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A Summer Abroad is a Summer to Remember

By Hilary Goldstein

     For a teenager, summertime provides incredible potential for adventure, opportunity, and sometimes, boredom. Having a full and open three months is a welcome luxury for those now stuck in the working world – perhaps free summers are truly wasted on the young. But why waste your summer at the local watering hole, when you could be lying on a beach in Southern Spain, having a rich and memorable cultural experience to boot? For those studious enough not to need summer school, and fortunate enough not to have to work – the summer provides unbounded time to explore the world.

     Existing programs run the gamut between more educational experiences aimed at helping a community in need to trips designed to for the adventure enthusiast bent on having a more experience driven trip. You can find opportunities to trek the Himalayan Mountains, build houses in Bulgaria, brush up on Spanish in Guatemala, explore the birth of modern culture in Greece, or perform theater in London. And for those worried about the costs, many programs offer scholarships or financial aid packages. A summer abroad program is an opportunity to safely explore horizons beyond the backyard. And they have other benefits as well. These excursions also provide the perfect fodder to demonstrate independence, leadership, community spirit, and maturity in a college application essay. What a great way to answer a question about a significant life experience!

     Many parents wouldn’t jump at the chance to see their child run off alone on some backpacking excursion through Europe, or a more exotic locale. Fear not though, a slew of programs exist which offer an organized trip to see the world. A summer abroad program is one summertime option that can provide a truly life altering experience!

     As the coordinator for an international summer camp program for high school youth, I’ve seen first-hand the extraordinary affect these programs have had on the participants. I’ve witnessed teenagers, only recently strangers to one another, pushing and helping each other mount physical challenges. I’ve seen their faces tired but content after hours in the hot sun working on a playground construction project for village children. I’ve watched young people become hesitant and shy when cautiously meeting their homestay families. A few short weeks later, they are crying and clinging to their “adopted” families while bidding their last farewells. Though they never managed to easily overcome the language barrier, they learned to communicate love and friendship on another level – most often assisted by gregarious hand movements. Few preparatory exercises exist better suited to safely exploring independence and freedom than a summer abroad program. I have always been impressed by the evaluation letters of parents as they describe the mature, confident children that returned after an amazing summer experience. Really though, I think the parents were probably the most impressed!

     Hilary Goldstein is the Program Coordinator of Greek Summer, a program in which American teenagers travel to Greece, live in a rural village, complete a needed community service project and travel through the ancient and scenic sights of the country.

Excerpt from Becca Levin’s college application essay:

     "Like a good omen in a fortune cookie, I was selected along with 25 other international teens by the American Farm School to design and construct a children’s playground in the small village of Filotia. The Greek culture served me platefuls of love, kindness, and heartfelt smiles. Their words of “Fi Fi” (“eat, eat”)…symbolized more than merely eating food. It was a metaphor for how Greeks live their lives. The Greek philosophy of plunging into the joy of life and trying to live life to the fullest was contagious. I seized the opportunity to challenge myself by climbing Mt. Olympus. Though the assent was steep and treacherous, I knew that this was an experience that might never again present itself to me. So I climbed. Six hours and two thousand nine hundred and eighteen meters later, I witnessed a full moon rise on the top of Mount Olympus. I was the highest person in Greece and I was proud. I sat at the top of the mountain and realized that I had taken one of the biggest possible bites out of Greece. I was breathing in the air of the gods, which inspired within me a more intense appetite for life.

     I wanted to stay on Mount Olympus forever, but soon it was time to start down. As I left the summit, I realized that a different girl was walking down the mountain than had climbed up it. The hike up Mount Olympus was the sweet dessert following a delicious six week banquet. The meal was one I will never forget. I had learned to chew through difficulties, to feast upon new experiences, and to savor life."

     -Becca Levin Greek Summer ‘04