Three weeks. Twenty-one days.
Three weeks. Twenty-one days. Just enough time to take a cliff-side chairlift to the top of a mountain in Anacapri, to lick pistachio flavored gelato off your fingertips, to cruise through thrift shops and oriental food stands at a London market, to feel the ruins of Pompeii under your feet, to share a glass of wine on the Spanish Steps, to toss a coin into the majestic Trevi Fountain, to try pastas and seafood of every flavor, to look down at the Coliseum from the top level, to stand breathless in the center of the Sistine Chapel, to admire the curves and contours of carved marble statues, to climb the 400 steps of the Florence Duomo, to take a boat-taxi through the streets of Venice, to gaze longingly out from the Bridge of Sighs, to listen to live music and eat expensive desserts under the stars, to be at the very top of the Eiffel tower as the lights turn on, to try a Nutella crepe in front if Notre Dame, to attach a padlock to a bridge, to shed tears at the showing of Wicked, or to look out from a pod of the London Eye.
Three weeks. Twenty-one days. We did it all: a group of students from different disciplines and backgrounds, different activities, and different friends. We conquered jet lag, the fear of heights, and train systems. We tried escargot and liver. We sipped foreign wine and took in the beauty of ancient ruins, architecture, and art. At the start of the trip we hardly knew each other, but by the end we were one big group, parading through the streets of London together. And as we said our final goodbyes, a few of us were teary-eyed.
What does it mean to study aboard? It means nine hour plane rides and an overnight train to Paris. It means conversion rates for money, looking extremely touristy with a map in your hand, and taking a notebook with you wherever you go. It means admiring art that you hear about and now actually see live. It means getting the chance to be a part of the beautiful history of our world. It means journaling about museums. It means exploring new foods and not being afraid to just order something in Italian without a clue as to what it could be. It means that by the end of the three weeks, the twenty-one days, you’ll leave with fifteen new friends and unforgettable memories.
Written by Marisa Donnelly ’14
Trips were also taken in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. A trip is planned for 2016