Everyone has a different idea of what makes a great fall break. For some, staying in their dorm rooms for some much-needed sleeping in and Netflix-binging is what fall break’s about. For others, going home to spend time with family or taking a vacation outside Arkadelphia is where it’s at.
However, for two groups at Ouachita, fall break last weekend was all about bonding with other Ouachita students while enjoying a time of relaxation outside the Ouachita bubble.
The International Club went on a trip to St. Louis, Missouri cosponsored by Ouachita’s Grant Centre. From Thursday morning to Saturday evening, 28 international and American students had the opportunity to get to know each other better while visiting tourist attractions in St. Louis. The group went to a famous street in St. Louis known as the Loop, watched a Ben Rector and Judah and the Lion concert and visited the St. Louis Zoo, the Missouri History Museum, the St. Louis Art Museum and the City Museum.
“On our last day, we visited the Gateway Arch and got to experience going up the arch. The view of the city was incredible!” Jacob Moreno, senior dietetics and nutrition and pre-nursing double major from Mexico City, Mexico, said. “If I had any more years left at Ouachita, I would definitely go on another international student trip. I’m very thankful for the last four trips I was able to take part in because I visited four different cities I had never been to before. I’ll definitely miss getting to go on these trips once I graduate.”
Not only did the trip allow international students and American students to experience a new city, but it also helped them to form closer relationships with one another.
“Traveling with international students is so much fun because you get to see their expressions as they experience different parts of American culture that we take for granted,” Stephanie Westberg, junior elementary education major from Arkadelphia, Arkansas, said. “I got closer to some of the international students but I also made new friends with Americans I didn’t know previously. The fun and silly memories were an added bonus.”
Another popular trip over Ouachita’s fall break was the Recreational Life trip. Shane Seaton, the director of Rec Life, and his wife Hannah led a group of students on a trip to Mt Magazine for three days of rock-climbing, hiking, s’more-making, story-telling and relaxing.
“We hiked to the highest point in Arkansas, Signal Hill,” Aaron Hill, senior English major from Benton, Arkansas, said. “The feeling I had when I was at the top of that 70-foot cliff and looking out at the landscape – it was mind-blowing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was so refreshing and I felt like I’d really accomplished something.”
While many students have the misconception that only athletic or outdoorsy people enjoy Rec Life trips, Seaton made sure everyone felt safe and included no matter how athletic they were. Students without any experience in outdoor activities were able to enjoy the trip too.
“When I signed up for the Rec Life trip, everyone was saying I must be super intense to be going on the trip,” Janet Whytock, junior studio art major from Prince Edward Island, Canada, said. “But it wasn’t intense at all. It was really relaxed. It was better than I expected – it was just perfect.”
The leaders of the Rec Life trip brought food for students to cook outdoors, and the students had the opportunity to spend time with nature and away from technology.
“You shouldn’t be allowed to graduate from OBU without going on a Rec Life trip.” Whytock said.
By Kimberly Wong
