Update from Robin Plies

The Plunge

On Friday afternoon the students were divided into groups of four, roughly according to their Spanish level, and each group was assigned a nearby town to visit over the weekend. The plunge has historically been a part of the language school portion of the trip, for students to use their Spanish skills to travel by bus, to find meals and a hotel and to find out information about a new location. One additional challenge is to travel on a budget, and groups stepped up to the challenge and completed their excursions on very little money.

Students were given a list of questions to answer about the town that they visited, including finding out what the town is known for, the history of the town, the local development projects and primary sources of income. Students were out-going and conducted interviews with locals and were able to answer all of the questions. One group met the mayor of the town, who not only answered all their questions, but also helped them arrange lodging in the nearby hotel. Another group met the ex-mayor of the city, who gave them a detailed history of the town in the 1980s during the revolution. Students found that one town was known for its sugar cane plantation and rum factory and made sure to get a tour of the factory. Another group found that their town was known for its typical plate, quesillos, which the students made sure to try. Another town supposedly makes the best rosquillas (cheese crackers) in the country and yet another town is famous for its saint Escipulas, the black Christ, to which people from all over the country come to pay homage during their festival in January.

On Sunday night, the group came back together to share their experiences. All the groups were enthusiastic about their trips and were very thankful for their experiences, despite language difficulties and other discomforts. Groups slept in budget hotels, and some fell asleep to loud music and woke to a chorus of barnyard animals. In one rural town, the people had not seen foreign travelers for more than a year, and the group slept in a house with a small store because the town did not offer any other lodging options. Other students found that the best meal in town, for the best deal, was served out of someone's kitchen in a private home.

After this plunge experience, it seems that students are more confident in their abilities to get around on their own using public transportation and find answers to their questions by asking people for assistance. This is has been a very positive learning opportunity for each person on this trip, and has also helped the group members become closer. We look forward to another week of language school and the activities that we will participate in.

Until next time,
Robin

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