{"id":7664,"date":"2017-05-30T17:39:46","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T17:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=7664"},"modified":"2023-01-24T18:28:03","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T18:28:03","slug":"traveling-with-auggies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2017\/05\/30\/traveling-with-auggies\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling with Auggies"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This winter, 15 Auggies traveled to\u00a0Thailand and Cambodia with Augsburg\u00a0College Professor of English Kathy Swanson<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>and her husband, Jack, as their hosts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trip was beyond amazing,\u201d said\u00a0traveler and Alumni Board President Jill\u00a0<\/span>Watson \u201910 MBA<\/span><\/strong>. \u201cOur hosts, Jack and\u00a0Kathy Swanson, have a passion for the\u00a0people and culture of Thailand that was\u00a0contagious throughout the trip. They\u00a0were always willing to share insights,\u00a0recommend food (such as sticky rice and\u00a0mango at a floating market) and go out\u00a0of their way to help others and ensure\u00a0everyone was having a great trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cMemories that stand out include\u00a0the elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thai\u00a0cooking school, Angkor Wat in Siem\u00a0Reap, Light for Kids orphanage, and the\u00a0food … all the foods!<\/p>\n

\u201cTraveling with fellow Auggies meant I\u00a0had at least one thing in common with so\u00a0many people I had never met before. By\u00a0the end of the trip, I had developed new\u00a0friendships, and I will be keeping in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Celebrating Lutheran heritage in\u00a0Germany and the Czech Republic<\/h2>\n

Last fall, another group of Auggies\u00a0traveled to the land of Luther to mark\u00a0the 500th anniversary of the Protestant\u00a0Reformation. Religion Department\u00a0faculty members Hans Wiersma <\/span><\/strong>and Lori\u00a0<\/span>Brandt Hale <\/span><\/strong>led a group of 30 Augsburg\u00a0alumni and friends on a multi-city tour\u00a0that included Dresden, Prague, and\u00a0Wittenberg\u2014the long-time home of\u00a0Reformation catalyst Martin Luther.<\/p>\n

One of the highlights for Augsburg\u00a0Alumni Director <\/span>Katie (Koch) Code \u201901<\/strong> was\u00a0<\/span>the opportunity to be in Wittenberg on\u00a0Reformation Day. The town marked the\u00a0occasion with a festival, and the Augsburg\u00a0group visited Castle Church where Luther\u00a0nailed his 95 Theses to the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt worship that morning we sang, \u2018A\u00a0Mighty Fortress is our God,\u2019 which took\u00a0me back to my Augsburg days enrolled\u00a0in the Luther and the Reformers class\u00a0with Religion Professor Mark Tranvik<\/span>,\u201d\u00a0Code said.<\/p>\n

Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Jean\u00a0Hopfensperger and photographer Jerry\u00a0Holt accompanied the group to chronicle\u00a0how Minnesotans observed the 500th\u00a0anniversary of the Reformation. In a story\u00a0published after the group\u2019s return home,\u00a0Augsburg alumnae <\/span>Carol Pfleiderer \u201964<\/strong> and\u00a0<\/span>Kathleen Johnson \u201972 <\/span><\/strong>described how the trip\u00a0itinerary offered participants opportunities\u00a0to build and reflect on their faith.<\/p>\n

Travel snapshots<\/h2>\n