Around the World in 14 Days
From palling with penguins in South Africa to sampling gelato in Rome, selected Exonians spent their spring breaks traversing the world by taking part in the Academy’s spring break travel programs.
Coordinated by Director of Global Initiatives Eimer Page, Exeter offers these unique travel opportunities to Exonians wishing to further their studies in a specific subject or explore a new landscape. These programs occur during fall, spring and summer breaks. Over spring break, students attended programs in Utah, South Africa, Rome and Gettysburg. Originally, the school offered a program in Cuba, but it was cancelled due to a safety concern raised by the State Department. The remaining trips chose ten to fifteen participants based on a selective application process.
On March 2, a large rainstorm hit New England, causing hundreds of flights departing from Boston Logan Airport to be delayed or cancelled. Following several days of delays, the trips could finally depart, and students were on their way to backpack under the stars in Utah, explore historical monuments of the American Civil War in Gettysburg, observe the lions and elephants in South Africa or examine the ancient monuments of Rome.
In South Africa, students explored the natural habitat of Cape Town while learning about the country’s history and socializing with the locals. Initially applying to explore South African history, lower Janalie Cobb was surprised to discover the cultural complexity that she found on the trip. Her most vivid memory of the program was of baboons walking along with locals on the sidewalks. “The development of both culture and tradition here is extremely interesting and complicated. [The program has] taught me that you cannot simplify down culture to something easily comprehensible, and you shouldn’t really want to,” she said.
In addition to the fascinating sights found in South Africa, the trip also shed light on the struggles of the native people after the apartheid. Although the system of segregation was abolished during the early 1990s, the effects of the event could still be seen around them. “We found great insight and inspiration from what we saw of the struggle of living through apartheid and the decades of living since then,” Math Instructor Kevin Bartkovich said.
Back in the United States, students went to Utah for a backpacking expedition led by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). They spent nine days in the canyons of southern Utah, hiking over six miles each day. Throughout the program, Exonians were challenged to learn how to navigate and survive in the wilderness only using supplies from their backpack. To make the excursion harder, students were stripped of all sources of technology while on the trip. As most Exonians are constantly trying to balance their academics, clubs and social life, the program gave students a moment to pause, take a break from stress and introduce a different lifestyle that many of them had not experienced before. “The opportunity to zone out from technology for a week and to be able to sleep outside under the stars themselves was just so thrilling,” said lower Smaiyl Makyshov.
On a different side of the world, the study tour in Rome was one of the trips most affected by the storm. After missing almost three days due to a cancelled flight, the students were able to catch up with almost all the missed activities, examining ancient monuments and thinking critically about their historical and literary context. However, for upper and classics student Ingrid Bergill, seeing the monuments was only a small part of what made the trip special. “I’ve gotten a lot closer with the people on the trip, which I think has been the most valuable part,” she said.
Unlike the other programs, the Gettysburg trip was exclusively offered to students who were enrolled in the Exeter Innovations Course on Digital Humanities. Students in the course were given the opportunity to spend eight days in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and expand their knowledge of the American Civil War. For senior Harry Saunders, the trip was one of the activities he was most looking forward to after choosing Digital Humanities as one of his courses. “The trip got us out of the classroom and helped us gain a new understanding of the toils of research browsing through pension records at the National Archives,” he said.
The students not only enjoyed their travels to a foreign place, but gained a new understanding of topics they had previously discussed around the Harkness table. Cobb expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to learn away from school. “Coming from an underprivileged background and never really having had the opportunity to travel before, the chance to go anywhere is something that I don’t want to pass up,” she said. “Simply put, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.”