A group of eight Harrington Sound Primary School students recently returned to Bermuda from a cultural trip which sent them to live abroad with host families in Mexico City.

The group left the Island last month on a trip set up by the International School Student Programme with Physical Education teacher and sole chaperone Anne Marie Hines to live with various host families for two weeks.

Their aim was to gain knowledge about the Mexican culture and history and to expose Bermudian students to the experience of living in a country with a different culture and another language and way of life.

What they experienced was beyond what the students had ever expected in a foreign country.

"Hola!'' Samantha Brown, 11, demonstrated a bit of Spanish to The Royal Gazette . And "como estas?'' she said.

While the students were on their visit they continued their regular lessons with Ms Hines at a school called La Paz, which means "peace'' in Spanish.

he pupils ventured to Xochimilco southeast of Mexico City for a day. And they also visited many other interesting sites including amusement parks, restaurants, and the zoo where they spotted a strange looking white tiger.

Later in the week they watched an erupting volcano.

"I loved it!,'' 11-year-old Shaunae James said of the trip.

The students told The Royal Gazette that Mexico City's climate was similar to Bermuda's in March. And they described their favourite foods which were tacos, enchilladas, and tortillas. They also gave presentations in Mexico City about Bermudian history and culture from topics about Bermuda's interesting places and hotels and information about the Island's beaches, flowers and birds.

"There are ten pesos in every dollar,'' 11-year-old Terrence Daniels said.

"It is the pupils' wishes that they can visit overseas again in the hopes of finding another interesting destination.

As a reciprocal part of the programme, eight Mexican students and their teacher have been taking classes at Harrington Sound since the beginning of April. The 12-year-olds communicate well in English and, like their counterparts, have stayed with local families to improve their skill.

exican chaperone and teacher Leonor Rios said Bermuda was very different from the clamour and bustle of Mexico city and its nearly 20 million inhabitants.

And both she and the children have been impressed by Bermuda's beauty, friendliness and slower pace of life. While here they enjoyed numerous field trips around the Island and, according to Principal Beverley Daniels, "just fit right in'' with the other students.

But they were a little disappointed that the weather was not always warm enough to go swimming.

They are scheduled to leave tomorrow.

Photos by Ras Mykkal and Arthur Bean Sonrian! Mexican students, above, were fascinated with St. George's Mayor Lois Perinchief and the Old Towne during a recent visit. The group, who left the Island yesterday, came here as part of an exchange programme with Harrington Sound Primary School. Above right: Harrington Sound Primary students had plenty to smile about after spending two weeks in Mexico City. Pictured in front row, from left, are Terrence Daniels, 11, Clyde Darrell, 11, Trey Brown, 10, and Arion Mapp, 10. At top row, from left, are Shaune James, Samantha Brown, Elise Johnston, and Zulema Burchall, all 11 years old.