Meeting the World in the San Juan Islands

Good music, delicious food, friends from around the world, and outdoor adventures on a FIUTS trip to the San Juan Islands.

Guest post by John Shen, FIUTS Facilitator

On May 24th- 26th, FIUTS had a trip to San Juan Island with 22 international students led by amazing facilitators (Kailyn, Saleh, and Julianne). It was one of the most unforgettable FIUTS experience I ever had because from this trip I truly understood what FIUTS is. I saw how FIUTS provided the opportunity for awesome students from around the world (China, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, USA, and Saudi Arabia) to meet, chat, and form a good relationship with each other.

During the trip to San Juan Island, we had the chance to drive by Deception Pass State Park and enjoyed a lovely lunch along the beach. On the ferry, we had fun time playing games, making tour plans, taking gorgeous photos of the water. The first evening on the island, we had fun exploring local food and music.

On Sunday we biked around the island and visited the Sculpture Park, Roche Harbor, Alpaca Farm, English Camp, and Lime Kiln Point State Park. Two students (Suiyue and MinSoo) and I went onto a whale watching trip afterwards. We were lucky enough to see a whale family hunting a seal. It felt great to just stay on the water, watching wildlife enjoy their world and feeling the circle of life.

Sunday night, after a long and crazy day exploring the island, we had an international potluck at which a couple of the students had the chance to show their cooking skills. Yili (Jacky) became the super star that night. His special pasta won everybody’s appreciation. A whole bucket of pasta went out quickly. The other members also had their way to provide food. Many members bought delicious local food from the local market they visited during the day. There were also people providing dessert and drinks. It was a great experience for me, fantastic food and awesome friends. Especially from the food preparation part I can see how powerful team work is. In one day, we made a dinner with local food and international cuisine. This is that kind of experience that you cannot get without FIUTS. That night, we all enjoyed the diversity of food culture.

After dinner, we sat down and had a fun time sharing our life experiences. I literally felt the flowing of ideas from different culture and sparkling they made when they exchange. Chinese culture, Taiwanese culture, Korean culture, Saudi Arabian culture, they are all so far away from America, but now I am learning about them without even moving my legs. It’s a unique experience that FIUTS provided.

Finally, it was a lot of fun just being with friends and exploring great San Juan Island. Thanks for all who joined our trip. Your presence brings your culture to this trip. It is your participation making this trip colorful. I was surprised to see there are already deep relationships formed during the trip. Keep those up and enjoy the world with new friends.

Thanks for the awesome facilitators (Kailyn, Julianne, Saleh) the best facilitators I ever worked with!

GO FIUTS Nation!

Photos by John Shen and Julianne Sloane