WE MUST UNITE, NOT DIVIDE!
KEY WEST HIGH SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL CLUB MARCHED AS PART OF THE WOMAN'S MARCH ON JANUARY 21st 2017!
SUMMER IN SLOVAKIA
Chris and his family went to Slovakia this summer to visit his aunts uncles and grandparents. "I moved to the United States when I was really young. I really appreciate the chance to go back to visit my family every few summers. It means a lot to me to learn more and more about my family's customs and traditions."
AYSE FOUND BEAUTY IN CAMBODIA!
"I FELT AT HOME IN CAMBODIA. THE PEOPLE WERE GENEROUS AND KIND. TOTAL STRANGERS WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE ME FEEL COMFORTABLE AND WELCOME. THE FOOD WAS FANTASTIC! IT WAS FRESH AND FLAVORFUL! I ESPECIALLY LOVED THE COCONUT CURRY CATFISH! YUM! I CANT WAIT TO GO BACK!"
Matthew's Adventure to Argentina
Matthew Chun was able to experience the beauty and culture of argentina this summer. he enjoyed the andes, white water rafting, historic cities and the warmth of the people!
My Journey To South Africa as an Leadership Ambassador
High Selective Fully Funded Leadership Program
The Experiment In International Living Institute
Gavin Willis
If it was not for the generosity and confidence that The Experiment on International Living provided me, this type of trip would have been far out of reach. Thank you EIL and Take Stock in Children, for giving my life purpose. It is now my turn to give back!
WATCH THE VIDEO OF MY JOURNEY
HERE ARE SOME PICTURES FROM GAVIN'S 2015 TRIP TO CHINA WITH THE EXPERIMENT IN INTERNATIONAL LIVING PROGRAM. AS YOU CAN SEE, GAVIN HAD AN EXCITING EXPERIENCE. CHECK OUT AN ESSAY HER WROTE AFTER THE TRIP. IT IS BELOW THE PHOTOS.
Changing in China
By: Gavin Willis
“Um, excuse me my mom wants to talk to you.” As I handed the phone over to a total stranger I was wondered if I would ever make it to China, the beautiful country I had always dreamed of visiting. Let me explain. Flying out of Key West sounds convenient. Well, sounding convenient is very different than being convenient. I used to welcome our afternoon thunderstorms, as it brought cool air to our islands, but never realized that these could cause serious problems and possibly ruin my long awaited trip. What I have learned is, that flights are like dominoes. When one flight is late, you can miss connection after connection. You see when my flight from Key West to Orlando was delayed I realized that catching my connection to San Francisco was no longer possible. As time passed and as the airline agents made attempts to reroute me, getting to my hotel, meeting my group by 8:00 am, and even catching my flight to China at noon became more and more bleak, especially since most of the needed flights were full.
I don’t know how it happened, but I ended up in the Los Angeles airport at 2:00 am. The plan was to get me as far west as possible and hope for the best. To be honest, I had never traveled alone before and being in a random airport in the middle of the night was rather unsettling, especially since my next flight was not totally confirmed. I had no idea where to go, what would happen, or where I was going to spend the night. All I knew is that I HAD to try to get on the 6:00 am flight to San Francisco, if I were going to actually make this trip of a lifetime. I was on-standby and I needed a miracle. Plus I was worried that they would make me leave the airport, and wouldn’t let me sit inside through the night. Of course my overprotective mother called me as soon as I landed. That’s when she demanded that find the nearest airline gate agent, and hand her my cell phone phone. “Um, excuse me my mom wants to talk to you.”
The smiling woman with kind eyes, hesitantly took the phone from me, and my mom explained my situation. From that moment on, things changed. It was no longer, IF I would catch the plane and make it to China, but WHEN I would catch the plane and make it to China. The generous and compassionate gate agent found me a roll-a-way cot and a clean blanket. She gave me a bottle water and sense of ease. She told me to get some sleep on the cot, and assured me that she would wake me up before the flight, and get me on that plane. Well, as promised, she had taken care of everything and put me on the 6:00 am flight. I was able to meet my group, just in time to go through security at the San Francisco airport. I had made it!
Meeting my Experiment in International Living group, and the long flight to China was somewhat of a blur. I hadn’t slept for more than two hours, and I was a bit fuzzy. But I remembered feeling relieved that I was in right place, and finally with my group and group leaders. I’ll skip the part about our flight from Shanghai to Beijing being canceled, as that was nothing, compared to what I had just experienced. I was surrounded by new EIL friends and had arrived in the exciting country of China. Although I had quite an adventure getting there, my real adventure was about to begin.
Exploring Beijing was one of the many highlights of my time in China. From the Forbidden City, to the Temple of Heaven to Tiananmen Square, to Great Wall, I found Beijing memorizing, grand and full of great history. Shanghai was the same. The city was full of spirit! We attended a Chinese circus where we watched acrobats, women riding motorcycles in what looked like hamster wheels, and men swinging from curtains while dancing. We ate street food, including beetles and scorpions on sticks, which tasted rather salty. We shopped in open-air markets and haggled with vendors over gifts for our families. I discussed both Chinese and American politics with my group leaders, and came to understand the oppression brought forth from Chinese communist government. I connected with my fellow Experiment comrades, and made friendships that will last a lifetime.
Although my time in Shanghai and Beijing was thrilling and memorable, there was something missing deep down in my heart. I struggled with the fact that I couldn’t call home, or access the social media sites, I had planned to use to call my family. Was I homesick? As the youngest in my own family, I didn’t realize at the time, that the only thing that would fill the void I was feeling, was being part of a loving family. Leave it to the Experiment to thoughtfully plan homestays for their students. I was lucky to placed with a warm hard working family in the city of Guiyang. My homestay parents were kind and generous. Like my own mother, my homestay mom was overprotective, and always insisted I eat, eat, eat! When I had a pounding headache she rubbed my temples, and took care of me. When she learned that I loved banana milk, she went out of her way to buy me extra when we ran out. As a whole family, with my host-brother and host-father, we played cards together, went out to dinner together and enjoyed family time. These moments were the most memorable and made me fall in love with China and it’s people.
Time has passed since my trip, I have had time to make sense of the whirlwind adventure I had the opportunity to participate in. This trip has allowed me to grow and change so much. I can now look back and realize that being stranded in an airport in the middle of the night has made me more independent and determined. Exploring the big cities, visiting historical sites, and tasting new foods has made me value diversity and appreciate traditions and cultures from around the world. Struggling to find Wi-Fi and being blocked from social media in a communist country has made me appreciate the freedom we have in the United States, but yet feel compassion for those who remain oppressed. The connection I made with my homestay family made me realize that we are all the same regardless of where we are born and live. We all have the identical deep need to be cared for, safe and accepted.
In closing, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Take Stock in Children, the Monroe County Education Foundation and the Experiment in International living programs. Without them, I never would have been able to take part in such a transformative life-changing program. Their support and trust in me, to make a impact with what I have learned, will never be forgotten.
