Arts and Sciences | Business and Industry | StudentsAugust 09, 2024

Honors Students’ Trip Exceeded Their Expectation

Written By: Judith Hansen

Gabbie Stokes said the experience of seeing “Phantom of the Opera” in London was so moving she “was crying (sobbing) through the entire performance.”

Gabbie, a senior English major with a minor in diversity studies, 14 other UAFS honors students, and two faculty members enjoyed a Maymester trip to Scotland and England. While there, they saw castles, cathedrals, chapels, and theaters; mastered foreign public transit systems; learned valuable lessons about sharing spaces with others; walked more than 50 miles; and brought critical thinking to their travels for added insight.

Miles Freidman Honors Program Director Dr. Dennis Siler and his wife, Martha Siler, instructor in the History, Social Sciences, and Philosophy department, oversaw the trip and provided a framework of places to visit and things to do. The trip also included time for the students to explore on their own – but always with a buddy – time Gabbie used to see her life-list Phantom performance.

Siler described his students as “intrepid” as they sought out sites not on the day’s agenda, following their own research interests and seeking out docents and other workers at various sites to learan more than the syllabus promised.

“I tell students, when you are in the UK, you have a magic pass that will get you into a lot of amazing places,” Dennis Siler said. “Just say, ‘I am a university student doing research on …’ whatever.” One student used the magic pass to enter a special chapel that was not on the tour for most tourists.

Junior accounting major Noah Ottman said one of the things that stands out to him was how courteous people in both Edinburgh and London were. When he asked questions, even questions tourists ask every day, “everyone I asked a question or had a conversation with from Scotland and England was extremely accommodating.”

Noah’s high points from the trip were seeing the Tower of London and Stirling Castle in Scotland.

“Seeing the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London was surreal. The display of wealth is immense,” he said. By contrast, Stirling Castle reminded him of home. The simple countryside “had a nostalgic, familiar feeling to places I’ve been in the U.S. The wide-open green fields provided … an amazing view of the city of Stirling and the surrounding area.”

Gabbie said she was surprised by what turned out to be her high spots. Edinburgh Castle and the British Museum catered too much to tourist appeal and lacked authenticity, she thought. Instead, she preferred Linlithgow Palace, an unrestored castle where Mary, Queen of Scots, was born and grew up.

“Many sections were blocked off to tourists, and there were no guideposts leading you to the next part of the tour. It made me feel like a kid again getting to explore hidden rooms and dead-end staircases!” she said. “It was easier for me to imagine Mary, Queen of Scots, living here than in any of the restored castles. No amount of actors in period-accurate clothing and rooms outfitted with tapestries and paintings can truly replicate the past as it was.”

Her second high point (discounting “Phantom,” which is in a category of its own) was a performance of “Much Ado About Nothing” at Shakespeare’s Globe. “I have never laughed as much. … The acting, costuming, music, audience, and setting (were) brilliantly done, and I was in complete awe the entire time (even though my feet hurt very badly).”

Students on the Maymester trip satisfied an honors requirement for an international experience and earned three credits. They had a choice between Literary Tourism, taught by Dennis Siler, and Castles and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, taught by Martha Siler. Students completed the courses at home by submitting a final paper or project and a travel diary.

The group went first to Scotland, then London. Dennis Siler said many students hated leaving Edinburgh, especially when they first hit the hustle and bustle of the big city. However, they quickly acclimated to the hectic pace and were at home.

Siler said he took public transportation whenever he could but still walked 48 miles on the trip. Some students opted to walk whenever they could because they got to see different sights. He estimates some of them may have walked closer to 75 miles.

Both Noah and Gabbie were glad they shared the trip with the group.

“It’s hard to explain how much perspective you gain by going out of the country,” Noah said. “You get the most out of the trip by studying as well. … (Group travel) provides you with built-in plans and tons of information.”

“There was a lot going on very quickly during the trip as we were always traveling or working through our itinerary points,” Gabbie said. “The schedule didn’t allow a lot of time for reflecting, but we got to see so many things in a short time! I am grateful for the opportunity to travel with my fellow honors students as it enriched my traveling experience tenfold.”

Gabbie wrapped up her experiences in an elaborate digital travel journal. Frustrated by traditional travel diaries, Gabbie has found her footing with junk journaling, a style that includes found and recycled pieces of life. Gabbie’s journal includes boarding passes, receipts, ticket stubs, snapshots, maps, and personal reflections.

“I was going to do this project with or without the assignment, so it was nice I got to turn in something that I was really invested in,” Gabbie said. “I was very thankful to hear that my project was within the assignment parameters. … This project allowed me to document the trip and the memories I have of it in a way that is true to me.”

• Tags:
• College of Business and Industry
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Maymester
• Honors