As the school year returns, as do the students; however, as changed and developed people. Older and almost new members of society that many have yet to learn about. The lessons and experiences students learn over summer, to even the minor details, affect their adult selves. Summit’s own students have recently embarked on an array of exciting international trips. These journeys have provided them with invaluable life experiences, a broader understanding of diverse cultures, and memories that will affect the way they see the world altogether.
Freshman Suham Alhamad went back to her birthplace, Basra, Iraq, to learn about and reconnect with her heritage. Alhamad said her favorite thing about being back was being able to experience everyday life with loved ones.
“The thing is, the family I was around were mostly people I haven’t seen in years, or people I have never met. Which is already weird to think about that there are all these people related to me that my parents have memories and history with that I didn’t even know existed. I just miss waking up with them everyday and dancing and singing with them every night even when there was nothing to celebrate,” Alhamad said.
Learning about different lifestyles of people around the world is crucial to appreciate the diversity and richness of the globe.
Sophomore, Isabel Daun enjoyed seeing French culture first hand on her three week Europe trip and is interested in visiting again.
“I would definitely go again because it was really beautiful and cool. I also take French so it was nice to see their culture and hear them talk everywhere I go. They had so many nice beaches and buildings. Communicating was hard but since I take French it made getting around a little easier. But they also had English translations with a lot of things so it was nice, it made it easier. But whenever we would go places that didn’t have that, it was definitely harder for people to understand us,” Daun said.
Along with acknowledging others’ day-to-day life, it’s also important to learn about other communities; how people coexist, their social standards, etc.. in order to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences, values, and perspective, learning about other communities broadens worldview. Junior Cameron Gibbs agrees and said his summer trip to Nepal was able to open his eyes to these concepts.
“Everyone there was really nice, more than people are here. Looking back I realized I was kind of closed off from the world but the trip really made me see how other people live outside of my bubble,” Gibbs said.