Students from SDA travelled to opposite sides of the world to embrace culture and bring their language studies into the real world during the 2011 summer break.
A group of 16 students and two teachers went to Japan this summer, from July 12 to July 19. Fifteen of the students were from San Dieguito Academy and one student was from High Tech High. They visited the cities Kyoto and Nara.
In Kyoto, the Japanese students stayed in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese style inn with tatami mats and communal baths. They also stayed with 42 Japanese students at a hotel and later did a two night home stay.
Senior Stan Austin described the homestay: “A few people complained about pile families [families that didn’t engage with the students they were hosting,] but mine was perfect. I really felt welcome there.”
The students visited about five temples and shrines, including one in Nara, a city known for its friendly wild deer. They also visited a monkey park located on a mountain. Senior Emma Lindley described the experience: “We got to feed tons of monkeys from inside a cage-like building. It was sort of like we were in the cage and the monkeys were observing us.”
The students also got free time to go shopping and explore the city. Senior Angela Paddy recalled a dining experience: “We went out to eat hamburgers, but they were not actually hamburgers. They were ham patties with cheese on top.”
Tsuboi Sensei, a teacher at San Dieguito Academy, chaperones the trip to Japan every summer. “It’s a really good experience,” Tsuboi said, “They learned a lot. You can see something really old and really new.”
Across the globe, students in the Spanish class were also experiencing a different culture. The Spanish class trip to Brazil took place from July 15 to August 6. The group of 15 students, ranging from level two Spanish to AP, and three adults visited many places, but foremost the city of Buenos Aires. They stayed in the city for two weeks with families, in groups of two to four students per house.
During the day they attended classes for about four hours. The classes had fewer than 10 students and were taught in Spanish. “It was very relaxed,” said Kolton Horner, a senior who went on the trip.
During the second week they traveled to Uruguay, Monte Video, Iguazu, Paragua, and Gancho Rancho CinaCina in San Antonio de Arego, Argentina. In Uruguay they worked with the nonprofit organization Techo Para Mi Pais to build houses in shanty towns. They visited the Iguazu Falls, one of the biggest waterfalls in the world, which borders Argentina and Brazil.
The students appreciated the variety of experiences, from riding the subway, to riding a zipline, eating dinners with their host families, and dancing. “We seduced people with our tango,” said junior Nicole English. On the subway they came to know the so-called “subte [subway] face,” a mark of unhappiness as commuters crammed together in the cars.
Doña Bode, the teacher who helped chaperone the trip, sees value in the experience. “I’m really proud to see that [students] get out of the textbook and into the city,” she said.
The trip had a noticable impact on the student’s Spanish; many felt it helped them become more fluent. “It really helps with conversational Spanish,” senior Julia Rein said.
The students enjoyed the experience, including senior Isabelle Morales who said, “You get really close to everyone.”