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Each semester more than 350 students choose to stydy abroad at one of six international locations. These travel experiences transform the way they view themselves, their faith, their neighbors and the world we all share. Whether they're snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, ordering gelato while speaking Italian or exploring the British Museum, they develop confidence and gain skills in critical thinking and cultural literacy. Traveling with dear friends and trusted faculty mentors helps create the adventure of a lifetime. Enjoy this collection of student photos and reflections on valuable cultural experiences and lessons learned along the way.
By Keely Chandler, nursing major, Spring 2023
On the day we went to the Vatican, my group spent the morning sightseeing in Rome. It was a beautiful day, and we shopped at an outdoor market before grabbing some pizza and hopping on a bus to meet everyone else at 2 p.m. We waited outside for a while and then went inside to get our headsets for the tour. We were all able to go our own ways, but my boyfriend, Jackson, and I like to stay together because we want to enjoy every piece of art we see.
Van Gogh’s Pieta was surprisingly one of my favorite pieces. In all the other art galleries, we saw a lot of other works of Mary holding the crucified Jesus, but Van Gogh made this popular image his own with color. This tiny canvas was tucked away in the back of the museum, so many people skipped it, but I sat and looked at it for 20 minutes before having to peel myself away. Another piece I found extraordinary was Michelangelo’s The Laocoon, which depicts the story of Laocoon and his sons being attacked by Athena’s snakes for interfering with the Trojan horse. I had to weave my way through the crowd to get close to the sculpture, and the agony and sadness on Laocoons’ face are so clear. You can see that he knew he had doomed his sons to this terrible death.
When we got to the end of the museum, the last thing we had to see was Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, but we realized that no one from HUF was around because we had already been there for four hours. The guards said the museum was closing, so we ran into the chapel, but only five minutes later they started kicking people out. I stood there as long as I could until someone had to ask me to leave because I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Tears started rolling down my face because I knew it would be a long time before I could return to this masterful piece of art.
When we left, Jackson and I went to a pizza place to just sit and reflect on all that we had seen before taking a bus back to the hotel. I still cannot believe I got to stand only five feet from these astonishing pieces of art, and that is something I will be grateful for forever.
by Theo Westbrook, Bible and ministry major, Fall 2022
The most valuable gift I received from my time at HUG was being immersed in others’ stories. We were scheduled to visit the Temple of Edfu, a site hidden between cramped buildings, dirt streets and trash heaps. It was practically impossible for any tour buses to operate within the city, but local vendors solved this problem by offering carriage rides from the river to the temple. Around 4 a.m. we were chauffeured to the sacred site where we beat the crowds and enjoyed ancient architecture, but my favorite memory from that day was what happened after our visit to Edfu.
When we left, it was close to 7 a.m. Our carriage driver was in his teens, spoke no English and was covered in dirt. I sat cramped next to our director and one other, the three of us being jostled by roads made of dirt and trash. All around us buildings were falling apart. The corpses of cars laid on street corners, and piles of trash overflowed from the dumpsters into the streets. Amidst it all were not sad people with crying faces but happy people laughing and smiling. They lived in the kind of conditions that would spark international aid, and many of the tourists were revolted by what they saw. However, the people of Edfu were capable of happiness despite their lack of abundance and abundance of lack. Watching them made me genuinely jealous. In America many are burdened with a dangerous affluence. It steals our ability to be grateful, see others and love life. I don’t want everyone to live on dirt streets or in crumbling buildings, but if people who do can learn to be joyful, we can, too.
by Ally Murphy, biochemistry major, Fall 2022
I remember the exact outfit I was wearing that day: a green and orange flowery skirt with a pale green shirt. It was hot that day, but it was always hot in Thailand. We rode to the church in the backs of trucks lined with vinyl seats, and by the time we got there, I could feel sweat dripping down the backs of my knees. The church building was more like an apartment — no fancy stained glass windows or a steeple, just four concrete walls. We had to take off our shoes before we could go inside, and the room was small with light from the windows illuminating everything in a faint yellow. We settled into squeaky plastic chairs, and I remember feeling like we were being watched. We whispered amongst ourselves, anxious about being in an unfamiliar environment and feeling the pressure to conduct ourselves correctly.
As the service started, the local missionary welcomed our group and explained he would be translating the service for us. I remember being disappointed that most of the beauty and nuance in the message would probably be lost in translation. As worship began, the projector switched to the lyrics of the song, and only the title was in English: “He Leadeth Me.” It was a song I had grown up singing out of a blue hymn book in my grandfather's church. The left side of the screen displayed the lyrics in Thai, and the right side had phonetic syllables to show what the Thai words should sound like. The tempo was a little awkward, and I kept trying to sing the syllables at the same time as the English words I knew. Some of my phonetic translations weren’t right either, but by the time we got to the chorus, the rest of the group had started singing, too.
I remember thinking that this was the closest I would ever be to experiencing the scene from Acts 2 as the apostles were filled with the Spirit and communicated the gospel to a crowd with various native languages. The walls between our cultures were stripped away note by note. I was barefoot. I was wearing a skirt. I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I was still worshiping the same God, singing the same songs and experiencing the same Spirit-filled moment. I’m sure one day I will forget what I was wearing, the VBS crafts and the squeaky chairs, but I know I will never forget the feeling of transcending cultural boundaries as we sang from our hearts alongside the people of Thailand.
by Hunter Corker, interdisciplinary studies major, Fall 2022
One of the most memorable cultural experiences I had while studying abroad was the night a musical group of Sicilians came to the villa in Florence, Italy. They played instruments and sang a few songs, and then they taught us Sicilian dances for one of the songs. The music was so joyful, and the dances were a group effort with many moving parts. It was fun to learn even though we messed up many times. There were many people at the villa besides the HUE group, which was fun but packed the classroom space full. It was warm, and we were all sweating by the end of the night. The music was very upbeat but different from what I had ever heard before because of the fast pace and Italian singing. This was one of the best nights of the whole semester. I really enjoyed learning from different cultures, and it helped broaden my worldview.
by Ta'Mya Jones, elementary education major, Fall 2022
When I met the students at Nawianga Mission for the first time, I could tell that they were pretty nervous. As soon as I greeted them, they began to open up and ask us questions about America. It was great to see their responses and hear the intriguing questions they asked. I felt a sense of love and peace that was difficult to describe. You just had to be there to see their beautiful smiles. They were so respectful and engaging in conversation. As a future teacher, I was excited to see kids with excellent manners and undeniable love. I remember thinking there was no way these kids could be so young.
One little girl asked if I could be her “play mom.” I was so honored even though I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I soon realized I just needed to continue being intentional in building a relationship with her. She was so sweet, and I hope to meet her again one day.
Even a year later, I still communicate with a few of them. They are always so excited to hear from me, and it warms my heart to know that we still share that bond of love more than 8,000 miles apart.
by Halina Hunt, accounting major, Spring 2023
It was a crisp morning as we woke up in the gracious homes of Quechua families. When we had arrived the day before, we knew only that it might be cold, and we would have to rely on the little Spanish we knew to communicate. I don’t think we understood how special it would be to spend 24 hours with these families. Even though our first languages did not match, we still felt connected through the warm meals they so kindly served us and the smiles we shared. Of course, there were some uncomfortable moments not knowing how to communicate, but that made it more special. Their homes were filled with the smells of meals made with love from recipes that had been passed down through many generations.
On our first day they led us through the city of Coporaque down to the river accompanied by the local dogs, of course. On our short walk we saw the grand beauty Colca Valley offers surrounded by green pastures filled with tall grass and cows and horses roaming the land. It was truly breathtaking, and I wanted to take in everything I saw, smelled and felt.
The next day we learned so much about hospitality and the value of community through the breakfast we got to enjoy because of the early morning labor of our house mom. We had fresh bread with butter, a traditional quinoa drink and fruit. Later they taught us how they share with their community. Their culture is less focused on money, and instead they share and take care of one another. We milked cows, picked lima beans, and dug up purple potatoes. Then we ventured over to some open land as the men used a traditional method of cooking with the heat of the earth. We relaxed in the sun and played with baby llamas and alpacas. When lunch was ready, we all gathered around and ate together. We just enjoyed each other’s presence as they took the time to serve all 28 students and teach us the wisdom of their way of life.
It was an opportunity to slow down and recognize that there is so much diversity in the world. They choose to live in community and sacrifice for one another. They loved us even though we did not know much about their culture or lives or even their language.
