Following the Equator | EF's Educational Travel Blog

Focus on: Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. After Mexico finally gained independence from Spain in 1821, its economy was in ruins, and the country was unable to repay its debts to France. As a result, Napoleon III used the debt as an excuse to send his army to Mexico to set up a satellite state. Under the command of General Charles Latrille Laurencez, the troops made their way toward the capital city, but were stopped by the significantly smaller Mexican army at the fortified city of Puebla. The following year, the French again attacked Puebla, and this time, the Mexican troops surrendered and many were sent to France as prisoners. On April 2, 1867, Mexican General Porfirio Diaz retook control of the city, thus ending the French occupation. Today, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.

Whether you are looking for some ideas to make your Cinco de Mayo more festive or ways to get your students excited about their upcoming tour to Mexico, here are some ideas.

• Decorate with the three colors of the Mexican flag: green, red and white. Green symbolizes hope and victory, red represents the blood shed by those who fought for Mexico and white is for the purity of Mexican ideals.
• Mexico has a population of more than 100 million and the largest number of Spanish speakers in the world. Try learning a few words of Spanish.
• Serve tasty treats like this trés leches cake.
• Play some mariachi music, a traditional Mexican music characterized by violins, trumpets, guitars, vihuelas (high-pitched, five-string guitar) and a guitarrón (a large acoustic bass).
• Watch a movie that takes place in Mexico.
• Celebrate with a piñata. The Aztecs and Mayans used to make clay pots in the shape of their gods and fill them with trinkets. Using a wooden stick, they would break the pots, signifying a profusion of good fortune from the gods.

European Museums: The Hidden Gems

What are the great art galleries of Europe? I am sure some obvious names spring to mind. I like these big galleries, but I always feel overwhelmed by the “biggest gallery in the world” or “largest collection of Renaissance art.” I sometimes feel as if someone is going to lead me out the door saying, “Sorry, but you’re just not skilled enough to understand how good this stuff really is.” Don’t get me wrong, what’s not to love about a well-drawn, chubby angel; it’s just that, sometimes, I want something different, less imposing and, arguably, a little closer to the world I recognise around me.

So, I would like to take the chance to promote five of the lesser visited (on tour), but supremely accessible European galleries that feature contemporary art, many of them in cities to be visited by you soon.

Tate Modern (London) What a place, and free to enter! Next door to the Globe Theatre on the bank of the River Thames and converted from an old power station, the huge turbine hall has featured some superb temporary installations.  Check out a piece like Equivalent VIII and wonder, “Could I have done this? Does it matter if I could or couldn’t?” Be glad someone did!

Reina Sofia (Madrid) Really do all you can to find the time to visit this super little gallery. One reason alone—Guernica—should be enough. This work alone can keep you fascinated for years to come as you read more and unravel more. Elsewhere in the gallery the idea of time and how we look at history in art is challenged. Great stuff.

Espace Dali (Paris) You are probably going to want to go to Montmartre while in Paris, right? Well, if you go in the day then make some time to visit the Dali exhibition located near the Place du Tetre. Dali looked at the Renaissance masterpieces and re-interpreted in his own fascinating style.  No shrinking violet, he once said, "Every morning upon awakening, I experience a supreme pleasure, that of being Salvador Dali."

Galerie Jakubska (Prague) This beautiful gallery exhibits works by contemporary Russian artists and offers a fascinating insight into the art of Russia and the other countries of the former Soviet Union. The gallery is owned by the highly successful Ukrainian artist Alexander Onishenko who came to Prague with few possessions and began selling his work on the Charles Bridge.

Rosengart Collection (Lucerne) This comprehensive collection of more than 200 pieces of classic modernist art by a select group of predominantly European artists includes work by Klee, Picasso, Miro, Cezanne and Renoir. Housed in an elegant, neo-classical building that was formerly the Swiss National Bank, this collection was originally the private collection of father and daughter, Siegfried and Angela Rosengart.

Focus On: Vimy Ridge

Three Aprils ago, thousands of high school students from Canada converged on a sloping field to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where a Canadian expeditionary force defeated a German defensive line in northeast France in World War I. It was an outstanding victory for allied forces fighting Germany and remains to this day a watershed event showcasing Canadian spirit and sacrifice.

I was an EF Tour Director for a group from Georgian Bay in Ontario going to Vimy. On April 9, we filed onto the battlefield and took our place in front of the Vimy Memorial, a stone structure that is at once hulking and soaring, with the best capturing of sadness that I've ever seen in a towering outdoor statue (it's Mother Canada, mourning her lost countrymen). 

Wedding Proposal at Edinburgh Castle

By EF Group Leader Thomas Sakole

The snow began falling at a rapid rate and many of the other tourists began to scurry for shelter.  Rebecca and I, however, lingered at the edge of the wall overlooking the city streets below.  “There could not be a more perfect setting,” I thought, as my heart began to race.  I rummaged through my backpack mumbling something about grabbing the camera.  Standing atop Edinburgh Castle, with a view of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, as a background, I dropped to one knee and asked her if she would be MY princess for the rest of our lives.

Now, you’re probably asking yourself what does any of this have to do with EF Educational Tours?  Well, actually quite a bit.  As far back as I can remember, I have loved to travel.  When I chose to become a teacher, I worried that my less than stellar salary might prevent me from those opportunities.  However, after a few years teaching at my high school, I came across a brochure for EF tours.  Within a year, I was off on my first trip with students to see London and Paris.  Chaperoning 25 high school students seemed like it would be an impossible task, but amazingly I ended up having a great time.  By the time we returned home, the students were asking when and where the next trip would be.  My second trip to Italy and Greece almost doubled in size!  Four tours later, with a fifth going back to Italy and Greece this summer and a sixth headed to Costa Rica next year, I still love the experience of traveling with students and getting to see places all over the world.

But again, you ask, what does my engagement story have to do with EF?  Well, I would never have had the opportunity to ask my fiancée to marry me in the romantic and beautiful city of Edinburgh had it not been for EF.  If you’ve ever led a tour with EF, you are familiar with their Global Points system. With my tours I had accumulated points, but never really knew what to do with them.  During one of my conversations with my tour consultant, she asked if I had ever considered using my points to go on an EF Teacher Convention Tour.  My first thought was, “Why would I want to go to a convention about traveling… I already know how to lead students on tour.”  But after she explained that an EF Teacher Convention was a tour for adults where you also learned from other group leaders, I started thinking differently.  I took a look at the tours being offered that year and saw a great opportunity—a tour that would spend New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh, Scotland.  It sounded absolutely amazing, and after making sure our schedule was free, I booked two places for the tour.

Now, let me give you a little background on our story. My fiancée's name is Dr. Rebecca Hayes. She is a professor of history and I also teach history, so we should have known we were a perfect match when we met.  A few years ago we met in Fort Collins, Colorado while grading AP World History essay exams for the CollegeBoard.  At the time, she taught at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi, and I lived far away in Northern Virginia.  We became good friends, talking on the phone, texting, and emailing often, and I offered to show her around Richmond when she was visiting for a conference.  After that weekend, we both realized we were in love.  After more than a year of long-distance dating, she moved to Northern Virginia, taking a job teaching history at Northern Virginia Community College.

EF offers options for groups affected by volcanic ash

The volcanic eruption in Iceland this week and the subsequent volcanic ash spreading across the United Kingdom and Northern Europe has created Europe’s largest aviation shutdown since World War II. Because of the complications of this unexpected natural disaster, EF Educational Tours is making several enhancements to its industry-leading Peace of Mind Program.

EF Educational Tours has been working with every impacted group and is communicating directly with each group leader to discuss alternative travel options. For participants whose scheduled flights are delayed or canceled, EF is offering several additional options for groups and individual travelers:

Group options

Any group whose flights are delayed or canceled due to volcanic ash may choose one of three options:

• Travel on the same tour later during the week if space on flights becomes available. The group would return later than its original return date or complete a shortened tour.
• Travel on the same tour anytime between now and April 30, 2011, with no additional charges (subject to availability).
• Travel on a different tour (or to a different destination) anytime between now and April 30, 2011 (subject to availability, and participants are responsible for additional costs if the new tour has a higher Program Fee than the original tour).

Individual options

Any participant whose groups’ flights are delayed or canceled due to volcanic ash and who cancels their tour may choose one of two additional options:

• Receive a fully transferable Future Travel Voucher for all money paid minus the $95 Enrollment Fee and any nonrefundable expenses (such as All-Inclusive Insurance, late fees, etc.) valid through September 30, 2011.
• Receive a cash-back refund minus a $450 cancellation fee, the $95 Enrollment Fee and any nonrefundable expenses (such as All-Inclusive Insurance, late fees, etc.).

Again, EF is working individually with every group affected by this situation and communicating directly with each group leader. For participants planning to travel this weekend, your group leader will have have the most up-to-date information regarding your group.

If student travelers or parents have additional questions, they can call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-665-5364.

For policies and questions pertaining to Canadian participants, please call EF Educational Tours Canada at 1-800-263-2806. Quebec residents should call 1-866-750-2550.

Analyze a poem and win an iPad

April is National Poetry Month. Celebrate by entering Shmoop’s first essay contest. Just answer the question below and you could win an iPad.

In Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”…..

Examine the relationship between the speaker in the poem and his environment, which includes not only the woods themselves but his horse, the owner of the woods, and the community. Include in your discussion an examination of Frost’s use of language and imagery, focusing on how these contribute to the meaning of the poem and help him to achieve his purpose. Be sure to support your ideas with evidence from the poem.

Contest details:
·  Contest open to currently enrolled High School (or Senior High) students (and younger)
·  500 words maximum
·  Open to students from around the world (as allowed by local law)
·  Entries must be written in English
·  Deadline for entry is May 28, 2010, at 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time
·  One entry per student and only one student per entry
·  To submit your entry, email your essay as a Word, Text, or PDF document to support@shmoop.com

Teachers: Don’t forget to check out some of Schmoop’s great resources for teaching poetry.

Victory in Europe tours

Wednesday May 5 is Liberation Day in the Netherlands. This year is the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, and EF has more than 60 buses of Canadian students and teachers visiting Europe. I have been very fortunate over the last six months to be heavily involved in preparing the historical notes and information for our tour directors to use. The five itineraries (along with a dozen customized itineraries) will travel to Europe between April 27 and May 10. Alongside chances to visit London, Paris or Berlin, itineraries also visit Canadian battlefields in Normandy, Beaumont-Hamel  and Passendale, as well as the stunning Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Many groups will attend the moving Last Post ceremony, held nightly in Ypres, Belgium.

The itineraries converge in the Netherlands for a series of events. On May 5, all EF groups will come together in Wageningen for the Liberation Day parade and celebrations. The night before, many students will have attended the candlelit walk and ceremony for the fallen in Groesbeek. Canada and the Netherlands have strong ties, forged in the events of the two world wars. Margreit, the sister of the Dutch queen Beatrix, was born in exile in Canada—the delivery ward in the hospital was, temporarily, declared to be outside of Canadian jurisdiction and domain, allowing it to be international territory. This made sure that the princess would gain nationality from her mother alone.

Each student participating in a Victory in Europe tour will be assigned a Canadian soldier who fought during World War I or World War II. To honour their memory, students will wear the names of their matched soldiers during the VE celebrations and also create a very personal Memorial Flag Quilt. Each school will select two students’ quilts to represent their school in the National Memorial Flag to be presented in the Netherlands. This flag will be either carried by students or presented to the general public during many of the VE events.

There will be up to 10 Canadian media representatives traveling with the groups. Some of the events will also be broadcast live on both Dutch and Canadian television. Canadian and Dutch government officials (such as the Minister of Veterans Affairs) and Dutch royalty will be participating in ceremonies along with our groups.

We do a lot of tours that offer people the chance to see many of the world’s great sites. However, once in a while, occasions such as this come along and EF has the chance to really be at the centre of a major international gathering. A great deal of planning and time has gone into making this event a success. Many at EF deserve thanks for their efforts in putting this vast jigsaw together—and I am not ashamed to use this forum to thank them! Slightly less detailed planning means that our second child is due two days before the first tour departs, so I shall not be there, but I wish all that are going the most wonderful time.

Photo credit: Elvis_Hitler2000.

Fun fact: Addresses in India

While in Denver this past week, I was pleasantly surprised by how organized parts of the city are. Everything is laid out in a grid, which made it easy for someone with a poor sense of direction (me) to find the EF office, the convention center or a good Mexican restaurant.   Despite the fact that I get lost easily, I never thought too much about how Americans denote addresses and locations until I looked at a map of India. 

If you’re looking to find a business’ location in India, you won’t be able to do so by looking for a street number, street, city, state and zip code. In India, addresses are noted by districts, divisions, enclaves and areas, followed by nearby landmarks.

So for example, if you were looking for the Hydrabadi Biryani House, you’d know to drive in the direction of the Plato Public School. Once in that area, it wouldn’t be uncommon for you to stop and ask someone how to get to the school. In fact, most Indian cab drivers will make frequent stops, asking every few blocks for a new set of directions.  

Alternatively, some landmarks are so well known that they don’t even need a physical address. Take for example, the India Gate. All you need to know is that it is located in Delhi. With that information, you can rely on helpful locals to guide you there step-by-step.

Travel Tip: What to expect on arrivals day

For many people the countdown clock to their EF tour is almost into single digits. One of the hardest things to deal with, no matter how many times you have toured, is what tour directors  (TDs) know as Day 2, arrivals day.

For many, your flight will land before 9 a.m. This could be the start of more airport waiting and subsequent flights or it could be time to get on the bus.  So, here are a few pointers that might make life a little easier. I am speaking here about Europe, but some of the principles will ring true wherever you are headed.

Group leaders—talk to your tour director about Day 2 before you travel. At least 10 days prior to the tour, your TD will have received the final itinerary and can provide you with a detailed outline of the day. Understand what is likely and advise your group. Your lead is vital. If the group sees you dealing with each step in a calm way, they will feel reassured. If they see you getting flustered that there is no check in until after dinner, then that spreads. If your tour director has not yet emailed you, then request via your tour consultant that he or she gets in touch.

Be prepared for no lying down until you have walked a few miles! Hotel check in is, generally, after 3 p.m. so it is likely that you will go to the hotel, store your bag somewhere, and then head out to see some sites before having dinner (possibly not close to the hotel) and then go back to check in around 8 p.m. It might be smoother than this, but prepare for the longer wait. Whatever happens, no sleep until after dinner is how it always unfolds.

Relax! Tours need time to breathe and develop. It is often not until Day 4 or 5 that people have settled into the pattern of hotels, fixed times and parading through the streets in the body of a 45-person-strong human snake. Let things settle down. Keep things measured. Chances are that someone’s ATM card or phone card won’t work; these things are always rectified.

I once led a 10-day tour with 45 people from San Diego. They arrived in Austria in November, 24 hours late and with no luggage. Many of them still dressed for the late Californian fall weather. Once they, very quickly, got over the initial shock everything was great. They soon realised that a tour is such a complex series of events that focusing on one element, be it luggage, tiredness, insurance or Tyrolian hats, means that the rest gets confused. Tour directors are trained to help deal with the bumps and to keep them in perspective.

I could say so much more, but we all know that the pleasure is in the discovery. If everyone’s trip was perfect, travel wouldn’t exist; we would have tired long ago of all having the same experiences. Have fun and prepare to be amazed how less foggy the world is on Day 3!

Global Citizen Spotlight: Shawaunna Middleton

This past year I experienced lots of things for the first time in my life; some were things people would never do or see in a lifetime. Many people have been on an airplane or traveled the world (or the States); the farthest west I have gone is to Savannah, Georgia. Considering I live in Charleston, South Carolina, that is not very far. Some people have won contests or other possible lotteries. I never got that lucky. Throughout all the years of my life, I was not a very lucky person. I probably won about two things EVER, so what was in store for me came as a shock.

In January of 2009, my Physics teacher, Mrs. Garaciau, a Romanian teacher here for an exchange program with the United States, recommended that I enter an international essay contest. I thought, “I could do it. I probably won’t win, not with my luck, but what the heck do I have to lose?”

In the essay, I told how racial barriers affected others in the past and present, and how it could mess up our future, mentioning points from U.S. history and personal experience. I thought I did alright, but not good enough to win.

March came, and I had forgotten all about the contest. One day, I was just sitting in the class and who came in with a very serious face? My principal. I started to sweat; I was thinking, “Please don’t call my name! Please don’t call my name! Please don’t call my name!” Whose name did he call?

“Shawaunna, someone’s on the phone for you.” I thought it was my mother, and I was going to get yelled at for doing something wrong.

I said, “Hello,” and that’s when I found out I had won; I was at a loss for words I was so shocked. I could not talk. I was still shaking from the thought of  being in trouble. All of the principals from my school were in my classroom staring into my face and taking pictures while I was on the phone, mouth wide open and speechless. On the other end of the phone, I heard, “Grab your passport. You are going to Europe.” That is where my journey started.

In the next few months, I had to get a passport and get myself mentally ready for the biggest journey of my life. I was contemplating whether to go or not. My first thought was not to go because I was frightened to step foot on an airplane, but I came around to it, and now I am glad that I did. On the trip, I was the one new to everything, the one who was scared of everything, and the one who complained about everything. It was a worthwhile experience though. I met many new people from all over the U.S. and the world. From meeting these people, it makes everything I said in my essay true. The world is huge and round; learning about it in a classroom is not the same as knowing about it. You have to go out there and experience it yourself to get the real gist of it.

This trip made me want to travel a lot more. One thing I would like lots of people to know is: Don’t let the fear of striking out put you out the game. I didn’t want to travel the world because I was scared of heights and change, but now nothing will or can stop me.

Travelling through Paris: My favourite metro station

If you are travelling to London or Paris, preparing for the practicalities of the subway system is something we always advise. However, apart from the business of moving large groups around and avoiding pickpockets, there is another challenge—deciding on your favourite station.

I lived in London for many years, never in Paris. Maybe this is why I have such a fondness for the Paris metro system. It has not spent a large portion of our relationship frustrating me with delays or inaudible announcements. It has more exotic adverts (although, ostensibly for the same stuff as in London). It is hard to argue with any 12-foot high poster that says “Floof!” Although, I still have no idea what it was selling. Paris has better buskers (people playing live music in the station); if anyone doubts this, they should go to Chatelet by exit number 6 on a Saturday afternoon and see the 12-20 piece outfit playing, or try St Michel station on line 4. Paris has the art-deco styling of the entrances, masterpieces of design.

Above all, Paris has some cracking station platforms! In a recent survey (poll sample size of two people: wife and brother) 100% of respondents agreed with me that Arts et Metiers is one of the finest. Situated on one of the lesser used junctions of lines 3 and 11, it is a representation of the museum of Arts and Industry located nearby. The station is designed in tribute to the science fiction works of Jules Verne. The platform has portholes along it containing models of buildings and machines; there are clunking great cogs and metal pipes in the roof of the platform tunnel, copper walls and metal seats. It is an art gallery in itself, for the price of a metro ticket.

I must also give special mention to line 12 at Concorde station.  You step onto the platform and see it completely decorated in small white tiles all containing letters or numbers. I have often played the unfair game of giving my groups the two or three minutes we have until a train arrives to tell me what the tiles mean. In all my visits, only one student has got it – spoiler alert – It is the Declaration of the Rights of Man, written in the tiles.

There are other greats; the maze of moving floorways at Montparnasse, the exit  at Opera that leads to nothing more than traffic until you turn around for a spectacular view of that special building, the greenhouses at Gare de Lyon (line 14 only).

So, if you are going to Paris, remember that the subway system is never just a quick way to get from A to B; it is the chance to indulge in the game of choosing a favourite station.

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Life on Tour cast member, Haseena, shares her thoughts on "making it" in the music industry.

Since I was little, I knew that the same, cubicle, boring desk-job was not going to be my thing. I wanted art or culture or whatever else people call it, you know? LIFE in my life.

Since Life On Tour Season 2, my guitar “hobby” has started feeling like more of a career choice. Despite all the daydreams though, one huge factor continued to slap me in the face: my age. Sound familiar?

A lot of people my age have the passion and the talent to “make it” or get recognized, but we’re all just too young to get out there on our own. Or so we think. It’s time we realize that we are in the “Age of Technology,” and  it is our biggest advantage. If there was ever a time to expose ourselves and show the world what we can do, it’s now.

Artists don’t make money off of the number of CD’s they sell or how many people write them letters. Who does either of those things anymore? People are getting famous off of the number of YouTube subscribers they get, or how many friends they have on Facebook. These things are constantly around us and the majority is absolutely free to access. Artists now make money off of the number of people who come to their live concerts and their number of mp3 sales on iTunes.

We’re not helpless because of our age anymore; do you know how many people are on YouTube every minute? Don’t be afraid of showing your stuff. People are getting sick of the same-old, same-old; originality is where it’s at. Thanks to Soulja Boi, music has now hit a new low; and if we’re starting at the bottom, there is no way to go but UP honey buns. So get to rocking dudes and dudettes; you’ve got nothing to lose and success at your fingertips.