By Sarah Buchert
It originally was supposed to be a trip to Spain, but families’ cost concerns led to an destination closer to home: Mexico. The Tempe Prep students will spend a week in San Juan del Rio, Querétaro, located two hours from Mexico City. San Juan der Rio contains wineries, dairies, hotels, colonial buildings, museums, and churches.
On the first day, they fly in and arrive in the city. On the second day, they are visiting museums and the marketplaces. On the third day, they are visiting a neighboring town and a cheese factory. The fourth day is spent hiking, church visiting, watching a movie and downtown activities (ice cream, traditional food, etc.). The fifth day is visiting another neighboring town, downtown activities, and a hiking tour. The sixth day is free. The seventh day is spent exploring Querétaro City and seeing a play. They return on the eighth day.
The original plan was to go to Spain but Spain fell through. A student came up to Mr. Cardoso and Dr. Salcido asking about going to the border. Both for them, having experience in Mexico, thought, “Oh, that’s nuts! That’s not a good idea.” Dr. Salcido and her family had a family trip planned for three weeks in the central part of Mexico and decided to take a week of their time and transform it into a trip for TPA students so they could experience Mexico. “It was very student-initiated. A student who wanted to go to Spain, Bronson Stephens, was highly motivated to go somewhere,” said Dr. Salcido. There were parents who were very interested in their kids having some sort of experience and they got tax-credit donations through the Spanish Club. The only limit on how many can go is how many chaperones are available. The participants will be staying with local families. They will mingle with the locals, enrich their Spanish speaking capacity and will be exposed to the culture (food, music, people). Dr. Salcido is interested in observing what the experience will be like for the students themselves and what they take out of it. “That’s what’s new for us, is not actually going there — we are very familiar with that — but it’s going to be very interesting for us to learn from this experience on how to accommodate and make it a worthwhile experience,” says Dr. Salcido.
When Quinn Collins and Bronson Stephens, both 11th graders attending the trip, were asked why they want to go, Quinn said, “I’ve never actually been to Mexico, so it would be fun. It’s a good opportunity to learn about Spanish culture and language. I am looking forward to speaking Spanish for a whole week with no English.” Bronson said, “I want to see the cultural diversity; I’ve never been to a foreign country before. I like traveling and I like the Spanish language.” Dr. Salcido and Mr. Cardoso are hoping that this will not be a onetime experience but an every-year sort of experience available to any TPA high school student who wishes to come. The high school student does not have to be in Spanish to go: “I hope it will promote those who are not taking Spanish to pursue Spanish in college,” says Dr. Salcido. If you are a high school student interested in going to Mexico, I would keep my ears open for the next time this trip occurs.