Ireland: Post Program Reflection: “Planning my Next Adventure” by Mikayla Monroe

 

Post-Program: Planning my Next Adventure

 

My mom, my sister, and I have a tradition whenever we leave somewhere we love. Regardless of the temperature, we go into the body of water we stayed near and dunk. Then, when we depart later that day, we go home with the lake or seawater in our hair. It’s our cheaper—and chillier—version of souvenirs. We did it last week when we left Lake Chelan, I did it the week before on a road trip to La Jolla, and I most certainly did in Ireland, thanks to going cliff jumping in Howth the day before my flight. Other souvenirs of my study abroad program in Ireland are much more long-lived, like the tiny black sheep on my desk from the Sheep and Wool Centre in Connemara, my Claddagh ring, or the bags of Tayto microwavable popcorn (which I should probably eat soon). Heck, even msn still provides me with Maynooth weather forecasts instead of Bellingham.

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Cuba: Arrival: “Seeing the Sights, Classes, & Hurricane Irma” by Questen Inghram

 

Seeing the sights, classes (briefly), and Hurricane Irma: Arriving in Havana

My flight between Miami International Airport and Jose Martí International Airport had to be booked through a charter company, which gave rise in my head to the idea that we’d be taking a puddlejumper, but it turned out to be like any of the three Delta flights I took the day before to finally arrive in Miami. The flight to Havana was over before I realized it was happening. Barely waiting in line, my passport was stamped with not a word spoken. The wait for the baggage claim, however, took longer than the flight itself. As I left the airport, stepping into the Havana sun, my eyes fixated on the nearest old blue Chevy.

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Spain: Pre-Departure: “Are You Ready Yet?!” by Liza Alter

https://snoozinbutgroovin.blogspot.com/

Are you ready yet?!

So, heads up – studying abroad will be the most time consuming, taxing thing you will do (although, so I hear, the best). For me, it has been amplified by the stress of my everyday life – between working as much as I can, moving into a new house, preparing to go home to Arizona, and trying to think about packing for Spain (do I have enough clothes? What if they lose my luggage?? What do people even do in Spain?? What if I can’t understand anything they say???), I have to admit that I feel like I’m about to walk off a cliff, too busy looking at the flowers on the ground in front of me to see where my next step will land. There is still so much to be done and, to be honest with you, I received my flight itinerary, opened it, read the first line and then promptly stuffed it in a folder to be dealt with later.

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