Academy-Run Spring Break Trips
Most Exonians typically view spring break as a time to catch up on sleep and relax before the oncoming storm of papers, tests and all other stresses of the final term of the year. Thirty brave students, however, traded in a few hours of sleep this break to participate in special trips offered by Exeter and led by a group of professional tour guides. One group participated in a ten day trip to India, which allowed the participants to engage in the culture and history of the South Asian country, while another group instead flew to Utah to experience a rural eight day camping and hiking trip in the extensive canyons.
On Mar. 8, a select group of students and teachers who had demonstrated an interest in the study of Indian history, religion and culture arrived in Delhi, where they would be spending the next ten days immersed in the history and culture of the national capital of India. In Delhi, they spent many days visiting museums and different places of worship. Some of the biggest sights the group saw were the Taj Mahal, Itimad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb, the site where Gandhi was martyred and even the president’s house.
“This trip has pushed me far out of my comfort zone and has allowed me to understand people, culture and religion in a new light.”
The students also enjoyed visiting educational sites such as Deer Park, the Archeological Survey of India Museum, Tibetan University and the Gandhakuti Temple. The students even got some hands-on experience with India’s culture. While in Varanasi, the visiting Exonians saw and talked with working silk weavers.
One of the greatest aspects of the trips for many students was the opportunity to see India’s balance of beautiful landscape and poverty-stricken areas. During its stay in Varanasi, the group took a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges River. This was one of the most memorable moments of the trip for some students, such as upper Olivia Reed. She described the moment as a time when she really “appreciated beauty in the midst of seeming grime.”
During their ten days in India, the students noticed the stark differences between the Indian culture and the culture in the United States. They were exposed to raw India in ways that photos could never express. Some students, like upper Thomas Chou, began the trip expecting it to be a solely academic experience, but also ended up learning more about themselves and others throughout the trip.
“This trip has pushed me far out of my comfort zone and has allowed me to understand people, culture and religion in a new light,” Chou said. “It was amazing to see such stark beauty in unexpected ways, in contrast to our comfortable westernized ideals and standards.”
Chou went on to explain some of the concepts he learned from some of the poorer parts of India. He was amazed by the strong appreciation even people living in the slums felt for their lives. India helped him redefine his meanings of happiness and success.
“Seeing those who lived in villages genuinely happy and satisfied made these abstract concepts feel simple and attainable, rather than something I should search and pine for for the rest of my life,” Chou said.
While one group was enjoying learning about another culture and country in South Asia, another body of Exonians was still in the U.S. learning about themselves and each other.
Stunning mountaintop views, unpolluted skies full of bright stars and intense, yet immersing, hikes through the desert were all large aspects of the spring break backpacking trip through Utah. After exams ended the last day of winter term, 13 students boarded an airplane to commence their journey away from civilization and into the canyons of Utah, where they would spend their first week of break.
For this group of hikers, each day began around seven, when the group woke up to begin cooking breakfast and taking down the campsite. After breakfast, they divided the gear, packed their bags and planned their route for the afternoon. They then spent the rest of the day hiking through various terrains and swimming through cold puddles of water in order to arrive at the next campsite.
Finally, the group reached their destination around 8 p.m. They spent the evening feasting on cheese tortillas and lying out by the campfire before resting for the night in their frosted sleeping bags.
For many of the students, one of the greatest aspects of the trip was the unique set of events and challenges they encountered throughout the typical day. Lower Aili Desai described the course as “challenging on so many different levels [on which she had] never been challenged.” For her, the trip proved to be a valuable experience as it forced her to overcome many different obstacles like shuffling across skinny ledges or trekking up steep slopes.
Tough terrain and heavy backpacks were not the only new aspects of the trip. Many of the participants were unfamiliar with the other students in their group at the start, or only knew them on a small talk basis. However, as the trip went on, the group grew closer to each other then they first expected. Upper Michaela Streep saw this as the “beauty of the trip” and commented on her experiences.
“You really got to see everybody’s true colors and how they handle stressful situations,” Streep said. “As we faced many challenges together, I really got to know some of them much better and grew closer to them.”
Lower Gwendolyn Wallace agreed with Streep. She recalled one moment in which the group was experiencing a difficult day and could not find the entrance to one of the canyons. Before they could climb in, they ended up lowering packs down a rope onto a different level of the canyon walls, a task that took a full two hours. While normally one would expect this task to grow boring, the group broke into “Sweet Caroline,” in an effort to stay entertained. This proved to be a great bonding moment which Wallace believes “definitely boosted the team morale.”
Alone time, nevertheless, became just as valuable for students on the trip as time spent with their friends. The canyons of Utah are an area with much less pollution than towns such as Exeter and have a lot more space for plants and wildlife. Lower John Ragone described the “silence” of Utah as one of the great experiences of the trip and feels much more in touch with nature now, as well as de-stressed after a long winter term.
“There was a solo day that we had where they would drop you off alone in one of the deepest canyons of the trip and leave you there for the day,” Ragone explained. “It was a really neat experience because Utah is a very quiet place, so it became a really a peaceful day where I spent a lot of time thinking and relaxing.”
After over a week of new, exciting adventures, parting was no easy feat for the people on both the India and Utah trips. Upper Nick Madamidola, who went on the India trip, said the end felt like a “double-edged sword,” as he was excited to go back to Exeter, but knew he would really miss India.
“It was exciting to come back here and apply my new perspectives and knowledge from the trip,” Madamidola said. “At the same time though, it was really hard to say goodbye to our tour guides and to India.”