PEA Leads Spring Break Trips
Exonians participated in a myriad of different explorations and gained unique experiences through their travels during the Academy’s spring break trips. Some hiked through the untouched wilderness of Utah, coming face to face with antiquated petroglyphs in musty caves. Students who went to China ate eclectic foods and toured some of the nation’s most prominent monuments with a Chinese guide. Others grappled with differing historical narratives while taking in the vibrant sights of Cuba, experiencing a nation unlike any other. The Coachella Valley music trip allowed Exonians to sing to bright-eyed children, relish the satisfying crunch of fresh lettuce they picked themselves, and bike through the Coachella valley desert in full bloom. In India, Exonians played jump-rope with children in Calcutta and meditated in the vast farming lands of Shantiniketan.
“It definitely made you improve your listening and speaking skills. And it gave you that firsthand experience of being in another culture and learning their values as well as learning more about the interesting sights.”
During spring break, Exeter offers many opportunities for students to travel the globe. This year, trips were offered to Cuba, India, China, Utah and California. For some, these trips provided a chance to reside in a community they had never experienced before. Others enriched their knowledge of a culture that they had studied and debated about at the Harkness table for many years. Most students simply craved the chance to embrace an unknown culture. These spring break trips allowed students to step out of the Exeter bubble, learn things about their peers that they had never known and delve into a situation that was totally foreign to them.
Whether immersed in the fascinating history of Cuba while inside countless museums, or talking to elementary school teachers in the seaside town of Trinidad, the travellers to Cuba were crossing paths with distinctive aspects of Cuban culture that they had never seen before. While on the trip, upper Ethan Malila gained knowledge from the Cubans he met. “From the Cubans I spoke with I gained a completely different viewpoint on life,” he said. “It was definitely an enriching experience.” From dancing with Cubans outside in the dusk, to visiting Ernest Hemingway’s home, Exonians were totally immersed in the Cuban experience.
Students in China traveled across the nation, taking in the culture and building Chinese language experience. When they walked along the Great Wall, the Exonians were led by tour guides who only spoke Chinese. This allowed senior Dylan Cotter to utilize his studies of the Chinese language in real time. “It definitely made you improve your listening and speaking skills. And it gave you that firsthand experience of being in another culture and learning their values as well as learning more about the interesting sights.”
When exploring China, the group went to many markets and restaurants. “My favorite part were the night markets, particularly the one in Xi'an,” upper Michael Garcia said. “The night markets were bustling streets where there were tens of food vendors packed in. They were always lit up with colorful neon signs and bustling with people.” Each student who participated in the trip had the opportunity to try new things, from learning kung fu to tasting unique foods. According to Cotter, what made the China trip so special was that “it gives you that broad experience of learning that language and also just experiencing a culture that you’re not necessarily used to and experiencing it.”
In California, when they weren’t bike-riding through the blooming foliage of the desert, the students of choir and chamber orchestra performed pieces they had been working on while on campus. They played their music for date farmers they had worked with, men and women who resided in homeless shelters and young kindergarteners. Through their music, Exonians made an impact on the communities they visited. “At the homeless shelter, people started crying,” prep Meili Gupta said. “And they were just really happy that we went there. I think that was really impactful for me, too.”
Sitting with their hands atop their knees, concentrating on their breathing, the Exonians in India learned how to meditate. Their guide taught them lyrics to songs and mindfulness strategies throughout their trip. “I definitely bonded with our guide, Shantum Seth,” upper Emily Cardenas said of their guide. “He asked me a lot of really weird questions... He asked me, am I seeing India with my eyes, or with my heart. He also had us do daily meditations, and I think he made me see things not just at face value—to think deeper, and relate it to my own life, and that was really powerful.”
Upper Kate Fitzpatrick had a similar experience with the guide when he taught the group a song that brought some students to tears as they awaited their departure from India. “It went something like, I’m letting you go because we are free. Humans are free beings but I will always have a piece of you in my soul. It was really sweet and really sentimental,” Fitzpatrick said.
Like the students in India, the backpackers in Utah also formed deep bonds with their certified NOLS guides. Led by the NOLS instructors, the students in Utah tramped through tightly packed dirt over the bright red rocks that lined their trail. Upper Auden Barbour found that the intense hiking trip forced her out of her daily routine. “It was the most relaxing trip I’ve ever taken because although you are always camping and moving and exposed to the elements, you are totally removed from daily life,” she said. “No phones, radio or media. The total removal from your daily life allows you to really enjoy the incredibly gorgeous landscape you are living in and get a better understanding of what it means to live simply and how rewarding it can be to do that.”
The students in Utah not only experienced the wilderness they trekked through, they also learned skills on how to thrive in the environment they were in. “We learned all kinds of different tricks, like telling the time from the sun, and how to start a fire with just sticks,” upper Hans Fotta said.
The students’ broad travels throughout the world introduced them to new experiences that affected each of them profoundly. For many students, the trips introduced fresh perspectives to life that they will continue to carry with them at Exeter.