July 19, 2006
Follow this link to see some London trip photos on the psychology department's Web site.
Story by Cathee Phillips
 “Give free time to students, and they will find interesting things to investigate—for example, Abbey Road, the Princess Diana Memorial, and the vault at the Hard Rock Café,” said Larry Sensenig, professor of psychology, of the 12 students who enrolled in the May Term Course “Trip to London.” His wife, four alumni, and Larry Martin, associate professor of biology and chemistry, and his wife, Laura, also joined the tour.
 The unexpected trip to the vault at Hard Rock Café was especially memorable—because group members were allowed to hold Jimi Hendrix’s “Flying V” Gibson guitar for a photo opportunity. Pictured to the left is alumnus Jared Zobel and the cafe owner, who called himself "Jimi 2," with Hendrix's guitar. For Morningside student Amber Bohnker, from Underwood, Iowa, the “Jack the Ripper” tour around the city, Stonehenge, and the Roman baths stand out in her mind.
 “Stonehenge is a very peaceful place, on a hill and surrounded by pasture,” said Bohnker. “No one really knows why it’s there. It’s a mystery.” She also liked the mystery surrounding the unsolved cases surrounding the so-named “Jack the Ripper.”
She also enjoyed the historical spots in London and came to understand that much of the United States history is related to England.
“Everyone here should go there at least once,” she said.
The trip was sponsored by the psychology department, but the group included students and alumni who represented several academic disciplines, including business, history, elementary education, nursing, biology, advertising, psychology, and religious studies.
For many of the students, the biggest thrill was simply traveling to another continent for the first time. The trip provided a lot of “firsts” for some of the students: their first trip out of the United States, their first trip without their parents, and even their first trip in an airplane.
Bohnker had traveled to Mexico once with her parents, but this trip was a totally different experience for her and her sister, Jill, who is a senior at Morningside.
“I think maybe the London people are fed up with the tourists or else they’re very blunt; anyway we felt like outsiders there,” she said. “I appreciate my small town more. I always thought I was going to be one of those people who live in a city and walk to work every day. I’m rethinking that now.”
Her thinking was also changed in another way: “People should accept everyone for how they are. We should be respectful to everyone.”
Sensenig’s hopes that the London trip would be a life-changing experience for the students were fulfilled.
“The London trip supported the mission of the college by cultivating a passion for life-long learning through traveling,” he said. “It gave the students the opportunity to visit another country and to see world-renowned sights of interest. They gained a better understanding that not all of the world thinks—and speaks—as we do.
“For many, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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