Students, staff travel worldwide during summer

Anne Dong, Forum Editor • August 11, 2023

Sophomore Natalie Chan in London and Paris

Sophomore Natalie Chan poses at Arc de Triomphe (Photo courtesy of Natalie Chan)

“I loved seeing the beautiful and intricate architecture in London and Paris.”

“My mom and I were big fans of Monet’s and Renoir’s art growing up, so it was amazing to see their original pieces in person.”

Science teacher Mark Brassey in Costa Rica

Science teacher Mark Brassey and his son walk along a beach in Nosara

“We went to one place called Nosara, which is on the Pacific coast. It was about 100 kilometers from the airport, but it took us four hours to drive there (because) the roads were pretty bad. We had to cross rivers in the Jeep we had and we were in (a) four-wheel drive a lot of the time, so it was a pretty remote (area). But when we got there, it had a really distinct local culture.”

“(There was a) very slow lifestyle. No one was in a hurry to do anything, so it was very calming.”

Sophomore Roy Lao in Beaverton, Oregon

Sophomore Roy Lao visits a rose garden. (Photo courtesy of Roy Lao)

Lao went to Oregon for a diving competition with the Santa Clara Diving Club

“(The Tillamook Cheese Factory) was really cool … there were these big windows where you could see them making cheese.”

“We went to a big rose garden. It was huge and just all color. It smelled nice and there were really fat squirrels. They were not scared (of us) — they just sat there eating, (which was) really funny.”

Senior Chania Rene-Corail in New Haven, Connecticut

Senior Chania Rene-Corail sits in her Yale dorm room. (Photo courtesy of Chania Rene-Corail)

Rene-Corail participated in the Young Global Scholars program at Yale University

“(The highlight) was definitely being able to live on campus. The school is really gorgeous. I didn’t expect it to be that nice.”

“I was in a specific program about international relations, and we had some group projects where we tried to solve one main global challenge. Other than that, we also had something called ‘family time,’ which was meant to help us meet more people in the program.”

Junior Olivia Lu in Japan and Korea

Junior Olivia Lu feeds deer in a local deer park. (Photo courtesy of Olivia Lu)

“I went to this deer park in Nara, Japan, and we got to feed them. I also went to a mountain where you would climb all the way to the top. There was a monkey park there too, so I got to play with the monkeys. There were a lot of cute animals everywhere.”

“Japan was one of my favorite trips, but something I would have liked to do more is going to more smaller towns and explore the culture there instead of going shopping.”

P.E teacher Amy Anderson in St. Lucia

P.E. teacher Amy Anderson teaches locals to swim in the pool. (Photo courtesy of Amy Anderson)

“A lot of people on the island could not swim… And so the women that worked (at the villa) brought their children and grandchildren, and one of the women actually got in the pool with us too. We taught her, her two girls and a couple of the other family members of one of the other women (to swim and be water-safe).”

“This (vacation) was very restorative. My body felt good because we were so active and my heart felt full because I was with my friends. My mind felt very clear and very present, and it was wonderful to get to know a different culture.”