UB Around the Globe
Category: Alumni
Istanbul, Turkey
Chambers in Istanbul, Turkey’s Basilica Cistern
Dublin, Ireland
in front of the Sfera con Sfera (“Sphere Within Sphere”) sculpture at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland
Athens, Greece
atop the Acropolis in Athens, Greece
County Meath, Ireland
at Trim Castle in County Meath, Ireland
London
a rainy day in London
Amsterdam
on a houseboat in Amsterdam
Have Suitcase, Will Travel
Michelle Chambers, B.S. ’13, never imagined seven years ago that her part-time babysitting job would lead to a trip of a lifetime across Europe.
In summer 2015, she accompanied a family of five for three months while they traversed the continent from Turkey to Denmark. She acted as both a nanny and a teacher of sorts: The children, ages 8-12, were homeschooled on tablets, but their education was supplemented by tours and sightseeing.
The group flew to Istanbul, Athens and London and then switched to a van upon arrival in London to begin a tour of the United Kingdom. They next traveled via the Channel Tunnel to France, though the trip was delayed for several hours due to a possible terrorist threat in Paris.
After driving through France and Belgium, Chambers and the family headed for the Netherlands, where they stayed in a houseboat on one of Amsterdam’s canals. “It was cool looking out the kitchen window at tour boats just passing by,” she says. The next stop was Sweden, where the family stayed in what she describes as nothing more than an office building that an Airbnb host had turned into hotel rooms.
Chambers left Europe with six “You Are Here” Starbucks mugs and a wish to visit at least the U.K. again, perhaps when the weather is nicer: “I probably covered nine miles in the pouring rain,” she says, “but you need more than one day to visit London.”
Next time you head overseas, don’t forget to wear your UB gear and send a photo to the UB Office of Alumni Relations by email or at 1130 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21201.
