This upcoming summer, Lafayette’s World Language classes are planning to go on different trips to France, Argentine, Chile, Italy and Greece. Through these trips, the teachers and students desire to gain unique cultural experiences.

French

The French teachers, Claire Ryan and Emmanuelle Tamaroff, are hosting a summer trip to France. This trip will happen from June 1st to the 19th of 2019.

“We’re spending six days in Paris, and then, we are going to take the train down and spend the last days of our trip in Nice, France on the southern coast,” Ryan said.

In Paris, they will have a guided sightseeing tour. They hope to have a tourist experience as they are learning about the French culture and language in France.

Ryan said, “We are going to see all the major sites [like] Notre Dame Cathedral. We will see the Latin Quarter, which is kind of a famous part of the town. [Then, we will go to] Eiffel Tower [and] Versailles, where the French king lived. [After that] we are going to see Giverny, which is Monet’s house. We are going to have art lessons while we are there at his house.”

On day six, they will be moving to Nice by traveling on TGV, the famous high-speed train. Here, they will immerse themselves more deeply into France by doing a homestay.

“Students will stay with a host family. In the morning, they will take language classes, and then, in the afternoon, they will have lunch with us and activities,” said . “In the evening, they will go back to their host family. That will be the last days of our trip.”

Ultimately, the two teachers want to give an eye-opening experience for the students through the trip.

Tamaroff said,”[I hope for them] to realize that they know more than they think. They understand French way more. [Also I think this trip is important for students] to build their confidence, be more comfortable and to definitely [open up] to a different culture.”

The trip is open to anybody who is enrolled in French at Lafayette. Different payment plans and scholarships are available for students. They plan to have monthly meetings to discuss more details about the trip.

Spanish

Spanish students are another group who will be traveling in the summer of 2019. This trip takes place on May 28-June 7.

During this trip, on day three, they will go on a sightseeing tour in Buenos Aires and see places like Plaza de Mayo, Congress Hall, Sal Telmo district, Metropolitan Cathedral and La Recoleta Cemetery.

On days 4 and 5, they will move to San Carlos de Bariloche. Here, they will be on Tranoador Mountain excursion and visit Satillo de las Nalcas Waterfall.

The next two days will be spent at Puerto Varas, where they will do Llanquihue excursion, a Portal del Lago dairy farm visit and the Frutillar city walk.

The group will be in Santiago for the final days. Here, they will be able to visit places like Moneda Palace and Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino.

This Argentina and Chile trip is open to anybody who is enrolled in Spanish.

Spanish teacher Christine Kozlowski said, “We are accepting all levels of Spanish as long as students have completed Spanish throughout their high school career and have interest in possibly pursuing Spanish afterward because we believe that it’s a great way to improve all of your skills in Spanish, which is speaking and listening. You also immerse yourself in the culture.”

The main purpose of this trip is to gain new experiences and to more deeply appreciate the Spanish culture.

“I want them to gain a further appreciation for different Spanish cultures and of course, I want them to improve their language skills and also to appreciate the value in traveling,” Kozlowski said. “I always tell my students that I firmly believe travel is the best education.”

Latin

The Latin students will also be traveling to Italy and Greece during the upcoming summer. They will be in Italy and Greece from June 1-12.

They are visiting Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri in Italy. In Greece, they will go to places like Delphi and Athens.

There is no requirement to be enrolled in Latin for this trip.

“Everyone is welcome! There is college credit included in the cost of the trip for an ancient history course, so no Latin in required (just appreciated),” Latin teacher Emelia Osborn said.

During the trip, the group will try new experiences like eating gelato and sight-seeing. They will also be able to have more interactive times, where they will be having a gladiator training day, a cooking class and an archeology excursion.

Through the trip, the students will have numerous opportunities to try out new cultural experiences. From these experiences, Osborn hopes the group will have more appreciation for the Italian and Greek culture and history.

Osborn said, “I hope the students gain an appreciation for other cultures, traveling, and ancient art and life.”