This summer’s Global Studies trips presented students with three different ways to engage their curiosity and seek new perspectives across the world exploring history, culture, and the environment. As they spent their days exploring and learning, in the evenings students were responsible for collaborating on a blog to distill their experiences and contemplate questions raised by their exploration.
One group toured the Mediterranean nations of Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia. The trip focused on the many ways these nations and their citizens—though geographically close together—have been united, divided, and influenced throughout ancient and recent history. “A theme of this trip has been being travelers instead of tourists,” shared the students in their blog, noting how whenever possible they interacted with locals on a personal level, using most of their free time to explore and meet people.
Another group immersed itself in the culture and history of Montreal and Quebec City. More than just an opportunity to practice their Frech in a unique setting, the students also visited the Wendake Reserve where they learned about cultures and traditions from members of the Huron-Wendat First Nation and an exhibit on Inuit art at Musée National des Beaux Arts de Québec. "Viewing this collection was a peaceful way to understand the impact of their art in honoring and maintaining their lifestyle,” the students shared in their blog, “as well as critically investigating their contemporary role as First Nations in Canada.
The final group travelled to the high slopes of the Andorran Pyrenees to contribute to environmental science fieldwork. The students hiked through the wilderness with local researchers from Earthwatch. They installed and monitored scientific equipment and catalogued and tagged local wildlife, all with the goal of tracking the effects of climate change on plants and animals in the region. “Today we experienced firsthand how challenging field research can be,” they shared in a blog post, “but we quickly adapted like true Flintridge Prep students.”