Through Andover’s Learning in the World (LITW) program, spring break presented students with an opportunity to engage with global cultures and communities. Five LITW trips took place this spring: to Finland, Ghana, Nepal, Vietnam, and Sweden.
Mark Cutler, Director of LITW, emphasized that these experiences are designed to be intentional learning opportunities for students.
“LITW experiential learning opportunities are intentionally designed, rigorous, intensive, and outcomes-based programs in which participants develop global competencies—the sensibilities, habits, and practices of being an engaged global citizen,” wrote Cutler in an email to The Phillipian.
For Sienna Rodriguez ’27, the Vietnam Today: From Roots to Rising Future program allowed her to further explore her interest in Vietnamese culture and history. She recalled her visit to the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum as particularly memorable.
“I have always had somewhat of an interest in Vietnamese culture and history. I thought that this program would give me a good chance to explore that interest further in a hands-on way that doing my own internet research could not… I will never forget the trip we took to the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum. One piece that I had not been able to get out of my mind was one of the statues [that] depicted a woman with a stature like the Virgin Mary, holding the helmet of a loved one she had lost in the Vietnam War. A real but often forgotten sentiment is that nobody wins in war. This statue perfectly encapsulates that, which is why it is so powerful,” said Rodriguez.
Tasnia Begum ’26, who was also part of Vietnam Today, reflected on both the connections she formed and how her perspective on remembrance and reflection changed.
“There are multiple moments from the trip I don’t think I’ll ever forget, including a cycling and scooter motorbike tour through rice paddies and mountains in Mai Chau, being guided on crosswalks through busy city streets, meeting high school students at the Quốc Học Huế High School, and visiting tailors in Hội An. Each of us met someone new at Andover, and we also met students in Vietnam, bonding over shared interests or speaking about daily life,” said Begum.
Begum continued, “The trip changed how I viewed a lack of space, reverence, reflection, and view toward ancestors. In Vietnam, I saw narrow buildings to accommodate the lack of space, reverence towards leaders or political figures, and recognition [or] photos of the high school’s presidents and accomplished students… Many people shared a spiritual connection with their ancestors by burning incense sticks or fake money to forward their prayers.”
Kristian Kearins ’27, who participated in Nepal: Traditions of the Himalayas and Dark Nights, reflected on how the trek through Nepal reshaped his understanding of life in more remote regions.
“When we first started the trek, we started off in the city of Bhaktapur, which is a subsection of Kathmandu. When we started trekking, we would see these tea houses and the people that own [them] stay there year-round. They never go into cities. Their whole job is just to pretty much be isolated and wait for trekkers to come along so that they can feed them and house them for a night or two. It was interesting seeing how disconnected people can be, because even in the smallest towns in America, they have paved roads, they have a police station. But these people were hour-long hikes away from even the next teahouse, let alone like a town or a police station or a hospital. So it was pretty interesting to see the, I guess, disconnect from civilization,” said Kearins.
Will Unetich ’27 described how visiting Buddhist monasteries during the Nepal trip altered his assumptions about purpose and daily life.
“Along the way, we stopped at a lot of Buddhist monasteries. So [we] met a lot of monks, got to sit in on different prayer sessions. I was surprised about how spiritually devout everybody there was, and it was really interesting to learn about how people would stay in those temples, in those rooms, doing prayers for five days straight at a time depending on what time of the year it was. Then there was also another time we stopped at a monastery. We could see huts up in the mountain. And we were told that some monks stayed in that one little hut for like three years at a time or something, just getting spiritually connected. And it was very surprising and eye-opening to me because I feel like, having fun in life or whatever, it’s always connected to using your phone or being outside and playing with friends. But it was interesting to see how such a different way of life that seems completely opposite to ours can give someone just as much purpose as, I guess, what gives us purpose,” said Unetich.
Nicholas Smith ’28 recounted the warm welcome he felt on his trip with Akwaaba Ghana Adventure.
“I was surprised the most by the culture and the people. They were really welcoming. For example, if we were ever driving by like a town or a city, everyone that was on the sidewalks or playing games would stop and wave. We talked about it a lot in our debriefs at the end of the day about just how welcoming everybody was and how we wished that we could bring that to our culture and our society,” said Smith.
