Winter Break 2025 Participant
Perhaps most importantly, I learned how to figure things out myself. This was my first time traveling to Europe, and my first time traveling at all without my family or a very structured group of friends or people I already knew, so this program really taught me a lot of life skills when it comes to traveling. For example, my suitcase was left behind in the Kansas City airport, so I not only learned that I should have packed more clothes in my carry-on backpack, but also how to problem solve, contact airlines, and ask for help (plus how important travel insurance is!). In Europe, I had to learn how to use public transportation, and I had to learn how to get along with other students I barely knew. But everything worked out for the better, and I absolutely came out of the program with more friends and incredible experiences than I went into it with!
Winter Break 2025 Participant
I greatly appreciated the Art Deco and Baroque architecture present in Vienna, Dresden, and Prague, alongside the cities' profound cultural histories. Among my experiences, witnessing a performance of "The Magic Flute" in Prague stands out as particularly memorable.
Winter Break 2025 Participant
My favorite part of this program was being able to immerse myself in the art, music, culture, and history of places I have never been. Vienna, Dresden, and Prague are all places that are incredibly rich in music history, and it was so much fun to take what I have been learning in my music courses and see/apply them both in real life in a very hands-on way and straight from the source! This program also gave me a lot of freedom to explore these places and spend time with the other students on the trip, many of whom I ended up becoming very close friends with.