Over mid-winter break, while some students stayed here in the United States and enjoyed the warm weather, others traveled to Europe, visiting Holland and Spain.

The trip consisted of twenty five American students and four chaperons; Ms. Isasi, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Lopez, and Ms. Lubrino.

Spain is a popular destination for  seniors. Widely known as a ‘last hurrah’ before graduation, students travel to Spain in search of a foreign experience before they begin their college careers. They are also looking for a meaningful memory with their friends. Students also learn all about the culture, food, history, and education of the country. Traveler Brandon Dilluvio states that he learned that many of the parents of the Spanish students were born during the Franco dictatorship, so a lot of them have Christian names before their first names. “My host mother’s Christian name was Marie Christine, but everyone called her Christine.” Besides learning about Franco’s reign, students also learned about the first two kings of Spain, Pelayo and Alfonso the first by visited their tombs.

Travelers visited the Prado museum, the palace in Madrid, the aqueducts in Segovia, and the walls of Aviles. Students also participated in events like Carnival, where people dress up and go out dancing. Students ate food like chorizo, cachopo, paella, flan, and lots of seafood, and learned interesting things about the modern culture, like how smoking is more acceptable, and how the Spanish have a strange obsession with orange Fanta soda.

Students were also intrigued by the Spanish education system; unlike in the United States, high school is geared towards the arts, while United States high schools are commonly geared towards math and science. High school is also a five year experience versus a four year experience, and is very much geared towards ones future career.

While students enjoyed themselves immensely in Spain, students also had wonderful life experiences in Holland. It is known for being the shortest exchange, and is often students first foray into the foreign exchange program. Mostly juniors and sophomores attend this trip, and this year it was chaperoned by Ms. Urso, Ms. Beresford and Ms. Zarrella. Travelers learned all about the country even on their short trip; and they noticed that it was much less nationalistic than the United States. Students also noted that it was also “a lot cleaner.’

While Holland is not particularly known for their food, travelers ate traditional food like herring, sausage, and mashed vegetables. While many may not like these traditional foods, they did like the fact that the Dutch eat a lot of pastries, and they make very good chocolate. But, besides this, students observed that their grading system as much different, grading on a 10 point scale rather than a 100 point scale. They also noticed that the schools are nicer than the average American school. All in all, students enjoyed this trip. “I would definitely go again. I had an amazing time,” says Kevin Postler, “I can’t wait to go on more trips.”