J-Term!

Watch out world, here come the ladies of Iota Omega!! This past January, a large handfull of our girls participated in J-Term study tours all over the globe.  From medicine to social work, a broad spectrum of subjects were studied as our girls stepped foot into brand new cultures and life experiences with their sisters and other Carthage students.

Here are some of their memories and experiences!


Nicaragua

In the course titled, "Biology and Geography of Nicaragua", 9 of our lovely AXΩ's traveled to Nicaragua to help out in medical clinics and work on creating a more functional water system on the island of Ometepe, located in Lake Nicaragua, all while getting to practice a great deal of Spanish. While there, aside from working in the clinics and with the water project, the students did a great deal of hiking and exploring of Nicaragua's geography.... They even hiked a whole volcano!! But don't worry, it wasn't all work, for the students got some needed beach time to relax :)

"Nicaragua was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so blessed to have visited with 8 of my sisters.  Not only did we enjoy the beauty of the country and spend countless hours bonding (we were on "Nica Time" after all) but we learned so much not only on the culture, history, land and lifestyles of the natives but also a great deal about ourselves.  Witnessing the lack of a reliable water system and minimal healthcare was eye opening.  All of the excursions were full of moments of self determination and discipline.  I thought I was a true real strong woman, but after witnessing how some families live on Ometepe I realized how fortunate I am and that we had won the lottery just by being born in the states.  The trip was amazing and brought all 9 of us to be stronger individuals and closer in the bond"- Devyn Conway '14

"Nicaragua is one of those great trips that gives you the dual experience of seeing a whole other culture and understanding how different these people live, while also fully appreciating our own culture and how we have been brought up.  It's an eye opening experience that I won't be able to forget"- Carlie Wysocke '14

Puerto Rico

In "Filming Culture: Explorations Beyond Tourism", 3 of our sisters traveled all throughout the island of Puerto Rico filming different hotspots, festivals, and aspects of Puerto Rican culture in order to make a travel video.  They visited El Yunque Rainforest, the San Sebastián festival, and other fun locations to compose their videos. 

"The Filming Explorations trip in Puerto Rico was so much fun and we got to really immerse ourselves in their culture.  We hiked through the only rainforest in the U.S., swam in a waterfall, kayaked through water that glows, took salsa lessons, danced on the dugout at a professional baseball world series game, took part in the annual San Sebastían festival parade, learned how to bomba dance, and swam with a whale shark!"- Tabby Bell '13

Ghana 

"Exploring African Roots of Religion and Culture" brought two Iota Omegans to the beautiful country of Ghana, where the class participated in different types of African cultural activities and ceremonites, while visiting and conducting programs in an orphanage, a school for the deaf, and a school for autistic children.  Students went all throughout the country, experiencing a culture completely different than ours. 

Europe

In the course, "Sports Journalism: European Football", 3 beautiful sisters travelled to London, Munich, and Barcelona to attend a handfull of high-end, elite soccer games, and later write articles on them as if they were for a newspaper or European football magazine.  Also while abroad, the students were able to take part in the culture of all three countries that they visited.