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Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: How has your global awareness been broadened by your international travel experience? |
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Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: Please describe what receiving this scholarship means to you: |
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Kelly Suzanne Howard |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: The next day we visited Accademia dell'Arte del Disegno where we got to see the original sculpture of David. The four incomplete works of Michelangelo also were housed there. After leaving Florence, we went to Verona. While in Verona, we saw Juliet's balcony and her bronze statue. We also saw the Little Colosseum that is used modern day for plays. We then traveled to Venice and arrived just in time to have a fun night walking on the beach just up the road from our hotel. We enjoyed the best gelato in Italy (per our taste-testing) and some wine on the beach before calling it a night. The next day, we went to the main island of Venice. We saw a glass-making demonstration, the Doges Palace, and St. Mark's. I was also happy to be able to see the first library in the world, Biblioteca Marciana. Our last night in Italy was spent on the beach enjoying pizza and wine at sunset with the wonderful friends I had made on the trip, and of course one last big helping of gelato! What did you gain personally through your international travel experience? |
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Ellen Miller University of Indianapolis Sigma Omicron |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: How do you envision incorporating this experience into your future classroom and/or school? Please describe what receiving this scholarship means to you: |
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Lindsey Hohner The College of Saint Elizabeth Alpha Alpha Mu |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: Fireworks were exploding over my head as I walked across the powdery sand of Surfer’s Paradise, a very common place for all tourists and Australians to visit on a holiday (and this particular holiday was the Queen’s birthday). Though this beautiful spot was known for spectacular waves, I chose to visit the rainforest for the day. This was the highlight of my entire journey. Kangaroos and wallabies jumped around our four-wheel-drive bus, kookaburras sang in the trees, and koalas hid so well we never spotted a single one. After learning about plants, animals, and deadly in the rainforest, we headed to the mountains for a lesson in boomerang-throwing and whip-cracking. At the top of the mountain, the most spectacular view took my breath away, and all I could do was stare off into the distance. After this two-week experience, my cultural and natural knowledge of Australia expanded. These memorable moments will stay with me so that I may share them with others and encourage them to travel abroad to become more culturally aware of our world. How has your global awareness been broadened by your international travel experience? |
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Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: On the Australian Adventure, I was able to travel up the entire east coast of Australia. The trip began in the interestingly energetic city of Sydney where we traveled around an area known as The Rocks. While in Sydney, we saw many interesting sights and we even saw people playing didgeridoos on the streets. We went to the top of the Sydney Tower and visited an opal factory, where we learned about Australia’s famous gemstone. We went on a tour of the beautiful and majestic Sydney Opera House and took a cruise around both Sydney Harbor and Darling Harbor. We ran into exotic creatures such as koalas and kangaroos at Sydney Wildlife World, as well. After a stay at the coastal resort town of Coffs Harbor, we traveled on to Cape Byron, the most easterly point of Australia. Then, we went to a resort town on the Gold Coast called Surfers Paradise. Here, we went on a subtropical rainforest tour where we even saw a waterfall. We also visited O’Reilly’s Guest House and had the chance to feed many exotic birds by hand. My favorite part of the trip was our stay on Fraser Island. This is the world’s largest sand island, home of the gorgeous Lake McKenzie. While on the island, we embarked on a four-wheel drive excursion and walked along the Wanggoolba Creek. While in Rockhampton, we went to the Koorana Crocodile Farm for a crocodile meat dinner. It really does taste like chicken! Then we toured the crocs at night by looking for their red eyes with flashlights. We also went on a full-day Whitsunday Island cruise. During our stay at the Whitsunday Islands, we stayed at a tropical resort on Long Island. This island was also one of my favorites because we saw wild wallabies and dingoes up close and personal. Our final stop was at Cairns. Here, we went on a Barrier Reef Cruise where were able to snorkel and take semi-submersible boat rides. We also took a train ride up to Kuranda and descended via Skyrail. After traveling atop the rainforest canopy, we went to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Center to learn more about the aboriginal culture. How do you envision incorporating this experience into your future classroom and/or school? I am so excited to teach my students about Australia’s history, culture, rainforests, wildlife, and aboriginals. While in Australia, I was able to take hundreds of photographs that I can use to supplement my lessons. I even learned many of Australia’s popular songs such as the National Anthem and Waltzing Matilda. I made sure to get a copy of the lyrics so I could teach the words to my students. I saw so much of Australia that I will be able to describe the various geographical areas in great detail to my students. I also collected several maps that I can incorporate into my future lessons. Furthermore, I brought back such items as boomerangs, koalas, postcards, opals, and even more that I can use to make the Australian culture come alive before my students’ eyes. I am in the process of creating a scrapbook that documents my entire experience, as well. |
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Alicia Whitaker Ouachita Baptist University Theta Omega Chapter |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: Through Kappa Delta Pi and EF Tours, I had the opportunity to travel to three different countries in Europe. Austria, Italy, and France, though closely linked geographically, were each unique in their cultural aspects, offering wonderful experiences. After arriving in Austria, I toured Vienna, Salzburg, and Innsbruck. Each city had a different appeal, but most exciting to me was Vienna, the city of music. As a future music teacher, I was very excited about all the rich music history found there. I enjoyed walking the same streets that many famous composers walked years ago, and I also toured the apartment where Mozart spent much of his career as a composer. An evening of live music composed by Strauss and Mozart, performed by a Viennese orchestra, opera artists, and ballet dancers was perhaps what most brought the experience of this city to life for me! As I enjoyed the music, I could just imagine what it was like for patrons of history who attended similar concerts. Salzburg and Innsbruck provided breathtaking mountain scenery, a smaller community atmosphere, and delightful shops and buildings. I enjoyed an overnight stay in the Alps, where I awoke to crisp mountain air and a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Traveling by bus to Italy brought views of the landscape covered in green vineyards and many old brick houses, painting a picture in my mind of the tastes of Italy. In this beautiful country, I visited Venice and Florence. Each city was accentuated with tall, historic buildings, standing strong along the streets. I enjoyed imagining the stories from each building's past. San Marc's Cathedral in Venice was very tall, and as I stood in the square, it was hard to believe I was seeing a picture from my music history texts come to life. Florence brought many beautiful works of art including Michelangelo's David, accompanied by the sounds of cathedral bells ringing through the city each hour. The overnight train ride to my last destination, Paris, was a new experience for me. It felt a little like an adventure, fitting luggage and six people into a small sleeping car, but I enjoyed the laughter and memories from the ride. I felt like I had reached home when I arrived in Paris. Studying the French language in school assisted me in translating signs, menus, and some conversations. I enjoyed using this familiar language. The city was filled with history and opportunity at each corner. Not only did I climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visit the Louvre, and stroll down Champs-Elysées, I also enjoyed a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. This cathedral provided one of the highlights of my time in Paris. Its beautiful stained glass windows, carved pictures of stories from the Bible, and the open space inside once again gave life to a picture of history in my mind. A choir was singing inside the cathedral, and the echo of their beautiful sacred melodies is still ringing in my memory. Traveling in Europe was an amazing experience for me. I was very fortunate to visit not one, but three countries. I enjoyed the sights and sounds, foods, people, and culture of each place. My heart is set on returning in the future to experience even more of this great continent! What did you gain personally through your international travel experience? Though I traveled internationally before this trip, I feel as though each learning experience is different. My opportunities to travel have opened my eyes to new cultures and an appreciation for the people of each country I have visited. However, my trip to Europe brought a much more historical perspective to life for me. Each country, Austria, Italy, and France, offered rich stories of the past. I particularly enjoyed learning about music history firsthand, seeing stories and pictures from texts in person. I feel I gained an appreciation for the study of music history and the importance of sharing this knowledge with my students in the future. |
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Michelle Caffrey Westfield State College Iota Iota Chapter |
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Joy Oguntimein DePauw University Xi Eta Chapter |
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Julia Cook |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: As part of my scholarship, I was able to travel to China. While in China, I visited many different cities, including Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Shen Zhen, and Hong Kong. The focus of the trip was Business in China, so I was able to learn and experience business life in Chinese culture. In doing so, I was able to begin to grasp what aspects of business make China truly unique. I also gained a better understanding of what makes American business different. In addition to learning about working conditions, benefits, and the hierarchy of major businesses, I was able to see some of the most famous sites of China. These sites included the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Jin Mao Tower, city markets, a pearl factory, a silk factory, Terra Cotta Soldiers, cityscapes, and of course the new Olympic buildings, just to name a few. The 12 days I spent in China were jammed full of excitement, learning, sightseeing, new friendships, and broadening horizons. Through this experience, I feel that I gained a better understanding, as cliché as it sounds, of myself, my country, and the world I live in. I feel as though I was awakened to a whole new dimension of the globe that I really did not know about, and the possibilities now seem endless! What did you gain personally through your international travel experience? Traveling alone, as I did in this case, can seem scary at first, but for me it turned out to be quite beneficial and exciting! I was able to forge many new friendships with others on the tour and hopefully make connections that will last a lifetime. Any time you step outside of your comfort zone, you discover a little bit more of who you are. As this was my first time in Asia, China proved very different from anywhere that I have ever been before. I was very impressed as China seemed to have maintained much of its unique culture, despite growing commercialism and consumerism in the world. China is also very much set apart from the western world, specifically the U.S., being that it is a communist country and primarily atheist. Buddhism was very prominent in the country, much like Christianity is in the U.S., and seeing a different religion being practiced was humbling. I think many times Americans, being so isolated from much of the world, forget that our way is not the only way. So seeing different practices was very enlightening for me. I was constantly being reminded of how different my culture is from theirs, by eating rice at every meal, using chopsticks, hearing Chinese, and seeing obvious different physical characteristics; yet, ultimately I walked away really understanding that we are all people who share many commonalities. What are your future plans in education and how did this scholarship aid in the achievement of these plans? I just graduated from the University of Indianapolis with my degree in Elementary Education. Next year, I will be headed to Paris, France, where I will be teaching English at a French school for 9 months. I am very excited, although nervous too, about this great opportunity. Going on this trip convinced me that I can make the jump to step beyond my own comforts and experience something great and different. I met others on the trip that were making plans to live internationally, if they had not already, and this convinced me that I had to take advantage of the opportunity I have to go to Paris! I cannot wait to see what else I can learn about the world and in the process myself. |
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Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: The trip I had the pleasure of taking was to both London and Paris. I was accompanied by my mother and sister. It would be impossible to recount all of the things that we did but I will include a few highlights. While in London we toured the city, ate at a traditional Indian restaurant, visited Stratford and Oxford, saw Buckingham Palace and The Changing of the Guard, climbed Tower Bridge, saw a play at the Globe Theater, went on a Charles Dickens guided tour, attended a musical performance at St. Martins in the Fields, visited Harrod’s department store, saw the royal homes, rode the tube numerous miles, and walked over 50 miles. We also enjoyed many other activities, but to describe all of them would be impossible. Paris was equally exciting as we climbed the Eiffel Tower, toured the Seine, visited the Louvre, saw the Mona Lisa, walked the Champs-Elysees, observed the Arc de Triumph, ate at a traditional French restaurant, toured Fontainebleau, explored the dark corners of the Royal Opera House, and much more. The experience was indescribable and the memories timeless. What did you gain personally through your international travel experience?: I have always dreamed of traveling to Europe but never really believed it would happen. As was said earlier, it would be impossible to truly describe this experience. I gained much through my travels this summer. For instance, I realized that no matter how many pictures you look at, how much research you do, or how many books you read, nothing can fully prepare you for the experience of spending time in a different culture. This was especially apparent as we traveled in France. I had never before spent time in a country where the primary language was not English and this experience certainly made me more sympathetic towards those who live in our country, even though their primary language is not English. I also learned that while traveling in a foreign country can sometimes be stressful and uncomfortable, it is not as scary as it may seem. Perhaps the greatest lesson learned through this experience was a better understanding of how big the world really is. As our world shrinks through advances in technology, it becomes easy to think we’re all the same. The falsity of this became increasingly obvious as the trip went on. All cultures are different, even if they share common ties such as language. These travels have not begun to quench my thirst to see the world but have rather deepened it. |
| Allison Zolad Michigan State University Epsilon Kappa Chapter |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: I traveled to London, England and Paris, France. While there, I
visited many major cultural sites. I had a chance to see the Roman
Baths, Big Ben, Stonehenge, the Tate Museum of Modern Art, Chateaus
in the Loire Valley, and so much more. One of the greatest highlights
of my trip was seeing Monet's "Water Lilies" at the Tate
Museum. Pictures don't do this piece of work justice; it is something
everyone should see at least once in their lives. Through discussions with locals and immersing myself in the foreign media, I gained insights into the French and English educational systems. I found huge differences between their systems and U.S. education, particularly in terms of nationalization, public versus private education, the curricular structure, holidays, and standardized testing. I plan on further researching foreign education and becoming an advocate of educational reform in the U.S. by incorporating facets of successful characteristics of foreign education systems. What are your future plans in education and how did this scholarship aid in the achievement of these plans? As an educator, I would like to be able to meet the needs and interests of each individual student. It will be impossible to do this without an understanding of my students' familial and cultural backgrounds. Because I was given the opportunity to visit foreign countries, I have a better understanding of cultural differences. This will be particularly useful if I have students who began school in other countries and thus are accustomed to a different teaching style and educational format. Without receiving this scholarship, my travel experience would still be very limited. I have now taken the first step in immersing myself in other cultures. The experience has given me motivation to continue to travel and explore other cultures. |
| Daniel Dalton Purdue University Eta Chapter |
Please describe where you traveled, your activities and projects during the trip, and the highlights of the experience: During my EF Tours trip I traveled throughout Peru and examined several different sites that contained remains of the great Incan society in that country. Our travels included visits to the ruins at Sacsayhuaman Fortress, Ollantaytambo, and Machu Picchu among others. I was also able to visit a Peruvian market and ride a raft on the Urubamba River. The tour gave me an appreciation for the wide variety of landscapes, both physical and cultural, that exist within Peru by traveling between three distinct areas—at sea level in Lima, high in the mountains at Cusco, and in the cloud forest surrounding Machu Picchu. The biggest highlight of this trip for me was taking a sunrise hike on Wynapicchu, the mountain overlooking the Machu Picchu ruins, with several members from my tour group. How has your global awareness been broadened by your international travel experience? This international travel experience helped to give me an understanding of the cultural differences as well as universals that exist within societies that developed following European colonialism. Spain's influence in Peru can be seen in the architecture, food, language, educational system, etc. However, the native influence in Peru continues to exist in the cultural traditions of the country. This contrasts with the United States in that we have also adopted many of the European traditions of our ancestors, but have lost much of the native culture and tradition that existed prior to colonization. Moving forward as an educator, this is something I hope to convey to my students in an effective way. |
