UHS Students Discuss Summer Plans

theechobeach — http://www.checkcity.com/Blog/post/2009/12/Planning-Vacation-Finances.aspx

Summer is just around the corner and students are eager to get there! Some kids stay around for the two months of no school, but others take advantage of this break to take some sweet (or sometimes not-so-sweet) vacations. The hottest spots for a summer vacation in America for 2011 include Miami Beach, Florida; Los Angeles, California; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Students whose families want to go places more exotic though, sometimes travel all over the world over these two months. Let’s see where some Urbana High School students have been to in the past years and where they’re planning to go in the upcoming summer; both in and out of the country.
Freshman Lewis Haber goes to Whiteplains, New York. “My family visits my dad’s grandpa, uncle, and his family,” he said. “Typically, this lasts one to two weeks and we usually go sailing at the end. This trip is just to catch up with relatives.” The whole thing is not completely enjoyable for him, though. “The only part I truly like is the sailing and possible venture to New York City. Other than that, these vacations are very stressful.”
Freshman Sami Messi went to Algeria with his family for two months to see the rest of the family. “(This trip is) somewhat enjoyable. It’s fun with the cousins, good food, and the beach early in the morning and late at night,” he said. Freshman Gabi Rajic also goes across seas to see family. “I go with my family to Croatia every summer. It is in Europe near Italy. We usually stay for two months. We go because that is where my mom and dad grew up and where my grandparents live,” she said. “I really enjoy Croatia because it is near the sea and it is very beautiful. So many different cultures and food to discover. It’s really a sight to see.” Some fond memories sure do come out of a trip like that. “There are a lot of big fishes in the sea. Once we went boating and caught a fish. But it was so big it threw me in the water!” Rajic said.
Freshman Dominique Allen goes to an arts camp in Interlochen to act. “It’s amazing. I get to do what I love,” she said. Frehsman Benjamin Ross also goes to a camp, but this one is a Jewish sleep-away camp in Indiana for four weeks.
Some students go places to play sports for fun or in tournaments, like Freshman Saul Downie, who went to Sweden and Denmark for two weeks with the LISC U14 soccer team. “I had an amazing time getting to know my teammates, playing soccer, and enjoying the Scandinavian culture,” Downie said. “On this trip, me and another teammate were left on a tram in the middle of Goteuburg. We had to run through the streets until we found our way back to our school where we were staying.” Sophomore Myles Kelley went to watch a Dodgers professional baseball game one summer, and also went to Disneyland while there in California.
A trip’s destination for some students varies every year. Freshman Martha Henigman goes to Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and some other places to visit family. “I usually go to different theme parks and be there for about a week. In Chicago, I am there for a few days to visit my brother,” she said. “I have fun traveling and spending time with people I don’t see often.”
So all of these students go to very different places, willingly or not. But what would their dream vacation be? “A solo boat trip to a secluded tropical island,” Haber said. “A week at a Montreal ski resort,” Messi said. “A trip to the pacific island of Guam,” said Ross. “To live in my condo (in Croatia) next to the sea, and travel the world,” said Rajic. “Going to Spain, playing and watching lots of soccer,” Downie said. “(Going) somewhere in Europe for at least two weeks. Shopping, sightseeing, and relaxing,” said Henigman. “Going to Italy to visit Rome and all the ancient ruins,” Kelley said. Just relaxing,” said Senior Jessie Mcall, who said her senior trip is going to be “spending quality time with all my friends before we all go off to college.” Other seniors have some bigger plans in store. Senior Emmah King is taking a road trip late August to California and back.
Students aren’t the only ones that take sweet vacations over the summers though! UHS German teacher, Julie Bequette, goes on two different types of vacations; either going to the different coasts with her family or going on European tours, (without family this time) to countries like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium and Italy. “I feel that everyone should leave home and see new parts of the world. It is a great learning experience and makes you a more intelligent person (and less stressed-out),” Bequette said. Taking vacations like these also leave you with some good memories. “When I was in Switzerland, I stopped to talk with an old lady and she yodeled for me. When I was in Belgium, I got my picture taken from an organ grinder man,” she said. What’s Bequette’s dream vacation? “To travel to Europe for an unlimited amount of time and go wherever I want (with all the money I need).”
So over this two-month period, a lot can happen and a lot of memories can be made. So make sure to make the best of this break we have, and remember to stay safe! School is going to roll back around again in August, but until then, go out and have fun under the sun!