¡Qué rica! The Spanish club members traveled to Fiesta Mexico in York on April 21, tasting authentic Mexican cuisine while trying out their Spanish language skills with native speakers.

  Every year, the club has a “restaurant trip,” so students with passions for the Spanish language look forward to the meeting. The trip is important because it gives students real world experience with native Spanish speakers, and it’s a fun opportunity to try authentic Mexican food in York County.

  Twelve students and all three Spanish teachers, with some of their family members, met at the restaurant around 6:30 p.m., just in time for a tasty dinner. After looking over the menu, which was written all in Spanish, club members ordered their meals and conversed with the waiter with very little English.

  Spanish club’s public relations officer Lizzie Vesper documented the trip through the club’s Twitter (@suskyspanish) and her personal Snapchat.

  “It was a great opportunity to get to know everyone, and the food was great,” said Vesper. “It’s always fun to spend time with people who share a common interest in the Spanish language and culture.”

  Students did their best to utilize the subjunctive tense in Spanish, which makes requests and orders more polite, and recalled food vocabulary from their classes to order their food. Although the restaurant staff did speak English, they spoke mainly Spanish to the club’s table to give authenticity to the trip.

  Senior Spanish club vice president Megan Longerbeam put her language skills to the test after five years in an SHS classroom.

  “It was a good experience to actually go to a restaurant and speak Spanish rather than just learning it in the classroom,” said Longerbeam. “We are trying to give the Spanish club members real world experience, so when they are out of high school, they can put to use what they have learned.”

  From fajitas to quesadillas to tacos to other traditional Mexican entrees, the students and teachers enjoyed a change of pace from the normal classroom setting they usually learn and instruct in.

  Freshman club member Alex Fabie gained valuable experience during the trip because she was put in a very different situation.

  “It put me in an uncomfortable position, but I was glad to do it because I went out of comfort zone to speak [in Spanish],” said Fabie.

  Although the Spanish club officers, who are all seniors, will be moving on to college, the club has a strong base of students who love the language, so there’s no doubt that the club will return to Fiesta Mexico next year.