The seatbelt sign is on, the engines are roaring, and the safety video plays. With teacher chaperones by their sides and an air of nervous excitement, New Trier High School’s summer abroad students take off.

From sightseeing in France, to playing with kids in an orphanage, to studying Shakespeare, students on these trips always bring unique cultural experiences back home.

Junior Joe Agase was one of eight students on New Trier’s trip to Paris in July. He said the trip’s purpose was to, “live with a French teenager and their family and learn about their culture and lifestyle.”

Chaperoned by New Trier French teachers Mrs. Brisebois and Mrs. Rosenbloom, the trip included the chance to get to know a French student, who had previously visited the United States in February.

“My host family was very nice and always asked if we needed anything,” Agase said.

“The teenagers in France are much more mature and responsible for their age compared to the kids here,” said senior Courtney Cardin. Because of this, Cardin added that the parents are more “laid back” than parents in the United States.

Aside from staying with the family, the tour group went sightseeing. Each morning the group met at the local school, Notre Dame de Sion, and then took public transportation to the scheduled area for the day.

“Every day was a new, breathtaking adventure,” Cardin said. Sights included the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris, The Louvre, The Arc de Triomphe, and The Chateau de Versailles.

“Time flew by way too fast,” Cardin said. “The hardest part was saying goodbye to such amazing people.”

Across the English Channel, students had the opportunity to stay at Oxford University for two weeks, chaperoned by New Trier English teachers Mr. Bond, Ms. Hess, and Ms. Birdwell.

Here, the focus was to study three Shakespearean plays: The Tempest, Taming of the Shrew, and Julius Caesar.

“We had class days where we’d interpret the text and then rehearse the scenes ourselves. We’d perform for each other that night,” said senior Abby Albrecht. “We also went to see the different plays at esteemed Shakespeare theaters like The Globe, The Roundhouse, and the Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford.”

The group took part in workshops and discussions with Shakespearean actors, coaches, and scholars.

The trip was a mixture of classes and little excursions throughout the day,” Albrecht said.

One of her most memorable experiences was “punting,” an activity where one person stands in a boat with a long pole and anchors while pushing it up.

“It was one of the most ridiculously hard things I’ve ever done,” Albrecht said. “It started pouring rain halfway through and we got really dramatic and started quoting The Tempest and singing Old Man River.”

On another adventure this summer was a group of 17 students led by New Trier Spanish teachers Ms. Kamen and Ms. Randall, who traveled to Ecuador.

Junior Katie Rudrud described the the trip as an opportunity to immerse themselves in Latin American culture language.

The group stayed in Quito, Ecuador’s capital for three nights. For most of the week-long trip, they stayed with host families.

“It was very different living with them. At first, the language barrier was difficult,” Rudrud said. She also added that the Ecuadorian lifestyle was unlike her own.

Every day, the students would meet at a Spanish school, then they would go on an excursions such as museums or a markets.

Then they would go home to eat lunch with their host families, and either return to school for another excursion or stay with the family until dinnertime.

One of Rudrud’s favorite activities in Ecuador was visiting an orphanage and playing with the kids.

“We played classic games like Duck Duck Goose with them in Spanish.”

Zip lining in the jungle was another of Rudrud’s favorites. Students on these three trips said they gained learning experiences and had opportunities to compare other cultures to what they are used to in America.

“I really enjoyed learning about a new culture through first hand experiences,” Rudrud said.