A Los Angeles Times story over the weekend mentioned Punahou and Sacred Hearts among an increasing number of schools that are sending students to far-off places during spring break. The trips are not just opportunities for those who can afford it to practice their French verbs, however. The excursions combine cultural learning and language studies with community service projects.

The Punahou-Sacred Hearts group’s blog about their 2007 spring break trip has some cool photos from Vietnam. On the trip this year, students can earn up to 14 hours of community service credit for providing stuffed animals, clothing and medical supplies to two Vietnamese orphanages.

Unfortunately, seeing/saving the world is expensive: The families of students at the private Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Ore. shelled out a whopping $3,385 per student to give them the rare opportunity to deliver 500 lbs. of school supplies, flash drives, music players, sports equipment and medical supplies, including HIV-AIDS antivirals, to Cuba.

Hopefully they were grateful — the Cuban recipients AND the students.

I would love to see more opportunities afforded locally to students who, because they may not have the means, have never considered a trip to countries like Germany or Guatemala. More than the community service aspect, going abroad can help students immensely, especially those at the high school level. This is especially true for Hawaii high school students who may have lived “on the rock” their entire lives.

One of the best experiences of my life up until this point was my semester abroad in China. Being in a culture and environment that was foreign, and at many times incredibly uncomfortable, got me to see past some of the more petty problems plaguing me at the time and helped me to put life in perspective.

Especially for high school and college students, it is easy to get absorbed in and weighed down by personal issues. I’m a big believer in the concept of “uncomfortable learning,” and going abroad, or at least throwing yourself into an experience that is totally different and strange, can have invaluable benefits.

PHOTO: My friend, Nat, and I atop the Great Wall at Huairou (outside Beijing) freezing our butts off. March, 2005.