action we took,” he said.
International trips can be very beneficial to students, with memories lasting well beyond the summer months. “During my time I made an effort to truly form relationships with my host family and their friends,” Spencer said. “Without that, my experience wouldn’t have been so positive.”
Devin agreed. “I will remember my time abroad for many years to come.”
