From ancient ruins to sleek skyscrapers, this past summer saw the Anderson Chinese and Latin programs broaden their horizons through international adventure and exploration.
The Latin Club’s trip, led by Latin teacher Mr. Ellis, took students through Italy and Croatia, visiting cities such as Milan, Venice, Split, and Dubrovnik. They had the opportunity to experience architectural wonders such as the Duomo of Milan and the Verona theater, but also spent time simply immersing themselves in the amazing food, language, and culture of the cities they visited. One Latin student, junior Tiernan Hunt, describes the immersion as, “fascinating with my brain trying to differentiate all these [different languages].” However, he also felt as if he “wasn’t in on a joke that everyone else seemed to get.”
Although communication created obstacles for the Latin students, senior George Lawrence felt that freedom allowed the club to “really tailor [the trip] to how you want to experience Italy.” Specifically, he recalls an afternoon following a museum tour in Venice (while it was pouring rain!) spent “running around an ancient city, exploring it in [their] own way without any restrictions.”
Halfway around the world, the Chinese club was also facing precipitation problems, as their trip took them to the beautiful island of Taiwan, which sees an annual 102 inches of rain. When asked, one student simply said, “You always had to bring your umbrella. End of story.”
As opposed to the Latin trip, which visited a multitude of different cities, the Taiwan trip only visited three: the metropolis of Taipei, a small fishing town called Hualian, and the inspiration for the movie Spirited Away, Jiiufen. Similar to the Latin trip, they also faced communication conflicts. Part of the Chinese trip included an Amazing Race-esque challenge every day, where groups had to use paper maps, public transportation, and the kindness of strangers to get to their destination as quickly as possible. While this task was by no means easy, senior Ella Gilliam said she was “pleasantly surprised at the level of communication I was able to do with my Chinese and charade skills.”
After the challenges however, the day would be spent touring some of the amazing landmarks in Taiwan, such as Taipei 101, the 10th tallest skyscraper in the world, and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, a national monument honoring the former President of Taiwan. Outside of this, because Taiwan lies on the edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate and has abundant rainfall, it is home to vibrant and bewitching mountains and hikes. For many, the best parts of the trip were the days spent at Taroko and Yangmingshan National Park. One senior, Nell Frackowiak, recalls how she loved “the suspension bridges and hiking to the top of mountains.” However, that isn’t to say the beauty of Italy and Croatia was any less breathtaking. Junior Josh Florey remembers the “crystal clear” waters of Dubrovnik where flashlights would make “the water [turn] emerald green.”
Undeniably, these two different trips in two completely different parts of the world varied greatly. However, from heated Uno games in Croatian hotels to late-night chats in Taiwanese hostels, the success of both trips was in part contingent on the strong friendships between the traveling students. Friendships that were shaped in the confines of school were allowed to grow and strengthen outside of it, with Florey stating one of his favorite parts of the trip was “the relationships that [he] was able to build.” Mostly, they both led to memories that will last a lifetime, with senior Kendall Meachum describing Taiwan as, “one of the greatest experiences of my life,” and Alissa Laves saying nothing more than, “I would go back in a heartbeat.”