From the streets of Baltimore to the highlands of Japan, Trinity Prep had a global presence this past summer. Our faculty and students explored new places and made once-in-a-lifetime experiences in a diverse set of locations.

GREECE

Avid traveler and history teacher William Milsten took 12 adventurous Trinity students on a trip to Greece. Visiting every other summer, Milsten has been to Greece five times prior to this recent trip and with good reason. Although the economic future of Greece is wavering, the nation’s appeal still remains the same to Milsten.

“Greece is beautiful,” Milsten said. “It’s ​where cobalt skies drink the ocean; it’s where the sun’s rays splinter into a thousand pieces, spraying diamond dust on salt spray.”

In spite of its beauty, Greece’s flora and fauna weren’t the only appealing parts of the trip. According to senior Benjamin Sephton, the food, people and Classical era culture were all very intriguing. After taking a cruise on the Aegean Sea, the group visited Mykonos, Kusadasi, Turkey, Rhodes, Crete, Santorini and Delphi. While recovering from temporary cultural shock, Sephton said he relied on the group’s tour guide, Kyriakos and veteran Greece explorer Mr. Milsten to guide the group.

“Between the stunning views, the incredible food, and the great new friendships formed–especially [with] our lovely, unfailingly spirited guide Kyriakos–my trip to Greece definitely ranks among my best travel experiences,” Sephton said.

According to the vast majority of the vacationing students, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Garnette says her most memorable experience was in Mykonos because she realized the rarity of such beautiful scenery and culture. For some students, the worst part of the trip was hearing their fellow classmates sing; however, as the cliché goes, some experiences weren’t all “fun and games”.

“I lost my phone in Santorini so that was disappointing.  I also got food poisoning three days before we came back, but I mean other than that…” Garnette said.

In retrospect, Garnette said she still had a lot of fun bonding with everyone and seeing Greece’s historical sites and dazzling surroundings. Indeed, every student on the trip took home a ­­­­­­favorite memory from the trip. Reed St. Vincent said his favorite part of the trip was relaxing with his friends on the side of a mountain while enjoying some Greek soda.

Much like Aletha and Reed’s experience, Milsten concludes that the Greece trip is a “trip where TPS students ignite lifetime friendships.”

JAPAN

Fine arts teacher Dawn Ferguson and 16 students went to Japan, also know as the “Land of the Rising Sun.” After a 14-hour flight from San Francisco to Osaka, the group of students touched down in Japan. From the moment they landed, the group was amazed by what they saw.

“The people of Japan were so incredibly kind and friendly,” Ferguson said. “From the food to the people and shrines, Japan continued to awe us throughout our trip.”

Both Ferguson and junior Fernando Neris agreed that Japan is a culturally unique travel destination. The group traveled through Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. Neris said his most memorable experience was in Tokyo where he experienced the country’s true culture. Neris especially enjoyed tasting Japanese beverages and eating typical cuisine. Apart from the cultural aspects, he stated that the trip was a great way to bond with the other students, who he didn’t know at first.

“We were rewarded with experiences we couldn’t have made anywhere else,” Neris said.

Ferguson says that their tour guide frequently let them explore alone, and instead of playing the role of lost foreigners, they learned how to use the subway systems and found streets they couldn’t even pronounce. Interestingly, she welcomed all the cultural differences she encountered with open arms, yielding a unique and enjoyable experience.

“Japan is an amazing country; so completely different from anywhere else I’ve traveled,” Ferguson said. “It’s a culture rich in cultural tradition and art. I really wanted to share my love of this beautiful country with students.”

An avid traveler, Ferguson hopes to return to Japan in the summer of 2018.

BALTIMORE

Junior Jonathan Vuillier visited the world famous city of Baltimore, a historical city acclaimed for its blue crabs and other seafood. Baltimore is home to John Hopkins University (JHU), a private research university. Vuillier visited this alma mater of former President Woodrow Wilson to experience the university’s summer scholar program. The program focuses on recruiting minorities with the goal of improving diversity in medicine and science.

“[The program] was very good, and I learned a lot,” Vuillier said. “There were no bad experiences and best of all, I got to see Baltimore.”

In the program, Vuillier visited the National Institute of Health (NIH), one of the world’s foremost medical research facilities. Also, Vuillier experienced the local cuisine of famous Baltimore seafood with the other 100 summer scholars. As part of the program, he got to see amputated body parts at the NIH and visit a civil war museum; however, another particularly gruesome experience was the most memorable of all.

“We got to see a cadaver lab. It was definitely cool learning about the [anatomy] of the human body,” Vuillier said.

SOUTHEAST ASIA

Photography teacher Ryan Bowden took a group of six students to Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In Cambodia, the group traversed the mountainous terrain while snapping photos at historical sites such as Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world.

“[Angkor Wat] was the heaviest tourist attraction. It’s the place everyone goes to visit,” Bowden said.

According to Bowden, all the countries had their own unique qualities, but Cambodia stood out the most to him. Bowden said Cambodia, the seventh poorest country in Asia, was amazing in terms of the spirit and kindness of its people. The group visited Tonle Sap, the largest lake in Cambodia, where the inhabitants live in bamboo shacks on the lake. They slept in the house of crocodile breeders, right next to the crocodile cages.

“Yeah, that was really cool, Bowden said. “Cambodia is a lot like Florida, in respect to the flat lands [and crocodiles],” Bowden said.

After Cambodia, the group went to Laos. In Laos, they captured very good photos of the beautiful landscape, which will be available to view in the Richman Library. According to the students, one of their most memorable experiences was when they rode through a jungle on elephants; furthermore, the lush green mountains of Laos made it unique when compared to Cambodia.

Departing from Laos, the group left for North Vietnam. After coming off the plane, the students were treated to a blast of Communist propaganda. They went to the burial site of Ho Chi Minh, where they expected to see a skeletal preservation or wax figure of the former revolutionary leader. When they saw the facial hair and Ho Chi Minh in a perfectly preserved state, most of the students were shocked.

Although Bowden has been to Thailand before, he never expected the rest of Southeast Asia to vary so much. Out of all three countries, he found Laos to be the most beautiful and diverse. He hopes to visit either Mongolia or Morocco next summer.

“I definitely want to come back and visit Laos again,” Bowden said.