The trip of a lifetime thousands of miles away from St. Louis-That is what Ms. Samantha Bhambri and Samuel Gandhi (12) had the opportunity to do this past summer. OHS math teacher Bhambri along with her brother, and Gandhi with his mother and father, were able to take a journey to South Africa.  They were joined by a group of 36 people total from schools all around the greater St. Louis area.

Ms. Bhambri first heard about Education First Tours about three summers ago from one of a math teacher at Lindbergh Senior High School.  Three summers ago she went with Lindbergh and some other schools to Australia and New Zealand and had the time of her life there.

After the trip, Bhambri knew she wanted to get Oakville involved with these trips as soon as possible.  To get the information out, last year Ms. Bhambri spread the word to all of her math classes and “ encouraged my students to spread the word as much as possible to everyone. “  

This is when Sam Ghandi first found out about the trip and immediately knew he was interested.  Though the total was around $5,600, Gandhi didn’t want to miss out on a trip like this. It was a 12 day trip to Johannesburg, Kruger, and Cape Town, in South Africa.

“The second we land, our tour guide is waiting for us with our ride already set up, “ stated Sam Ghandi.  

 They explored all over South Africa and had many new experiences.  They toured the home of Nelson Mandela, Apartheid Museum, and Robben Island.  They were able to take part in a safari at Krueger National Park. They were able to visit and interact with a local village in their area.  They were able to explore all of Cape Town including Table Mountain, the diners, the shops, and many other local places. They got to go to a Beach Penguin Colony and even got to pet a Cheetah.  And for the courageous students, they got to go diving with the sharks!

“I honestly cannot pick my favorite thing from the whole trip. Everything was amazing for different reasons. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so glad that I got to experience it with some of my students. “ said Ms. Bhambri.

The group of around 36 people including Oakville, Lindbergh, and O’Fallon students stayed at many different hotels and not a single one of them had a complaint about the trip.  

“These trips are SO worth it. There is no better way to travel and see the world. The company opens up so many opportunities that would otherwise be way more expensive and that is something to take advantage of. The memories and lifelong friends made are priceless. “ says Ms. Bhambri.

In 2020 Ms. Bhambri will be taking more students out to New Zealand and Australia, so get your spot in there while you can, it will fill up fast!