Wingate, N.C.----Hi! My name is Derek Woelfel. I am a junior on the Wingate University men’s cross country team. This winter break, I had the chance to visit Tunisia, Africa as a part of the Wingate University W’International program.
We left December 27 for Tunisia. We had a long layover in Munich, Germany, where we got the chance to take a tour of the city. We drove by the 1972 Olympic Stadium. I was very excited to see (the Stadium) because my favorite runner of all time Steve Prefontaine ran there in the 1972 Olympics. After the long layover, we were finally on the plane for Tunisia. When we arrived, it was a total shock to all of us to see the characteristics of the area.
The first day we stayed in Tunis, which is the capital of Tunisia. After a city tour, we went to the medina (the center of the city) filled with shops and cafés. On New Year’s Eve, we traveled to the fourth holiest city in the Muslim religion (Kairouan), where we visited many different mosques. Later, we went to El Djem, famous for its amphitheatre, capable of seating 35,000 spectators. El Djem is the second oldest amphitheatre one of its kind.
In the next few days, we traveled to the Sahara Desert where we got the chance to take an African Safari to see the Star Wars sets. The very same day we got to take sunset camel ride through the desert. We got the chance to go into someone’s house, where they cooked bread and had tea for us. It was really nice to see their house and how they lived.
A big part of the W’International experience is seeing how the people live in that country. For the last day, we went back to Tunis where we got a chance to meet with some university students. I thought this was so awesome because we talked about how much different America is from Tunisia. In Tunisia, they don’t have to pay to go to college.
It’s crazy that this trip is over…I been waiting three years to go on a W’international trip and it’s already come and gone. I think every Wingate student should take advantage of this experience. It’s a very inexpensive way to get out and expand your horizons. It was totally different then the way we live, but it was a great experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.
Wingate offers more than 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.
Bulldog student-athletes compete in 19 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past three years.
Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 34 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 43 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.
