10 days is a long time to spend anywhere, let alone in a foreign country surrounded by unfamiliar streets and a language that suddenly becomes more than just vocabulary words on a classroom worksheet. For eight students from North Atlanta High School, however, those ten days became an opportunity to step far beyond the walls of a classroom and into a completely different world. Through a partnership between Xperitas and Atlanta Public Schools, the students earned the chance to participate in this immersive international experience after completing a competitive application process that demanded dedication and determination.
One of the lucky North Atlanta students who had the opportunity to travel to the beautiful cities of Paris and Poitiers was junior Azuka Otuonye. She had always dreamed of visiting the Louvre and shopping along the Champs Élysées, but experiencing it all in person exceeded every expectation she had. Beyond the famous landmarks and busy streets, one of the most meaningful parts of the trip for her was the relationship she formed with her host family in Poitiers. “The trip was unforgettable, but what made it truly special was the connection I made with my host sister,” she said.
The streets of Paris are filled with cafés and restaurants to match anyone’s taste, and that was exactly what junior Marcella Mokam experienced during the trip. Some of her favorite activities included taking a Bateaux Mouches river cruise along the Seine to see Paris from the water and visiting the Atelier des Lumières, an immersive digital art exhibition that projects famous artworks across the walls, floors, and ceilings. “The days flew by, and before I knew it, I had to adjust to being six hours behind again,” she said.
Approximately 516 miles from Paris by plane is the splendid city of Barcelona, where senior Andres Gonzalez Sanabria spent most of his spring break. He said the trip involved a great deal of walking, averaging more than 12,000 steps a day, a statistic he tracked through the health app on his phone. His favorite parts of the trip included visiting the Basílica de la Sagrada Família and Casa Batlló, two of the city’s most iconic architectural landmarks. Having taken IB Spanish for the past two years, he found it easy to adjust to both the fast pace of spoken Spanish and the friendliness of the people. “I’ve never seen my phone storage fill up so quickly,” he said.
Although the students returned home with full camera rolls, souvenirs, and stories to tell, the memories and experiences they gained will last far longer than the ten days they spent abroad. From navigating the streets of Paris to exploring the architecture of Barcelona, the trip gave students a new sense of independence and a deeper appreciation for different cultures. For now, it is au revoir and adiós to Europe, but for many of these students, it will certainly not be a permanent goodbye.
