Charisse Green was one of eight Evangel University students to spend the first five weeks of her summer break in Europe. The group spent time in Paris, Normandy and Brussels, learning about history and getting a taste of European culture.
The trip, sponsored by the Humanities Department at Evangel, was led by Dr. Robert Turnbull, who recently retired from the university after 42 years as a professor of French. He has led this trip since 1996.
For Green — a senior elementary education major with minors in French and art — the trip was an experience that she will carry with her forever. The hardest part is deciding which part of the trip she liked best.
“The first ten days in Paris were, as you can imagine, absolutely crazy,” she said. The group saw all of the sights, such as the Cathedral at Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
“Basically, our time in Paris was non-stop from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m.,” Green said.
The pace of the trip slowed when the group visited Normandy, where they walked along the shores of Omaha and Utah beaches and visited several museums and memorials dedicated to World War II.
“One of the most memorable sites we saw was the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach,” she said.
“I think I will always remember the feelings of sitting on the sands of Omaha beach, looking out towards the horizon and trying to imagine what it must have looked like on June 6, 1944.”
After Normandy, the group went to Brussels, Belgium, where they stayed at the Assemblies of God Continental Theological Seminary. There they attended classes taught by Dr. Turnbull.
For Green, perhaps the best part of the trip was having Dr. Turnbull provide knowledge and insight at each of the famous places.
“Obviously anyone can get on a plane and see every site I saw,” she said. “However, experiencing this trip with Dr. Turnbull was more than I dreamed it would be. The knowledge that he poured out each day made everything so much more meaningful.”