What did our Denmark Danes do over the summer? Many students had the opportunity to travel to cool and exciting places this summer. In addition, the places they traveled have a connection to the person and their family, allowing them to have a feeling of being connected to the destination. 

One student, Spiros Kelfas, Senior, traveled to Greece, specifically Athens and Patmos. Spiros stated “I got to go to the beach every day and visit a lot of cool architecture while I was in Athens, like the parthenon and the Temple of Poseidon 3. “The temple of Poseidon was a place I really wanted to see, because out of the 7 times I have been in Greece, I never got the chance to visit.” Along with traveling with his immediate family some of his friends got to travel with him. Out of all the places he visited and the new memories he made, Spiros felt that “The most memorable part of the trip was when all of us rode around on the island on motorcycles at 1 in the morning. It was so pretty outside and was an experience I will never forget,” Spiros expressed. His family is rooted in this beautiful country, because many of his family members live there or have lived there. Therefore he felt overjoyed by the ability to be there. 

Kendall Smith, Senior, went to Yellowstone and Glacier National Park. Although she had been to Yellowstone before, she loves the park and was excited to go back, but Glacier was a first for her.  “Glacier has been #1 on my bucket list for the past few years and I’m incredibly thankful to have gone,” Kendall stated. Her activities included hiking, wildlife watching, kayaking, and paddle boarding. Throughout the trip Kendall’s main mission was to see goats, “Glacier is known for its goats, I was super happy to see them on one of our longer hikes.” Kendall traveled with her family who are crazy about going to national parks, and they found the views absolutely breathtaking. “Both parks have amazing sights, but Glacier is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. The ride through is very scary. As someone with a fear of heights the combination of narrow roads and cliffs throughout were a bit too memorable. Views made up for it though. They were absolutely GORGEOUS!!” Being able to go to a national park that she had been wanting to go to made her summer, but also that she was able to share the excitement with her family. 

Ann Agyeman, Senior, went to Accra, which is the capital of Ghana. She has many family members there, so she tries to go as much as she can. During her time there she “went and experienced two different traditional African weddings as well as stayed at a beach hotel that overlooked the Atlantic ocean,” Ann stated. Along with being immersed in the culture, she enjoyed the mall because of all the different foods and clothes that could be bought. Being able to see family and travel was tampered with the outbreak of covid, but thankfully restrictions have eased allowing Ann to visit a place she wanted to go back to the most. “My family and I hadn’t been there in over seven years, and covid made it especially hard to travel last year. My grandma used to travel to the US to visit us, but as she’s gotten older it’s been harder for her to do those things so we had to go see her instead.” Ann indicated that, “Although the trip was exciting, the most memorable thing, sadly,  was seeing how many children were selling things on the street at ages as little as five years old just to get money to support their families,” Ann expressed. The places that seem the most gorgeous do in fact have many parts that are not, but being able to appreciate and try to help, can make all the more difference. 

While many students were not able to enjoy a normal summer last year due to the pandemic, this year, students got to experience an exciting break whether it be family-oriented or rooted in culture.