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Europe Study Abroad

August - December 2023
Fall 2023 Westmont Study Abroad Trip woohoo!!
Northern Ireland, London, Germany, and Slovakia Read more
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  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    111
    Day 2

    Welcome to Northern Ireland!

    August 29, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Hi hi hi! Today was my first FULL day in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland and it was quite a lovely day. Yesterday I flew from Indianapolis to Chicago and then to Dublin. No flight complications except for that my fancy business class seat (thank you dad) on the international flight would not lay down on its own. Big bummer but thankfully the very nice flight attendant was able to manually lay it down. And I got 5000 miles added to my account because of the inconvenience. After an enormous dinner and delicious wine I slept very well for the majority of the flight.
    Once in Dublin we took a bus to Rostrevor. Rostrevor is beautiful. There are tons of sheep and horses all around, the grass is healthy and green, and there are lots of trails to walk on. I am loving the cool weather. It reminds me a lot of home actually.
    Today we started class (first day of 16th grade pics:) and went on a long walk to the village of Rostrevor. Groceries are cheap here and the coffee shops are super cute. Tonight we are hanging out and getting myself organized for school the next few days.
    Lots to learn here and more pictures to come! Love and miss you all <3    Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    11
    Day 2

    Guinness is gross

    August 29, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Alright alright back to give a little update. Mostly this week has been settling in- getting used to the fact that we are sort of in the middle of nowhere (which is beautiful and also isolating sometimes), making new friends, and figuring out the schedule to my classes. Unfortunately being a STEM major makes it a little bit harder to adjust to all of the reading and writing that’s required for most of my classes. I guess maybe it’s helpful to share the classes I’m in for the semester:
    1. Exploring wellness (PE)
    2. English literature in Europe
    3. German
    4. Encountering Cultures
    5. Conflict and Peacemaking (Philosophy/History)
    So I’ve spent a lot of time outdoors recently, partly to get my hour in of PE I’m supposed to have, but also because it’s very peaceful and beautiful outside. Most of you know I normally hate the outdoors, but here it feels like the place I can go to be by myself. And that’s really helpful since I live in a house with 7 other girls.
    On Friday, we went to 2 Irish pubs. The first to get dinner- my burger was fire and the fries were sort of strange tasting- and the second to hang out and hear live music. The girl playing that night LOVED taylor swift and she loved that we knew all the words. It was super fun singing with her and I think she loved that she had an engaged audience that knew the music!
    We also had an event called a Ceili which is a traditional Irish gathering of music, poetry, and dancing. One of the videos shows a song from this gathering. They played traditional Irish instruments (Irish bagpipe, flute, and some kind of drum) as well as the guitar.
    Lastly, I went to mass yesterday and sort of liked it a lot. It was very peaceful and simple. I loved sitting in silence and participating in church in a very different way. The monks there are super funny and cool. They have a lot of interesting thoughts about how to be the church and how to best support our local communities.
    3 other random things:
    1. I tried Guinness just for Kevin Clutter so you can let him know it is disgusting.
    2. The hot water is on a cycle so I took a FREEZING cold shower the other afternoon. Tyler would be proud since he adores ice baths.
    3. The piano here doesn’t have as many keys. It ends on an A and I don’t know why. It’s also tuned a different way. C on this piano is not C on a piano back home. Weird.
    4. I go to Dublin on Friday!

    Thx for reading

    🤍    Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    1
    Day 9

    Potluck and Prayers

    September 5, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    I begin with the potluck:
    We had a wonderful Labor Day celebration last night. Burgers, sausages, charcuterie, guacamole, sweet potato casserole, salad, pigs in a blanket and more. My heart was happy and my stomach full. We had another Ceile of singing and sharing which was a good way to end my night.

    The prayer:
    At 5:15am the potluck no longer made me happy. To make a longish story shorter, I ended up at the Irish Emergency Room around 8am. My roommate, Isabella, was hugely instrumental in caring for me while I was still at home. She did all of the right things and helped the group leader make good choices on how to best handle the situation. Turns out I have some sort of stomach bug- likely food poisoning. The doctors and nurses at the hospital were very nice and it was a very interesting cultural experience being seen there. It is so fascinating how we all speak English, but communicating cross culturally can still be really difficult. I'm proud of myself though for navigating the differences as best I can and for sticking up for myself/listening to my body. I also was able to experience the free healthcare system which was a good thing to learn about. Now, I am at home, have some medicine, and am resting. I appreciate all of your prayers. I AM OKAY and will get better so soon, but prayers still appreciated. Thank you all!    Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    Day 10

    The monastic life is not for me

    September 6, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Thank you all for your prayers, I am feeling much much better! On Wednesday I was able to go on a hike and lookout over Northern Ireland. Apparently, the overlook in the first picture is what CS Lewis pictured when he thought of Narnia. As you can probably tell, the weather has been gorgeous. Low 70s most of the time we have been here. The locals tell us that is very abnormal. Usually it is rainier and colder this time of year.
    Thursday, we went to all of the church services at the Abbey. There are 5 in total: 6:30-7:30am, 11:30am-1pm, 2:15-2:30pm, 5:30-6:30pm, and 8:30-9:30pm. The day felt sooooo long and I can confirm that the monk/nun life is not for me. Praise be to God, but I don’t think personally I am called.    Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    1
    Day 12

    Dublin

    September 8, 2023 in Ireland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Friday was super super fun because Olivia Rodrigo dropped her new album. Just kidding, it was fun because we went to Dublin (but we did listen to the new album on the way there). It was about 1.5 hour drive to the city from Rostrevor. In Dublin, we walked through Trinity College which is where the Book of Kells exhibit is. Some of you may know that is where there is a copy of the 4 gospels on a manuscript. I didn’t go through the exhibit but others said it was cool. As a group we walked to the Garden of Remembrance which remembers all of those who died fighting for the freedom of the Irish. It was a beautiful place devoted to peace and reconciliation. After this, we broke off from the group and 5 of us went to a place called Bread 41 for lunch. There we had some scrumptious croissant Benedict, French toast, coffee, and pastries. In the afternoon, Isabella and I went to the Jeanie Johnston Famine Ship tour. The tour tells true stories of the Irish Potato famine and explains how people wished to escape to North America on ships. The Jeanie Johnston is a special ship because not a single person died on any of the voyages (that is practically unheard of on any other ship). It was a great experience. Isabella and I then rode the Luas (their public transportation) so that we could meet up with some others for a tour of the Jameson Distillery. This was for sure my favorite part of the day. The tour explained the history of the distillery and went into details about how they make their whiskey. There was so much chemistry involved I was loving it. We ended with a mini tasting of their 3 most popular whiskeys. Then we were off to dinner. I fully took advantage of my speedy walking abilities and got us to our reservation in time. Dinner was great, and then we headed back home. Overall, a fantastic day in Dublin!Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    1
    Day 13

    Saturday in Rostrevor

    September 9, 2023 in the United Kingdom ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Yesterday was a great day adventuring. We started the day by going to a few thrift stores in a nearby town called Newry. We then went to another town to go to a soccer match there. It probably felt like the least touristy thing we have done so far. There were lots of families and kids running around everywhere. It felt like we were taking part in the community event which was really fun. For dinner, I went with the girls in my house to a pizza restaurant in Rostrevor. It actually was so yummy. We had a great time together. Unfortunately I must now return to my responsibilities. I have protected my peace hard these last few days but I think it is time I return to some school work now.
    Also, my roommate Isabella could use all of your prayers. She is now in the hospital for a stomach issue. We are praying she doesn’t have to spend any more nights in the hospital!    Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    1
    Day 16

    Giants Causeaway

    September 12, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Prayer update: Isabella is out of the hospital! I think everyone is feeling good besides some small colds.

    It’s crazy to think we only have 1 more week in Ireland! Next Friday we travel to London. I’m super excited to go to London. It’s the only place on this trip I’ve been before and I’m really excited to go back. It is a bit sad though, I’m really loving my time here. It is peaceful, quiet, and beautiful. I’m for sure excited to get to a bigger city with more things to do, but we have found lots of fun things to do here in Rostrevor. It’s really special to get to know the people on my trip very well since we spend pretty much every moment together. And I’m glad we’ve been able to do this here in a small town before we go to bigger cities. I also have loved learning about the history of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I’m excited to share all I’ve learned!
    The pictures I posted here are from our trip to Giants Causeaway on Tuesday. It’s at the northern most part of Northern Ireland and is right on the water. It was formed from volcanic eruptions and made polygonal columns of basalt. It was beautiful. And the weather was perfect. Sarah and I also left the group for a minute to go try to find the cows and that’s when we found the beautiful open fields. Love that everything is so green here!    Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    1111
    Day 23

    Belfast: Most importantly Lord Kelvin

    September 19, 2023 in Northern Ireland ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    Last week, our group took a day trip to Belfast. This is where the Titanic was built so we went to the Titanic Museum there. It was pretty cool. Sarah, Mitchell, and I enjoyed breakfast and coffee at a cute little place. We also went by Queens University and ended up going to a cookout with some of the students. That was super fun and gave us the chance to meet some local students our age. Glad we happened upon it! Most importantly, I saw a statue of Lord Kelvin who created the absolute temperature scale (ah chemistry hehehe). I sent a picture to all my chem professors, and they loved it. I’m in London now and will update soon!!Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    1112121
    Day 26

    I 🤍 London

    September 22, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We have made it to London! And it has been an incredibly busy and exciting last few days here. The pace in London is different from Rostrevor. There are a million things to do, places to eat, and not enough time to do it all! Thankfully we arrived here on a Friday, so we had the weekend to explore and adjust before classes resumed Monday. We’ve done lots of walking, ridden on buses and trains (which i love… the efficiency is incredible), and eaten at some wonderful restaurants. We don’t have kitchens here, so most of our meals we eat out. I’ve tried lots of new foods and drinks. I love how many options there are. We’ve gone thrifting, shopping, gotten our nails done. and went to a very interesting and bizarre shakespeare play at the globe. Big Ben was beautiful and I’m glad I was able to see it in all its glory since last time it was hidden by scaffolding. Today, we visited the Imperial War Museum which was heavy, but powerful. Love you all. It’s been hard to keep in touch with the time difference, so if you’ve texted or called me, I will respond as soon as I can. I appreciate your grace!Read more

  • TravelerEurope Study Abroad
    Day 30

    More of London

    September 26, 2023 in England

    Ok ok ok I've been meaning to post this for many days now. Embarrassing that I am just now doing it. . . but here are some awesome moments from London.
    It was Em's 20th birthday on September 26 so we went to dinner together. About 20 people squished into one table (too many in my opinion), but we had yummy dumplings. The next day some friends and I discovered Ed Sheeran's restaurant. Apparently he owns it? It had some amazing food and the best burrata I've ever had. That night we went to see a play called Mlima's Tale which was about the ivory trade. The main guy plays an elephant and he was fantastic (and also apparently was in the Barbie movie?) Then on September 29 we took a day trip to Coventry. We saw the Coventry Cathedral which was bombed during World War 2. The church is now committed to peace and reconciliation. We prayed the coventry litany of reconciliation with them. I would recommend reading it on your own! It is a great way to pray for the healing of our world. Churches around the world and especially in Europe often pray this prayer. That weekend I went to Borough's market which was super fun. Sarah, Mitchell, and I got cheese, bread, and Prosecco slushies. Perfect little snack.Read more

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