Summer represents a time for adventure and fun, and many students embrace this concept by taking exotic vacations over break. From Asia, to Europe, to right here in the US, Cathedral students are crisscrossing the globe over the next two months.
Junior Megan Pepi will traverse France, visiting Nice, Cannes, and, of course, Paris. She and her family will also vacation in Monte Carlo, Monaco, which is situated right next to France, and finally Normandy. They visited Paris two years previously and “Absolutely loved it,” said Megan. So having just graduated, her older sister chose to return to France for a last family vacation before college.
Megan has lots of reasons to be excited, foremost of which is because they will be in Paris for France’s Independence Day, or Bastille Day. “I am very excited to see how a different country celebrates a national holiday,” said Megan. She also looks forward to practicing her French, which she takes at Cathedral, and seeing where the Battle of D-Day took place in Normandy, a battle she has repeatedly learned about in history class. “It will be very interesting to physically be standing where the largest Naval Battle in history took place,” said Megan.
Sophomore Morgan Cunning will also be in Europe this summer, in some of the most rebound cities it has to offer; London and Paris. Like Megan, she has visited Paris before, yet this time she will have the opportunity to share the experience with her mother, as well as the rest of her family.
They have lots of activities planned for both cities, from exploring the schools of Oxford and Cambridge, to showing their mother the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, and finally to visiting a Romanian exchange student they housed two years ago. Morgan specifically is “really looking forward to visiting the colleges and Platform 9 and ¾.” For those who don’t know, Platform 9 and 3/4 is a famous landmark from the Harry Potter series of books and movies.
Travel over five thousand miles to East Asia, and you’ll find Sophomore Joshua Chen. But this isn’t just a leisurely vacation. Joshua, who can speak Chinese, has a twofold assignment on this missionary trip with his church – spread the word of God, and teach college students English. However, since he cannot write in Chinese, he faces the challenge of having to speak the language, while writing the translation in English. Furthermore, he expects some difficulty in embracing the authority necessary to teach students older than himself, and therefore normally superior. Despite the numerous challenges, Joshua looks forward to “more responsibility and the opportunity to serve other people.”
Finally, Sophomore James Valente has an action-packed summer vacation in store. Not only will he spend 32 days hiking 250 miles around three Alaskan islands, but he says he will also hike 22 miles up Mt. Whitney, the “highest mountain in the lower 48 states.” Though he may not have a meaningful mission like Joshua, he does plan to have heaps of fun. Having never been to Alaska, James looks forward to observing the scenery, and believes it will be “cool to be on the water for a month.” As for Mt. Whitney, he hiked this over 14,500 ft. mountain when he was twelve, and plans to have fun with his brother and friends.
Though these may only be a few students with vacations planned for this summer, theirs will stand out as some of the most educational, important, and exciting.
By: Emily Fields
