As I approach college, I’ve decided that I would like to major in international relations and minor in Spanish because of my interest in international geopolitics and the Spanish- speaking world. However, last year I was unable to participate in the intersession trip to Spain. Nonetheless, I have desired to travel to a Spanish-speaking country, and this year I found myself in luck as I have an aunt who owns a home in Mexico where she lives for half of the year. After proposing my desire to create an intersession trip that would meet my needs, the administration allowed me to proceed with a planned intersession trip to Mexico. Thanks to this luck and independence granted to me by the school, on March 15th I boarded a plane departing from Atlanta to Mexico, where I spent my week of intersession.
Accompanied by my grandmother, I began my intersession in the city of Guadalajara. We arrived there in the evening and stayed at the historic Hotel Morales. This hotel dates back to 1888 and lies in the center of Guadalajara’s historic district. While in Guadalajara, I visited places of cultural and historic significance, such as the Instituto Cultural Cabañas. Mexico is renowned for its excellent murals, and some of the most famous of all are housed in this gallery. I also visited beautiful churches, old government buildings, and historic districts.
On March 18th the second objective of my intersession: immersion. I departed via bus to a small village outside of Puerto Vallarta named San Pancho. While there, I stayed with my aunt who owns a house in this village. My main objective in this village was immersion into the culture and language because in Guadalajara there are many people who speak English and live lives similar to our own. In stark contrast, San Pancho was almost completely void of English and conveniences such as air conditioning and internet. My time in San Pancho was perhaps the most interesting part of the trip because of the insights it gave me about how Mexico is changing.
While in San Pancho, I also went into some of the surrounding areas, such as an excursion to the market in La Peñita. There I witnessed artisanal crafts being made, freshly-butchered meat being sold, and the way many people lived as we drove through the jungle. This combined with the time spent in and traveling from Guadalajara to San Pancho gave me the opportunity to really take in the beauty of this region of Mexico.
In conclusion, this trip was beneficial to me in many ways. The time spent there helped with my understanding of the Spanish language as well as Mexican culture and history. It also allowed me to see things and experience parts of the world that I otherwise would be unable to, which will hopefully make me a more cultured and interesting applicant when applying for college, especially considering what I am planning on studying.
However, the most important thing I take from this experience was the opportunity to be independent. While I wouldn’t have been able to make this journey without the help of others, I planned almost the entirety of this trip. Not many people my age can say they know what it’s like to have to plan a trip abroad. I can though. That’s the kind of opportunity Donoho encourages students to take. Whether it is organizing a pancake breakfast in the parking lot or traveling to another country, Donoho gives us opportunities to be leaders. In return, we learn the importance of responsibility and the Donoho mission statement. I’m a junior now, and more and more at Donoho I see students stepping up to become leaders. More and more I see students living with honor, engaging in their passions, acting with humility, and delighting in wisdom. In the end, that’s all it takes to make a teenager a leader, and leaders are what Donoho makes.
Jake Kaplan
Class of 2016
