North Harford High School Spanish teacher, Lori Rake has started her 2018-19 school year after returning from her vacation to Spain. The veteran educator has translated for her church for several years while going on several trips to another Spanish-speaking nation, the Dominican Republic.

      Rake commented that her trip to the Iberian Peninsula’s largest nation was an amazing experience, not only because this was her first trip to Spain, but also because she made many new friends among the kind Spanish people.

    Rake added that she didn’t have one favorite aspect of her recent trip,  but rather enjoyed every aspect of it, besides the travel time. According to educator,  she wasn’t just immersed in the Spanish language, but was able to experience the country as a native and not just a tourist. She got to do some sight-seeing on her last day in Spain.  Rake and the eight members of her group went overseas to explore a castle and see the Mediterranean coast, both of which she found to be incredible sights.

   She added the  trip was “rewarding in both the professional and personal sense.”   The pacing of meals is much slower and is more social than that of the average US dinner gathering. Even saying goodbye to others can take a good deal of time. Rake adds, Spain “is a beautiful country and so full of interesting sites and wonderful people.”

    Having such a wonderful trip to the nation of Spain, it was rather difficult to adjust when returning home. According to Rake, she’s still adjusting.  After having missed the first few days of schools, Rake is getting to know her students and she is focused on adjusting to the 2018-19 school year.