Traveling around the world as a musician often has quite a bit of glamour associated with the title. One might think of screaming fans and road trips. This is, of course, referring to the typical fun-filled band life we all see in movies.
    

My family and I are currently living in India, along with fourteen other students from St.

Traveling abroad can have many benefits, and educationally can be a million times more effective than opening a textbook. The perks of traveling abroad are not purely educational, of course. Martin Hodel, my father, is a professional musician and has had multiple international experiences because of concerts and tours with various programs.

My family was chosen to lead the Global Term Abroad program with St. Olaf College! My father teaches music theory there, which is a great connection. My sister, my parents and I joined fourteen college students on a seven-country journey across the world: Switzerland, Turkey, Greece, India, China, Korea, and Thailand.

After my sophomore year in high school, I didn’t think I could handle another year of small-town life in Minnesota...spending time with the same people and going to the same places that I’ve been staying with my whole life. I don’t want to give an impression of hating my home, because I love Northfield! I simply needed a break.

Walking into a Greek Orthodox monastery in Greece throws a curtain of serenity over all who enter. There is simply no need to tell anyone to quiet down, although we are instructed by a monk to stay silent once inside. The building looked like a mere small stone building from the outside.