Two dozen students soaked up the sun, improved their Spanish and built cultural bridges during the annual exchange program in Cuernavaca, Mexico, held during February break.

On the trip, they visited VIP movie theaters, learned different forms of Mexican dancing and even spent time relaxing at a lakeside resort.

The program has been running for over 10 years now in the city, and it is revered as a long standing tradition for the Spanish department at the school.

“The reason I’ve gone on the trip so many times is because of all the friendly people that I’ve met in Cuernavaca,” said senior Allen Li, who has gone on the trip three times.

The students on the trip all attended school at the Bachillerato Internacional Uninter (BiU), where they all took classes for grammar and communication. The students were divided up into classes based on their respective Spanish levels at SHS.

Saratoga students were all separated into groups of two, in which they would live with different Mexican host families as roommates. Living with these families also helped the students practice spanish and learn more about Mexican culture.

After class each day, students participated in interactive activities to allow them to learn more about Mexican culture. These included learning different types of Mexican dancing and climbing the giant pyramids at the ancient city of Teotihuacan.

“I really liked it when we went to the lakeside resort because it gave us time to relax and forget about both real school and Spanish school for a day,” freshman Janelle Jin said.

Students were able to quickly make friends with the Mexican students at BiU through the different activities that students from both schools took part in.

The trip gave participants new experiences and opportunities to practice Spanish. Those who attended the trip generally felt that it was a productive way to spend the break.

“I feel a lot more confident speaking Spanish now, and overall I gained exactly what I wanted from the trip,” junior Wesley Lau said.