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 - Lisbeth Perez '13
Monday, May 07, 2012 By Lisbeth Perez '13
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On February, 13, 2013 the class of 2014 will be taking a once in a lifetime trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world, Italy. This will be TYWLS of Astoria’s second annual international trip. The class of 2013 went on TYWLS of Astoria’s 1st annual international trip to Spain during the last week of October 2011. During their Spain trip, the class of 2013 faced challenges that the class of 2014 might also face.This is a guide that will help the girls with some of those challenges.
1. The project for the trip
This is an educational trip so don’t be surprised when you are asked to write an essay and keep a journal for this trip. To avoid feeling stressed about the essay and the journal, do not procrastinate. Once you are given the assignment, start on it and for the journal make sure you do one entry every night because you do not want to be staying up late trying to catch up on your entries. In your journals you need information about the sights you saw, not only your emotions, so recording what your tour guide says is a smart thing to do or even take notes about what he/she says at all times.
2. Packing:
Packing is a very important part of your trip; so it is very important to differentiate from what is absolutely necessary and what you want.
For starters don’t bring a laptop because you will be out of your room early in the morning and you will be exhausted when you get back. Bringing a cellphone is not necessary, unless your parents have told you to. Eiter way to use your cell phones in Europe you would need to pay an additional fee. Also EF Tours gives you a phone card so you can communicate with you parents. Other than the cell phone bring a camera of course and that should really be the only electronic device that you would have with you need. Remember that Italy and America are two very different places, so you will need an adapter for your charger.
Clothing is simple, but the amount of clothing you bring is the hard part. You know that the trip to Italy will be for nine days, so be wise about the amount of clothes you bring. Since you must wear the gym uniform on the travel days, that eliminates two outfits. The type of clothes you take on this trip also depends on the weather. Before you head on your trip, check what the weather will be like, so you will know what you need and what you won’t need. Foot wear is also a very important part of this trip because you will be doing a lot of walking, so you need comfortable foot wear. Shoes also take up a lot of space in your suitcase, so you will want to limit the number of pairs you bring.
You have to fit all your belongings into a carry on bag. Many of you might say that it is impossible to fit all your belongings in a carry on bag, but it is possible if you pack only the necessary items and leave the unnecessary behind. Just think about this, if Sandy can pack the stuff she needs in a carry on and not the unnecessary, so can all of you.
3. Rooms:
Before leaving on the trip the teachers will give you a paper where you have to write the names of the girls that you would like to room with. There are a lot of girls, so it’s not easy to please everyone. But, you should also keep in mind the only thing you would do in the hotel is sleep and get ready for the next day. Also, remember that you are in a foreign country and no matter how much you dislike the person you need to watch out for each other and be responsible during the nine days you will be in Italy.
4. Freedom:
This usually depends on your group leader. There are some leaders who have the girls pair up and they get to go around during free time, but the rule is that students must be back at a certain time and at a certain place. However, there are group leaders who have their group choose where they want to go and they all go together. Either way, you get to see so many new things and you still have fun.
5. Behavior:
This trip is the opportunity of a lifetime, so ruining it by behaving badly is ridiculous. There are serious consequences that accompany bad behavior. For example, the legal drinking age in Italy is 16, yet you are not allowed to purchase nor accept any alcoholic beverages. If you do, you will be sent back home and your parents will have to pay for the ticket. Being able to go to Italy is amazing and an opportunity like this does not come everyday so you need to appreciate it and not ruin it. It’s a lot of fun and behaving badly doesn't only ruin the trip for you, but also for your peers.
Going to Italy is a once in a life experience and this guide should help you make your trip more incredible. So Class of 2014 good luck and hope that your trip to Italy will be unforgettable just like Spain was for the Class of 2013.
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