t e J y The eas Set “Youth is the best time to form the impressions that can advance
international understanding. Together... with mutual understanding gained through language and personal meetings... a new generation can help to keep our unified culture in peace.” TASIS catalogue, 1960s
A
sk an American under the age of 40 if they’ve been to Europe and chances are, they have. Backpacking through Europe has been en vogue for the early twentysomething
set for decades; the proliferation of hostels along the main drags
of most European cities is a testament to this, as are countless
“If you have the chance to visit different destinations around the world, you must seize the opportunity to be in places that are oozing cultural enrichment,” says Lauren Stephenson. “Downtown Lugano is beautiful, but we have seen it before and
guidebooks aimed at this particular market. Some may rattle
are very aware of the culture. Instead, we think, Why not spend
off a checklist – 8 countries in 14 days! – or perhaps some time
a weekend in Barcelona visiting Park Guell and learning to
lingering – “we did the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Versailles”.
Flamenco dance with native Spaniards?”
But for those lucky enough to attend high school in Europe, travel takes on a new dimension, and for these five American girls, it has become integral to their education. By the time our five girls graduated from high school in May 2012, they visited nine countries. Some were school-
Where did they go? Rome Florence Venice London Prague Paris Berlin
sponsored trips, but during their senior
Geneva Dubai Ibiza Majorca Barcelona Mykonos Portofino
This attitude echoes that of TASIS founder M. Crist Fleming, who spearheaded a trip across Europe with five of her students during the summer of 1938. They were an anomaly everywhere they went, but didn’t let that stop them from experiencing 13 countries in two months. And while Mrs. Fleming and her charges made their way around Europe in a 1938 Ford V-8, these girls were lucky to have
year these five girls spent every other weekend exploring the
other options. They took planes, trains and automobiles, but more
places they are learning about in their classes. They saw David
frequently they found themselves on easyJet, a budget airline that
in Florence, Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, the Imperial War
traverses most major European cities.
Museum in London, and Gaudi’s Barcelona. They researched their destination, asking for restaurant recommendations from
Travel at TASIS is a privilege, and these girls understood the
teachers and hints about ticket prices from the academic travel
responsibility that comes with independent travel. They had to
coordinator. But perhaps most importantly, they experienced the
remain on the Dean’s List for two years and earned the trust of
rich and diverse perspectives that populate modern Europe, and
the administration. “We were very respectful of our superiors and
the responsibility citizens feel to the history of their countries.
would never even consider crossing them,” Lauren says. “Don’t
10 eTASIS TODAY
Barcelona June 2012 11
get me wrong, we are still a bunch of teenage girls and made a few mistakes here and there, but we also take responsibility for our actions.” For Mrs. Fleming and her students, the former Yugoslavia was the biggest culture shock. But for our girls, Dubai made the biggest impact. “It was the most ‘awed’ I ever felt,” says Bella Clark. Lauren concurs. “It was so dramatically different to anything I’ve ever seen. The buildings are brand-new, the desert is desolate, and the sea flawless. The people are all conservatively covered. And there is a ski slope in the mall!”
“
London
I recommend independent travel to everyone. You really discover who you are as a person and what is important in this short life that we have.” — Lauren Stephenson
While many TASIS students enjoy traveling, these five found a group that clicked. While they were always open to others joining them, they had their own way of working once at their destination. “We have a certain understanding – we want to wake up early and roam around the cities, visiting museums and seeing the sights and learning about cultures. We all feel you must immerse yourself completely, and sometimes others
Dubai
aren’t willing to do that.” Of course things went wrong – this is international travel, after all. “The most distressing situation was when we were separated on a train to Florence due to riots in Milan,” Bella recalls. Lauren laughs at this question. “When have things not gone wrong? We always run into the language issue, but we communicate using our limited vocabulary in the native language and hand gestures.” But of course, this is all a part of the fun! The cost of travel can add up, so the girls had to be savvy in their planning. They split the costs equally and often stayed
Florence
in apartments rather than hotels so they could cook. “We had incredible luck finding the best deals that have left us with unforgettable experiences,” Lauren says.
12 eTASIS TODAY
The girls have learned much from their travels, such as on-the-spot problem solving, dealing with being lost in a place where nothing makes sense, and how to communicate. The girls feel that through their travels, they have been able to see the world in a much broader sense. “I recommend independent travel to everyone,” Lauren says. “You really discover who you are as a person and what is important in this short life that we have.” In 1983, when asked about the thinking behind TASIS, Mrs. Fleming said, “What we are doing, or at least attempting to do, is to create not international schools but international human beings, men and women who are capable of moving easily in any society and any civilization on the face of the earth...” Our North American Girls weren’t even born in 1983, yet they embody Mrs. Fleming’s ambitions for her students. She would be very proud of these five 2012 graduates.
Venice Future Itineraries After graduation, the girls took a final adventure to Ibiza,
volunteer before going to Whitman University. “We will stay in
Majorca, Barcelona, and Mykonos. But that was where their
touch and visit over Christmas and Thanksgiving,” Bella says. “Friendship is one of the
dream together ended. Lauren is attending
most important things
NYU in London for a
to all of us.” Lauren
year before transferring
concurs. “What has made
to NYU in Manhattan.
our travel so amazing is
Melissa Swats is studying
each other. The laughs,
mechanical engineering
the talks, the adventures
at the University of
we have gone on together
Virginia. Tali Sandel is at
make the travel we
Boston University, and
have had completely
Bella studies broadcast
unforgettable. We’ve
journalism at American
already planned a reunion
University. Natasha Watson
in Dubai for New Year’s
is taking a gap year to
Eve 2012.” The five friends pose on Commencement day: Natasha Watson, Melissa Swats, Bella Clark, Lauren Stephanson, and Tali Sandel
June 2012 13
eTASIS has covered a lot of things in five years. Many of the graduates from our inaugural year have finished college and started their careers. We’ve said goodbye to beloved faculty and staff and welcomed many new people to our community. The face of campus has grown to include new buildings and spaces for our students to study, learn, and live. We checked in with the subjects of some of our favorite stories to see where life has taken them.
The easyJet Set: Where Are They Now? This story, chronicling the adventures of five young women from the
communicate with others and know how to stick up for ourselves.
Class of 2012 who took full advantage of weekend travel, resonated with readers of all ages. We caught up with the girls we call ‘the easyJet
Bella Clark: The travel we did together made me more independent
Set’ to ask if they are still filled with wanderlust. (eTASIS June 2012)
and adaptable. It allowed us to grow and mature faster than some of
Tali Sandel: At the moment I am sitting with Bella Clark in Mallorca, we are on a cruise after visiting Natasha Watson in Paris! How did the independent travel you did together help shape who you
our peers, and gave us a sense of confidence that we brought with us to university. Independent travel posed challenges for us that we overcame together and allowed us to form a unique bond that we will cherish forever.
are now? For example, do you face new
Where have your travels taken you since
situations more confidently, or are you
graduation?
more flexible than others?
TS: As for travels, the most significant
TS: Traveling together definitely made me
for me was spending summer 2013 in
more independent and confident, traits
Shanghai studying for three months. It
which have followed me and helped me
was definitely a culture shock as we lived
throughout my university career. It was
in a suburb of the city, and I wouldn’t
especially obvious my freshman year at
have made the decision to go without my
Boston University when many students
love of travel and confidence. Besides that,
hadn’t even left the country. Traveling not only helped me personally, but also academically and even professionally. Professors and employers are extremely impressed to hear where I have traveled and in awe when I tell them I did so with my friends and put together such successful trips at such a young age. Lauren Stephenson: I think all of us learned so much from the joys of travel. It forced us to adapt quickly and efficiently to different situations. We definitely take more initiative in trying to discover beautiful and fun places and feel confident when we travel, because we know how to
I’ve taken a couple of trips to Paris to visit Natasha, went to London and back to Lugano this past Thanksgiving with Bella, and frequently visit New York to see Mel and Lauren. It’s amazing how even after three years of living apart these girls are still my best friends. LS: I didn’t get to see Istanbul on academic travel like the other girls, so I visited two years ago and loved it! Also, I traveled to Santorini, Greece and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Spring 2015 35
The easyJet Set are planning a trip to Dubai for New Year’s Eve 2016. BC: Since graduating from TASIS, I have continued to travel as much
BC: All of our trips were amazing and different, but one of my favorite
as possible. I’ve been to Geneva, Ibiza, Palma Majorca, Marrakesh, Paris,
trips I guess was Mykonos or Dubai. I guess it would just be because of
Istanbul, Izmir, Valletta, Sicily, Como, London, Hamburg, Munich, San
the location. We were all in such a good state of mind and having the
Salvador, Puerto Rico, Miami, LA, and NYC.
times of our lives. We loved the food and culture in both places.
Thinking back, which of your trips were your favorites and why?
Where are you now?
TS: It’s so hard to decide my favorite, we had such an amazing time
TS: I am going into my senior year at Boston University, getting my BS
everywhere! For me, Mykonos was one of the stops after we graduated.
in marketing and informational systems planning on graduating may
We had so much fun riding ATVs around the island and planning trips
2016. This summer I am interning for NBC in LA!
to visit each other in the near future made it feel less like the end, which it clearly wasn’t.
LS: NYC!
LS: I think we all have a soft spot for Dubai, because that was one of the
BC: I go to university in Washington, DC. Seeing as Tali, Lauren, and
first trips we took at TASIS independently, and we had such a great time.
Melissa all go to school on the East coast as well, I see the girls as much as
All of us girls shared a bed and a blow-up mattress and were basically
possible.
living on top of each other, but I’ve never giggled so much in my life. We really were just so excited to be together and in such a beautiful place with so many things to do. 36 eTASIS