Student Ambassador Program

 I am an 8th grader in middle school, and have been selected to participate in the People to People Student Ambassador Program to embark on an opportunity of a lifetime.  As a Student Ambassador, I will travel to different European cities to learn about modern and ancient civilizations, experience local customs and culture, meet international peers, and most of all, I will be challenging myself to grow and take place in a global society. 

 

I will travel in June, 2013 to  Italy, Sicily and Greece with local peers and teachers from my area.  The tuition for my international adventure is $7,310.  My travel group and I will go beyond the traditional sights and landmarks that make the heart of the Mediterranean a popular choice for world travelers. We will visit with a priest at the Vatican, walk among the ruins of Olympia and learn about the first Olympics, held in 776 B.C., and try our hand at painting pottery.  

 

This educational travel experience offers much more.  The following is the itinerary that will begin my adventure: 

http://peopletopeople.com/ 

 

Italy

DAY-1 DEPART FOR ROME

Meet your fellow travelers and board your overnight flight to Europe.

DAY-2 WELCOME TO EUROPE!

YOU ARE HERE: ROME, ITALY

After meeting your delegation manager, start your journey by experiencing some of Rome's most noteworthy highlights.

Explore the Rome Colosseum, constructed in A.D. 72 and considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering.

DAY-3 DISCOVER HISTORIC LANDMARKS

YOU ARE HERE: ROME, ITALY

Go below the streets of Rome and discover the Christian Catacombs. Rich in art and heritage, the catacombs contain ancient examples of Christian art.

Continue your adventure with a City Quest as you explore iconic landmarks including Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain.

DAY-4 GO BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE VATICAN

YOU ARE HERE: ROME, ITALY

Explore the center of the Catholic Church and the world's smallest country, the Vatican!

Check out the Vatican museums, admire the frescos of the Sistine Chapel, and be inspired at the scale of St. Peter's Basilica.

Participate in a unique educational meeting with either a priest, who will speak about Catholicism in Italy, or with a nun who will explain what life is like as a nun in Rome.

Enjoy a very special opportunity to meet a former member of the Swiss Guard, who will tell you what it takes to guard the Pope.

DAY-5 TAKE A REFRESHING DIP

YOU ARE HERE: POMPEII, ITALY

Dive into fresh cool water and have fun at the water park! Enjoy the open air pools and swim in the wave pool.

DAY-6 EXPLORE THE AFTERMATH OF AN ANCIENT ERUPTION

YOU ARE HERE: POMPEII, ITALY

Visit the city of Pompeii, the most famous victim of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The blast rained ash and stone, and completely destroyed and buried the city beneath the debris.

Gain an understanding of the Italian school system when you engage with Italian students and teachers and discover the difference between Italian and American schools.

Explore Naples with your delegation manager and visit the impressive Duomo, where you'll witness a silver-gilt bust containing the blood of San Gennaro, the protector of Naples killed in the year 305.

Depart for your overnight ferry to Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean!

DAY-7 EXPERIENCE IMPRESSIVE RUINS

YOU ARE HERE: PALERMO, ITALY

Get to know the local customs and culture while having fun and playing games with local students.

Discover Erice, a medieval mountain fortress with narrow cobblestone streets that wind their way through the town with numerous shops and pastry stores.

Enjoy a guided visit of Segesta, with its ruins of a massive Greek temple"”one of the most impressive Greek ruins outside of Greece itself.

DAY-8 EXPLORE PALACES, CONVENTS, AND MONASTERIES

YOU ARE HERE: PALERMO, ITALY

Learn about Palermo's cultural and economic impact on Italy during a guided orientation.

Dive deep into the historical significance of the old town center, one of the largest metro areas in Europe and also one of the richest and most diverse.

Have a fun and thrilling time on the wonderful coast of Sicily at Mondello Beach!

DAY-9 LEARN ABOUT ANCIENT ART OF SICILIAN POTTERY

YOU ARE HERE: SIRACUSA, ITALY

Stride through the seaside town of Cefalu, dominated by a massive rock, once the site of the Temple of Diana.

Visit a typical pottery studio and learn about the process of ceramic production.

Immerse yourself in the sites of Caltagirone, a village renowned for its colorful majolica and terra-cotta pottery.

DAY-10 VISIT AN IMPRESSIVELY ACTIVE VOLCANO

YOU ARE HERE: SIRACUSA, ITALY

Experience one of the largest active volcanoes in the world when you journey to Mount Etna (10,902 feet). The ancient Romans thought that the mountain was the forge of the blacksmith god Vulcan.

Take part in an educational meeting about Mount Etna, which last erupted in 2008.

Learn about the history, geological background and characteristics of Etna, the largest and tallest volcano in Europe.

DAY-11 PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES!

YOU ARE HERE: CALABRIA, ITALY

Experience traditional Sicilian dancing as you learn the first steps of popular local dances from locals and show off your newfound skills.

Discover one of the most magnificent and popular towns in Sicily, Taormina. Set upon a steep hill overlooking the sea, Taormina offers incredible views of Mount Etna.

Travel by ferry to Villa San Giovanni on the Italian mainland; the crossing takes about 20 minutes. This region is called Calabria.

DAY-12 OVERNIGHT FERRY TO PATRAS, GREECE

YOU ARE HERE: CALABRIA, ITALY

Take part in a unique educational meeting about the production of one of Italy's most important products, olive oil. Producing olive oil is more than a craft, it's an art! It is also a lifestyle steeped in hundreds of years of tradition.

Say "Arrivederci/Goodbye" to Italy and take the overnight ferry to Patras.

Greece

DAY-13 FIND YOUR INNER ATHLETE IN OLYMPIA

YOU ARE HERE: PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Explore Olympia, where the first Olympics took place in 776 B.C.; learn how the games have evolved over the centuries.

Walk among ancient ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, as well as a 3rd century B.C. athletic stadium.

DAY-14 BROADEN YOUR EUROPEAN HORIZONS

YOU ARE HERE: PELOPONNESUS, GREECE

Enjoy a guided visit of Delphi, a mystical site and museum. Delphi was once called the "navel" of the world"”find out why!

Hop onto an overnight ferry to Heraklion, Crete, where you will enjoy the largest city and capital.

DAY-15 VISIT THE BIRTH SITE OF ZEUS

YOU ARE HERE: IRAKLIO, GREECE

Participate in a guided tour of Knossos and gain an understanding of its culture.

Get an impression of Heraklion by a guided city walk orientation, and then stop at the monastery of Panagia Vidiani in the Lassithi Plateau for a lecture about Greek mythology.

Continue to the Dicteon Caves, where it's said that Zeus was born.

DAY-16 HELP PROTECT ENDANGERED SEA TURTLES

YOU ARE HERE: IRAKLIO, GREECE

Participate in an all-day Loggerhead sea turtle conservation project aimed at boosting the population of this endangered species, working alongside specially trained volunteers.

Experience the picturesque town of Rethymon as you walk through the old streets and breathe in its special flair.

Kick up your heels and learn traditional Greek dances at a dancing school, and then take a seat and watch the experts perform a spirited show. in a folklore dance performance at the main square of the traditional village Gerani.

DAY-17 PREPARE BREAD WITH LOCAL BAKERS

YOU ARE HERE: IRAKLIO, GREECE

Have fun during a donkey ride in the countryside and visit a typical Cretan farm.

Enjoy a home meal prepared by local women of Archanes village.

Learn experientially about the process of making wheat flour bread and producing olive oil in detail. Enrich your field of knowledge about these two staple foods, which are ubiquitous in the Cretan diet.

Departure of your overnight ferry to Pireaus.

DAY-18 VISIT THE ICONIC AND INCREDIBLE ACROPOLIS

YOU ARE HERE: ATHENS, GREECE

Take a guided city orientation taking in such amazing sights as the majestic Acropolis as well as the Parthenon which symbolizes the glory of ancient Greece.

Explore the old part of Athens"”Plaka"”and enjoy the city flair on your own.

DAY-19 SAY GOODBYE TO EUROPE!

Depart from Athens for the U.S.