Peru

Lily Moran
The main reason I chose to join the school trip to Peru, besides the beautiful sights, was the opportunity to help some people in need.

When I found out that the service we would be providing would be helping girls in need of education, of course I felt lucky to help Peruvian girls access something American girls take for granted.

Two days out of the six day trip, we visited a construction site where we would help to build a boarding house for girls who couldn’t access the school easily.

After the rst day we were surprised with the opportunity to meet girls who lived in a boarding house much like the one we helped to build. They sang the Peruvian national anthem for us and we played volleyball together.

As beautiful as Machu Picchu was, my personal favorite sight was the happy look on those girls’ faces as we clapped after they sang.

-Lily Moran, sophomore

England & Ireland

Macie Lavender
The U.K. and I got off to a bit of a rough start, the lack of air conditioning putting some strain on our relationship. However, our bond was quickly mended after my first glimpse of London, the city’s chaotic beauty overwhelming my jet-lagged mind. London is a perplexing gridlock of ancient limestone buildings and sharp steel skyscrapers, endlessly buzzing with activity. There’s a Dickens literary tour, outdoor market, Van Gogh’s sunflowers, an evensong performance at Westminster Abbey, and on, and on, and on…

The next stops, Oxford and Manchester, seemed idyllic havens in comparison. Oxford University is regal in its old world magnificence, the grounds pristinely manicured. Picturing Hogwarts isn’t far off, as our slightly obsessed tour guide was quick to point out the many connections between Harry Potter and the school.

Haworth is the definition of an English country village, quaintly nestled among giant rolling hills dotted with sheep. Our tour guide, Johnny, is a magnificent storyteller with such a kindly nature that he could double as a Bronte loving father Christmas.

Dublin is a big city but in a tolerable dose, retaining a bit of old fashioned charm with brick streets and an atmosphere of cheer, despite the soggy weather. There’s a remarkable adherence to Irish stereotypes; Irish jig music emanates from bars and street corners everywhere. The Irish really do it better.

After a week of running around the U.K. and Ireland, I returned to Tampa with sore legs and a heavy heart. The memories and friendships made on the trip are unforgettable, and I’m forever grateful to the Cowart’s for allowing me to have such a great experience.

– Macie Lavender, senior

Thailand, Vietnam & Cambodia

Lauren DeGeorge
The whole trip was surreal, a constant stream of people and places so different from what we see everyday and always feeling like we were moving too fast to truly process everything that we were experiencing.

Vietnam was our first stop, and by far my favorite. We ate breakfast on a balcony above the trees, looking down on the busy city which was filled with people and motorized scooters that never followed any sort of traffic laws.

We visited the war memorial, took a boat on a tour of the “floating city”, ventured in the caves underground and braved our way through the crowded markets as locals desperately bargained at us.

After three days, many flight delays and a scary ride across the border via propeller plane, we arrived in a place that could only have been described as picturesque, and met our new tour guide in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat was certainly the most memorable, and even after spending three hours in the hot sun walking around we all felt that we still hadn’t seen enough.

We all got blessed by the monks, took pictures with a monkey, rode elephants and then again too soon we boarded the bus and drove towards Thailand.

Halfway to the border we stopped and enjoyed an assortment of bugs, and most were a surprisingly appetizing taste. We went to dinner accompanied by a show, visited more temples and ate the best Pad Thai in existence. 

Too soon we were home with only a small stack of mementos and a head full of dream-like memories to bring us back.

– Lauren DeGeorge, junior