Students Travel For ESSO, Language Immersion

This summer, Exonians ventured to various reaches of the globe to participate in school-sponsored language immersion and ESSO service trips. The foreign-language department organized trips to Japan, France, Russia and Spain, while ESSO led select students to projects in Costa Rica, Ireland and China. Students seized the opportunity to discover new cultures and experiences, as well as practicing their language skills.“A three-week program in another country becomes a great experience to learn a little about another way of life and familiarize yourself a little more with the culture of the language you study in the classroom,” said Spanish instructor Fermín Pérez-Andreu, director of the Spain Summer program.Six students traveled on the ESSO trip to Ireland this summer with chaperones Kalya Medina and Jean Strazdes.“The trip to Ireland was great.  We started out with two days in Dublin to do some sightseeing while there we stayed in the Trinity College dormitories right in the center of Dublin which was amazing,” said Medina.They also traveled to Callan, Ireland to help the Camphill Communities with an Arts Festival called the Abhainn Ri Festival of Participation and Inclusion that is put on during the summer.“The festival day brought everyone together with a street performance that the entire town either participated on or came out to experience,” Stazdes said.On the ESSO trip in China, Exonian students taught children at the Henan Province. “The highlight of my trip was probably playing games with 4th and 5th grade kids. Where we taught in Henan Province every surface had a layer of dust, yet despite that the kids were just so happy,” upper Karl Hahn said.“I definitely enjoyed the trip overall, and it helped me to improve in Japanese. A surprising amount of people in Japan speak English really well, so it was easy to default to speaking that, but even just listening to the classes and the conversation around me was good practice,” upper Ruby Malusa said, on practicing her Japanese.“Overall, the trip left me with a much better understanding of spoken French. I also learned quite a bit of history,” lower Julia Leatham said of her time in France.Students quickly adapted to new cultures. “Our trip to Spain was incredible because it combined everyday life in a foreign country with the kind of sightseeing that you would expect with an immersion program,” Jenny DiPietro ’13, said.Ten students went to Costa Rica and gained a broader environmental perspective while working with a program called CIRENAS, located on the Nicoya peninsula. Students helped build a new campus in a wildlife refuge and improved the community center of a local village called Quebradas de Nando.“We should really appreciate all that we have and be less wasteful with our natural resources. you don't need a bunch of material possessions to make you happy. its the people and community you surround yourself with that is the most important thing,” upper Dana Yu said, of the ESSO Costa Rica trip.“The connections made there between personal decisions and global outcomes were very powerful reminders that we are all responsible for the world we make through our consumption patterns,” science teacher Townley Chisholm, who chaperoned the Costa Rica trip, said.“The people who run CIRENAS are inspirational teachers who helped us understand better our roles in a global ecosystem, and the local people were tremendously friendly and welcoming,” Chisholm said.“What these people lack in smartphones or air conditioning, they make up for in their sense of community,” upper William Lee said. “I think something we all gained from this experience, not just myself, was the realization of the power and importance behind human interaction.”Students stayed with host families that they grew close with over the weeks. “My host mother's name was Mercedes. She was a fantastic cook and she loved to talk with us about what life is like in Spain and how it's different from life in the US,” upper Margaret Anne Collins said of her host family in Spain.“They adopted us as their children and brothers and sisters, and they took honest enjoyment in learning about our culture as well as sharing their own,” Lee said of his family in Costa Rica.“My family was very accommodating and took me around to do anything that I wanted and more,” said senior David Kiger, who had never taken Japanese before, of his host family in Japan. “They were so willing to reach out and travel across the country in a day in order for me to see as much of Japan as possible.”Not only did students get to know their host families better, but they bonded with fellow Exonians. “I formed many strong connections with both Exonians and people outside of the realm of Exeter while gaining a unique understanding on the culture and way of life in Japan. Without the Exeter program, there would been no other way for me to experience Japan in the special way that I did,” Kiger said.The adventures that students participated in this summer are ones that they will take with them throughout their lives. “I would say that it is, more than anything, a cultural trip for a cultural experience that will open your eyes to new things,” Perez said.Whether it was helping others or exploring new cultures, Exonians enjoyed memorable moments in their immersion and ESSO programs.“This trip has definitely been a highlight to my year and an experience I will never forget. I made some great friends at Kumon, and met people I shall never forget. I will definitely be returning, and am even planning on potentially living there for a few years when I'm older,” Hoge said.Collins said, “All in all it was a ton of fun and I absolutely recommend a school-sponsored trip to anyone who can make it.”