This month, the BEF Board was thrilled to hear from BHS Spanish teacher Erica O’Mahony about her recent trip to Colombia. Erica’s grant, entitled “Cartagena: Afro-Latino History and Culture in Colombia,” took her to Cartagena over April vacation. She took many tours while there, having prepared for her trip with extensive research into the history of African enslaved people, freed slaves, and the communities they built in and around Cartagena during the nineteenth century, both in cooperation with white Creoles and Indians, and in isolation. She interviewed many local people, recorded examples of local Afro-Latino language, art, and dance, and returned to BHS “inspired, energized, and grateful” for the opportunity to have engaged in this experience. She plans to infuse her curriculum at all three levels of Spanish instruction with materials gleaned from her trip, including music, literature, and history. She is also planning to write a second YA novella for students at the 8th grade level using Cartagena as a backdrop (her first one was for high school students and took place in the Amazon jungle). Thank you so much, Erica!