Following the Equator | EF's Educational Travel Blog

EF Group Leader Spotlight: Gail Ingram

High school history teacher Gail Ingram has made a career out of bringing the world to her small South Carolina town of Cheraw—and, more importantly, of showing her students the world on her educational tours.

Gail is a longtime EF Group Leader, a frequent mentor to new group leaders and a regular presenter on EF's Free International Training Tours. Gail also has won two national teaching award from National History Day, including the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award this year.

Now, we are honored to have Gail join us here as a regular contributor to Following the Equator. Gail—pictured above with her daughter, Ruth, on tour this summer in Scotland—has a lot of wonderful stories and valuable advice to share, plus she's got a terrific sense of humor. So, in recognition of her joining our blog team, we'd like to introduce her in the Group Leader Spotlight.

Finding new favorites in Europe

By Christina Harsanyi | EF copywriter

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job has always been researching all of the interesting destinations students can travel on an EF educational tour, so when it came time to plan my own European tour, I had plenty of ideas. And finally, I had the time to do some exploring.

Six countries and three-and-a-half weeks later, I’ve returned home with a few new favorite places and a strong desire to pack my life’s possessions into a backpack and live a nomadic life for the next few years.

Split, Croatia

By the time we made it to the charming coastal city of Split, Croatia (above), we had a sightseeing system in place: read about our next destination while in transit and then hit the ground running. So I was a little surprised that despite looking in a couple of guidebooks, I couldn’t find any opening hours for Diocletian’s Palace. I also couldn’t quite figure out why the lady running our guesthouse gave me a funny look when I asked her what time the palace closed. When we did venture to Diocletian’s Palace (right), I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not a palace in the traditional sense at all.

Emperor Diocletian built the palace in preparation for his retirement in the 3rd century. After his death, the palace remained empty for a few centuries, but since then the residents of Split have created an entire community out of its remains. Although the basement is preserved as a museum, other sections have been converted into apartments, restaurants, businesses and even a church. The dichotomy of old and new was ever present between the Roman artifacts scattered around the palace and the clothing stores selling the latest European fashions. For the first time ever, I checked my email at an Internet café housed in an old palace room.

Mostar, Bosnia

One of the benefits of traveling to Croatia (besides the historical sites, gorgeous beaches, delicious seafood and friendly people) is the ease of traveling to nearby countries. And as someone who aspires one day to be part of the Travelers’ Century Club, I took advantage of the opportunity to take a day-trip to Mostar, Bosnia. The main attraction of the town is the Old Bridge (Stari Most), which was built by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The bridge (right) connected the two parts of the city, divided by the Neretva River, for more than 400 years before it was destroyed during the war in 1993. Restored by UNESCO, the Old Bridge is a symbol of the coexistence of religious, cultural and ethnic communities.

A Muslim Bosnian woman (married to a Catholic man) explained the significance of the bridge as such: Prior to the war, the Old City was a melting pot of different religious and ethnic groups. After the war, groups were divided by religious lines and depending on your religion, you were often forced to move to one side of the river or the other. The destruction of the bridge symbolized the destruction of the multicultural community. She described the sadness of being prevented from visiting family members practicing different religions and the slow process of reconciliation as the area tries to rebuild after the war. Listening to her experiences was one of the most poignant history lessons I have had in a long time, and a good reminder that one of the most educational aspects of traveling is simply interacting with and learning from the local people.

Stonehenge, England

You’ll find Stonehenge on many EF tours to the United Kingdom, which convinced me that I should check it out, too. Conveniently enough, I have a friend who lives nearby so a free place to stay certainly sealed the deal. The circle of stones, which evolved between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C., is shrouded in mystery. Stonehenge could have been a place for sun worship, a burial site, a healing center or even a large calendar. Even more mysterious is how the stones, the largest of which weighs 45 tons, were transported to their current location from Wales. Archaeologists agree that it would have been very difficult to transport such large stones more than 100 miles. As a result, some theorists believe it was constructed by the Wizard Merlin or even the devil.

Budapest, Hungary

Like our resident expert tour director, Paul Mattesini, who wrote about students traveling to Central Europe, I too recommend a visit, especially to Hungary. Given, I may be a bit biased because my family is from Budapest. My visit to Hungary, the final stop on my trip, was all too short, but I did manage to canvas the city in the few days that I was there.

I will leave you with a few recommendations: Make sure to visit the neoclassical St. Stephen’s Basilica. Besides being quite pretty, the church holds the right hand of King Stephen, the first Christian king of Hungary and patron saint of the basilica. Those who like classical music may enjoy a visit to the Béla Bartók house. The museum is the final Hungarian home of the composer and displays a variety of artifacts from his career. Ask your EF Tour Director to help you arrange a visit here during your free time. Finally, for great views of the city at night, visit the Fisherman’s Bastion. It’s free to climb to the top in the evening.

Back in Boston, as I am sifting through photos from my trip, I’m reminded of a sign I saw in Croatia. Posted near the house of Marco Polo, it read: "Old is nice" (perhaps, the European equivalent of America’s "Bigger is better"). Many of the "old" places I saw were indeed quite nice, and having been home for a few weeks, I’m ready to hit the road again. After all, if I’m going to make it to the Travelers' Century Club, I have many more countries to explore.

The joys of studying abroad

By Paul Mattesini | EF Tour Director

I have what is politely called a chequered educational background. Dropped out of school at 15, ended up at night school a few years later (after a lot of travelling), fell into university in London, became an EF Tour Director, then went back to university to do a Master's programme for my own entertainment. My graduate studies were in a class that contained 15 other students from 14 different countries. I was the only Brit; it was superb. The range of ideas that people brought added so much to the general approach to learning.

There is not much better for the college student than the chance to study abroad. We at EF, rightly, bang on about the educational benefits of as little as eight days outside your own country. Imagine doing that for anything from a few weeks to a few years. Not only that, you would be doing it pretty much on your own terms. It can even be cheaper than college at home; a year in the UK can cost approximately $10,000. However, cost shouldn’t be a factor; there are all sorts of grants and exchange programmes available.

I am such an advocate of studying abroad that I even have statistics.

• More than 250,000 U.S. students studied abroad in 2009.
• The UK (33,300 students), Australia (11,000 students) and Ireland (6,900) are in the top 10 study abroad destinations. Other countries in the top 10 are Italy, Spain, France, China, Mexico, Germany and Costa Rica.
• Around 36% of study abroad participants go abroad during their junior year.
• More women study abroad than men. About 65% of participants each year are female.
• About 40% of those studying abroad do so for a semester or a quarter. Only 4% of those studying abroad go for a whole academic year, down from 14% over ten years ago.
• The majority (56%) of study abroad participants choose to study abroad for eight weeks or less, either sometime during the academic year, a January intersession or in the summer. An EF language course is a great way to study abroad for a shorter period of time and practice your language skills while exploring a new country.
• Only 6.2% of students studying abroad are foreign language majors. A greater number of students have majors in social sciences, business fields, humanities, the arts and physical or life sciences.

The variety of courses is amazing. International Student is a great resource for finding different types of courses as well as a lot of information on funding and loans. The UK Council for International Student Affairs offers a whole range of info on how to get to the UK, where to go and rules on working. Both sites have lots of very useful links and forums.

 

Think about it, studying for the love of studying and doing it overseas. Go on, search for a course; see where your imagination takes you.

Photo: Royal Holloway college at the University of London, where I studied history.

Travelling through London: My favourite Tube station

I recently posted on my fondness for the Paris metro system and named some favourite stations (and one exit). It seems only fair to give London the right of reply.

The London Underground is a more workmanlike system. Like soccer and food, the English seem to prefer practicality over flamboyance, the artisan over the artist. That said, the Tube has some wonderful features. I can begin with the map, a piece of art in itself (I know this as I have seen it reproduced on t-shirts). The naming of lines, rather than the numbering used in most other cities, is terrific. Who doesn’t enjoy being advised to take the Piccadilly to the Bakerloo for the Circle or Metropolitan? Never forget that tube stations were used as bunkers for Londoners to shelter in during the blitz of 1940-1941, a landmark piece of the city’s history. Then there are the exit signs marked “Way Out” and the internationally renowned refrain of “Mind the gap” as the train doors open. They have this announcement in Paris, but it just sounds too soothing in French.

However, the point for me here is the individual stations. It is hard to find distinct favourites. The central stations of Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Charing Cross all seem very much of their time rather than timeless. Timelessness is a quality that does exist in some places. I used to live in West London and took the Piccadilly line past Hammersmith (a very busy junction). The next station is Barons Court. I have always had a fondness for this station, its wooden seats, like extended armchairs, plus the fact that no-one ever seemed to get on or off here. Earl’s Court, shortly afterward, has an apostrophe; Barons Court doesn’t. I have never resolved this.

So, for a favourite station, I am left with the obvious, certainly to those that know me. Arsenal station with its long tunneled walkway exiting onto Avenell road facing the North Bank of Highbury Stadium is an unbeatable memory. Arsenal station (Piccadilly line) is the only one on the system to have been re-named in honour of the success of the local soccer team in the 1930s. You can still see the fading signs for ‘Gillespie Road’ on the platform. Nostalgia that we can see, how about that! Arsenal moved to a new stadium in 2006 so the exit has lost its immediate charm. I guess this leaves me back at Barons Court.

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.

Staff Spotlight: Paul Mattesini

Starting next week, Paul Mattesini, one of EF’s best-loved tour directors, will begin posting weekly to Following the Equator. Look for his advice and musings on everything travel-related. In anticipation of his blogging debut, a little bit about Paul:


The early years: I was born and raised in the UK. At the age of 15 I took a break from school and traveled throughout Europe for five years, before returning home and completing night-school leading to the University of London, where I studied history.  


EF career path: I joined EF in 1992, and have since led more than 200 tours to 50 countries. I spent a year in Boston working in the Customized Department and I still check most customized itineraries each year. These days, I lead several tours a year, but I also work with product development, designing and adjusting tours, and look after the tour director website.

The EF family: I spent two years managing the London regional office (1999-2001), where I was responsible for allocating tours and hiring and training tour directors. I liked Michelle McHale so much as a new tour director that we married in 2004! We have a 2-year-old daughter, Izzy, and another daughter due April 25th.

Living the good life: Having lived in Spain for a few years, we are now back in rural England with a growing collection of chicken, sheep and rabbits.


Hobbies: Love backgammon, dancing with my daughter, keeping bees and cooking. As the son of an Italian chef, I was cooking from the age of six on.

Favorite sport: Arsenal football (soccer). I was a former season ticket holder, and once bought a flat so I could live less than a mile from the stadium.


Best travel destination: Thailand, without a doubt. I love it.


Favorite tour destination: Iceland was superb. Prague is a favorite city.

Around the world with EF staff: Recollections from Dublin, London and Paris

By Catherine Henkels, EF Tour Consultant

In October, I embarked on my first EF Educational Tour. I had traveled to Europe before on my own and with a group, but never on an EF tour and I was excited to find out what it was all about. The tour I went on was Dublin, London and Paris, a tour that visits three countries in only 10 days. The advantages of traveling with a group became evident pretty quickly, as it would be difficult to see as much as we did in such a short time.

I traveled with a group from Indianapolis, Indiana, and there was at least one person on the tour who had never left the state before.  The EF staff greeted the Hoosiers at the airport in Dublin, and despite many hours of travel, they were happy to be there. In what I soon learned would be a recurring theme throughout this tour, we didn’t let jetlag slow us down.

The first day in Dublin we took a walking tour to gain our bearings, and after dinner, most of the group ventured out to see what Dublin was like at night. The group leader decided that boys and girls should split up for the adventure into the city. My colleague, Emily, and I accompanied the girls to explore Dublin by night. We walked around the Temple Bar area, where street performers drew crowds. The students got a kick out of seeing the human statues and the different styles of the locals. Dublin was definitely a nice introduction to Europe for this group, which was comprised of many new travelers. There was very little in the way of language barriers and there was no need to use public transportation, as Dublin is a smaller city and easily walkable. We could gain our bearings and adjust to our new surroundings, without adding the additional maze of mass transit systems.

Our 10 Best of 2009

Thank you to everyone for reading, sharing and supporting Following the Equator in 2009. We sure enjoyed posting great stories, facts, tips and profiles about educational travel and the group leaders who make it possible.

We're already planning some exciting new things for 2010. Most of all, though, we want to hear from you. What do you want to read and see on this blog—more interviews with teachers, more amazing travel photos, more fundraising and recruiting ideas, more tidbits about the things to see and do on tour? Let us know at equator@ef.com.

As we look ahead to an exciting year of travel in 2010, we thought we'd take a quick look back at a successful 2009 and our 10 favorite blog posts of the year. Feel free to post your own comments below.

Focus On: Royal Observatory, Greenwich

Every once in a while, political leadership and science come together to advance man's transportation possibilities, and end up leaving some truly lasting marks.

Forty years ago today, efforts by scientists and astronauts at NASA, coupled with the inspiring will of the late President Kennedy, placed the first men on the moon. That day in 1969 left us with a quote for the ages, an enduring image and a lasting marker (OK, maybe not so lasting, but the sentiment surely is).

More than 300 years ago and across the ocean in England, King Charles II commissioned the Royal Observatory at Greenwich to better chart the night skies as a way to improve navigation. The lasting marks that Charles & Co. left behind: the Prime Meridian (i.e., 0° longitude, the arbitrary place chosen to divide the world vertically); and growing out of the Prime Meridan, Greenwich Mean Time ("GMT"), the world's "official" time, from which all the world's time zones are calculated (e.g., my time zone is GMT –5). 

Groups traveling on certain EF Educational Tours itineraries to the United Kingdom will visit the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.

Although EF offers no tours to the moon (yet), there are domestic itineraries that include the Kenendy Space Center. And, of course, EF offers tours all over the world, any of which are great for seeing the moon—and your world—from new angles!

Photo: neiljs via Flickr (CC license)

Focus On: Lake District

About halfway up Great Britain, in the upper reaches of England and just before the border with Scotland, lies the Lake District.

It is a stunningly beautiful landscape of lakes and "fells" (mountains), old stone walls and rolling green countryside. It's a rural paradise, like Switzerland with lower mountains and (charmingly) lower levels of perfectionism. 

William Wordsworth, one of the premier poets of the English language, is a product of the Lake District. This is one of his most famous poems. Wordsworth's residences—Dove Cottage in the village of Grasmere (his home from 1799 to 1808) and the nearby Rydal Mount (1813-1850)—are both open to visitors.

Focus On: The Eden Project

If Cornwall—an English county on the southwestern tip of Great Britain—can't claim to be the biblical site of Eden, it can claim to be the space-age one. How else would an old mining town in the British Isles house plant species from all over the world, including those of tropical and Mediterranean climates?  

The town St Blazey in Cornwall is where some very clever and environmental scientists, engineers and businessmen built the Eden Project: a complex featuring two huge covered biomes (ecological "communities"). Take a look here and here. One of them has a rainforest climate, and the other one has a Mediterranean climate. The rainforst-climate one is the largest greenhouse in the world.

Focus On: Hadrian's Wall

In northern England, just about at the modern-day border between England and Scotland, lies the 1,900-year-old Hadrian's Wall.

It's a Roman wall, ordered built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122. It spans the length of the island of Great Britain, which, at that narrow point in the island, is about 73 miles.

Hadrian's Wall sat on what was then the outer reaches of the Roman Empire; it kept out the riff-raff from the north (namely, bands of raiders from modern-day Scotland). Whether under the watchful eye of a raider-killing centurion or a weed-killing preservationist, the wall's structural integrity has remained a focus throughout.

The Romans built a number of forts along the wall. Groups traveling on certain EF Educational Tours itineraries will visit Housesteads, one of those forts.

Photo: andym8y via Flickr (CC license)