Spanish Class Visits Mexico
By Morgan Brown

On June 19, while the rest of Vermont slept, myself and eleven of my classmates from the Spanish class at Randolph Union High School sat around the Burlington airport.

Despite the time, 3:30 a.m., I was incredibly excited and anxious.

Our group was composed of Carly Allen, Amanda Angell, Maia Binhammer, Danielle Buffa, Abby Hutchinson, Jenny Linton, Jenna Miller, Katherine Miller, Emeline Pelletier, Lauren Soares, Ben Strange, and myself. Led by Betsy Parah, an RUHS Spanish teacher, all of us with the help of our parents had diligently fundraised for this moment and it was finally here. Soon my classmates and I, in the hands of our chaperones Deb Allen and Annette Higby, would be on our way to Mexico.

Up until this point, I had never stepped foot in an airport or been out of New England, making this the biggest adventure of my life.

It did not take me long to realize that traveling is extremely stressful. The security process was tedious and did nothing to settle my nerves. Before going through security, I had to shove a bottle of bug spray and sun screen into my checked suitcase because I forgot about the 3-oz. liquid rule for carry-on baggage. Then there was the extremely cranky woman who kept screaming at us to keep moving forward through the security line.

The flight was downright frightening and had me planning my funeral as I grasped the arms of my seat with my eyes sealed tight. Soon, though, I discovered flying was not so bad and I did get a bird's eye view of the Gulf of Mexico. After five hours on two separate flights, we reached Cancun and merged with the thousands of people proceeding through customs. It was a relief to meet our tour guide, Octavio, and to climb aboard our bus complete with air conditioning.

For all of the readers who believe 80-degree weather is hot let me correct you: When the temperature reaches the high 90s, then it is truly hot.

I quickly grew accustomed to spending long hours on the bus as we traveled around the Yucatan Peninsula through the states of Campeche and Chiapas. Highlights of the trip were swimming in the Caribbean and viewing the colonial buildings of capital cities such as Merida.

We spent much time visiting the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, Palenque and Tulum. Being the minority was a strange experience, especially when children and occasionally adults whispered about "Americanos" as we passed them.

It was interesting to find that in Mexico, everything is more relaxed than in the U.S., a place were farm animals roam freely along the sides of the roads and old men hang around stores chatting while children play in the streets.

We also found there are many luxuries in America which Mexico does not have, including clean water and an adequate plumbing system.

When we spent time at an elementary school in a small Mayan village, the surroundings were humble. Simple houses patched out of limestone, wood and tin rose out of the rocky terrain with a small, six-room school at the center of the town.

Yet the atmosphere was not one of discontent. In fact, these were some of the happiest people I have ever met, and this became my favorite part of the trip. Women with toddlers on their hips smiled and waved as we passed them. The students ran around laughing and shouting in Mayan, excited about the end of the school year.

Several kids, clustered in a classroom, used yarn to make their own backpacks for the next school year. Others gathered in the center of the schoolyard to perform dances for us, dances I could never master. Later, they would perform these dances for their parents at a celebration in honor of school ending.

After a week in Mexico, we headed back to the Cancun airport, making it back to Burlington around midnight.

Spending time in Mexico was one of the best experiences of my life. Anyone who enjoys traveling should make Mexico their next destination. Just remember these three things:

1. Reapply bug spray and sun screen until the smell sinks into your pores and your skin is tinted white.

2. Do not drink the water in any way, shape, or form.

3. What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico.

(Morgan Brown is a senior at Randolph Union High School.)