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Being nomadic can make it difficult to identify a "local" community, one to support and give back to. As we continue to move from place to place, constantly changing phone numbers and revising our routines, it becomes easier to detach from those we come across in the places we call our temporary homes. It can be easier to live like this, not taking the time to connect with the needs...

Travel has been my absolute biggest crush for as long as I can remember. I could daydream for hours and hours about cities, countries, and continents all around the world: how it would be like, about the people I’d meet, the person I’d be. I dreamed of walking in a tropical rainforest, the canopy trees closing in on the sky above me, the mud under my boots splashing up with...

What do TGS students do when they have something meaningful to say? Some write op-ed articles for their own political blogs. Others create videos to submit to international film festivals. A few practice late into the night on their choreography while many share their thoughts through photographs. Through experiencing the world firsthand, these students have become talented communicators and expressive individuals that share how the world affects them. Starting our...

Imagine being on top of the world. Imagine looking down on houses that you think you can crush between your thumb and forefinger, conscious of the spongy, green ground underneath your boots. Imagine smelling the crisp autumn air in a foreign country, surrounded by new friends, with the bitter wind whipping your hair and stinging your cheeks. This is what it’s like to be at the top of Arthur’s Seat....

Exactly one week ago, we had departed Kings Cross Station in London for a scenic ride to Edinburgh. We spent four full days in the city. It might not sound like very long, but I guess I had gotten used to the constant change of scenery, and those four days helped me catch my breath again. I got my first impression of Edinburgh riding the bus to “school.” Sitting on...

Hälsningar (greetings) from Stockholm, Sweden, where our students are adjusting quite nicely to the Scandinavian way of life. We still have many cities and landscapes in Europe left to explore, with our terms in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Florence, Italy, on the horizon, but we’d like to turn our attention for a moment to the three fantastic countries we’ll be calling home during the 2016-17 school year.    Next year’s journey...

This past weekend, 10 of our students joined 1,000 other political-minded teenagers from around the world in visiting The International School of The Hague to participate in its 25th annual Model United Nations (MUN). As the home of The International Court of Justice, The Hague is a city synonymous with peace and equality, making it the ideal setting for this year’s theme of ‘good governance and cooperation.’ For those unfamiliar...

Last month, during our UK weXplore, I took fourteen students to get fitted for kilts at the Highland House of Fraser in Inverness, Scotland. I must say, each time I plan an activity involving traditional dress I get a mixed bag of looks and reactions from my colleagues and students on whether donning cultural dress is acceptable or disrespectful. Hopefully through this blog I can clarify my opinions on the...

The 10th grade trip up to Frösåkers, Sweden, was a mashup of culture, fun, and friendships. We started our day with a tour of the large collection of viking ship replicas. Next we donned our life jackets and hopped in a viking rowboat. As I sat down and grabbed my oar we went over the basic rowing movements. After rowing for maybe 20 minutes (and not getting very far) we...