Cypress Bay High School • 18600 Vista Park Blvd. • Weston, Fla. 33332 • Vol 17, Issue 3 • December 2017
By Cassidy Sheldon & Olivia landsman Features editor & mult. news editor
Instead of studying for exams and attending classes, senior Hailey Yaffa traveled to Africa for two weeks this year. While missing part of her senior year was difficult, she said venturing abroad to an unfamiliar place was the highlight of her year. “This trip was truly the icing on the cake of my senior year,” Yaffa said. “Being able to take off as much time as I did and still stay on track with school was not easy, but it was beyond worth it.” Yaffa attended safari rides and visited tribal villages while on vacation. After witnessing the villages in Kenya and Tanzania, she said she had a greater appreciation for her luxurious lifestyle back home. “My favorite activity was visiting the tribal villages because it was so amazing to experience a different culture. Seeing how they lived made me appreciate my life and all the luxuries that are a norm in the U.S.,” Yaffa said. “It sometimes takes breaking out of the safety bubble of Weston to realized how lucky we all are.” Like Yaffa, senior Gaby Laverde said traveling abroad to India was her greatest highlight of 2017. Laverde explored the country with her friend on a volunteer trip where she helped children at an orphanage by teaching them English and playing games with them. “My favorite activity was definitely volunteering at the orphanage because I could tell all of the children there got really happy when they were actually learning,” Laverde said. “This little kid at the orphanage asked me to bring him a huge map because he wanted to learn all about the world, but of course I couldn’t, so we drew this giant one and he was so happy.” Once she saw a village in need of assistance, Laverde said she was inspired to plan another service trip across the globe in the future. “I know for a fact I want to travel to another impoverished country and see the culture there,” Laverde said. “In 2018, I am going to Madrid and hopefully I will
be doing another volunteer trip this summer.” On her trip, Laverde said she learned important life lessons and values through her volunteer work. She said it was shocking to see how other people live around the world and her trip was an eye-opening experience which directly impacted her entire year. “My trip affected me back home because I realized the situations of people living in extremely poor countries,” Laverde said. “Even though they didn’t have any material resources, they appeared happier and way less worried than any of us here.” Unlike Yaffa and Laverde, who traveled outside of the country, English department chair Joyce Seigel decided to travel within the United States this year. Recently, Mrs. Seigel traveled around New York, California and Oregon. While road-tripping cross country with her family, Mrs. Seigel said this trip showed her a different side to America. “The amazing thing about this country is that you could be in a very wealthy area and turn the corner and then you’re in poverty and suddenly you’re on another planet once you reach New Mexico,” Mrs. Seigel said. “It’s overwhelmingly beautiful and surprising and all kinds of things.” Due to the series of fires in California and Oregon this past year, Mrs. Seigel said she was visiting certain landmarks on the west coast that had been destroyed
by the wildfires not long after her visit. “We drove from San Francisco to Mendocino and San Arosa just months before they were destroyed from the fires. We drove up the coastline to Portland, Ore. I went to this beautiful fishery, but Oregon also received fires and it burned down not long after I was there,” Mrs. Seigel said. “It’s so sad. I wonder if I am seeing a disaster film. Is that what is happening in our world? Fires, floods and plagues? It’s ominous and scary.” Due to her fear of flying in airplanes, Mrs. Seigel said her flight across the country was a large obstacle to overcome. However, she said she pushed aside her worries in 2017 in order to explore the country. “Personally for me, I don’t like to fly so I get very anxious and nervous before I have to go anywhere,” Mrs. Seigel said. “I force myself to go because otherwise I wouldn’t have the chance to see all of these places, so that makes it worth it for me.” Senior Justin Behren said he was also confronted with a frightening situation while embarking on his travels this year. While attending the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, Behren said it was nerve-wracking to be so closely surrounded geographically by all of Israel’s enemies. “Traveling abroad to Israel really changed my perspective on the way Israelis live their lives,” Behren said. “It
made me realize that even though every country around them may be in conflict with them, they still continue on and live their everyday lives.” Over this past summer, Behren studied his Jewish heritage while simultaneously exploring the ancient sites he was learning about. He said this education opportunity abroad was enlightening and made him a better person. “This trip impacted me by making me more responsible,” Behren said. “It made me a lot more responsible as a teen getting ready to go to college by being able to balance my school work while having fun.” Culturally, Behren said it was refreshing to be surrounded by so many people who had values that were similar to his. After spending six weeks abroad, there were some cultural aspects to which he grew accustomed that he said should be incorporated into American society. “I’m personally a Jew, so being in a Jewish country, I kind of knew what to expect but it still was a shock to me,” Behren said. “For Shabbat, everything closes down and families come together and celebrate, which is something I wish we did here in America.” While Behren said traveling to Israel was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, he is already looking ahead to his future travels in 2018. Next year, Behren said he plans to travel again and meet up with his friends from his last adventure abroad. “Next summer I’m going to stay with my best friend who lives in France who I met on my trip to Israel,” Behren said. “Going to Israel was definitely the highlight of my 2017 and a highlight of my life.”
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