An Experience In Their Own Words: Christine Scholl

Hi, my name is Christine Scholl and I had the unique opportunity to go on the Woodcrest Europe trip two summers ago. My first reaction when I officially found out I was going to Europe was “Cool, I have always wanted to go.” I did not really get the full picture that I was about to fly over 6,000 miles away from my home and experience things I would have never imagined. This all changed when we arrived in Rome. The bus with all 33 of us was driving downtown, when all the sudden the Roman Coliseum popped into view. At this moment I realized that I was in Rome, Italy, a city with thousands of years of history and I was about to see it all like it just happened yesterday! I was truly blown away with the fact that I could be standing in the middle of it.

The entire rest of the trip was like this as we continued to travel to the Vatican, Switzerland, France and England and saw sculptures by Michelangelo, wondered around the streets of Venice, walked on the beach where so many people serving their countries died, and so much more. I would have to say my personal favorite was driving up to Switzerland, taking a cog train to get to our hotel in a town so small it had no cars, and venturing up to the Jungfraujoch, the “Top of Europe”, Not to mention hiking a path in the Swiss Alps!! It was breathtaking seeing all of the Lord’s beautiful creation. At the end of our 19 days, that is what stood out the most: God created the world and everything in it; He must be one amazing God!

The strangest thing about me going was I only just graduated eighth grade and did not yet take Mr. Keys’ World History Course. To be honest, I was a little worried about not being able to appreciate everything, considering I did not even learn about some of the places we were going. However, this was not too big of a deal once we arrived. I knew what most of the stuff was and what I didn’t know everyone around filled me in on. In the long run, this trip prepared me more for Mr. Keys’ class and helped me connect the dots. It was really fun to be learning about something in class and being able to say “I’ve been there” or “So that’s was that was!” This once in a lifetime adventure was a real eye-opening experience. It was a blessing to be able to travel to different countries, see chunks of history in real life, and interact with other languages and cultures. I will never forget this trip as long as I live, no matter how old and wrinkly I get. It was just that awesome!

Thank you Mr. Keys, Mr. Lambert, Mr. Burdett, and Passports for making this possible!