Junior Mackane Burchfield
Travelling approximately 8,680 miles from his hometown in Springdale, Arkansas, all the way to the South American country Argentina, Junior Mackane Burchfield experienced a week of duck and dove hunting in an atmosphere far different than that of Arkansas.
“It was really cool to see a different part of the world. The way they live there is a lot more simple and they definitely don’t have the same technology we have here,” said Burchfield. “Their phones are still just the common flip phones and wifi is a rare thing there. The cars are all standard; I didn’t see a single one that was automatic. And they still have a ton of dirt roads and even the pavement is really rough.”
Although Argentina is behind on the developments America has, Argentina has a larger population of doves, according to Burchfield. Each person in Burchfield’s hunting party shot approximately 4,000 doves; however, they were not allowed to bring any of their prizes home due to airline rules.
“My favorite part of the trip was the duck hunt, because of the different types of ducks there,” said Burchfield.
Not only has Burchfield been hunting in Argentina, but he has also visited Africa to hunt wildebeest and two types of gazelles. Burchfield hopes to travel there again for his next trip.
Senior Maddie McWhorter
Travelling approximately 4,850 miles from her hometown in Springdale, Arkansas, all the way to Barcelona and Tossa de Mar, Spain, and then another 1,040 miles to Paris France, Senior Maddie McWhorter spent two weeks of exploring western Europe with her family.
“It was super cool because you’re surrounded by people from all over the world who don’t speak your language and you’re forced to communicate with them in a different way,” said McWhorter.
According to McWhorter, people have to either walk or take the metro everywhere, due to the close proximity of all the shops and restaurants, unlike in Arkansas where she drives her car everywhere. During her trip, McWhorter was also charged for things like using public restrooms or getting a refill of water.
“My favorite memory is definitely the segway tour we took of Barcelona, or attempting to speak to people in french,” said McWhorter.
McWhorter brought back her favorite macarons from La Duree in Paris, souvenirs for her friends, and memories to last a lifetime. She wishes to travel to Auckland, New Zealand, and Norway for her next trip.
Senior Lindsey Priest
Travelling approximately 4,365 miles from her hometown in Springdale, Arkansas, all the way to England, senior Lindsey Priest spent the beginning of her summer traveling around the southern part of the country until her last week spent in London.
“It was so much better. The diversity of people made it interesting. I feel like you see the same faces over and over again in places like Springdale,” said Priest. “In London, I saw so many different cultures and styles. Plus, everything was always go go go, and that’s just my style. It was extremely refreshing. Everything in Arkansas is slow paced and repetitive.”
According to Priest, her favorite memory was stepping into the streets of London and seeing Big Ben, the Great Bell tower at the north end of the Palace of Westminster.
“There’s just something about the atmosphere. I fell in love,” said Priest.
Priest plans to use the extra time she has in her life to travel, and sees it as a goal to see the whole world. For her next trip, Priest wants to explore more of Europe, but has set her ultimate goal to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.