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by Callie Hood
Kaiserslautern High School
At the end of February, 11 students from Kaiserslautern High School’s Spanish IV and AP Spanish classes traveled to Sevilla, Spain, for an immersion experience in the language they have been studying for several years.
After departing Feb. 24, the students, along with their teacher and one parent chaperone, traveled to the south of Spain, where they explored the historic city for almost a week before returning home March 1.
Once in Spain, the AP students took the lead as they showed the group the capital of Andalucía, the southernmost region of Spain. Each day had one or two of these upper-level students as “tour guides/leaders” who took the students to the various famous cultural and historic sites of the city.
The Real Alcazar palace was one such site that includes Moorish architecture and extensive gardens where the students were able to see pavos reales, or peacocks. The students explored the artistic history of the city in el Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares de Sevilla, Museo de Bellas Artes and the Torre del Oro, a tower that supposedly once held the gold that was brought back from the New World but now houses a naval museum. One day, students left the city by train to the historic city of Córdoba, where they had a chance to see the historic mosque-turned-cathedral, and another night at a flamenco show.
These students had spent weeks planning out every aspect of their day in the city, including a timetable, weather forecast and map of their route. Most of the days were spent walking the city, and the students clocked more than 11 miles on one particular outing (a total of 32 for the trip). Meanwhile, Spanish IV students researched various aspects of the history and culture, including the politics, food and royal family of the country.
The journey to Sevilla was an educational adventure that was enjoyed by both students and chaperones. The memories made and experiences brought back will be fantastic reminders of a great time spent in Spain. The students would like to thank Paola Berdecio, the Spanish teacher who organized this trip, and Ellen Cron, a parent volunteer who chaperoned this group of outgoing teenagers.
