Three international students walk through a street festival on their day in St. Louis.
Romane Donadini | Reporter
September 3, 2015; 4:30 p.m.
More than 70 Lindenwood international students got the chance to break up their daily routine by sightseeing and touring St. Louis, thanks to International Student Fellowship and to InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
The tour took place on Aug. 29 where the students took several cars to four or more stops. The event became possible thanks to many volunteers who drove students around the city.
After registering for the tour, every group of students got assigned to a specific driver according to the number of available seats in their car and left campus around noon. Every volunteer had driving directions and a list of places they could visit with the students. Among those ideas were Citygarden, the Cathedral Basilica, the St. Louis Zoo and the Delmar Loop.
Lucas Constantino Linhares, a student from Brazil who participated in the event, explained that he really enjoyed going to the Festival of Nations, which occurred in Tower Grove Park.
“There was plenty of different foreign food: Turkish food, Argentinian food and many more,” Linhares said.
On the other hand, his least favorite activity of the day was to visit the Arch. “I had already seen it and well, it is just an arch,” Linhares said.
In addition to being able to visit the city, the students got to hear stories and anecdotes, get tips and recommendations and forge links with the people they rode with. They also got the opportunity to discover aspects of American culture by visiting sites such as Busch Stadium or by tasting typical foods and beverages.
“It’s gross, it tastes like toothpaste,” French student Virginie Kubler shouted after trying out root beer for the first time.
Julie Walker, one of the drivers for the event, expressed her enthusiasm for all the activities organized by ISF.
“What! You are doing something Saturday and Sunday?,” Walker remembered saying when she learned about Big Howdy, a country western line dance also organized the next day by ISF. She added, “It is really nice to see that they do what they do.”
She also mentioned her joy to meet students from all around the world and to share moments with them.
Walker commented, “I also got to discover a new place,” referring to the Tower Grove Park that she had never fully visited before the tour.
