Although summer 2k15 is over, the memories that were left behind are unforgettable. Stings were all over the country, and some went all over the world.

Where They Went

Sophomore Deysy Quirch traveled to Europe for one month with the People to People program, spending one week each in Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland.

Junior Allen Alonzo went to America’s heartland, good old Texas. “I went because it’s a fun place where there are thousands of attractions,” he said. He was there for two months.

Junior Jose Lopez went to Nicaragua from June 11until August 12. “I hadn’t been there in so long and I really wanted to go this summer to see my grandma,” he said.

“On June 15, I went on a trip to Honduras, my parents’ homeland,” said senior Scarlet Garcia, “We stayed exactly one month, and we came back on July 15.”

Students weren’t the only ones traveling in summer. TV production teacher Dr. Underwood went to St. Louis, Missouri, for 4 days for the NASO Officiating Summit. “I am a 30 year football official, and I thought it would be a great experience to be around other sports officials from the pro, college, and high school levels.”

Assistant principal Mr. Zabala went to Spain and a little of France with his daughter to hike the Camino de Santiago. The Camino is a very famous pilgrimage walk that starts in the French Pyrenees, crosses into Spain, and ends 550 miles later in Finesterre, if you do the extra 3 days which he did.

“Finesterre, which is Latin for ‘End of the Earth’. That’s where the Europeans believed the world ended when they believed the world was flat,” said Mr. Zabala. “We each had our own backpacks that weighed about 25 pounds. We carried all our clothes, water, toiletries, and some snacks. Each day we would hand wash our clothes and place them out to dry. We would eat and refill our water bottles in the small towns, villages, and cities that we would walk through every day and sleep at the albergues that had many bunk beds. When a pilgrim (as we are known) completes the Camino de Santiago, they get a certificate. Many people from all over the world do this every year and have been doing so for hundreds of years. I have done it twice, and I plan to continue doing so in the future. I left June 17^th and returned July 28^th. I was away for 42 days, so almost my entire summer vacation.”

Travel partners

Any place could be enjoyable as long as you go with the right person. Mr. Zabala went with his daughter Alexia, but she returned after about 2 ½ weeks. “The trip was for us to have some time together and improve our relationship,” he said.

Dr. Underwood traveled alone but was joined by the 450 other athletic officials in attendance.

On her trip to Honduras, Scarlet Garcia said, “It was 8 of us, 4 siblings, 2 cousins, my mom and my aunt.” Allen Alonzo went alone to Texas but he met up with his cousin and uncle over there.

The Attractions

With many attractions in each city, the views must have been unforgettable. Scarlet Garcia said, “Coming from a big city like Miami, everything over there in Honduras seemed to me as an attraction. All the forests and the cows walking in the streets alongside the cars as if they were cars themselves. Aside from that, we visited caves called Cuevas de Talgua, swam in the Panuaya River, visited the circus in town, and just roamed around the village visiting family.”

In Texas, Allen Alonzo visited many attractions from Six Flags to the Alamo and to many national parks and restaurants.

Mr. Zabala said, “There were no ‘attractions’ that I visited other than some beautiful churches. I climbed up mountains and down mountains, and hiked across the mesetas. My attractions were the beautiful scenery, the sunrises, sunsets, wonderful people, and amazing food that I had each and every day.”

Dr. Underwood got to do some sightseeing at the St. Louis Gateway Arch. He also attended a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game at Busch Stadium. “We also went out to dinner at some very nice restaurants,” he said.

Accommodations

Many stayed with family, others stayed in hotels, while some even stayed with strangers. Mr. Zabala stayed in albergues (“refugios”) in a different place each day. “ I was hiking an average of 16 miles per day and traveling through many small towns, villages, and cities. Some days the hikes were a little shorter, and some days they were longer. I had a few 25 mile hike days on my trip.”

Allen Alonzo stayed in many places from resorts and hotels to even ranches and sometimes even in a RV during his Texas vacation. Jose Lopez stayed in his dad’s house in Leon Nicaragua.

Scarlet Garcia said, “We stayed in a village in the outskirts of Juticalpa Olancho called Manisaca El Rincon, where my grandma lives.”

Deysy Quirch stayed in many different places. While in Italy she stayed mostly on a farm, in Switzerland at a Catholic hotel, in Austria with a family at their home, and in France she stayed in hotels.

Unforgettable

Many Stings had unforgettable moments from their summer travels. Mr. Zabala’s best memories were the 1^st big climb that he did with his daughter to the “Alto de Perdom”, and on his last day of hiking.

“I hiked over a mountain getting to Finesterre, and saw the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. That evening, on the rocks at the lighthouse in Finesterre, watching the sun quietly setting on the Atlantic Ocean, together with hundreds of others, was one of the most magical moments of my life,” he said.

Dr. Underwood greatly enjoyed being in a group discussion with legendary NFL referee Jerry Markbreit (retired). “He is an icon in the officiating community, and there I was in the same discussion with him,” he said.

The best part of Scarlet Garcia’s trip was to finally see her family again after 5 years. “It was shocking to see how much my cousins had grown from scrawny teenagers to full blown adults,” she said.

“Best moment was for sure when I finally made it all the way up the Eiffel Tower,” said Deysy Quirch, “Just seeing all of Paris with my friends was a very special moment we all shared,” she said.

Bumps Along the Road

The only setback for Allen Allonzo was the weather in Texas. “It has this awful dry heat that can make you feel as if you were in a desert,” he said.

Along with the magical moments, there were also some setbacks or problems. Mr. Zabala said, “I got about 13-15 blisters on my feet on this trip. When I did the Camino de Santiago in 2012, I only got 2! Part of the reason I had a few extra blisters was that about half way through my hike, both my hiking shoes started breaking. I finally got to a small city three days later that had a shoe store that sold hiking shoes. I bought a pair, but then I had to break them in. Breaking in new hiking shoes is horrible thing to have to do when you are in the middle of your hike. That caused me some really bad blisters, which led to some Achilles heel pain when I tried to compensate for the blisters. That was a really bad and painful week!!”

In Honduras, Scarlet Garcia said, “The only setback was that there was a virus going around called the Chikungunya. If a mosquito with the virus bit you, you got the virus. We were very worried that the kids would contact it.”

“For me one challenge that I did over come was the idea in my head that if something was too hard to do, I couldn’t achieve it,” said Deysy Quirch. “Every day I was thrown a different challenge. The food was completely different. I would have to walk 15 miles a day, walking up hills, learning and getting lost around the country. But after a lot of those challenges I learned that it’s only mental. I can do anything I want if I put my mind into it. It’s corny but it’s true.”