Travel/study programs

English language students at the Institute tasted a wide variety of American life and landscapes in Session V and VI.

The Spring Study Tour

Twelve students from Japan, Korea and Indonesia explored the American Southeast as they studied English with ELI instructors David Quayle and Ricka Grollitsch on the 1996 Spring Study Tour. The theme for the trip was "The rights and privileges of Americans during various growth stages of the United States."

The group traveled 3,000 miles, starting in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. There tour members camped in a state park, learned how to chop wood, and hiked to a waterfall. After driving through the state, the group set up camp in the serene Smoky Mountains National Park, where the students met and interviewed many types of people: British Marines, students from Kellogg University, Cherokee Indians and campers from all over the United States. They whitewater rafted and then reflected on the troubled relationship between the federal government and the Cherokee Tribe symbolized by the Trail of Tears.

Continuing to the city known as the birthplace of country music, Nashville, Tennessee, the students enjoyed learning how different kinds of country music began and about the singers who have "made it big" in this field.

The next stop was the site of the 1996 Summer Olympics--Atlanta, Georgia. The group set up its "home" at a campground, weathering a severe thunderstorm that soaked students' tents and sleeping bags. The group studied the Civil Rights movement, the Coca Cola company, CNN, and the history of Atlanta.

In Orlando, Florida, group members were able to relax and enjoy themselves at Disney World. Then, in Key West, Florida, the southernmost point of the United States of America, the students scuba dived, snorkeled, sailed, rode mopeds, and swam in the aqua blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They visited the home and hang-outs of "Papa" Hemingway. En route north, the group visited an alligator farm in the Everglades, took a whirlwind tour of Miami, and then arrived in St. Augustine, a quaint Spanish town ruled by four different governments over the last three centuries and the oldest city in the U.S.

The final stop in the tour was Columbia, South Carolina, where students enjoyed Southern hospitality in the homes of five host families. The students visited Boone Hall Plantation, the site of many films, including North and South and Alex Haley's Queen. Besides Civil War history, the city is known for its sweet-water reed baskets and waterfront mansions. Before leaving, the group visited a Confederate museum and cooked up a barbeque for the host families.

Study Tour participants with tour leader Ricka Grollitsch overlook the Shenandoah Valley.

A Traveling American Culture Class

The Session VI travel/study program was a departure from the tours of the past. A smaller class size compelled the instructors, Sharon Beach and David Quayle, to modify the original four-week travel itinerary, offering instead an American Culture class enhanced by three extended weekend trips.

But apparent drawbacks can often turn out to be blessings; though the program changed suddenly, the enthusiasm of the students who participated in the program made the three-day Boston trip, five-day Montreal trip, and three-day Virginia trip fun and successful learning experiences.

The 1996 American Culture Study Tour added a new dimension to one of ELI's most exciting and unique programs. Future students will surely enjoy the challenges and learning experiences that only the travel/study programs can provide.