November 28, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Jiaheng (2023-24 cohort) As the guitar instrumentals of Coldplay’s “Adventure of a Lifetime” reverberated in the empty hostel lobby, I hastily strapped on my 50 liter backpack and scurried to the train station. It was 4:30 am in Stockholm...
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November 26, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Anson This year has brought me as close to being a shapeshifter as I may ever experience. I have been a tourist and worker in familiar American cities, an imaginary Viking in Reykjavik, and a farmer and explorer in...
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November 24, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Griffin My name is Griffin, and I’m from New Canaan, Connecticut. Throughout this past fall, I completed an outdoor education program in the Pacific Northwest with the nonprofit, NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School). I spent 80 days in the...
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September 8, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Thomas After a fast and furious summer, with a boy’s trip to Hong Kong, followed by a leavers send-off to Ibiza, I arrived in DC. Brimming with nervous anticipation, I was embarking on the longest stint of my gap...
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September 1, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Frans When I decided to take a gap year, I knew I wanted to immerse myself in a place with a rich history. Georgia turned out to be the perfect destination. Tbilisi, the capital nestled at the crossroads of...
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By: Camey VanSant
By Natasha [caption id="attachment_4544" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sunset at Alishan National Forest Recreation Area[/caption] “Do I believe in fate?” I feel like I asked myself this question often toward the end of 2023. November and December, like the previous two months,...
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August 30, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Charlie C The final stop of my gap year was Ghana. After traveling to some relatively popular locations, such as Patagonia, the Galapagos and Israel, I was ready to take on a completely new experience. I signed up to...
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August 22, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Katarina When people heard I was going spend three months in Moldova, the immediate response was always one of the following: “Ahhhhh, you mean ____” (insert any other country/region that starts with an M–Maldives, Morocco, Moravia, etc.), “why Moldova?”,...
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August 15, 2024
By: Camey VanSant
By Charlie J After many months of international travel, exploring new cultures, meeting new friends, and seeing new things, I returned home to Colorado halfway through July. My first few hours back in the country were a culture shock I...
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By: Camey VanSant
By Katarina “Wake up! Breakfast is ready,” says a voice from outside our tent. It is 11:00 pm. I shake my tentmate awake, slip on my soaking wet hiking boots, and unzip the tent. I am already wearing my winter...
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