74International Programs The Harding University in Greece (HUG) group in fall 2023 was unusually small, with five people. They traveled to places such as Athens, Rome and Egypt. They originally planned to take a trip to Israel as the group does every semester, but their plans changed. Once news broke out about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the HUG group could not travel to Israel as they had planned due to the conflict in the Middle East. The director of HUG, Lacey Bortell, learned about the Hamas attack when Audra Pleasant, executive director of international programs, sent her an alert from the U.S. Embassy. “We were told seconds before having lunch by our director, Lacey Bortell. After our prayer, she broke the news for us and none of us even believed her,” sophomore Abby Davidson said. “We all chuckled until we realized just how serious this was.” Instead of going to Israel, Bortell planned last-minute for the group to have a week-long trip to Rome. “The day we canceled the Israel trip, we decided to work on planning a trip to Rome,” Bortell said. “Rome is not usually on the HUG agenda, but it is a beautiful city central to biblical history. The trip to Rome was a gift; we were able to make our plans very quickly, and we were blessed to be in Rome at the same time as HUE, which gave our students the opportunity to spend time with more friends from Harding.” Despite the change of plans, HUG was still able to visit Egypt. They spent about two weeks in Egypt, traveling to different cities and visiting and historic sites. Even though Egypt was relatively close to Israel, the group did not experience any repercussions of the conflict. “It was very interesting to see the Egyptians’ perspective on the war and how they seemed to be universally aligned with the Palestinians,” sophomore Chris Beller said. “I was never concerned with my personal safety, but there were some revealing moments, such as the power going out in the perfume shop. After the power went out, we were told that Egypt and Israel share a power grid, so the energy is split between the two countries.” Sophomore Conley Owen reflected on the conflict in Palestine and Israel and its impact on students, and Europe. “One thing I would like people to understand is that the war, regardless of how it has been portrayed on the news, has not phased much of life in Europe or the Mediterranean – at least not yet,” Owen said. “Life is still very much business as usual over here, just like it is in the US. That is not to discount the thousands upon thousands of lives that have been lost and impacted in the Gaza Strip and in Palestine and Israel, but the conflict luckily has not spread far beyond that immediate area as of now, and hopefully never will.” Written by Addie Echols ROADS TO Students studying abroad at Harding University in Greece (HUG) have to change their plans due to the unrest in Israel and Palestine. Hello St. Pete | The group stops for a photo in front of the Roman Colosseum on October 13. The group took a detour to Rome after their trip to Israel was cancelled. Photo Courtesy of Kristin Wiewora
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