Over the summer two of our teachers here at the LHS went on an adventure like never before. Based on a spectacular program, were granted the ability to go to India to not only experience the culture and the atmosphere of the country, but also to learn what it’s like to be in the shoes of an ESL student. I was lucky enough to sit down with both Ms. Buechner, and Mr. Martinez, and hear about what the experience was like.

Firstly, the trip was funded through the Fulbright Program. This is an organization that grants Americans and others a chance to go to other countries in the pursuit of bettering themselves and the world. There were twelve people in their group in total and they also had a guide and a translator. Through the program, the only thing that anyone had to pay was the fare to get to India, but everything else was free. While I was talking to Mr. Martinez and Ms. Buechner I asked them both what they believed the best part of the trip was and what the most difficult part of the trip was. Mr. Martinez said the Taj Mahal was his favorite sight to see and that it was truly breath- taking, while he also enjoyed immersing himself in the different cultures of India as well. In regard to the most difficult part, he said that the traveling in some cities was extremely difficult. It was very hard to go many places by car and they had to use other means of travel to get around a lot. When talking to Ms. Buechner, she gave me an insight on what it was like to be at the Taj Mahal. She said the experience was even more than amazing. It was such a different experience and she found it to be one of the best parts as well. She also said she loved the Himalayas as well. She said that when she was up in that part of the country, it hadn’t felt like anywhere else, she loved every moment of it.

Both Mr. Martinez and Ms. Buechner found the ESL experience to be very rewarding as well. They both claimed that it gave them a new perspective on what it was really like to be involved in the education system in another country. Finally, when I asked Mrs. Buechner and Mr. Martinez if they could return to the country, they said they would absolutely. They would want to do different things though to see if they could get another fresh experience as well. These two teachers are amazing both as people and as educators and the experience they had was priceless. It is great to see that they were able to return and share their experiences with us to give us a bigger perspective on the world. I thank Mrs. Buechner and Mr. Martinez for sharing their experiences with me and the Charles Street Times.