(Dr. Parker in front of Guanajuato Leon sign)
Huntington Park High School English and Drama Club teacher Dr.Parker, went to Mexico hoping to improve her Spanish. During her trip, she stayed with a generous family that made her feel included the entire time she was there.
Dr. Parker has always wanted to be bilingual, so she took Spanish in high school and college. She’s always wanted to go abroad to Spain but her mother didn’t want her on an airplane in another country. Once she got to college she started feeling very homesick.
“I wanted to try to be a foreign exchange student again, and I was very homesick in Oregon, and I thought, what if I’m this homesick in Spain? That’s a long way away from home.”
The fear of getting homesick and not being able to enjoy her trip to Spain worried her. She decided to get on a national exchange trip to Detroit, Michigan, which she had a blast with when she went to Michigan. That trip gave her the confidence to make the trip to Spain.
She believes Mexico is a beautiful place, and the people understand her and her lack of proper communication. Most things such as the people and the family she stayed with, and the food in Mexico was terrific for her. The extraordinary old ladies taught her something that she didn’t know about before she went, such as making chilaquiles and salsa roja.
“It was a wonderful trip, everything was beautiful the people, it was cheap, and everyone was so kind.”
In Mexico, the one thing she didn’t like was that her stomach never adjusted to the food because the food is fresher over there than here in the U.S. She was amazed when she realized how much cheaper food was in Mexico.
“Mexico is very cheap. I got a meal that cost $14 and you can’t even buy a McDonald’s meal here with $14, that’s how cheap it is.”
During her trip, Dr. Parker was taught many things, such as speaking better Spanish, making new foods, and having unique cultural experiences. She had lots of fun during the five-week trip to Guanajuato, Leon, with such lovely old ladies, who cared for her as if she was part of their family. The last note Dr. Parker would like to share about her trip is that she would recommend anyone to go to Mexico because it’s very cheap and has delicious food.
Written By Staff Writer Karla Contreras