Year in review: Favorite stories from 2024

December 18, 2024

As the Experiment in International Living team looks forward to a new year filled with more adventures and new possibilities, please join us in taking one last look back at some of our favorite stories from 2024.

 

A bus trip to Mexico in 1975 led an Experimenter to join a rock band

A vintage photo of two young men standing in front of a bus.

It was the summer of 1975 in the United States and high school junior Doug Bishop boarded a Greyhound bus from Boston to Mexico to participate in The Experiment in International Living.

Among his many adventures, Doug joined his host brother’s rock band, with the job of translating English rock songs to Spanish. It was a true cultural exchange: Doug got to tour Mexico with a local band, while band members became well-versed in American rock music.

 

In New York Times article, Experiment alum stresses need for language learning

A hand holding a paintbrush and painting Japanese language characters

In an essay for The New York Times, Experiment alum Mark Vanhoenacker shares how his 1991 trip to Japan with The Experiment deepened his longstanding love for learning foreign languages.

“When you take a new language on the road, it reliably brightens your journey and deepens your experiences.”

 

Experiment Digital alum fights food insecurity by reducing food waste in schools

A young man standing behind a cart that has several large trays of food on it

In celebration of World Food Day, we spotlighted Colin Chu, who participated in The Experiment Digital: Youth Leadership & Community Service.

Colin won a small grant competition where he received funding to implement a food insecurity project called Homeless Heroes. Since then, he has continued fighting food insecurity by reducing food waste in schools.

 

 

In their own words: 2024 Experimenters share about their time abroad

Large colorful letters J, A, C, and O that form a sculpture that students are sitting on

This summer, 197 students traveled to nine countries on five different continents with The Experiment in International Living. They studied a range of topics: climate change, peacebuilding, and languages to contemporary and traditional arts, anime, and manga. They visited national heritage sites and parks, rainforests, mountains, museums, markets, and more.

We asked them about their experiences. They shared about adopting new traditions, forging friendships, facing challenges, and gaining awareness.

 

Through his eyes: Experimenter shares photos of his journey to Japan

A Japanese house with a slanted roof in a forest of tree trees

This summer, Daniel (Yehui) Li took part in The Experiment: Anime and Manga program in Japan. The experience was an opportunity to dive into Tokyo’s culture while learning about the history and practice of anime and manga. Through a series of photos, Yehui shares what it was like to journey throughout Japan.