Last year I was selected to represent the UK on a Spanish expedition called the Ruta Quetzal.   I was one of 360 students from 56 countries who travelled through Panama and Spain for 6 weeks, camping and learning to go ‘back to basics’, taking a cultural and physical adventure.   We overcame language barriers and developed fluency in our Spanish.

The Ruta surpassed all of my expectation and was both the hardest and most incredible journey I have ever taken.   We overcame the struggles of trekking for 12 hours through the muddy rainforest, with 12 kilo rucksacks and 1 litre of water to last us the entire day, and were exhilarated by achieving more than we had expected possible.

Convivencia and compañerismo, a strong sense of coexistence and partnership, got us through the hard times and made the trip such a unique and fantastic experience.   I made strong friendships with so many students with whom I seemed to have nothing in common, apart from the experience of the Ruta.   My best friends were from Haiti, Peru, Slovenia, Colombia and Costa Rica.   We all learned to discard our prejudices and superficialities and connected with our peers on a closer level than we ever had before.

In Panama we lived with the native Embera tribe, sailed the Panama Canal and retraced the steps Fray Thomas de Berlanga took in 1547 on the Camino de Cruces.   In the Spanish section we were received by the king Juan Carlos I, slept in the open air in the ruins of a medieval castle and climbed mountains.   Ultimately what made the Ruta Quetzal so special was the people I spent 6 weeks with; each of them has left an impression on me that will last my lifetime.

Jessica, Year 13