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Welcome
to our 2006 Odyssey journal.
(updated 3/16/06)
This experience has been one that will
never be forgotten. It has helped me grow even though I did not know
anyone before I left, I can see the changes it has made on others
as well. I can only hope that anybody who is thinking about studying
abroad can get the chance...it is the chance of a lifetime.
...Callie Meyer
A HUGE thanks to EVERYONE that made the European
Odyssey possible...to my family for supporting me ALL the time,
Jenna and Karli for all of their assistance, to Dr. Minniear, Dr.
Deegen, Dr. Alberts and Dr. Rivers for their help in being over here
and their knowledge ...! Thank you EVERYONE !! I hope you all know
how greatly appreciated you are and how much this program means !
Thanks !!
....a fan !
While in Scotland, I really enjoyed the friendly people
and the beautiful countryside. The hills around Edinburgh (like Arthur's
Seat) are really fun to climb and they give you a spectacular view
of the city. By visiting Edinburgh while learning about its culture,
I realized how interrelated the British monarchy was with the Scottish.
...Jessie Malcolm
While the Odyssey offers a wonderful chance
for you to travel around Europe, several free weekends also provide
opportunities to travel to other cities / countries...like Ireland
or the Netherlands for minimal cost. I can definitely say I am getting
the most out of this program.
...Lilly Hoffman
Staying in Germany has been amazing!! So often
when studying history, the focus is on faraway places and times.
Now, the places we are learning about are here and the past is
still very much alive. The destruction of the war and the division
caused by the wall are still very visible. Seeing everything first
hand gives it all a new sense of importance and gives me a greater
sense of understanding....Tera Morris...
So far, Germany is amazing ! I love having my own
room and internet 24 / 7. I have been learning a lot through classes
and by being out in the city (Berlin).
....Samantha Baldwin
All of the classes we are taking are very informational
but being over here and seeing things as we learn is something I had
only dreamed of !
If you have considered
venturing on the European Odyssey in upcoming years, know
that your participation in this program will not only serve as the
experience of a lifetime, but it will change all future experiences
for the rest of your life. The European Odyssey has taught
me more about other cultures and more about myself than any other
event in my life. It is the opportunity you have been waiting for.
....Ashley Joy Mayer
The history in Berlin is immense, and the understanding
of the incredible past of Germany since WWII makes me really think
about where I come from. America--our country literally saved Western
Europe, and West Germany and Berlin in particular, with the Marshall
Plan, and the Berlin Airlift in the years following WWII. Our soldiers
gave hope to a people who otherwise faced living a life completely
without freedom, and to those trapped in the communist system, we
bought prisoners to freedom, and instantly rescued fleeing refugees
from Eastern Europe. Our presidents were respected by the masses,
and people looked towards the United States as a beacon of hope
and freedom. It more than saddens me that this positive outlook
towards the US has all but disappeared in the rest of the world.
People now look at America as the aggressor, and the idiot. While
the rest of the civilized world is growing up and getting ready
to take their turn again as leaders in the World, America is losing
the respect and the influence that our country once had, and is
instead appearing as something to be laughed at, and the American
people, pitied. It is so important for Americans to realize the
impact that we have had, and could have again in the world for the
good, but also to understand what our country is seen as now. It
is when you come to see the world perspective, that you internalize
the importance of making a difference.
.... Larissa Kokko...
You really get a personal connection to the history
of places when you are learning about it in the country where
it has happened. I have learned a lot of history from studying
abroad and I think I will always remember it because of being
here. I really like seeing and meeting new people from different
parts of the world.
Traveling takes a lot out of you, but it also
gives you a lot. Go on European Odyssey... you will not regret
it!
.....Melissa Helt
Paris was a wild and crazy three weeks of heaven
for some and not so much for others. Oxford was a blast of relaxation
and cool down. Edinburgh was the city of Harry Potter and Edinburgh
Castle. Berlin is now a big mystery full of snow and classes but
we brought to it a fun snowball fight with some local 10-12 year
olds. In Berlin time has slowed down. I wanted to stay in Paris,
Oxford, and then Edinburgh but all of a sudden we left and now
that we have a month in Berlin after moving three times, it seems
longer but our stay is much cozier than craming into a room with
6 - 8 others and living out of a suitcase. Snow is falling in
the big city of Berlin that was once sarparated by a wall 100
miles long. Now only a few feet of the original is entact. It
amazing that it survived the mass demonstrations that happen in
1989 and 1990.
....Katie Sullivan
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