Students have high praise for summer trip to Africa

For two weeks over the summer eight students and two faculty members traveled to Gambia, Africa, with the Teacher Education Program to work with school-age kids, according to a student who was on the trip.

"We went to do service learning, teach in schools and see what their school system, environment and government was like," said Brittni Bartholomew, 20, a junior political science and teacher education major from Delmar, N.Y.

The students worked through the University of Gambia's student service learning organization, according to Diane Byrne, a professor of education at Norwich

This allowed the students to do home stays with the students from the University of Gambia.

Gambia is located on the western coast of Africa and is the smallest country in the continent, according to Bartholomew.

The students who went on the trip "learned about a different culture. They learned that education is pretty much the same where ever you go," said Byrne, except for the lack of recourses and supplies that the teachers have in Gambia. They also brought away with them more understanding of a different culture and the needs of a third-world country.

"I found it really rewarding to help out in the different schools and to teach the children," said Emily Shapiro, 22, a junior psychology major from Middlesex, Vt, and "for my future career as a school psychologist."

Living in close quarters with their hosts in Africa was a very educational experience for the students.

"It really showed me that you don't have to have all the luxuries of life to love life," Bartholomew said. "You can live in a hut and have the same clothes on for six months and still be one of the happiest people on earth."

The trip was paid for by the students themselves and cost over $3,000 to attend, according to Shapiro.

The students hope to go back to Gambia next year in the spring.