|
Caja Madrid–Miami Dade College - 2005 Hispanic Heritage Study Tour in Spain (August 10-19, 2005) by René C. Izquierdo Kendall On August 10,
2005, three chaperons took off for Spain with 30
Miami Dade College students. The chaperons were Elizabeth Wiegandt,
Chairperson, North Campus, George Andrews, Chief of Staff, Office of the
College President, and me. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Segovia, Alcalá de Henares and
Pedraza. We went to the American Embassy, El Escorial, El Valle de los
Caídos, La Granja. We visited two convents: Las
Descalzas Reales and La Encarnación, and two musems, El Prado and Reina
Sofía. The idea behind
the Caja Madrid-MDC trip for students of various Hispanic ancestries to
reconnect with their roots in Spain, the Mother Country, could not have been
a more inspiring one. It was a rewarding
experience for me to see our students in awe when visiting palaces,
monasteries and museums. The tour guide, Jani Villanueva, of Guía
Madrid, did a splendid job when explaining historical facts, discussing
painters, art periods, and the many techniques used by different painters in
their masterpieces. Many parks, towns and cities brought a déjà vue
feeling to many students: had they been there before? No, they had not;
however, they were surprised when told that many of the places visited
accurately resembled those in their countries of origin because, in colonial
times, the Spanish Crown had provided detailed blueprints indicating how
towns and cities were to be built in their newly conquered territories. I am extremely grateful for
the experience afforded to me by Dr. Padrón, Dr. Shomar and the College
because it has allowed me, as a teacher of Spanish, to see MDC students
immersed in their native language in a country where Spanish is the official
language. Before the trip, many of the students had only viewed and
experienced Spanish from a marginal perspective. It was a privilege for
me to escort the students and see them explore the world of their ancestors. This trip was a precious
gift that MDC and Caja Madrid have bestowed on our students. It is an
outstanding and innovative idea, and I sincerely hope other groups of
students can benefit from such an exceptional opportunity in the years to
come. Did the students
learn? Were they changed by the trip? Well, ... find out for
yourself! Read the three winning essays. You will be
surprised! What we can tell you is that the thirty students who flew to
Spain with the three chaperons, are very different from the ones that left on
August the tenth. To read the essays, please
go to www.mdc.edu/mdcglobal Here are some pictures:
|
