From Tuesday, April 10th, to Tuesday, April 23rd, 23 SHS students and three teacher chaperones will travel to Spain on an exchange trip with students from Julio Caro Baroja High School in Getxo, located in the Basque region of the country. A well-established program, this SHS exchange has been in place for 38 years.

During the two-week-long trip, Scituate students will stay in Madrid for three days, attend school with their exchange students, visit numerous landmarks, and even spend a day in Biarritz, a small city in Southern France. The students will be visiting the Prado Museum in Madrid, where they will be viewing many famous pieces of art by artists including, Francisco Goya, El Greco, and Diego Velazquez. They will also visit Bilbao—the largest town in the Basque Country—where they will tour their town hall and The Guggenheim art museum. 

The lead chaperone, retired SHS Spanish teacher Virginia Lima, has participated in the Spanish exchange 18 times. Lima advises students to research the various places on the itinerary and practice the Spanish phrases they will most definitely be using. When asked about packing tips, she had a specific suggestion: “Pack a dose of courage and a sense of adventure!”

In addition to her extensive travel experience with SHS, Lima lived in Madrid for a year, so she loves everything about the city. She also enjoys watching American students attend classes at the Basque school, especially after they have just spent the entire weekend on their own with their host families.

Lima feels this exchange trip is immensely valuable as students gain experience with a different culture in one of the best ways possible. Home-stay experiences immerse students in the region’s way of life and culture, whether with the food, music, extended families, or daily routines. Lima noted, “Inevitably, and somehow, the students return from Spain seemingly more mature, wiser, worldly, and proud of themselves. I love that I have a small part in fostering their life-long love of travel!”

SPS World Language Department Chair Kathryn Ciulla encourages SHS students to “be open-minded to any and all experiences, foods, and chances to meet new people,” adding, “The more you get out and experience new things, the happier you’ll be.” Ciulla noted the importance of flexibility and trying to get as much sleep as possible on the plane rides, as every day in Spain will be full of many different events. 

SHS junior Hannah Dwyer, who is participating in the trip, is excited to see new places, try new foods, spend time with her friends, and, most importantly, see her exchange student again. Dwyer said they became good friends when the Spanish students visited Scituate back in September. Dwyer looks forward to having a “vast understanding of different cultures” as a result of the exchange trip.