Features Reporter
Not many people can say that they traveled through 13 countries in two months, but Cody Milam and eight other CMU students can after participating in the Outdoor Program’s trans-Eurasia trip this last summer.
The project, which started June 10, sent Milam and the others to England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, and China. The trip was a whirlwind, lasting eight weeks.
The $8,000 expedition earned each student three upper-division kinesiology credits at CMU.
Chad Thatcher, OP director, said that students spent much more time in the city than usual, but that was planned so that, as well as earning credit, the students learn how to travel.
The students were introduced to several different monetary currencies, navigated through foreign countries with little English, and slept everywhere from parks and train stations to hostels and Gers, which are Mongolian yurts.
According to Milam, the two most interesting nights were spent in a train station in Finland, being constantly bothered by other people, and in a park in Amsterdam, where the team had to check for hypodermic needles on the ground before laying out their sleeping bags.
One of Thatcher’s goals was to teach the students about travel by traversing the continent without planes once the students arrived in London. Most of their trans-country travel was done by train, with a few bus rides as well.
Milam said that one bus ride from Russia to Mongolia, which should have only taken six hours, took 19 because of cows, sheep and potholes covering the road.
Despite the discomfort, Milam loved the opportunity to go on the excursion.
“I really enjoyed it,” Milam said. “I learned a lot and didn’t want to come back.”
His excitement to share his experiences is obvious when he talks about highlights from the trip.
“The Great Wall was pretty dang impressive,” he said, as were the hot springs in Mongolia and the “picturesque” landscape of Lithuania.
Milam said that he developed not only a great bond with his teammates, but also a better understanding of other cultures.
“Everyone should travel,” Milam said. “It was hard, but it was definitely worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Thatcher and the OP will be taking a trip to Vietnam over Christmas break and are planning to travel to Morocco and Spain this upcoming summer. Thatcher also plans on having a slideshow for the trans-Eurasia trip sometime in October for CMU students interested in learning more.
Recent Comments