In early January, Riverland Community College students Chris Seavey, Michelle Sorensen and Sarah Starman accompanied Riverland Spanish Instructor Barbara Judd to Cemanahuac Language School in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. The students, who are all from the Owatonna area, were participants in the Riverland travel/study course Mexico Marvels.

The Mexico Marvels course provided the students the opportunity to earn four credits while intensely studying Spanish in a total immersion atmosphere. Upon arrival in the city of the eternal springtime, Cuernavaca, the students met their host families for the week. Each student participated in a home stay where room and board was provided by Mexican families that were evaluated and selected by Cemanahuac Language Institute. This experience helped the students participate more fully in the culture and to also practice their language skills. The room and board home stay was cost effective for the students who were also responsible for the cost of their tuition, airfare and the land portion of the trip.

The students were placed in classes appropriate to their language ability level according to a placement test administered at Cemanahuac. They attended four hours of individualized classes daily to practice their skills in Spanish. The students also participated in cultural, political, economic and historical discussions and lectures.

“Within the limited time period, students are able to concentrate heavily on their studies and still return in time to begin spring semester classes,” Judd said.

Students took part in field excursions to cultural points of interest including several archeological zones where they learned about the indigenous inhabitants of Mexico. They also viewed the art work of some of the most famous painters and muralists in Mexico’s history including Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Students learned about the political environment and visited several buildings dedicated to government offices. A visit to Mexico’s most religious site included a stop at the Basilica of Guadalupe.

“The students also spent two days and nights in Mexico’s capital city, Mexico City, also known as Mexico, D.F. (Distrito Federal),” Judd said. “This city has a population of well over 20 million people. It houses some of the most beautiful and interesting museums in the world.”