This past summer, Wash. U. students preoccupied themselves with many interesting activities, from traveling to different countries or staying at their home sweet home. Now back at school, they are lucky enough to share the scoop from exciting summers, filled with worldly travels and fun occupations.
Kathryn Berger, a member of the varsity women’s basketball team, spent her summer at home and worked a minimum wage job at a small local ice cream shop called Dairy Delicious. She met a lot of really cool people working there and listened to CDs during down time when there were no customers in the store. She overall had an enjoyable experience although she did run into some interesting people.
“One time it was so bad. This one guy orders four banana splits in the drive thru. He wanted extra strawberries and pineapples and when he got his order, he counted all of the strawberries and pineapples on the ones that were supposed to have extra and the normal ones, and compared the two. He threw a fit and complained that the ones that were supposed to have extra didn’t have more and I almost threw them in his face,” Berger said.
One of Berger’s favorite parts of her summer job was that she got unlimited free ice cream. As a result, she ate a lot of it. Probably too much for her own good. Don’t worry Wash. U., she will be back in tip-top shape for basketball season.
Although some students like Berger stayed at home, sophomore Ben Stein was able to do some traveling. Stein spent a couple of days in Morocco, acting as a leader for The Road Less Traveled, an international service camp that he participates in annually. During his stay there, he got the opportunity to witness the local culture as he toured the town and went to downtown markets. He was surprised by the unity that existed among the people in Morocco.
“The Moroccan people have an incredible culture where they have a large population of Jewish, Muslim and Christian people who all are able to peacefully coexist,” Stein commented.
Fridays are when the Jewish services occur, Saturdays are when the Muslim services occur and Sundays are when the Christian services occur. Stein said that the most important thing to the citizens of the country is that they are Moroccan; their religions do not get in the way of their national pride.
Sophomore Caleb Knepper spent his summer working with kids also. Knepper went to Lebanon with Athletes in Action, a branch of the organization Campus Crusades for Christ. There, he helped run basketball camps for kids during the day, while he also practiced his own skills in tournaments at night. He was expecting Beirut, the capital of Lebanon and the city he spent most of his time in, to be very poverty stricken.
To his surprise, Beirut did not have nearly as much poverty as he expected. Knepper said that he had a great time, other than the fact that it was scorching hot, and would like to do it again next summer.
A popular destination for many Wash. U. students this summer was Israel. Students of Jewish heritage visited Israel for free through program called Birthright. Morgan Fixel, a sophomore who participated, had an amazing time as she toured Israel with her group, stopping at major cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Fixel was given the opportunity to have Shabbat lunch with a family that lives in Jerusalem where she was able to find out about the culture from people who have experienced it firsthand. The most memorable aspect for Fixel was that she was lucky enough to have her Bat Mitzvah at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, which was a very spiritual event for her.
Other students were also given the chance to meet some important people and witness some extraordinary events. Sophomore Mackenzie Olson flew to the West Coast city of La Jolla where she was able to tour a bioresearch lab owned by this year’s Nobel peace prize winner, Ray Stevens. Olson was also able to meet him.
David Atterman, a sophomore, went to Portugal and proceeded to meet and hang out with the Ireland National Soccer team at a local bar. Kedzie Schotters, a junior, spent her summer in Los Angeles interning for Patti, the successful matchmaker from the Bravo show “The Millionaire Matchmaker.”
Junior Charles Qiao was given the opportunity to see five Olympic events live, including the finals for women’s track and field and women’s team gymnastics. Also in China, senior Tyler Nading studied abroad at the engineering school focusing on China’s air quality, a hot topic during this year’s Olympic games. Lastly, sophomore Julia Chavez took a hike with her family in Cuzco, a city in Peru, reaching altitudes of 12,000 feet and walking 48 kilometers. Chavez also visited the historical Inca site Machu Picchu.
Summer is a great time for fun, laughter and basking in the sun. Unfortunately, summer is over and we students are obliged to return to school. Though it is now time to get in study mode and work hard, the memories made during summer will never leave us.
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Tricia is a senior in Arts & Sciences and a forum editor. She can be reached via e-mail at pwittig@wustl.edu
Anna is a senior in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at assobtk@artsci.wustl.edu
Though it is now time to get in study mode and work hard, the memories made during summer will never leave us.
Anna is a senior in Arts & Sciences. She can be reached via e-mail at assobtk@artsci.wustl.edu
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