HUE

Harding University in Europe

November began with HUE students arriving in London, the final stop of their grand tour of Europe. The city offered so many amazing experiences, including iconic landmarks like St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the British Museum, Portobello Road Market, Covent Garden, the Churchill War Rooms, and more. The group even enjoyed a memorable evening seeing Les Misérables live in the West End.

Day trips outside London offered a glimpse into England’s diverse history and culture. Students marveled at the ancient wonder of Stonehenge, stepped back in time at the Roman baths in Bath, and wandered through the grand estates of Blenheim Palace and Oxford’s Christ Church.

The semester officially concluded on November 17, when students either returned home or set off for independent travel throughout Europe with friends or family.

As the semester draws to a close, the impact of this unforgettable journey is evident in the stories shared by our students. Myles Day and Sophie Vergne offered reflections on their time with HUE, highlighting the incredible places they explored and the memories they made.

Myles Day

HUE Reflection

My favorite place I visited during the semester has to be Iceland. During this leg of the trip, I got to hike a glacier, see the Northern Lights, see volcanoes and lava fields, and relax in the Blue Lagoon. Iceland was absolutely stunning. Although Iceland in the fall is freezing, it was truly an awesome experience.

The last two weeks of the trip, we stayed in downtown London. In London, the public transit system is very convenient. My friends and I got to use the underground railway to go anywhere in the city within 30 minutes. We went to markets, beautiful buildings, and I even went to two West End musicals.

During my semester abroad, I truly grew in even more ways than I expected. I gained a better understanding of how far God’s kingdom reaches. In London, we had a tour guide who was deeply passionate about doing God’s work and building up new disciples for Jesus. In Greece, we met with a woman who immigrated from Iran to Greece. She used to follow Islam and is now a follower of Jesus. Her story of devotion to Jesus inspired me and many others on the trip.

If I could give one piece of advice to incoming students of HUE, I would say this: Get out of your comfort zone and talk to strangers. Thankfully, most people from Europe learn English in school and are very easy to communicate with. Truly, the most insightful experiences for me were talking with strangers and asking them about their faith, upbringing, and culture.

Sophie Vergne

HUE Reflection

England was one of my favorite countries I went to with HUE this semester! Tyler and Lauren, our awesome directors, ensured that we saw all of London’s highlights, but we also had downtime to explore and find our own favorite spots. Some places we visited as a group that I really enjoyed were the Tower of London, the British Museum, Christ Church in Oxford, and Stonehenge. Our time in London is a good picture of HUE and the opportunities it provides to grow in confidence and humility, as Lauren described at our final group dinner. While in London and Europe as a whole, we gained confidence through experiences like navigating public transportation and visiting new churches. In the meantime, we were growing in humility when we took a wrong turn or needed to ask for help finding the correct platform. I am so grateful for this semester and the chance to make new friends and memories during our travels throughout Europe!

HUA

Harding University in Australasia

The HUA group wrapped up their semester with a final month of travel in Asia, following two months in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. They started November in Japan, visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Osaka. Next, they traveled to Cambodia to see the iconic Angkor Wat before heading to Thailand, where they explored Bangkok, visited Wat Pho temple, and spent time at the Elephant and Turtle conservation centers. The program concluded during the final week of November, with the group returning home just in time for Thanksgiving.

Check out the videos below from the HUA Instagram, featuring footage from their time in Japan and Cambodia.