Language Trips Bring Global Experience, Immersion
Moeller’s language trips provide benefits to students. Mrs. Linda Zins-Adams' German students take annual trips to Berlin, while Mr. Vitolo and the Spanish learners are planning to travel to Ecuador. Regardless of what language students are studying, Moeller is seeking to create new opportunities for students to grow in language skills and appreciation.
German students in Germany. Photo by Deutschmoeller instagram.
The Director of Foreign Languages at Moeller, Mrs. Zins-Adams, explained the idea on why Moeller offers trips, “Languages a few different trips, and the idea is that you go experience culture and language. Every year, 4-5 students from Moeller and MND go to and host a student from Zaragoza Spain . The second trip is to Germany for German students try to capitalize on language where they can stay with the family. The first year of the trip the students went to Berlin. Next trip they plan to go to Munich. Friendship connections the second type of trip for a German student where it is more of the normal exchange experience where you host and then you go to Germany each for 5 weeks. All the trips fit into global scholars' program where students can do one immersion and do 3 years of language. To potentially get the seal of bi-literacy. Hopefully a higher proficiency in the language, broader global perspective.”
German exchange students on Tour of Berlin. Photo from Deutschmoeller Instagram
On the trip to Berlin, Germany students should expect to be placed with a host family and stay with them for 2 weeks, and go on tours of Berlin, Leipzig, and Potsdam. Students also went to a cooking class with a German refugee from Syria where he will teach you how to cook and prepare a typical Syrian dish. After that he will give a presentation on how he ended up in Germany from Syria.
As well as going to Potsdam house where the Big 3 met in WW2. “To gain differently viewpoints,” Jacob Bursk, a senior at Moeller who went on the trip, said, “you get an experience that frankly isn’t available to every student. It’s quite the opportunity that is given to you. It’s a great experience to gain a different perspective on not only Germany, but Europe as a whole. That’s the best thing you can gain from this trip: perspective.”
Students hiking near Mindo- Spanish department Moeller High School
In addition to a German language trip to Germany, Spanish classes also take a trip to Ecuador. The main goals of the Ecuador trip is to increase Spanish skills, learn about the South American culture, and travel abroad experience. Jack Shimrock ‘19, a traveler on the 2016 trip said, “I learned the culture of Ecuador. For example, they use chili peppers in many different foods. The flavor is prevalent in their foods. I learned a new language, even though I do not speak it anymore. We had class every day for 2 weeks, and we were one-on-one with an instructor.” One of the excursions the students take while in Ecuador is a trip to Mindo , a small mountain town in the jungle. “The main goal of going to Mindo is a visit to Otivalo, which has a big open air market. By then the students had a week of one on one Spanish tutoring. Students were allowed tp try to buy things from the locals that only speak Spanish,” chaperone of the trip Matt Jackson stated. Students get the experience of staying with a Ecuador host family, stay in a hostel, visit a local butterfly sanctuary, go river tubing, as well as having a Sunday mass in Spanish. “It was a city that relied 90% on tourism to stay afloat. We saw how chocolate was made and we tasted different types of chocolate this was an eyeopening experience,” said Shimrock.
The language trips at Moeller high school offer immersion offer excursions in culture. As well as increase in language growth and perspective. “People need to see the world and get a new perspective then life here at home in America” Shimrock said. Moeller’s language trips are a good way to get more credit in a language and grow in culture with your class mates.