Canton High alumni complete Spanish exchange
By Guest
A group of 8 CHS graduates visit the Alcazaba de Almeria during their summer adventure in Spain.
Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from a story that appears in the September 12 issue of the Canton Citizen.
In the fall of 2011, the newly elected officers of the CHS Spanish Club were adamant and unanimous in their hopes and expectations for the upcoming year.
“We want a trip to Spain,” was the mantra that Spanish teacher and club advisor Pam D’Agostino heard loud and clear from President Dan Burkowsky, Vice President Matt Piana, and Secretary Shaina Forte. The three juniors felt the time had come. While Canton High School was proud of its 35-year German exchange, no similar program had existed for Spanish students for at least 20 years.
“We felt under-represented because many more students study Spanish than study German,” Burkowsky reasoned. “And we wanted an exchange-type of program where we would meet other students, not the type of trip where you just get on and off of a tour bus.”
The three, in conjunction with their advisor, began researching options. By the spring, they had selected Prometour out of Canada and Malaga, Spain. Next came the daunting task of convincing other students and their parents to pay for such an experience. “The students visited Spanish classes with a PowerPoint that Dan had made touting the advantages of this company and its itinerary,” D’Agostino explained. “However, first times are always the hardest.” By June of that year the group did not have enough interest and plans were shelved until the fall.
Once back in school, the trio of Burkowsky, Piana and Forte redoubled their efforts to recruit the requisite 20 students for a two-week exchange program to Spain. Again, they were unable to interest enough students.
“This trio of students was so motivated and so resourceful,” D’Agostino remembers. “We were meeting almost every day after school, discussing different strategies — anything we could think of to make this work.”
When it became clear that a trip to Spain would not happen during their senior year, the students suggested they host instead. (Typically, schools from other countries visit one year and then the host school visits on the off year.)
So the group contacted Prometour, and after initially being told that it was too late in the year, fate smiled upon them and a day later their representative called back to say they had a school that could come at the end of March. The school was Colegio Agave from Almeria, Espana!
Almeria is located on the Costa del Sol, Spain’s southern coast, about a three-hour drive from Malaga. Colegio Agave is a private school from a metropolitan area of about 200,000 inhabitants. “Students on both sides fill out questionnaires before being placed with their host families,” D’Agostino explained. “When we finally received the forms, with pictures of the students we would be hosting, even I became giddy with anticipation. This was really going to happen!”
“When the Spanish students arrived in mid March, everybody was so excited,” Forte recalled. “Most of my friends wished they had hosted too! We had so much fun together and I was just so proud of all of us for making this happen.” While in Canton, the Spanish students attended classes, hiked Blue Hills, went into Boston numerous times, went bowling and were interviewed by David Rosenberg, also a host, for Mr. Ed McDonough’s TV production class. “I absolutely am so glad I took part in the exchange,” said Rosenberg. “I never would have gotten to meet such great people otherwise.”
With graduation also came the realization that something this trio had started hadn’t quite come full circle. “When our Spanish friends left, we were all crying,” Forte remembered. “We decided then and there that we had to see them again,” Burkowsky said. So before departing for their separate colleges in September 2012, the three of them, along with five other CHS alums who had also hosted Spanish students, decided to somehow make their way back to Almeria during the summer months.
“We made a Facebook group,” Burkowsky said, “and during vacations we met at my house and planned our itinerary. By December 15 we had bought all the tickets.” On July 10, seven of the eight students arrived in Malaga. The group included Burkowsky, Piana, Forte, Rosenberg, Ben Pirog, Alison McHugh, and Mitch Kayserman. Another CHS alum, Edouard El Massih, was in Italy interning and would later join the group in Almeria.
“This trip was our way of finishing what we had started two years ago,” Forte explained. “Although we succeeded in organizing half of the exchange program by hosting, it felt defeating because we hadn’t been able to travel back to Spain and live with our exchange partners.”
“I had been looking forward to this trip for an entire year,” Piana added. “I was very excited to utilize the language that I had studied in school since kindergarten. This trip was a wonderful opportunity to delve into the Spanish language and culture that we had studied but never experienced firsthand!”
In Almeria, the eight friends stayed with their former guests. “We all had a wonderful experience in Almeria,” Burkowsky said. According to El Massih, “My host family was very loving and the dad, knowing that I’m studying to be a chef, took me to the best restaurant in Almeria!”
“One night, one of the students invited everyone over to his house in a village in the mountains,” remembered Kayserman. “There was a beautiful view, hammocks set up for people to sleep in, and a masterfully cooked dinner. I think everyone will always cherish that night.”
And, of course, being on the coast of Spain in July meant lots of beach time. For El Massih, the most memorable part of this trip was, indeed, a beach trip that began with a cab ride and then two bus trips. “We were dropped off in the middle of the desert,” he said. “We walked through cactus for 20 minutes in what must have been 100-degree heat, and then suddenly, behind some bushes was the most beautiful beach I have ever seen named San Jose. We spent an idyllic day there and I realized just how amazing life is and how far you can get if you really want to and put your heart into it.”
Their ability to save for, plan and execute a trip of this scale, all on their own, gave all those involved cause for great pride and a keen sense of accomplishment. “The most important thing was that we all did Spain together, as a group,” Burkowsky explained. “Most of us arrived together, but Edy had to come from Italy. The two girls, Shaina and Alison, had to return home after Spain. The boys, sans Edy and Mitch, went on to France, and Matt continued on to Germany after that.”
The students traveled lightly and all agreed that Internet access is a must and also makes traveling easier as well as spontaneous. “Nothing is better than arriving in a new city with only your backpack and no hotel booked for the night,” said Rosenberg. “You sit down at a cafe, order a cafe bonbon, take time to enjoy the moment, then hash out the rest of the day with Wifi from your smartphone.”
While spending the majority of their time in Almeria, the group also visited several other cities and soaked up as much Spanish history and culture as possible. In Granada, home of the Alhambra, the group met up with another CHS Spanish teacher, Jose Rojas, who was summering there with his family. From Granada the group journeyed by bus to Madrid to see the Palacio Real and the Prado Museum. In Valencia, where the old and the new coexist harmoniously, the group experienced their first bull fight and also attended a soccer game, Valencia vs. Milano. Barcelona was the favorite of some with its ice bar, markets and Familia Sagrada Catedral; others like Burkowsky felt it was “just like New York.” Both Forte and Burkowsky noted the major differences in prices, lifestyles, climate and dialect between the northern part of Spain and the southern. “It was really almost like two different countries,” Forte opined.
Knowing the language was crucial too, as all agreed. “In the south, knowing Spanish makes everything easier and you are treated better,” said Forte. “It opens doors.”
“I conversed almost entirely in Spanish with my host, his parents, the students and the people of Spain,” added Kayserman. “It got to the point where I began thinking in Spanish.” According to Garcia, “Spanish was spoken out of necessity. My advice to kids studying Spanish is to take Spanish seriously in school because it is an important skill to have to study abroad.” Piana further summed up the experiences of the group by saying, “You cannot compare classroom time to immersion time! The whole time we were in Spain we were speaking Spanish and listening to Spanish. Every day we had conversations in Spanish with different people, which helped us improve our fluency greatly.”
Recently this group of intrepid adventurers headed back to their respective colleges. But the friendships they solidified, the memories they made, and the sense of accomplishment they have will be with them forever. Burkowsky, who is majoring in anthropology at UMass Amherst, is planning to go to Ecuador in January, where all his classes will be in Spanish and he will live with an Ecuadorian family. Piana, a sophomore at Northeastern, now considers himself to be “borderline fluent in Spanish and almost proficient in German.” “It feels really good to be able to speak three languages — and it’s also a lot of fun,” he said.
Shaina Forte and Alison McHugh at the Sagrada Familia
As their teacher and advisor, D’Agostino is thrilled with their successes. “I began teaching some of these students when they were in first grade through the FLES program,” she said. “They have always been motivated, gifted and ambitious learners as well as wonderful people. They contacted me several times before this trip seeking advice. They emailed me during the trip, including fabulous pictures! To see them so dedicated to language learning, cultural awareness and travel is so rewarding. There is no greater joy for a teacher than knowing that our efforts impact our students in a positive way.”
El Massih agreed in an email he sent to D’Agostino from Spain, saying, “Thank you for starting the exchange program and for putting all the long hours into making it work. I hope you know you are changing people’s lives with this program.”
All of the students agreed that learning another language, traveling and being involved in an exchange is a thoroughly worthwhile experience. “The world is huge, and sitting in Canton and not traveling is a crime,” insisted El Massih.
“In college, a Spanish class would cost a few thousand dollars,” added Piana. “This trip cost me a few thousand dollars and I learned plenty of Spanish while sitting on beaches, walking though world-renowned museums, and seeing some of the most famous cities in the world.”
In February of this year, in large part due to the efforts of this pioneering group, 22 CHS students traveled to Almeria with D’Agostino. “After last year’s hosting experience, which was so positive, when we advertised an exchange back to Spain, we had more than enough interest,” D’Agostino explained. “Every year I am fortunate to have dedicated students who are committed to language learning and travel. This past year, our club president, Chris Nova, was instrumental in helping get the Spain portion of the exchange off the ground. We saw six cities in two weeks as well as living for one week with our Spanish families. It was a dynamite experience.”
For those considering a similar adventure, either alone or with a program, the group has a few recommendations: “Keep a journal,” advised Rosenberg and Burkowsky. “Use the Internet. These sites are essential: tripadvisor or hostelworld.com, and don’t book more than a week ahead,” continued Rosenberg. And finally, from the entire happy group: “Just do it!”
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