Spring break language trips

Many students start learning languages at school without knowing that there are possible hidden perks. Some of the languages offer spring break trips every two years as an extra incentive for students to try their hardest.This year, the Latin and Japanese classes took their biennial trips to their respective countries. These trips were open to students between tenth and twelfth grade and were aimed at helping students connect with the language they are learning throughout the year.The Latin trip had 21 students, who were chaperoned by Chamnauch Khem, principal Antonio Shelton and Kathleen Faas. The trip started in Venice and moved throughout Italy as a sightseeing tour. The main event of the trip was the visit to Vatican City.“Our aim for the trip was to show the students the birthplace of their language,” Khem said. “It is important for them to learn how the latin language influenced western society and culture.”The trip was centered around the Latin textbook and the places they learn about in throughout the year. They traveled to Pompeii and Herculaneum to learn about traditional methods of making glass, lace and leather. The trip spent a lot of time walking around and seeing everything the country had to offer. Their average day was spent walking around from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.Many of the students, including Joey Choe (’18), found that the best part of the trip was the food.“You always hear about how good the food is in Italy, but I didn't realize just how good it would be,” Choe said. “The food was definitely the highlight, but the whole trip was incredible.”While the Latin classes were in Italy, 24 Japanese students spent their break in Japan. They were chaperoned by Japanese teachers Emily Kariya and Cheryl Nesbitt, as well as I-House Principal Julie Markussen.“The purpose was for the students to use the Japanese language and cultural knowledge they learned in the classroom and to gain further knowledge through exposure in the real world," Kariya said.They flew into Kyoto and did a tour of the main sights. While they were there, the students took turns being the trip leaders. During this time, the students were responsible for getting the group to their transportation and asking for directions from the locals.“One of the most memorable things about the trip was that we arrived just as cherry blossoms began to bloom,” Nesbitt said. “In each city we encountered beautiful pink flowers in the parks. It was beautiful.”In the first leg of the trip, the students visited the Pokemon Center in Nara, as well as temples, parks and gardens. They also visited Santa Monica’s sister city, Fujinomiya. There, the students spent the night with their individual host families.“This is a ‘study trip’, so each student had to research a tourist destination and know how to get to and from their place using public transportation. I believe the trio was much more fruitful than other language trips,” Nesbitt said.While they were in Fujinomiya, the group met the mayor and made the local news twice. They also got to visit a local high school to experience what their host siblings experience.Jackson Gerhart (’19), a student in Japanese Two, greatly enjoyed the the host family experience.“My favorite part of the trip was actually my host family. The whole experience was really cool and I felt like I could really understand the culture.”After the host family stay, the trip moved on to Tokyo, where they finished off the last four days of their trip by visiting museums and sights. The main attractions for most of the students were the Ramen Museum and the Ghibli Museum.“The trip was aimed at getting the students immersed into the culture,” Kariya said. “The students engaged with native speakers of Japanese in real world situations.”The students all learned a lot about the culture associated with their language and what living abroad can be like.“I think the language trips are a good way to drive students to do well in the class,” Gerhart said. “They motivate us because everyone wants to be able to function when we are staying abroad.”