51MISHAWAKA––Each year Bethel offers a variety of abroad trips for students, with a wide range of purposes. Many trips are coming up within the next year from short term trips, task force trips and semesters abroad.
Tyler Grant, Director of Global Engagement and Career Services, said that it has been challenging to plan trips this year due to COVID-19, like many things.
“It’s difficult to get a firm plan,” Grant said.
However, despite the challenges, he said that the short-term trips and semesters abroad are coming together better this year. Sign-ups for semester abroad trips launching next year, are happening now.
There are two summer trips planned. The first is Israel, happening summer of 2022. This trip is a good opportunity for students to experience culture and history, in addition to educational opportunities. This trip is 11 days and will be led by Dr. Cami Brubaker, Adjunct Faculty, Old Testament and Hebrew, and Dr. David McCabe, Professor of New Testament and Greek. During the trip, students will travel Israel top to bottom, hiking, swimming, touring cities, visiting ancient ruins, eating good food and traveling with tents and camels.
Another opportunity that was cancelled last year and is now moved to summer 2022, is the Spain trip which takes place every other year. Students spend four weeks with host families in Salamanca, attending classes Monday through Friday, earning nine credits, and being immersed in the Spanish culture. The last two weeks of the summer trip are spent on the road, traveling around northern Spain seeing museums, cathedrals and spending time on beaches.
“You’re getting some of that broader experience,” Grant said.
The semester abroad trips are offered different times and different places. There is a new opportunity being launched to Fiji fall of 2022 and will span the entirety of the semester and will take place every fall after its launch. This is open to a wide range of majors, as there are many different classes that can be taken to fill electives, general education classes as well as internships. The host organization students go through is called Island Encounters. The leader of the organization used to have the job that Grant now has when Grant was a student at Bethel.
“He knows Bethel people and has good continuity there, he knows what our students need, and he is a Bethel grad himself,” Grant said.
Students in Fiji will live on a sustainable farm and their daily tasks will include farm chores, going to classes and internship time. Weekend excursions are planned and include snorkeling, going into the mountains and may include a trip to Australia or New Zealand at the end of the trip.
“Intercultural experiences have taught me so much about human value. Travel is so enriching; travel teaches us things we didn’t know we need to know. I love my job and think everyone should travel,” Grant said.
To apply or learn more about any of the study abroad trips, scan the QR code on any of the posters around campus, or visit the Global Engagement and Career Development Center in AC 346.
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