“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.” Growing up I always had faith however I never had a religion. Nearly three years ago I was introduced to Catholicism. I soon learned that both of my parents (who never pushed religion upon me) were raised Catholic as was my paternal grandmother. Since the … Continue reading Finding Myself & My Religion in Paris! by Lindsay Firn
Today is our second class! Social psych is not exactly what I expected, that is not at all a bad thing either. I had no idea how similar it could be to international relations. It is very interesting. The jet lag is finally starting to catch up with my immune system, but I am striving … Continue reading I have so much respect for the people of Derry and their pride in their town. by Alison Hunt
These past few days have shown me even more of the stunning environment all around us in this amazing country! Our last day volunteering was spent counting seagrass to help monitor the habitat as it is an important area providing food for sea turtles and living space for small fish. I loved helping gather data … Continue reading Costa Rica's Beautiful Scenery by Angela Leta
Today started at 8:30am with me running to get down stairs and stuff myself with all you can eat breakfast at the hotel. The breakfasts here have been amazing and I’ve come to find myself stock piling calories at breakfast and riding out the rest of the day with snacks. After breakfast we went on … Continue reading Coy's Big Day in Paris by Blair Coy
On this beautiful day, we explored the famous historical Walls of Derry, Ireland. The small city of Derry has a long history of sectarian tension and violence. The tour educated us on the civil wars, upheavals, sieges and art of the ancient city. Throughout the tour the guide explained the war during the 17th Century … Continue reading Exploring Historical Derry, Ireland by Natalie McDade
This morning we counted sea grass. Afterwards we went kayaking. I would have never thought I would go kayaking in a beautiful ocean and into a river and back in Costa Rica. It was so peaceful and relaxing. We saw a sloth with her baby in a tree, two sea turtles come up for a … Continue reading Appreciating the Beauty of Costa Rica by Bianca Torres
Today we took a hike to a waterfall. It started with a 20 minute bus ride that stopped at a dirt road to steep for our bus to even drive up. This is where we started our hike, then walked through a cow pasture on the side of a mountain. We then proceeded down the … Continue reading Up and Down a Mountain to a Waterfall by Cora Jones
Man oh man, where to start! This trip to Paris so far has been amazing! Out of the sights we’ve seen; Versailles has got to be the most extravagant and lavish. This property itself is massive. You could wonder these gardens and buildings for days and probably still wouldn’t get to see everything. The palace … Continue reading Exploring the extravagant and lavish Palace of Versailles by Lauren Stockton
Sea turtles eat seagrass, and to ensure their habitats are healthy, we counted seagrass today. Really, we counted individual blades of grass in the sand and water! We began during low tide in the morning, so it started off easy. However, there were some areas where it was necessary to actually go under the water … Continue reading Blades of Grass and Kayak Paddles by Carly Taft
Today was our first full day in Derry, Ireland. This city compared to Dublin is very diverse, yet similar. These cities are both unique, interesting, and historical in their own ways. The first thing I noticed about Derry was it is a lot smaller than Dublin, but seemed to hold a more historical point of … Continue reading Our first day in Derry, Ireland by Erin Hulse