March 12, 2026 - 7:00pm - Ukraine

Ukraine has a very interesting history. Tribes used to try to take their land because of the very nice greenery, great scenery, hills, and mountains. They would even send groups to explore places they didn't know much about. There is a famous river called the Dnieper River which they traveled down and explored.

When asked "how are you," Ukrainians tend to go on and on about their day and life because they enjoy sharing stories and sharing their lives with each other. Their government is almost the same as the U.S.; they have an office and a house used for the government and president. Interestingly, they often prefer to communicate face-to-face with other countries instead of just doing everything online.

Sadly, many animals have been harmed by the war, and one of their biggest bodies of water was destroyed, making water scarce. Seeing missiles and drones every day has become a normal thing for people there. Despair and heartache fill the country. Natalia’s family still lives in Ukraine, so she visits every summer, but it has become more difficult to get close to the border. Planes don’t fly directly into the country anymore, so traveling around is a big change.

Even with the war, the weather and nature are amazing. The flowers and greenery are beautiful, and the spring is sunny and rainy. Natalia was born in the northern part of Ukraine, and she is looking forward to going back when the war is over. Oil is very important to Ukraine—it's basically "liquid money"—so seeing it flowing down the streets and covering the greenery is very sad. If you go to her house, Natalia will serve you borscht, which is a very healthy vegetable soup full of nutrients. Dumplings with various fillings are also a popular dish.

Ukraine has many beautiful traditions. While visiting, you can find embroidery and handmade items sold as souvenirs. People often wear crowns or bands made of poppy flowers and wheat. Wheat is a very popular plant, and many people create necklaces or keychains in the colors of the flag. There is even a church tradition in August where you make a bouquet of spicy herbs and poppies to bring to the church. I’m starting to learn that Ukraine and the U.S. actually have a lot in common!

March 12, 2026 - 5:00pm - Scotland

Scotland is very different from the United States. For instance, in Scottish schools, the students have to wear uniforms. Did you know that Scotland is one of only 15 countries to have a mythical animal as their national animal? Theirs is a unicorn! Speaking of mythical animals, did you know that the Loch Ness Monster (formally known as Nessie) originated in Scotland? The national flower is the thistle, which I think is the prettiest fact about Scotland.

Another thing Scotland is very famous for is its landscapes—think green grass, hills, and beautiful castles. The weather around Scotland is often very cold and rainy. For travel, most people actually take trains to work! If you are driving, they drive on the opposite side of the road, and even though Scotland is its own country, they still use British currency.

Food is very different in Scotland, too. They have a famous Scottish dish called haggis! They also have different sports; they don’t have American football, but they do have rugby. Hiking is very common, and their most popular sport is golf. Did you know that the national instrument in Scotland is the bagpipes? Aye, it is! "Aye" is what Scottish people say instead of "yes."

Finally, a big holiday there is New Year’s Eve. You can also see a massive population of Highland cows, and their horns are super long!

March 12, 2026 - 4:00pm - Sydney Zoo - Australia

It is Friday morning at 8:00 on Friday the 13th in Australia. They are 16 hours ahead of us in the U.S. The zookeeper is showing us around the zoo and describing the animals currently living there. One thing we learned is that the mountains there are not as high as in the U.S.; they are more like tiny little hills.

They showed us pictures and live footage of the habitats for sugar gliders and kangaroos. Wallabies are smaller animals and have thin ears. They also have woodbirds, red pandas, and stickbugs. We saw examples of a stickbug and learned that their first form of defense is camouflage. Also, stickbugs don't need a male to reproduce!

There are lots of different frogs in Australia. They have different designs and only reproduce during the wet season. We also saw snakes; the scales of the rough-scaled snake are actually rough. They can eat things four times the size of their head, and they’re not venomous. A snake's tongue is used like human ears because of their sensing pits. The one we saw was 1.5 meters long with a forked tongue.

We also learned about lizards. Lizards are happy if they have food and shelter. The habitat for the lizard has a heated lamp, rocks, and a serious amount of plants for the lizard's health. We saw a bearded dragon, which has a tongue, making sudden movements.

Because Australia is on the other side of the world, their seasons are different from ours. We saw red kangaroos and emus, which like eating. The zookeeper described what an emu looks like and, in my observations, it looks about three feet tall. We also learned that emu eggs are green! Even though they look similar, ostriches and emus are different, but cassowaries and emus are related. Finally, we learned that Vegemite is salty.

 

March 12, 2026 - 2:00pm - El Salvador

Today we learned about what it is like in El Salvador. There are many stray dogs there, and they also shoot fireworks all the time, not just on holidays. We even saw that there are volcanoes! There are a lot of differences between our country and El Salvador. For example, Spanish is the main language they speak. The traffic is also very different; it could take way longer to get to a store compared to getting back home!

We also learned that the school years work differently. They start in January and end in November. Sadly, they also have to go to school on Saturdays, which is very sad. It also rains a lot, mostly on Sundays. Most people live in houses, but it depends on what city you’re in.

The primary currency is the US dollar. It is very hot there, and in the normal winter time, it doesn’t get very cold. There are also coconuts everywhere, which I find very cool. Finally, fútbol (soccer) is the main sport there.

March 12, 2026 - 12:00pm - Archaeologist - Cyprus

We spoke to Scott, who talked about archaeology in Cyprus. Archaeology is the study of the past. Scott showed us a map of how he measures and draws old rocks to figure out where they belong, and he talked about the different artifacts they found.

He told us about how people in that time had statues of Apollo in their homes. He also talked about the structures of the houses from that period; they had different paintings in them, and for the first time in two thousand years, people were finally able to walk through the house again. They found bowls and statue ornaments that are now in the Museum of Cyprus.

Scott explained how they were able to dig up all the things they found. He also talked about the city of Jericho from about ten thousand years ago, what it is like in Cyprus today, and why there are so many archaeological sites there. He went on to talk about how Cyprus was needed in the European Union for their materials, and he even mentioned Alexander the Great. Finally, he told us the story of how he became an archaeologist.

THE END.

2025 World Tour - Wrap Up & Thank You!

We had another great World Tour this year! We travelled 93,412.3 miles and visited every continent! Check out our map below!

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Thank you to our sponsors in Lewisville, who kept us fed!! We needed the fuel to make it through!

• Marco's Pizza on 3040
• Chick-Fil-A on Main Street 
• 7-11 on Garden Ridge and 407

Also, A big thank you to Dr. Willi, our principal, who made up pancakes early in the morning!

March 7th, 2025 9:00am - Fredericksburg, Texas - WWII Museum

When: March 7th, 2025 9:00am

Where: Fredericksburg, Texas

Who: WWII Museum - https://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/

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Landing craft vehicle personnel, or a “Higgins Boat,” was used to carry soldiers to the beach during WWII. Jeeps were used to shoot people, and they had machine guns strapped to them. DUKW is an amphibian truck that turns into a boat. If they got shot, they used the DUKW as a shield, basically to help prevent worse injuries. A jeep painted yellow, named “Aircraft Guide,” was bright colored so pilots could see it and follow them. The coolest vehicle was a tank. It’s small compared to most tanks. The machine gun on the bottom is the assistant gunner. Then there's a main gunner, which is super hot inside, and it was hot climate wise in their area, so they would get super hot super quick. 

The battlefield in the World War 2 Museum was artificial but replicated to show the real movements of soldiers. A bunker is for shelter, which US soldiers had to use because the Japanese liked to attack. It can also be called a pillbox. The holes in the bunker were used for shooting outside forces. The Japanese specialized in attacking at night and carrying-out stealthily secured attacks on the US. The Pacific War was the war that Japan and the United Powers were at war, starting with the event of Pearl Harbor and its bombing by the US.

March 7th, 2025 8:00am - South Pole, Antarctica - IceCube Neutrino Observatory

When: March 7th, 2025 8:00am (March 8th 3:00am at the South Pole - Instead of days based on daylight, work hours are based on satellite locations) 

Where: South Pole, Antarctica

Who: IceCube Neutrino Observatory - https://icecube.wisc.edu/

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IceCube Lab (ICL) ICL houses the IceCube data center which processes ~2,800 events per second, after filtering to remove background interference, ~6 events per second. 100GB a day are uploaded over satellite. 1TB a day is saved to hard drives. After analysis, they find ~20 astrophysical neutrinos per year. They’ve had 99.84% uptime over the last 10 years. 5410/5484 DOMs collecting data. The area where the lab is based is very snowy and has lots of track marks from supposedly moving objects or boxes of some sort. McMurdo is the largest research station in Antarctica that has up to 1500 people in summer and ~150 people in the winter. It’s home to Captain Scott's Hut (1912). They wear puffy red coats, black overalls and black and brown heavy set boots. There is a greenhouse with the only available fresh food. There are rest areas like lounges and a music room along with gyms. There are costumes and traditions where they wear costumes for fun. Everyone is on the emergency team, and everyone goes to all emergencies. One of the challenges is the isolation. The closest people are over 800 miles away, and at certain times planes don’t even fly through. There are about 5 different languages in Antarctica including English! Antarctica is around 19 hours ahead of us, making it 3:00 am on a Saturday, I think. :D

March 7th, 2025 7:00am - MYSTERY - Ariquipa, Peru

When: March 7th, 2025 7:00am (8:00am in Peru)

Where: MYSTERY - Ariquipa, Peru

Who: Jeremy Daggett

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We Interviewed Jeremy Daggett, all the way from Peru. He’s lived in Italy, Arkansas, and now Peru. He’s lived in Peru for about 10 years, and he taught us about his experience. He told us about the contrast in school years between Peru and America. He explained that in South America they are in school from March to December, while in America they are in school from August to May. One of the biggest and most high paying jobs in Peru is mining, especially copper mining. In Peru, their national animal is mainly an alpaca, but they also have different frogs and birds, so they are very diverse when it comes to biodiversity. When moving from the US to Peru, the biggest adjustment was learning Spanish. A common mannerism that’s really important to learn in Peru, but less cared for in the United States, is greetings. In Peru, most would become offended if the first thing you say to them isn’t, “Hello, how are you?” and instead “Can I have ____”. In American culture, while greetings are still appreciated and a great sign of respect, it's unfortunately a lot less common. In Peru, when needing to get around, it's not as needed to have a car and drive around everywhere like how it's needed in the U.S. A very important tradition that Peruvians do is that they always eat together, like it's just a very important thing for them. He concluded this interview by talking about the difference in holidays between Peru and the U.S.

March 7th, 2025 5:00am - Florence, Italy

When: March 7th, 2025 5:00am (12:00pm in Italy)

Where: Florence, Italy

Who: Edwards Family

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Jonathan moved to Italy when he was 3 for his dads job and grew up there. Meals are different for them, like pizza or alfredo noodles. Alfredo noodles are uncommon for them, and people dont really eat it there. The average Italian consumes 60 pounds of pasta in a year! People in Italy usually stay with their family and live with them, and they usually don't marry until they are older. Groceries are 30% less in Italy than they are in the states. Housing prices are cheaper than they are in Dallas, but compared to other countries they may be considered fairly high.  It usually gets hot later in the year in Italy, and the cold stays for a little bit longer, but in Dallas it starts to warm up in the beginning of the year. Incomes in the US are higher than they are in italy. They own a hotel and host a Christian college study abroad program that teaches people to be kind, and to stay out of clubs, and do dangerous stuff like that. The main language in Italy is Italian but some people speak German, Sicilian, and English. 

Catholic tradition is common around the area, and there’s a huge Catholic church. There are a few artists, but most of the stuff they listen to, music wise, is American style music. Most of the younger kids in the country listen to American music to help practice their English. Most of Europe is built on top of each other, so when you build something you stack it on top of old artifacts that are very hard to reach. Also, prices there are very cheap, so you can pay $125 for a round trip to get around Europe. Italy is a very chill lifestyle.