Featured image: Sam Dougherty and her friend, Bella, in Positano, Italy
Summer has rolled around again and WIF is taking time to reflect on its summer internship program.
After four consecutive years of successful programming, the internship was interrupted in 2020 due to the pandemic.
In 2021, we operated the program remotely and, to our delight, we succeeded in creating a robust experience for Intern Samantha (Sam) Dougherty that was built upon our COVID-19 PAGES: Art & Conversation online event.
Sam graduated from Penn State on May 7, 2022 and took the time to travel around Europe for several weeks afterward. She had the following comments about her 2021 internship experience:
“I had a great year finishing my political science degree and starting my masters program! I was certainly able to utilize the skills I learned throughout my WIF internship in my coursework. I took a class called Public Policy Analysis where we analyzed social, political or economic issues and debated policy solutions for them. I found myself thinking back to the articles I wrote about the intersection of politics into different sectors and used some of that research in my discussions.
“The ‘Art & Conversation’ experience has impacted my personal life more so than classwork. I am still so inspired by the work from The Global Poetry Project exhibited at Art & Conversation. I also have seen things such as murals and street art in such a new light – particularly for social change!
“Thank you again for such a wonderful experience last summer!”
Because she was unable to travel to Paris for her WIF internship, and because previous interns derived tremendous benefit from spending time in the French capital over the summer, I asked Sam to share her thoughts about travel abroad in general and her 2022 trip in particular. She agreed to grant WIF the following interview:
WIF: Were you able to travel to Paris on your European excursion this summer?
SD: I did not go to Paris this time because I was able visit the city with my mom a few years ago. For this trip, I traveled with Bella, one of my best friends from childhood, who went to Boston College. We have not been able to see each other often since going to college so it was nice to catch up on life and experience such an awesome trip together. We made up for lost time and celebrated graduation. That made this experience extra special.
WIF: Where did you go this summer?
SD: Our trip began in Athens, where we explored the city’s history for a few days and toured the Acropolis. We then traveled to Mykonos where we tried a lot of local dishes, shopped and rented ATVs to tour the rest of the island that was not walk-able. We also went to the beach there – it was so beautiful!
Then we went to Santorini, which is also a stunning Greek island. We spent most of our time there on the beaches.
Next we traveled to Italy where we flew into Naples and then traveled to Sorrento. My Mom’s family is from Italy so I was able to see some of the same places here that my grandmother had shown me pictures of before I left. I also ran into some friends from Penn State just walking down the street (small world) so I was happy to spend a few days with them there.
Then we continued along the Amalfi coast, taking a ferry to Positano and enjoying some delicious Italian food. After that stop, we headed to Capri which was my favorite stop of the trip. The locals were so kind and the scenery was breathtaking. We took a boat out a few times to see the perimeter of the island. The boat allowed us to see the Blue Grotto and other famous landmarks of the island.
Our next stop was Barcelona, Spain. I had been to Spain when I was younger but was grateful to go back because I definitely appreciated the history of the city much more. We did a bike tour and saw Parc Guell, Gaudi House Museum and the Sagrada Familia.
Our final stop was Amsterdam in the Netherlands, which was a very cool city and different from any place I have been to before. We toured the Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank’s House and did a fun canal tour. We also saw the red light district and shopped around the city until it was time to go back home.
WIF: You’ve been abroad before. What was different about this trip?
SD: This trip was different, for me, because I finally felt old enough to appreciate the history and beauty of each city I visited. I was more interested in seeing historical sites and touring museums than I have been in the past.
WIF: How did you navigate the spaces you visited (walking, motor vehicle, bike)?
SD: We mainly walked through the towns or cities of each place we visited but initially relied on taxis to get to our hotels. I enjoyed walking because it gave us the opportunity to enjoy local attractions and explore at our own pace. We also rented an ATV in Mykonos which is a popular way to get around on the island. This allowed us to explore the parts of the island that are not walk-able and was so much fun.
WIF: How did these different modes of travel affect your experience?
SD: Using different modes of transportation produced a different experience in each place. Walking allowed us to immerse ourselves much more than driving did; simply because of the speed of travel.
WIF: What did you learn from your travels this summer?
SD: One thing that I learned was to embrace being out of my comfort zone. Navigating new cities can be intimidating but learning to go with the flow and enjoy the travel made me realize that I enjoy life outside of my comfort zone. I also learned the importance of experiencing other cultures. I’ve spent my years in school learning about cultural differences, mainly from a political lens, but it was an entirely different experience to witness them.
WIF: Why do you believe travel abroad is important, particularly for young people?
SD: I believe that travel abroad is important for young people to increase their cultural competence. Inherently, where we grow up can lack physical or intellectual diversity and traveling abroad can challenge that anatomy. I feel incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to travel abroad and would recommend it to anyone. I also believe there should be more systems in place to promote travel for young people in a way that works to reduce the discouraging cost.
All photos in this post are courtesy of Sam Dougherty.
