If you were sad that the Spain and France trip was cancelled last year due to COVID-19, the sadness can now be gone as it’s been rescheduled for 2022.

The two main chaperones, Louise Vouk, a French teacher, and Philip Deaton, a Spanish teacher, came together and decided to reschedule the trip for June 2022. Vouk said, “I would think, I would hope, by next June that everything‘s pretty open, so we’re just going to start opening it up again and seeing if there’s any interest in people joining, and hopefully there is.”

Vouk admits that she was bummed that the trip was cancelled last year, but not just because she couldn’t go. “I just like to take kids over there so they get the same experience as I did when I went there,” Vouk said.

Deaton also said he plans the trip with a central focus on his students. Deaton said, “I took kids to Costa Rica a couple years ago, and I want to take students and travel with them more. Having that experience is totally different than teaching them.”

The trip was designed to combine countries, so students didn’t have to pick going to either Spain or France. Vouk said, “This is a little bit longer, and it’ll be a new experience for us and hopefully a good one.”

Vouk admits there is a tough language barrier, as English is not the main language in these countries. She said, “99% of the time the kids are able to do their own thing, and so they have to speak the language to get the food. Sometimes the kids come back and say ‘Yeah, I asked for a baguette and they knew what I was talking about!’ and that is very exciting.”

Sophomore Myles Castleberry hopes to attend the trip and admits he’s a little nervous having to speak the language on his own. “I might be fine talking to others because of Google Translate or other technology, but if that wasn’t a thing, I wouldn’t be able to function there,” Castleberry said.

Vouk explains that the reason they chose France and Spain was simple: she teachers French and Deaton teaches Spanish. Vouk said, “They do have a lot of other trips that they can go to different places.”

Now that the trip has been rescheduled, Vouk has been receiving many questions on how much it costs. “It cost around $4500 dollars, which I know is a little pricey. But what I like to say is we’ve been saving a lot of money this year by not going anywhere,” she said.

Deaton explained the trips aren’t just fun trips, but instead opportunities for young adults to have. Deaton said, “Taking some kids to Costa Rica inspired a previous student after that trip to get involved with a work program there.”

The sad emotions Vouk had when the trip was cancelled are now gone, as she’s looking forward to next June. Vouk said, “I’ve never seen Barcelona myself, so I’m super excited to see that city!”