Milligan College’s faculty has planned two service-learning trips to Poland and China during the 2020 spring break. These trips will allow students and faculty to learn, serve and experience new countries and cultures. The China trip will also allow students to earn academic credits.
“The trip to China is nine days during the spring break of 2020, and it is also a class that students can register and receive three ethnic studies credits for,” event coordinator and Mandarin Chinese and Sociology Instructor Hongyou Lu said.
During the nine-day excursion, students will visit three Chinese cities: Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. They plan to experience cultural icons such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors and the financial center of Shanghai.
The group will also visit a Chinese family in Beijing along with a University in Shanghai. “We are going to have reflective readings on key issues in China, such as education, family, governance and economic development,” said Lu.
According to Lu, the trip’s purpose is to “introduce the Chinese culture to students.”
“The best way to understand a culture is to be immersed in it. I just thought it would be interesting for students to go see China, talk to Chinese people, and experience the country themselves,” Lu said.
Regarding the trip as a whole, Lu said that it may be exhausting, but students will walk away from it having learned and seen new things.
Both faculty and students will participate in this trip; however, there are still a few spots open for the spring trip. Anyone interested in going can contact Dr. Hongyou Lu.
The other trip over the break is to Poland with assistant professor of chemistry Dr. Kristen Mudrack. The week will be spent serving citizens and learning about the country.
“My father and I have established relationships with the churches we will be working with in Poland,” Mudrack said. On past trips, groups have worked with students on their conversational English and preached and worshiped with the churches.
This year the learning part of the trip will focus on the history and culture of Poland.
“One major thing that we will be doing is touring the Auschwitz concentration camp,” Mudrack said. “The history there is unlike anything that you will ever read in a textbook. It’s a part of the trip that will not be forgotten.”
Another aspect of the Poland trip is the partnership with Malone University. “My father is a professor at Malone University and has taken these service learning trips to Poland for the past decade through their partnership,” Mudrack stated.
An international service-learning trip like this at Milligan is made possible with Mudrack and her father’s experience with these types of ventures.
Applications and interviews have been processed and reviewed, and the team will be announced on Oct. 16, 2019. Nevertheless, Mudrack encourages students to look out for other events in the future.
“Even if you’re not going on the trip this year, we will hopefully have more opportunities like this in the future.” she said. “We will also be doing some fundraisers and activities across campus to raise the money to fund this trip all semester. Prayer is also much appreciated.”
The two trips to China and Poland will not only be a get-away for Milligan students over spring break, but they will also be a unique experience full of learning, service and fun.
Headline photo: The China team visit the Great Wall of China along with many other spots on their trip. Photo from raysofsunshine.org