This summer, several of our bros did some pretty amazing things. Here is a little glimpse of what happened during the sunniest months of the year:
Hope PS: This summer I lived in Jerusalem, Israel for two months volunteering in a pre-school. While I was there I explored my home city a lot, made many new friends, and travelled around the country a loooot! Some places I went to are Tel Aviv, the Golan Heights, Eilat, Sderot (right on the border of Gaza), Hebron (in the West Bank), Haifa, Tzfat, Jaffo and more! It was amazing and I learned a ton!
Christine Hur: I had an internship at the red cross for about 20 hours a week and worked at ben and jerry's for 25-35 hours a week. I also volunteered at hospice. I applied to 15 different schools with the majority of them being in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, or Wisconsin. I'm attaching a picture of me sleeping as I attempted to do med school applications (if we want to make it funny :P).
Arlene Go: Just stayed in ann arbor for spring term, first spring term ever! It was amazing seeing our campus in such gorgeous weather everyday and being able to spend time outside which is not too common throughout the normal school year. In July I went to China through the GIEU program for about a month. It was for an internship regarding transportation safety, which seems a little strange considering my majors are Neuroscience and Spanish, but it was the best experience! I loved every second of my trip and grew so close with my group. We stayed in home stays in Tianjin, a hotel in Beijing, and after the 4 week internship a couple of the group members and I made an extra stop in Shanghai. Shanghai was definitely my favorite city of the three and China all in all was truly an unforgettable experience. I met so many great people from all over the world! After China, since I was just in the neighborhood, I visited my family in the Philippines. It was great to reunite with some relatives who I haven't gotten to see in so long or even met ever. The islands were beautiful and I had a very relaxing two weeks there with family. This past summer was probably the most eventful four months I've ever had and leaves me with so many great memories and stories to tell. I loved the vacation but am excited to be back at school in the city I love most. Plus football season and pumpkin spice lattes aren't too dreadful. :) GO BLUE!
Alex Melidis: Summing up five weeks in Greece into three hundred words is nearly impossible, but summing it up into one word is rather simple: Life-changing. I hadn’t been to Greece in seven years, and being that my dad is a Greek immigrant with a lot of family over there, it was high time we made the trip. CYA was the perfect excuse for my dad and I to take off of work and go back to the old country. There is really no beginning or end to the list of things that I experienced while in Greece, but for the sake of those who are unable to go, this is for you.
We started in Athens, and being the troublesome kids that we are, my friend and I went to the riots. There were people shouting in every language, many feelings of anger and betrayal, and yet there was a unifying force that brought all of the people together. We drank lots of frappe, went to the Acropolis, took lots of pictures, shopped in the center of the city, ate all the traditional Greek food you can think of, and before we knew it we were leaving for Paros.
Life on the island is different. Life is slow, food is as fresh as possible, and everyone is homemade. Our class was intensive, but we always found time to go to the beach, or take a bus to the port city for a night out. We traveled to new islands every weekend: Ios, Naxos, Syros. We climbed Mt. Zas, picked oregano from it, met amazing people, lived slow, and lived well.
For anyone interested in studying abroad, I don’t care if you have to sell your dog or your house, just GO. You won’t regret it, but you’ll never be the same.
Kerith Asma: These are a couple from my 2 week trip to Scotland in May. It was through GCC (Global Course Connections)--aka it was a baby study abroad trip.
Mike Wu: Spent time abroad!
Liz Deschaine: 1 - Benefit concert held by UNHCR, who I worked for during a 3 month stay in Madrid, Spain
2 - Taking a nap during The Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. All the hostels are booked so we had to sleep in a park.
3 - I met up with my U of M neighbors in Barcelona for a weekend.
4- I did a lot of traveling around Spain on my own. This is inside the Moorish palace which is part of Alhambra in Granada.
5 - I spent a weekend in Porto, Portugal... where I tried some *very* interesting food.
Teague Simoncic: I started off my summer with a visit to see my best friend in Buckeye Nation, then I spent my days working in my lab and at the mall and watching True Blood with my nice boyfriend and new feline housemate. I also went to northern Michigan/camped for the first time, and took a family trip to Ireland!
Thanks for reading!
-PSP Beta Alpha <3
