An Overview of Middlesex Spring Break Trips

School trips kicked off during spring break as Middlesex brought students traveling to the UK, Taipei, and Panama.

UK

Over seven days, students embarked on an adventure in England, exploring the culture, arts, and foods. They watched a total of 8 shows just in a week. Each show was a revelation that contributed to their unique experiences in the UK. For Sixing Wang ‘26, his favorite show was “The Motive and the Cue,” a show that is dedicated to theater, exploring a story of a really famous celebrity and a really famous director arguing over how to play Hamlet. Sixing described the show as powerful and captivating. The pinnacle of all the amazing shows was an extraordinary opportunity where the audience and the actors were in extreme proximity, allowing the students to immerse in a unique and unprecedented experience. Besides enjoying the shows, students also went to art museums, Shakespeare's birthplace, and of course eating UK’s famous Fish and Chips. When going to Oxford, the students got to explore one of the oldest colleges which was the original place where Harry Potter was filmed. 

Taipei

Simultaneously, another group of students traveled to Taipei. Students delved into exploring Taiwanese culture. They went to the National Palace Museum - a huge museum with many Chinese artifacts -  the Confucius temple, and an old alley in Taipei, where there were many dry herbs that are used in medicine and spices. In a tea place, students learned how to prepare the tea, sieve properly, and master tea rituals. They also enjoyed the delicious hot pot and dim sum place. Katherine Deng ‘26 shared that they got to taste chocolate soup dumplings, which were, not surprisingly, not good. Out of every activity, Katherine believed their experience with the kids from Yangmei Municipal High School was the most memorable experience. Middlesex students were paired up with a buddy from bilingual classes who took them to explore the whole day with tons of activities. They did art together, played sports, learned taekwondo and jiu jitsu, and did some very cool science experiments that the Taipei students took months to complete. They made DIY Go-Karts that go on solar energy and had lots of fun doing drift racing. Katherine appreciated so much the hospitality of the Taiwan students and Yangmei Municipal High’s dedication to preparing for this extraordinary interaction, from science experiments to cultural exchange. Middlesex students made lots of friends from this adventure.

Panama

In Panama, the trip began with the group of students trekking to the Ancon Hills. Their exploration took them to the highest point in Panama to view the skyline and encountered the amazing nature, seeing six sloths, two toucans, and many small monkeys! They nearly traveled and explored everything by boat ride, sightseeing to many islands and enjoying the pretty and clear water. There were many mangroves along the islands and in the middle of the sea. Devon Coyle ‘24 shared that her favorite part of the trip was snorkeling. They first had their swim test and then started their snorkeling journey, visiting many different reef areas. They got to explore the reef-protected areas, noticing the difference as there were more fishes and brightly colored reefs. They also went up to the mangroves, taking a very close look at the roots of the mangroves. On a small island, they visited an indigenous chocolate farm. The people there showed each step of how to make chocolate and gave the Middlesex students a meal that was everything made by them from scratch. They used their own harvested rice, bananas, vegetables, and chicken—even the bowl was made of a plant shell. Devon had tons of cherishing memories and loved the trip so much that she would love to travel to Panama again

Middlesex students had lots of fun during the Spring Break, immersing themselves in exploring diverse cultures across the globe, from the theaters of England, the refreshing tea of Taipei, and the crystal clear ocean of Panama. 

Moran Liu