Darrah Walker
Lantern Staff
One Butler professor offers students a chance to take a two-week tour around Spain in May 2018. Professor of Spanish Calisa Marlar has stepped up to travel with students and encourages anyone who is interested to go, even if there is no knowledge of the Spanish language.
International Academic Adviser Randy Bush, who is located at the Andover building, was in charge of the trip to Spain. In the past, Bush has taken students abroad, but is no longer able to do it. With the trip already planned out, he asked Marlar if she was interested in going since she is a Spanish professor.
The trip is 13 days long with the hope of the group leaving a day early or later. All tours are given in English with the expectation that not all students know Spanish.
“This is my first semester [taking Spanish],” sophomore Matalyn Higley said.
Spain interests students like Higley because of the various learning opportunities and the cost.
Traveling to Spain through the touring company, Education First (EF), will cost students roughly around $4,000. The price includes everything except the visa, fees, passport and some meals. Looking at how much is included in the price make the trip cheaper than what it would be if one built the trip on their own. There are various ways to pay for a trip such as fundraising or even a scholarship that is up for grabs.
Marlar provides knowledge of history of the culture and art of Spain, because she lived in Spain for three months when she was in college.
There are several different regions and cultures in Spain.
“Going from one region to another was like going to another country,” Marlar said.
Other than touring around Spain, free time is available for students to explore and see things on their own. The tour guide’s job is specifically to take the students to popular locations and teach them about that place. One of the best ways to learn about a new culture is exploring outside of the tour guides.
“[There is] so much art, so much architecture and so much history,” Marlar said.
EF has a policy called Peace of Mind where the safety of the students and adults come first. If there are any safety concerns in a specific area, EF’s policy allows the group to either get their money back or decide to visit another location.