Although languages are usually taught in a classroom setting, the Spanish department hopes to provide an immersive learning opportunity through a trip to Panama, according to Spanish teacher Hanna Anderson.

“Of course it will improve language skills, but it’s really important for them to gain an understanding of another culture,” Anderson said. “Everyone will be challenged in a different way.”

The trip involves a weeklong tour of the country, including the Panama Canal and the rainforest, in addition to a weeklong stay with a Panamanian family.

The trip will extend from June 16 to July 2.

Anderson said she hopes students realize how different Panama is to the United States.

“A city like Panama City is a lot like the United States, but once you get 30 minutes outside of the city there’s a whole different lifestyle,” she said. “Life is simpler, there’s a lot more poverty and there’s very little influence from the U.S.”

Though the trip is far from home, freshman Duncan Macklem-Johnson said he thinks it will be easy to adapt to the new culture.

“It is kind of a perfect destination because it feels like home and paradise at the same time,” Macklem-Johnson said. “It’s going to be fun learning about the culture and also experiencing it.”

Junior Gabrielle Martinez said she expects the trip will help her learn to speak Spanish more fluidly through an immersive learning process.

“It might take a bit to learn how to speak Spanish more naturally, but I feel like we’ll be able to speak better and understand it better because people speak faster than in Spanish class,” Martinez said. “It’s total immersion, so you have to learn it quick.”

In preparation for the trip, students met every few weeks since the fall to learn about cultural customs.

Martinez said she thinks the preparation for the trip will make it easier to adapt to living in a different cultural setting among a local family.

“We made presentations on different cultural aspects we might think of, on things like food, the Panama Canal, and other things that might relate to our trip,” Martinez said.

Anderson said she hopes the language skills and culture will bring a new element to the classroom next season, allowing students with a different cultural experience to share it with the rest of the class.

“Students will bring new personal experiences, like if we were discussing food, they could talk about the food in Panama,’” Anderson said. “They’ll be able to bring real life connections into the classroom.”