Over the span of two weeks in spring break, students from Spanish and Chinese language classes traveled to Spain and Taiwan. Read about students’ trip highlights and reflections below!
Spain:
In Spain, students explored various cities — Seville, Córdoba, Segovia, Madrid, Granada and Toledo. They visited food markets, explored palaces and cathedrals, strolling through cultural quarters while learning about the history of Catholic and Moorish influence on Spain’s architecture and cityscapes.
“In Córdoba, we went into a tile art shop where a father and son were hand-making the tiles in the back. The tile art is a Spanish tradition that has been passed down for generations, and I could feel their pride in their country and culture. In Spain, people are deeply connected with where they’re from … Spain has reminded me to take the time to visit places [like] Chinatown [and] interact with family businesses so I can learn about their pride in their culture.”
- Blue Kennedy ‘25
“In the Gran Mezquita Cathedral, you could tell where the mosque used to be versus what had been added onto it by the Catholics. A person next to me was singing in an Islamic language, and I went up to my tour guide and said, ‘I just noticed this person singing — it’s really beautiful.’ And they said, ‘That’s actually not allowed. You can’t be Muslim-practicing in these religious spaces, it’s only for Catholics.’ Everyone I’ve met in Spain has been so kind and gracious … the strict lines drawn between what is accepted and what is not surprised me.”
- Kaia Garvens ‘24
Taiwan:
In Taiwan, students started in Yilan County, where they learned how to fish, harvest scallions and cook tribal cuisine while interacting with local communities. They then traveled to Taipei, where they explored night markets, museums and national landmarks. They ended their trip with a four-day visit to Huaxing High School.
“We went to a small town known for releasing sky lanterns. We wrote words and pictures onto the lanterns to symbolize what we wanted, and then we let [the lantern] go and our wish [was] supposed to come true. Letting the sky lantern go into the sky gives you a sense of security, and it gives you some direction about what you want. It also shows you their culture because they have lanterns specifically for getting rich or getting into college. When you release your lantern and see all the other lanterns in the sky together, it connects you to other people. You learn that everyone all around the world has different experiences, yet still have common things they’re hoping for.”
“At [Huaxing High] School, everything is structured and regulated. Students wear uniforms, eat the same food and sleep in dorms. There’s less pressure surrounding your appearance and how you choose to present yourself, or what you do and who you hang out with … that felt constricting yet also freeing.
- Brayden Wright ‘26
“My most meaningful experiences came out of my interactions with people in Taiwan. I was talking to this lady in a museum who told me about how she’d been to Las Vegas and San Francisco before, and it was all in Chinese. I felt like, ‘I’m not learning Chinese for nothing. I’m not learning Chinese just to get a grade, I’m actually applying it.’ That stuck with me and I’ll remember those conversations. I would go back for that, and I’ll always remember that interchange of culture.”
- Simon Bordoli ‘25
