Following the Equator | EF's Educational Travel Blog

St. Patrick's Day Celebrations Around the World

2010-03-15T14:05:42-04:00

This past weekend, people got an early start to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, the Roman Catholic feast day in honor of Ireland’s patron saint. Many people associate St. Paddy’s Day with parades, parties and a pint of Guinness, but how much do you actually know about St. Patrick?

In case you’re curious, here’s his story: Born in Britain, St. Patrick was kidnapped at the age of 16 and sold into slavery in Ireland. After tending sheep for six years, he escaped to Gual, before eventually returning to Britain. Back at home, he dreamt that he should preach to the Irish so he returned to Ireland where he worked to spread Christianity.

Today, St. Patrick is not just an icon in Ireland; cultures as far as Japan celebrate the holiday. Check out some of the ways that St. Paddy’s Day is celebrated around the world.

Beware the Ides of March … really?

2010-03-12T17:20:15-05:00

Monday is March 15. I will be on tour for the first time since November, meeting 53 people from Arizona taking a student trip to Dublin, London and Paris. All is good; things are ready to go. They are arriving in Ireland on the Ides of March, traditionally a date to be wary of bad fortune, but I am not superstitious.

The term Ides is common in the Roman calendar, which was by no means easy to follow. Ides is a phrase used for one of three days, each of which served as a reference point for counting the other days in a month. Kalends was always the first day of each month and also the root of the word calendar (Kalendrium was an account book, and bills had to be paid on the first of the month—so Kalends). Nones was the fifth or seventh day (depending on the month), and Ides was the 13th or 15th (again, depending on the month). All unnamed days were known by counting backward from the named day. I am writing this on March 12, or three before Ides as the Romans would call it (III Ides, if I am being specific). So, 12 Ides a year—do we really need to be more wary of the one in March? Of course not.

As with so many things, we can thank Shakespeare for placing something in the popular consciousness. In Julius Caesar, the protagonist is stopped by a soothsayer on his way to the Theatre of Pompey and warned, “Beware the Ides of March.” He could have said, “Beware March 15.” As it was, it turned out to be the day JC was assassinated. “Beware the Ides of March” becomes one of many quotes that have travelled with us through the ages. We hear it, recognise it and, although it seems unlikely, use it.

A quick Wiki of March 15 confirms it has been a less than portentous date through the ages. It is the anniversary of Maine becoming the 23rd state (1820) and the birthday of Will.i.am—it just gets less scary by the minute.

So, what was the point of rambling on about the Ides? Well, if nothing else, it allows me to share my wife’s favourite (and, quite possibly, best) joke: A dyslexic Roman went to a toga party dressed as a goat … they sacrificed him.

I am off to pack. I’ll be back in England on VIII Kalends.

Win a student college scholarship and computers for your school

2010-03-10T15:25:02-05:00

If you could do anything, what would you do?

Turn your aspirations into art, and you could win a $15,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant when you enter the Doodle 4 Google contest. The contest, open to those in grades K-12, asks students to draw a doodle based on the theme: If I could do anything, I would…..

The first doodle (the logo on the Google homepage) was created by Google founders, Larry and Sergey, when they added a stick figure drawing to the Google logo to denote their attendance at the Burning Man festival.

Since then, the doodle has been used as a way for Google to recognize important events and people. More than 1,000 doodles have been created.

To enter, teachers need to register their school at www.google.com/doodle4google by March 17, 2010. All doodles must be submitted by March 31, 2010. For more information, visit Doodle 4 Google.

Group Leader Spotlight: Phil Leswing

2010-03-09T12:59:45-05:00

First-time group leader Phil Leswing teaches psychology at Greenfield-Central High School in Greenfield, Indiana. Phil (pictured at left with his wife and son) began organizing his 2011 educational tour to Spain, France and Italy this past October, anticipating he would travel with a small group. Two hundred people showed up at his first meeting, and he now has a group of almost 70 travelers. Here, he shares his story.

What inspired you to take an EF tour? 
The joy and inspiration I get from traveling was the first factor that motivated me to travel with EF. When traveling with a group, I get as much joy and inspiration from seeing other people excited as I do from my own experience. There is a powerful force generated by groups of people traveling together. I chose EF because of two things that seem like they can’t coexist, but they do. The professional side of EF is outstanding. I also appreciate the personal side of the company. The open and constant communication has made it easy as a first-time group leader to feel like I’ve been doing this for years.

 How do you use your blog to promote your tour? Do you use any other types of social media (ex. Facebook, Twitter) to promote your tour?
 I use the blog for trip and meeting updates right now. As we get closer, I’ll be adding information about the destinations and our trip details. My Twitter just announces the trip and connects to the blog, so it is not really in use yet, but I can see us using it in the future.

 As a first-time group leader, you've been incredibly successful at recruiting students for your tour. What’s your secret to success? How do you encourage students to sign up for your tour?  
The first thing that made recruiting students successful was finding a core of social students who were very interested in going on a trip. I then involved them in the decision-making process of where we would go on our trip. We set up our first recruitment meeting in October, and I started going to classes and talking up the trip. The posters and itineraries that EF provides were hung up and distributed before our meeting, so even more people were getting exited. We had over 200 people show up for our initial recruitment meeting. I was amazed by the turnout. I had gotten some gelato to share with the group. I had Flickr slideshows going of the destinations we would be traveling to, and I had EF YouTube videos playing. One of the potential chaperones had traveled with EF in the past, so he spoke with the group about the professionalism and personal connection that EF provides. We had a best price deadline of October 31, and a first-night sign-up raffle for $50 off the trip.

By the last week of February, we had over 20 people enrolled, which meant we were going to need more chaperones than the few I had talked to. That need for chaperones prompted more teachers to promote the trip in their classrooms. Now, we have monthly meetings to discuss our destinations. This month, there will be an EF representative who joins us to answer questions during our meeting.

One of the benefits of planning so far in advance is being able to allow participants to plan how they will pay for the trip. I really like the monthly payment plan that EF provides. The system makes the payments more manageable, and before you know it, you’ve paid for half of your trip.  

Do you have any tips for other first-time group leaders? 
Get the ball rolling, and you will find that it will go a long way with a little push. I have found that what I thought was going to be a small group of 6-12 students going to Europe has turned into a group of 74 people making the trip. The organization and support EF has provided is making the task of being a first-time leader with such a large group seem as manageable as the small group I was expecting.

Do you do any fundraising?  
One thing we were able to do at our second meeting is establish a fundraising committee, which is made up of parents and students. The establishment of this group has allowed some people that were on the fence to get on board so that they could cut the cost.

How do you incorporate your EF tours into your curriculum?
 There will be many educational opportunities before we go to learn about what we will be seeing. The humanities classes learn about the cultural aspects of the trip. The language classes will have a great opportunity to connect their curriculum to our experiences. I teach psychology; so in the study of our human behavior, we’ll be able to look at similarities and differences related to things like personal space, pace of life or gender roles. 

 Why do you think it is important for students to travel on an educational tour? 
First of all, it is exciting to travel. Creating fun and excitement is a great part of being a teacher. I think another great reason is related to the way in which our world is becoming interconnected: We can communicate instantaneously, travel quickly and interact with people all over the world in many ways. Experiencing the world is now part of life more than it has ever been in history, so to take part in that journey firsthand is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will translate into many facets of our lives.  

EF believes that 21st century skills (such as global literacy, problem solving, innovation and creativity) have become critical in today’s increasingly interconnected workforce and society. How do you think travel helps foster these types of skills? 
When we travel, we are immersed in the society and often the workforce that is dependent on those 21st century skills. Just like for learning a language, immersion is the best, hands-on approach to learning those skills. 

 Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
 I am looking forward to making this trip more than just a 12-day experience. Planning for 2011 allows gifts for students over the next year and a half that relate to the trip. Those gifts may be luggage, maps, books or even money. The time also allows us to really learn about the countries, the culture and the languages of our destinations in a broad perspective as well as a narrow perspective within each city. Students can think about the scheduling for next year and potentially sign up for classes, which would educate them more about the trip and the destinations. The technology of this generation will allow for the students to see pictures and videos and hear music from our destinations. The possibilities are endless which keeps the excitement and energy at a high level.

What do you like on your pizza?

2010-03-09T04:44:00-05:00

There is a pizza restaurant in Assisi; it’s very good. I often stop there with groups. I am not going to name names; your tour director will know it or a suitable alternative. I am normally loathe to suggest restaurants directly out of pure cowardice. I don’t want to be blamed for someone having a less than perfect lunch.

Anyway, this place is run by Neapolitans, and they know their way around a pizza. I know what I am talking about here. My mother was born in Molise (south eastern Italy). My father came from Tuscany and he was a chef. In the lifetime I have known her, I have never seen my mother have any pizza other than a Margherita. It is not that she lacks the ability to accept change; it is just that, for her, a pizza is cheese, tomato and fresh basil.

En route to Assisi, I like to chat about Italian food, explaining some of the basics of the Italian approach to the kitchen and ingredients. The over-riding approach seems to be, if you have good ingredients you will, normally, end up with good results. I tell groups that all Italians have a favourite type of pasta and sauce (Penne Arrabiata if you’re asking) and that pizza topping is, generally, limited to no more than two or three things. Restaurants in tourist areas will often provide a menu with 40 different types of pizza, many containing a multitude of toppings, but to Italians, the pizza is a simple, dare I say classic, affair.

On one occasion, driving from Florence, I asked my group about their favourite type of pizza. The driver became interested in the conversation; he didn’t speak English but had heard the words, pasta, pizza and Arrabiata. He asked what was going on, and I explained that the group was telling me what toppings they liked to have on pizza. I mentioned pineapple.

The following 10 minutes were some of the most enjoyable I have had on a bus. At first, he got me to repeat it several times as he did not trust the translation. When we finally settled on the fact I had indeed said pineapple (ananas), he looked stunned. I may as well have tried to convince him that I invented the beard. He carried on driving, occasionally he would mutter “pizza” slowly followed by “ananas.” This went on for a while; he was in mild shock. Cultural difference, it is our stock trade. However, never had I seen quite how dangerous it could be.

A final piece of advice: To an Italian pepperoni means bell pepper. You already know how to say pineapple.

Be part of the Guinness Book of World Records

2010-03-08T12:22:32-05:00

Heading on tour soon? Get some folks together and do the wave. We need you and your friends to make the Guinness Book of World Records!

The largest human wave took place at a Nascar stadium in Bristol, Tennessee, and involved 157,574 pairs of arms. That’s a lot of people, but we’re trying to create an even bigger wave, one that goes around the world.   

We want our wave to hit every country on every continent. So far we’ve waved in 20 countries on six continents, but let’s not stop at that.    

How to join in: 
1. Grab your friends and a digital camera.
 2. Hold the camera still while you film your wave.
 3. Upload your video to wavearoundtheworld.com.   

It’s that easy! What are you waiting for? Film your wave now!

Taking the perfect photo: Matty Aye's photography tips

2010-03-05T05:55:00-05:00

Hey guys, it's Matty from Life On Tour Season 2. Getting that free trip to Spain and Morocco was beyond legit, and as an aspiring photographer (who recently got accepted into two art schools, give me some love), I would like to give you my top 5 tips for taking pics on tour. Thank me later:

  5) Ok seriously, please make sure your batteries are charged. I stole my mom’s batteries when I went to Disney World back in 1990-something. Didn't turn out so great for me. Don't let that happen to you.  

4) Memory is important. Yes, the crack in the sidewalk may look really "artistic," but when you get to the Great Wall of China and have no space left on your card, you're going to be asking yourself: Was it really worth taking a picture of that sidewalk? Probably not.

  3) Learn how to use your camera. Not even professionally, just basic stuff, people. When you think you have an awesome shot of that tribal dance in Kenya and then you get home and realize the only thing in focus is that tree to the left, you will be pretty blown.

  2) Mother Nature does NOT care about your camera. At all. Snow, rain: not so bad when you're just chillin' at your house. Snow, rain: VERY bad when you're trying to get some dynamic, crouching snapshots of the Eiffel Tower. These weather torments may look amazing if taken properly, but if you damage your camera in the process, what's the point? Exactly.

  1) Rule #1, probably the most important one of all. Sigh, ok. Listen up. When you are in Morocco, whatever you do, do NOT let Haseena take your picture with snakes because she will only get 25 percent of your face in the picture. You've been warned friends.    There you go!

Remember these things whenever your life goes on tour, with EF or otherwise. Good luck to the Season 3 hopefuls. Some of you guys seem really interesting, but good luck beating Season 2. Haha. Love, peace and hair grease.

Signing off, Matty Aye :)

Classical Music

2010-03-04T04:44:00-05:00

My daughter, who is two, sits in the car and really likes to dance in her seat when I put the radio on. However, her current station of choice is BBC Radio 3, which provides a diet of predominantly classical music. This morning she was bouncing away to Brahms Piano Quartet No. 2 in A performed at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

I don’t play an instrument, never studied music much at school and have the usual eclectic taste. I do, however, like to play some classical pieces on tour, normally arias from operas accompanied by printed sheets I can give the group that have the lyrics in the language of the performance alongside a translation in English. It is a chance to introduce the plot of an opera and then play the aria. It is wonderful how many times the end of the music is met with: So what happens next?

Turandot is a popular one; everyone should hear Pavarotti sing Nessun Dorma at least once, and I defy them to not want to hear it again. Pagliacci is another favourite: love, betrayal, honour, duty and a man dressed as a clown. Marvellous. Vesti la Giubba is such a moving piece (and, incidentally, the first million selling record when recorded in 1904 by Enrico Carusco). Opera, I tell groups, is for all. Never be put off by the language or the false belief that all men should wear a tuxedo. The stories speak to us on so many levels.

I also like to play classical pieces. The beauty for me is how often it is left to us to create the story. The music surrounds us, and we place the narrative as we want it to be. We can add moments from our own life to the music in a way that always makes sense.

The rather groovy film, Running on Empty, features River Phoenix as a truly gifted pianist who is the son of parents on the run from the law. There’s a great scene when Danny (Phoenix) enters the music class at his latest school. The teacher plays a piece of pop music followed by a classical piece. He asks the class for the difference. He is met with some predictable answers (One’s good; the other isn’t). Finally, Danny raises his hand and offers the line, “You can’t dance to Beethoven.”

You can’t dance to Beethoven. Quite true. Classical music moves us to think and react in ways that are very different to popular music. My daughter’s actions contradict this, but the larger point is that we listen, we create and we enjoy. What wonderful freedom. Ironically, the freedom of the two-year-old.