We all love a good field trip. Some require assignments and others don’t. For us Spanish students, it was all for the experience.
Since we have an art unit coming up, complete with vocabulary sheet and all, the two AP Spanish teachers Senora Rosario and Senorita Stocks planned a trip to an art exhibition to Art Museum of the Americas.
The museum is established through the Organization of American States which consists of leaders of the 35 independent states including the US. Afterwards, we headed to Rosa Mexicano, known for its guacamole and authentic food.
We left a little after Saxon Time. It took a bit longer than expected to get to DC, considering how quickly we got back. (Or maybe it was because I was curious to see what was in store for us.)
The museum looked more like house than a museum: small, neat with spiral staircases. I think I am more accustomed to the big and crazy museums of the Smithsonian.
As we entered, our tour guide, a native Spanish speaker, ushered us in. The teachers had given specific instructions to her to talk about and discuss each artwork solely in Spanish.
The exhibition, called “On Common Ground,” includes art from rising artists of countries of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, both on the island of Hispaniola.
The pieces express the artist’s feelings and thoughts on cultural, social and economic aspect of their country and shines light on the differences and the relationship between the two countries. Many pieces were abstract and took some thought to interpret.
Much of the artwork was interesting. There was some oddly shaped heads formed from used propane tanks, partially glazed ceramic objects and sphinx-like animal paintings.
I can confidentially say that I did not understand 100% of what the tour guide said because four to five years of Spanish inside a classroom is incomparable to a lifetime of speaking the language. Although, I did understand the main idea of each piece she did talk about.
Once the tour was over, we headed to Rosa Mexicano. A separate room was designated for us with 4-5 round tables ready with guac, chips and refreshments.
For the main course, they had brought each table a platter of chicken quesadilla and corn tortillas along with rice, grilled chicken and sour cream in order to make your taco.
After ten minutes of hoping we had not ate as much as we did, the waiters brought out churros with three dipping sauces: chocolate, caramel, and raspberry. The food was exceptional and definitely beats Chipotle’s burritos and tacos any day.
We finished up a little before 1:00 which was problematic considering we were planning to be back at one.
We got to Langley with only about 30 minutes of seventh period. For me, I had a test seventh period that I couldn’t miss. Despite being late, it all worked out in the end.
Lastly, I want to address the misconception that the sole purpose of the field trip is only goes to some Hispanic restaurant and eat.
This is couldn’t be farther for the truth. Yes, we also ate but it was only after we had visited the museum.
We spent more time in the art exhibition building than we did in the restaurant. And can blame us for going somewhere to eat afterwards? I heard everybody around me complain about how hungry they were after getting back on the bus after finishing the tour.
Overall, it was great trip and definitely one of most enjoyable field trips I have been on. (For my fellow seniors out there, the Dave and Buster’s trip will remain the best one.)
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Photos by Leila Raminpour