In one of PHS’ hallways, a display case showcases a little bit of Chinese culture. “[I like] visiting new places,” Victoria Leazenby said, “you get a taste of what other cultures are like and how things are different.” Photo by: Alicia Sanchez

By Alicia Sanchez

Vacations are a common occurrence during the summer months, and many students remember their vacations fondly.

Many families find the time to travel throughout the United States nowadays. Freshman Andrea Arroyo has visited eight different states, some of which include Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, and Delaware. “I like visiting new places,” Arroyo said. Freshman Mimi Southwell said, “I have had some vacations, mostly in Michigan or Missouri.” Southwell, like Arroyo, has visited Illinois and Kentucky. She has also traveled to the states of Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Alabama, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Junior Stephanie Boyle has been to the countries Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Spain, Italy, Britain, France, Ireland, and Scotland. Boyle said, “I’ve been on too many vacations to count, but I can tell you that I’ve been to every state in the United States except for Alaska and Hawaii.”

Every day of the year, in PHS’ foreign language hallway, Spanish club leaders post information about studying abroad in Spanish speaking countries. “Why not [study abroad]?” Andrea Arroyo said, “It would be fun to learn something new, like Portuguese.” Photo by: Alicia Sanchez

To high school students, traveling can offer many things: relaxation from the stresses of school, quality family time, and even knowledge of different people and cultures. All of the new experiences one is exposed to can influence him or her greatly. Freshman Victoria Leazenby said, “[I like] visiting new places – you get a taste of what other cultures are like and how things are different.”

Studying abroad is a program colleges and universities offer in which students attend schools and learn in a country outside of the United States. They still earn academic credit toward their major. One of the reasons college students study abroad is to add an international and cultural dimension to their degrees. This makes them much more appealing to employers. “Why not [study abroad]?” Arroyo said, “It would be fun to learn something new, like Portuguese.” Freshman Sierra Strickland, on the other hand, said, “No, I think that going to school internationally would be too much for me all at once. Maybe once I get more used to being away from home I will like the idea of going to school somewhere outside of America, like Europe.”

Different people have different ideas of their dream vacation. More often than not, it involves going to a warm, exotic place with family and friends. “[I want to go to] Australia because I don’t really know anything about it and I would love to learn more about their cultures,” Boyle said. Thinking similarly to Boyle, Southwell said, “My dream vacation would be going to Australia with friends and my cousins.” Leazenby said, “[I want to go to] any tropical island. I would take my family with me.”

How much one enjoys visiting new places and meeting new people – whether it is for their leisure or for an education – depends entirely upon how willing he or she is to try new things and reach outside of his or her comfort zone. Strickland said, “[I am] pretty willing unless it involves one of my greatest fears.” Agreeing with Strickland, Leazenby describes herself as “very willing” to try something different. Boyle said, “It depends on what it looks like before I try something new.”

But, when on vacation, most students admit to missing their home. Arroyo said, “I do miss home but if I’m occupied doing something then I don’t miss it at all.” Leazenby agreed, saying, “Yes – I don’t like to leave my family for long amount of time.”

“Everything seems so strange and you just start to wish you were home,” Southwell said, “Going to new places can be exciting, but I’d rather stay at home.”