Deciding where to spend one’s precious summer days can be daunting. Not everyone has the opportunity to travel, but some Oxnard High School students were fortunate enough to travel beyond California’s borders this past summer.

     OHS Junior Alex Tostado went to San Juan de Los Lagos, Mexico to visit family. “The most interesting thing I did while there, was seeing the town that I originally came from” he said. Besides visiting his hometown, Tostado also went boogie boarding with his cousins.

     While boogie boarding, Tostado encountered marine life. He said he saw something close to him in the water that “looked like a pancake but grey.” The mysterious creature turned out to be a stingray as big as a table said Tostado. “Then it just launched on my back!”

     Some students, such as OHS Junior Gabby Renteria, travelled even further. Renteria went as far as Europe, visiting Paris and Italy for the first time.

     “The thing I enjoyed the most while there was seeing all the diversity,” she said. While in Europe, Renteria spent her time visiting tourist attractions, but said she wants to go back again to “learn about the culture and people.”

     When it came down to comparing the foods, Renteria said “at first I was kind of scared to try new foods so I stuck to pizza and paninis, but I mostly missed the food from home.”

     Staying in the United States, OHS Junior Kayla Koorndyk went to Oahu, Hawaii. Koorndyk’s vacation was packed with outdoor activities such as parasailing, snorkeling, and hiking. “[Parasailing] was very scary because there was a shark swimming beneath us,” she said. Koorndyk and her family had the opportunity to get close to the Great White as they were dipped in the water she added.

     Now that summer is over and autumn is here, it’s time to hit the books. School may be in session, but these world travelers have the next nine months to plan their next summer adventure.