Bon voyage, gute Reise, and buen viaje!
The Indianapolis International Airport was a sea of red IUHPFL t-shirts last week as 124 Indiana high school students embarked on their 2024 IUHPFL journeys. On June 6, our small but mighty Graz program—nine students, led by instructors Susan Fritschi and Nikole Langjahr—departed as scheduled on their way to Munich, Germany where they caught a bus to Austria. It was a long journey, and the group arrived tired but happy. They were greeted by eager host families ready to welcome them to the Graz way of life.
Our Spanish and French programs soon followed, departing on June 7th for Madrid and Paris, respectively. Our Spanish students headed in three different directions—27 students to Oviedo in the country’s northwest (led by instructors Vania Castro, Gaby Jarrín Paredes, and James Lang); 22 students to Ciudad Real in the country’s Castilla-La Mancha region (led by Lindsay Giacomino and Ari Plymale); and 26 students to Almería in the southern region of Andalucía (led by Gabby Mendoza, Alicia Sánchez Ibargüen de Ojeda, and Mónica Vega Gonzalez).
The 40 students participating in our French programs this summer split upon arrival to head to their host cities of Saint-Brieuc (20 students led by instructors Corentin Mazet and Shannon Swann) and Saumur (20 students led by instructors Jane Gilbert and Jennifer Yuska).
Saying goodbye is rarely easy, but the excitement for the adventures ahead was palpable. It’s hard to believe we’ll be back at the Indianapolis airport to welcome these students home in just a few short weeks.