Yesterday, we visited the University of Pennsylvania’s campus to learn about the history of Iraq and Iran and their historical relationship. We had a lecture from two graduates of the school. The first was a man who spoke about stereotypes of Middle Eastern countries vs. stereotypes about the United States. He also had...
Continue readingThe Wonders of Xi’an: Terracotta Soldiers and Biang Biang Mian
你好！ Today was a eventful day. Sadly it was one of our tour guide’s last day with us. After saying goodbye to Willy at breakfast, we set out to go see the terracotta warriors. We first went to a ceramics shop where workers hand make replicas of terracotta soldiers. They came in many shapes...
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Sevilla, Seen From on High
Today we started later than usual, which is unusual for this trip. Usually we woke up around 6/7 to get ready for breakfast at 8, but today we had the luxury of sleeping in until about 8:30/9. From the hostel we embarked on a walking tour of Sevilla, led by a local named José...
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GYLI: Center for Environmental Transformation
Today was an exciting day. We started out by playing spoons again! While we were playing Blythe spilled hot chocolate all over herself, so we had to work as a team to find her some clothes and to clean up the mess. After Blythe was settled, we went on the bus to Center for...
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La Mezquita de Córdoba
Today we said goodbye to the community of FES. It was very sad and sweet at the same time, and all of us feel that we would not want to trade the experience for the world. Then we headed on the bus towards Córdoba, which took two hours. Once we arrived, we went to...
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Sacred Spaces: Philadelphia Sikh Society and Christ Church
We started the day off bright and early with a bus ride to Upper Darby. We ventured to the Philadelphia Sikh Society and learned about their culture in the Gurdwara Sahib. As a group, we were welcomed with open arms by our friendly Sikh guides. We enjoyed wonderful Indian snacks and after that, we...
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Exploring Asian Art
Yesterday, we visited the Philadelphia Art Museum. We looked at the Asian Art, such as old Alchemist bottles. We experienced what it was like to live in Japan about 100 years ago in the Tea House. Afterwards, we went to a Korean BBQ. We ate delicious food that was very cultural to the region of Korea....
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MFSpanish: Visiting a Bilingual School
Today we helped in a bilingual class of kindergarteners and first graders. They were so cute. It was a lot of fun to talk to them in Spanish. We headed off to Philadelphia to visit Southwark, an elementary school introducing a bilingual program. We helped out with kindergarten and first graders who were doing...
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Xi’an: Ancient History and Dumpling Feasts
Today we woke up early in the morning. We got out of bed all packed and ready to go at 7 am. We left our hotel in Beijing and took a bus to the Beijing airport. While we were there several students bought Starbucks near our gate. A taste from home! We departed from...
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Science, Shopping and Sustenance
Today we were exposed to many new sights and experiences. We started our morning with a hearty breakfast, followed by shopping around the city of Hamburg. For lunch we dined at various places ranging from German bakeries to curry-wurst stands. Afterwards, we made the three-hour trek from Hamburg to Wolfsburg. Upon arriving, we...
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Sacred Spaces: Arch Street Meeting House and Congregation Mikveh Israel
We started the morning with donuts and headed to Philadelphia. The first stop we made was at the Arch Street meeting house. There we learned about the history of the meeting house and people who potentially could have attended. Our tour guide informed of the many historical aspects of the house and small details...
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Our Last Day in Florence
We started off our day by visiting the San Miniato al Monte church outside of the main city of Florence. Considered one of the Florence’s most beautiful churches, it offered more insight into Renaissance architecture. We saw pillars that were made of faux marble and paint that was made to look like marble to...
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Duomo Day!
Today was amazing! First we went to the Santa Maria Novella, one of the most extravagant and tasteful churches that we have seen. Inside, there was a very unique crucifix that hung in the middle of the church rather than over the altar. There were also checkered borders around the pillars which made it...
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Helping People One Lunch at a Time
Today we went to the Neighborhood Center in Camden, NJ. The Neighborhood Center is a daycare, soup kitchen, garden, gym, has Bible studies, and a summer camp. They serve a free lunch to anywhere from 50 to 350 people a day. There were many ways that we gained service hours. We cleaned the garden of...
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Art to Aardvarks: A Visit to Taller Puertorriqueño
Today we went to Taller Puertorriqueño, a Puerto Rican community workshop, where we saw some art exhibits made by Puerto Rican artists. We ate at a restaurant called Vivaldi Restaurant. We also got salsa dancing lessons. Alex learned salsa dancing and was very good at it! By, Amanda, Noah and Tori Today...
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