Historic Sites Tour Teaches More Than Culture

A group of 33 Hillsborough students made a whirlwind tour through the Mediterranean historic countries of Turkey and Greece (with a quick stop in Rome), returning home a little wiser, very tightly knit and for many, a little closer to college graduation.

The trip was organized by Jeff Kampf, formerly the Holocaust and Genocide Studies teacher at Hillsborough High School but now working in the Humanities Department at RVCC, and gave the students an in-depth cultural and educational experience.

The students were impressed by their visit to Pompeii—but were also surprised to see the ancient Greek ruins at Pergamon, Turkey.

"I though that was the most surreal, breathtaking place," Chloe D'Amico said of the mountaintop ruins.

Ian Gilmartin-Dzitko said the Vatican museum was an amazing sight, while Victoria Wright said her glimpse of the Coliseum, in Rome, at night was something she'll never forget.

"The first night, we drove by the Coliseum and there was a candle in every archway," she said. "I thought it was even more beautiful at night."

The scale of the ancient ruins also surprised many of the students, with some awestruck at the size of the Coliseum, and some surprised at the diminutive scale of the Parthenon, in Athens.

Their visit began in Istanbul, where they saw the Haggia Sophia, the famous Blue Mosque and the grand marketplace, with thousands of vendors—but very narrow selection.

"They were all selling the same things—there were, like, five different things to buy," Gilmartin—Dzitko said.

Of course, historical education wasn't the only knowledge gained: 14 days traveling together taught them to they could rely on each other, even as they explored the nightlife in Athens and Rome.

"We were together for about 14 days straight and we all got along," Weinberger said. 

And they learned the news broadcasts aren't always giving a full view of the situations in other countries—though Istanbul had been wracked by riots of the government's plans to develop a shopping center on a park, the issue had passed by the time the students arrived and they said there weren't any signs of hostility or anger during their visit.

Since much of the trip included visits to places high in the mountains or far from cities, such as Delphi and Ephesus, Turkey, communication wasn't always optimal. Day could pass between stable cell phone or Internet connections, cutting the connection between the students and their parents a bit.

"I think it was a good practice for college," Nicole Zamarripa said. "I went for about five days without talking to my mom, and when I did, it was like, 'Hi mom, I'm alive. We're fine' and that was it."

Zamarripa and most of the students in the group graduated from Hillsborough High School in June and are heading to college—where some will be starting off with three credits earned on the trip.

"They were a great group of kids," Kampf said. "When you travel with kids, and see things through their eyes, it's an amazing experience."

He added watching the students grow and gain confidence as they meet people from other countries makes the journeys even more rewarding.

"At the end of the trips, on the last night, we have a tradition where we ask the kids if they have anything they want to say," he said. "They always talk about the friends they make on the trips."

Friendships that may last almost as long as the Olympic stadium or the library at Ephesus.

For more photos of the trip, check the photos uploaded to Instagram at #I2R.