Over the March break, Director of College Placement Slade Mead, and Director of the Gardiner Library and Learning Commons Amy Foster, will lead a group of 21 students on a trip to South Africa. The nine-day adventure, paired with a 2018 Winter Project, is packed with educational exploration, sightseeing adventures, and service-learning. From a visit to Robben Island, tours of several wildlife sanctuaries, hiking, shark caging, and volunteering in a school in the Kurland village, the travelers have a lot to look forward to.
“Taking 21 students to a country so different from our own (they are from 5 different countries themselves!) and so far away is a daunting prospect,” shared Foster. “By pairing the trip with a Winter Project, we have been able to prepare them, and ourselves, with a series of films, books, and discussions about the history and culture of South Africa.” Rounding out the readings and group discussions this week was a Skype session with the trip’s tour director. “Our Skype call brought to light the well-broadcast water shortage we will be experiencing firsthand,” Foster explained. “I think the trip will be taking us all out of our comfort zones, but in a good way! Hopefully we will return appreciating living the way we do, and work to better conserve our own resources!”
Stay tuned for the travel log!