My Memorable Visit to Colombia

By Glenda De Hoyos, Spanish Teacher & Recipient of the Global Education Grant and PALS Summer Grant

Traveling to Colombia this past summer was a dream come true both on a personal level and as a Spanish teacher. On a personal level, traveling is one of my passions because it offers an amazing opportunity to learn and connect with people from other cultures with different perspectives, traditions, and beliefs.

As a Spanish teacher and an English language learner, I’ve made a lifelong commitment to accompany my students on their language-learning journey. Modeling ongoing curiosity and embracing the sometimes uncomfortable excitement of making mistakes along the way has allowed me to create meaningful experiences for students, leading to a stronger connection with them. In Colombia, I was able to take a class at the Instituto Caro y Cuervo for teachers of Spanish as a second language. This was an incredible experience, not only for the content I was able to learn and the connections I made with other educators, but also for the reminder of what it means to be a student.

Another reason why I wanted to travel to Colombia was to be able to share authentic experiences and resources in my Langley classes. For many years, I’ve been learning about this incredible country as I create the second-grade Spanish curriculum. In this grade, students take an imaginary trip to Colombia where they learn the target language by getting to know about the country’s food, music, and sports, among other important things. I am sharing my experience by incorporating pictures, videos, and resources with my classes, and can already see how much impact it has on my students’ learning journey.

One of the most spectacular experiences that I had was visiting the Serranía de la Macarena National Park, which has one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the country. The famous “Caño Cristales” can be found in this protected area. This river is commonly called “The River of Five Colors” because of its stunning colors created by Macarenia clavigera plants that are on the riverbed.

I can’t express how thankful I am for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. It not only was uplifting and enriching for me, but also will continue to have a positive impact on my students’ language-learning journey.