Hosted by the Global Student Embassy (GSE) program, students from Nicaragua and Ecuador visited Concha Martinez’s AP Spanish 5 class  on January 26.

GSE is an environmental leadership and cultural exchange program focused on urgent issues, hands-on skills, and interactive challenges. GSE was created in 2008 by the Oshun brothers in 7 California high schools and 10 high schools internationally, according to the GSE website. They do everything from native reforestation, habitat restoration, and community education to make environmentally aware leaders.

“I think it is a great opportunity to have exchange students visit our classes, especially if they don’t speak any English,” said Concha Martinez

Katarin Gonzalez of Nicaragua is one of the GSE leaders at her school.  Through Martinez’s translation, Gonzalez said she finds that American schools are “más grande” or much bigger than Nicaraguan schools. Gonzalez’s home school also doesn’t have students change classes. She stays with the same teacher throughout the day.

Gonzalez likes to go bowling in America because they don’t have that in Nicaragua either.

“The cultural experience is great, because they talk about popular music, sports, etc… in the visitors’ countries and it is more real that when they read it in the book,” said Martinez.

Students tried their best to communicate with the visitors exclusively in Spanish.

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