West Students try out their British slang during ‘brilliant’ voyage

Brats and cheese gave way to bangers and mash as nearly 50 Wildcats packed their bags for a hop across the pond to experience the wonders of jolly old England via EF Tours.

Despite the jet lag from day one, West’s travelers remained joyful and excited to be on a tour of a new country, a tour chaperoned by English teachers William Brydon and Kel Wayne. 

“Everybody kept pretty good spirits. There was a lot to process, but we started in the Lake District where it was a little bit slower paced,” Brydon said. “I was really proud of the group for sticking together and not letting the tiredness and emotion get the best of them and being able to still enjoy those first couple of days.”

A typical day began with breakfast at the hotel around seven o’clock, followed by a busy day of sightseeing and exploring with a little bit of learning sprinkled in.

“We take a coach bus ride to wherever we’re going that day. You can expect admission to some sort of attraction or a guided tour or both. We’re usually seeing something in a structured sense,” Brydon said. “Then we have lunch on our own, which usually leads to free time. As long as students stay in a group of three or more, you can explore the cities without a chaperone and experience the city the way you want to.”

West secretary Amy Phillips was one of the chaperones on the trip. Her experience  was a balance between enjoying the sights along with everyone else and maintaining order. 

“I had to do head counts, make sure everyone was accounted for, and if there were any issues or drama I had to help with that,” she said. “The most difficult part was less sleep than I’m used to, but I liked getting to know the kids because they were all a lot of fun. It was fun to experience new places with them.”

Junior Kate Conger signed up for the trip because she wanted to experience a new world view, and her time overseas did not disappoint.

“Three of my favorite cities we went to were Bath, Oxford, and London. London was right at the end of the trip, so it was a perfect way to sum it up,” she said. “I loved the London Eye, and in Bath, just looking at the Roman Baths and the architecture everywhere. The people were amazing, and the food was one of the best parts of the trip.”

For future England travelers who are concerned that the tour will be too information-heavy to be enjoyed, they need not fear- there is something for everyone.

“When we pitch it as a literary tour, people think it’s reading and writing and don’t want to do that,” Wayne said. “But there’s so much free time where students can shop or explore cities along with seeing so many famous landmarks and historical sights. There’s a really good balance of seeing the history, the literature, but also seeing what you want to see when you’re there.”

Tour director Adam Beresford proved to be a highlight of the trip for many, as he worked tirelessly to ensure travelers had the best experience possible.

“He pushed back dinners for us so we could have more free time, made sure the coach buses took different routes so we didn’t get stuck in traffic, and made sure if we lost something we could ship it to the next hotel,” Brydon said. “Without him, the tour would fall apart. If we have to pivot, he’s able to anticipate what the group would like to do instead. For example, when we couldn’t get a backstage tour of the Globe, he parlayed that into tickets to the London Eye for everybody, for free.”

The landscape and scenery was a highlight for junior Elliot Oliphant-Buchta in England.

“I was looking back through my photos and realized I took more photos of trees than I did of myself,” he said. “We live in Wisconsin, so as we’re driving around the country, we have beautiful rolling hills, but nothing compared to what we saw in England. It was so green and to see animals roaming naturally versus an industrialized cattle farm was really cool to see.”

West registrar Susan Whittaker witnessed students growing closer with each other throughout the course of the trip.

“You get to make some great connections with other students, plus the teachers,” she said. “You could see clumps of students. It was so cool when we’d get back to the hotel and we’d have free time before bed checks and you’d see groups getting together and playing games.”

Brydon hopes that the experience of going to England will open the eyes of students and increase their self-confidence.

“The biggest takeaway is how much they’re capable of that they might not have given themselves credit for before,” he said. “It can be intimidating to go out for free time in some of these places, navigate the airport, and interact with the locals. But the growth that I see from the first day to the last day in terms of confidence and ability to take care of themselves is the coolest part.”

The life lessons Oliphant-Buchta came back to America with after the ten day trip will last a lifetime.

“I learned that I can travel. I saw a change in myself coming back over there, and I saw myself pushing to enjoy all aspects of the trip,” he said. “It was nice to reconnect with the part of myself that loves literature. If I had to say anything about the trip, it would be to do it because you’ll learn something about yourself.”

by Abby Furcy

Published October 3, 2022

Oshkosh West Index Volume 119 Issue I