It might be hard to believe — especially with the recent weather — but just a couple of weeks ago ‘Berg students were in the midst of spring break. From traveling abroad to working hard, here are some of the fun things Mules did over Spring Break 2018.
Meredith Jones ‘19 travelled to Huntsville, Alabama from Saturday March 3 to March 10 with Habitat for Humanity. The first two days Jones and the rest of the team rehabilitated a home, which was given back to Habitat after a family no longer needed it. The weather was unfortunately not good for the latter part of the week, and the team instead loaded up “an entire home’s” worth of walls onto the back of trucks and then delivered “it to the sites and unloaded them.” Some highlights of the trip included a visit to the US Space and Rocket Museum and a trip to an Escape the Room. Jones also 10/10 recommends the Cajun food.
Other students also went to New Orleans with the St. Bernard Project. Nate Wiggley ‘20, along with about a half of a dozen students, were tasked with rebuilding a house that was damaged in a tornado last year. The group worked for 30 hours over the course of the week to put up drywall, which he described as “tedious but fun.” The group also enjoyed some of the nightlife of the city, including New Orleans’ famous French Quarter.
Three Public Health students also organized a trip to Houston Texas to assist in the rehabilitation effort in the city in the wake of the devastating Hurricane a few months ago. Lily Stange ‘20, loved the trip and said it helped her to better understand the effects of the disaster on the community.
“You begin to understand the devastation,” Stange continued. “Hearing different narratives allows you to understand the impacts of the event itself.”
Stange says she would absolutely go back, and that the “inside of the infrastructure will deconstruct over time.” Furthermore, people are largely “unaware of the severity of issues” being faced in the wake of the hurricane; but, more importantly they are unaware of “the impact their contribution can make.” Barrett Ozga ‘21, who also attended this trip, offers his thoughts in an opinion piece on page nine.
While those students all spent their week off participating in some of Muhlenberg’s own Alternative Spring Breaks, other students chose to spend time with family they rarely see during the school year.
Jouman Barakat ‘20, travelled to her family home to Amman, Jordan. Barakat spent some time at the Dead Sea and got a tan and a massage, which she recommends “to everyone that breathes.” While the jet lag was a little bit of an adjustment, Barakat is no stranger to the long flight and still enjoyed eating Arab food as well as meeting up with friends from home. Barakat would “103924875/10” recommend traveling to Amman. Another senior, Kat Ambroze ‘18, travelled across the pond to Copenhagen, Denmark, where she had lived during her study abroad experience. She loved going back to her old stomping ground with fellow ‘Berg senior Emily Aita ‘18.
Following the in footsteps of thousands of college students and pop cultural references before them, many students sought warmer weather and sand between their toes.
Jessica Cunanan ‘18, went to sunshine state Florida and “did a lot of relaxing” by the beach and the pool. Cunanan seemingly had the perfect mixture of reading and shopping: “I really enjoyed visiting new beaches, especially ones with blue waters” something she is “not used to being from New Jersey.” Cunanan is also a self identifying “foodie” and “loved discovering wonderful restaurants and trying delicious new foods.” Now that she is back at ‘Berg, Cunanan is really missing the warm weather.
But the bitter Lehigh Valley winter winds didn’t bother some students, who traveled further north to the still snow-covered Canada.
Justin Axlerod ‘20 traveled with some other friends from to Montreal, hoping to “experience a new culture and city.” Axlerod and his four friends stayed in Montreal for five days, over the course of which, they experienced some of the best the city had to offer including the Science and Technology Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art and Grevin Wax Museum, along with numerous of bars, clubs and restaurants. One of the highlights for Axlerod and his friends was the Mount Royal Park, a short drive from their lodging.
“The snowfall and beautiful views made this one of the best moments of the trip for myself and my friends” said Axlerod. “After reaching the top of the mountain, we took some photos and then made our way down on a different trail towards a restaurant located in the mountains. [There is] truly nothing better than enjoying some beer and food after a long hike.”
Whether it was fun in the sun or serving the community, mules certainly were all over the map.
