hey don’t have wash rags?!”

Professor Denise Murphy-Gerber was musing on a memory from a past trip. She organizes an international expedition for Geneva students every other academic year, trips that she begins planning almost as soon as the last one ends. This past spring had one of the largest turnouts she’s had for a tour.

Thirty-two students, faculty, and staff traveled to Greece this past May for a full two weeks. This year they were able to collaborate with Webster University Athens faculty for educational seminars, planning, and connecting with other international students. The trip is always coupled with an optional course at Geneva.

Murphy-Gerber states, “My main goal is to get American students outside of the country to experience a different culture. And it’s very eye-opening for them. And they mature and grow because of it. … [you’re in] a bubble when you’re in a college, you know, over just academics and of course, whatever else you’re involved in, like athletics or clubs or music or whatever. And even when you’re at home, I feel like there’s a bubble there too. It’s everything you’re comfortable with that you become comfortable with. And [then] you go abroad.

“I had a young lady [on a trip once] … and the first day she got angry about one little thing. They didn’t have wash rags because that’s typical in Europe. That’s something they just don’t do. They give you a towel. And she was, she just … the first 24 hours … she wanted to go home. She was like, ‘this is ridiculous.’ … I thought I was going to have a real problem.

“[Then] all of a sudden a switch turned [for that student] and that was it. … it was like she woke up the next morning and she was just a different person. And by the end of the trip, she just thanked me and really had a wonderful time. … she entered the trip [one] way. And then all of a sudden she became a woman of the world and enjoyed the whole rest of the trip. Because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about getting out of yourself and enjoying all the things that God’s given us.”

These international trips burst cultural bubbles and expand students’ worlds. They also bring ancient learning to life.

On this trip to Greece, students spent one morning learning about both the ancient Olympics and modern Olympics from the faculty from Webster University Athens. Then the students left the classroom and let their feet touch where the ancient foot races were actually run.

“I want them to see as much as they can see and experience as much as they can. We’ll have three days that are kind of full, and then we have a free day,” says Murphy-Gerber.

This trip to Greece will have a lasting favorite memory for the professor.

“In Pennsylvania, we’ve got these huge rocks that are the size of a house. That’s what Mars Hill is kind of like. They call it the Areopagus. But in English, we call it Mars Hill. That’s where the Apostle Paul did his sermon that is in Acts 17:22-31. Greece is always known for the ancient philosophers. They were the center of philosophy and the center of democracy. They very much were all about their freedom of speech, like the United States is. So when Paul [was] speaking, he was addressing the Greek philosophers of the time and all the people. There were a lot of people that came to hear him.

“And so interestingly, I did not know that some of the girls were going to do this, but there were four of them that were best friends … they all brough a small Bible and they stood on Mars Hill and they read Acts 17:22-31 while they were up there. And people were kind of stopping and listening. … it was just a super cool thing that they thought of that in advance. And I really appreciated it.

“It just made it really special … just kind of gave you the shivers that you could think about the fact that you were reading Paul’s words in the spot that he had given that lecture.”

Murphy-Gerber is already planning the next trip to Spain and Portugal for spring 2028. She’s looking forward to the gifts that voyage will bring to the next group who travels with her.