Japan
A large group of 19 students—six on travel scholarships—took a 10-day trip to Japan last May, led by Professor Jeff Dykhuizen and Emeritus Professor Jacob Vanhouten.
Prior to the trip, students took the Encountering Japan course in which they were exposed to cultural norms and values, history, religions, basic Japanese phrases and how to write their names in katakana.
“If there is one thing that I can take away from this trip, it is that I want to encourage others to become fluent in Japanese,” shares Lena Leslie, travel scholarship recipient. “Being able to talk to others is a beautiful gift that I have realized is often taken for granted.”
Throughout their time in Japan, they experienced various modes of transportation from the bullet train to the subway. The students toured temples and shrines and visited cultural and natural sites across the country. The group also dedicated 1,000 handmade origami cranes to the Children’s Peace Monument found in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. This special project paid homage to the story of 12-year-old Sadako Sasaki who, after radiation exposure, folded 1,000 paper cranes with hopes of being cured of leukemia.
“Everybody needs to visit the peace park,” shares Trent Urban, travel scholarship recipient. “The memorial focuses on spreading the message of harmony with others, yet they do not hide the tragic history of what took place.”
Many of the students noted that it was a “world-opening” experience and expressed a desire not only to return to Japan one day, but to experience other cultures too.
“I want to do something like this again in my life, whether that be going back to
Japan or to a new country. I never imagined that I would enjoy traveling outside of
the United States,” admits Brenden Holsinger, travel scholarship recipient.
“I hope to use this experience to help encourage others to go on a trip as spectacular
as I did.”
Sydney, Australia
Kindra Manial, a welding engineering student and a travel scholarship recipient, is on a 19-week stay in Sydney, Australia. She is spending a semester at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney and completing an internship with Luminescent Light Emitting Agricultural Film (LLEAF).
Just two weeks into her trip, Kindra shared her excitement for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Her semester at UNSW Sydney began on August 4 and her first day at LLEAF was August 7. Upon her arrival, she took a two-hour walk with her new roommate exploring shops and taking in the unique architecture before ending at the Sydney Opera House. “The structures are massive artworks of incredible design and engineering—I am inspired,” expresses Kindra. “These designs are someone’s magnum opus, and I cannot wait for my day to come.”
