Morocco Expedition makes headlines!

Table Talk: Have school, will travel. Northside Newspaper March 2011

Excursions have come a long way - literally. Once only to the Opera House and Canberra, students are now stretching their wings with annual “expeditions” abroad.
Last December, Roseville College students Rosie Davidson, Holly Gardner and Lizzy Beard spent three weeks in Morocco, trekking the Atlas Mountains and spending time at a village school.
Other schools are also putting passports in school bags - Monte Sant’ Angelo goes to Peru; while various school drama, history and music excursions also line-up at customs.
Today however, the 16-year-olds are closer to home. At Crazy Wings, Chatswood, they meet up with their outdoor education and history teacher, Miss Emily Shanahan, as she plans the next school expedition in conjunction with Antipodeans Abroad - affectionately called “Antips” by the girls.
For an after-school snack, the girls and Miss Shanahan order honey soy wings, prawn and lamb skewers, fried rice and sip on chilled fruit ices as Lizzy gives Holly an impromptu chopstick lesson.
“We’re throwing her in the deep end,” Lizzy says firmly. Holly learns fast, which is what new experiences are all about. She bravely picks up a prawn with her chopstick.
“These don’t look spicy, but they have a kick,” she says, grabbing her fruit ice.
“Where’s Antips going this year?” Lizzy asks.
“Peru,” Miss Shanahan announces. “Forty students are going this year. We only took 24 to Morocco.” She explains that previous years have gone to China, Nepal, Borneo, Cambodia and Laos.
“This way different areas benefit from the energy of the students,” says Miss Shanahan, who adds the school is in talks with a Northern Territory Indigenous community school for a similar Australian expedition. The girls have energy, which they need from the time they sign up. For Morocco, they fundraised throughout the year, raising $15,000 to help renovate two classrooms in the village school.
“We did a movie night with “Eat Pray Love”, and a death-by-chocolate fundraiser,” Lizzy remembers. They also had to find accommodation (supervised by teachers), plan their trip within the budget given and help pay for it too.
“I really wanted to go,” says Lizzy. “I worked on a half-hour speech to my parents about why I should do it and how it would help me. At the dinner table, I said to Dad, ‘So Antips is coming up,’ and he said, ‘You can go!”
“I was saving since Year 8,” says Holly, who, like Lizzy, umpired softball matches and babysat to pay for some of her trip and spending money. Rosie also saved for it.
Once in Morocco, as well as their trek in the Atlas Mountains, the girls walked 45 minutes a day from their accommodation to the village school (just like the children there), worked in the school, played soccer with the children and learnt traditions such as ceremonial drumming.
While the trip was exciting for all the girls, the biggest impact was seeing how other people live. And that a father rushed out and took his girls away from “western influences” was saddening but one of the many eye-opening experiences that is part of travelling to other cultures.
“You don’t sweat the small stuff anymore do you girls?” Miss Shanahan asks.
“A few of the girls really came out of their shells after the trip.” Lizzy agrees. ” I’m saving up for the history tour to Europe.”
Details: antipodeans.com.au.