The Azusa Pacific Blog

Hello!

Greetings from Bass Lake, CA!

            Allow me to introduce myself and tell you about my unique APU experience this semester…

            As you’ve most likely gathered so far from my bio, my name is Ben and I’m a junior this year at APU. I’m from Central Illinois and I’m 21 years old and this semester I’m taking advantage of what we call the High Sierra Semester. Being that I’m the first APU blogger to study up here, I’m really excited to tell you guys all about it!

            Basically what High Sierra entails is a very unique alternative study option where around 30 students spend the semester in the Sierra Mountains, just south of Yosemite National Park, at a campus on Bass Lake(http://www.flickr.com/photos/happygirltc/2759225140/). These students live, study, eat, bike, swim, rock climb, hike, camp, and kayak together. The professors and faculty live on-site with the students, share meals with them, go on week-long backpacking trips with them, and create an amazing community that really can’t be experienced anywhere else. The importance of academics is an extremely high priority here as well. Studying philosophy, literature, history, art, among other subjects, students are placed in a semester where they have the opportunity to learn about the great works of history, then go experience God’s great works out in nature. It’s really an amazing combination that lends itself to academic rigor.

            This is what I have been living for the past week, and already it’s been, by far, my best semester at APU. Thirty four of us left the smog, traffic, and hectic life of Southern California behind for the pristine peaks, lakes and trees of the Sierra National Forest. We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner together every day and night. We sit in each class with each other. Last night we had a pool party together. Today we’re going boating together on Bass Lake. And Monday we’re going rock climbing together. We’re forming an amazing community and we’ve only been around each other for 5 days!

            I’m still mentally settling in and shifting gears from the tempo of the city. But this is definitely where God wants me this semester – I truly believe that. He’s got some amazing things planned for the rest of the students and I, and I know that because of the amazing people He has placed over us here.

            I’m so excited to share this semester with all of you, and I’ll be posting pictures and hopefully a few videos as time goes on!

            Until next time – God Bless!

This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 5:39 pm and is filed under High Sierra Semester, Study Abroad, Undergraduate Experience. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.