Tag: Zionsville Community High School alumni

Returning home from studying abroad in Ireland involved a lot of emotions. On one hand, I was thrilled to be going back to see my family and my friends, to be back in my house, and all that sort of stuff. On the other, I was leaving some amazing people and a place I had grown to love.

The night before I left my friends in Ireland I had a bonfire. Saying goodbye to them was rough. Unlike saying goodbye to my friends in Indiana, I don’t know when I will see them again. I usually take a long time to make really good friends, but somehow I was able to make great friends in a very short time-span.

The next morning I said farewell to my host parents, which was very sad. But, they gave me a key and made me promise to return! So, that helped. I also have a strong dislike of airplanes and airports, so that also meant I was nervous for a good part of the day. And then, of course, I finally saw my family in person for the first time in nine months! All in all, an emotional day.

Forever Changed

Now that I’m back, everything feels slightly different. You miss a lot in nine months. For starters, all of my siblings are a lot taller now! And they have all grown and changed in other, more subtle ways as well.

Studying abroad has undoubtedly changed me. The experience has taught me to be more relaxed, to look at the big picture instead of the tiny problems, to celebrate small victories.

I feel more confident, more secure in myself, and I have more self-esteem. I don’t know what I want to do in life, but studying abroad showed me that I want to see the world, meet new people, and experience other cultures. I know I want to study abroad again in college, and this experience has given me the courage to maybe go to a country where English isn’t widely spoken.

Long story short, after an experience like this one, I’m pretty sure my life will never be the same again.

What’s Next?

So what now? Well, I have one more year of high school left, and I’m excited to see what I make of it. I graduate next spring, and go to college next fall. Reverse culture shock has not really affected me yet, beside things like forgetting how to work the shower here and where we keep the plates. But, I imagine that once I start school again it’ll hit me.

As I mentioned earlier, I now know that I really want a career that allows me to live around the world. This has helped me narrow down my college search and explore new possible majors. Likewise, I will also make sure the colleges I apply to offer affordable study abroad programs.

A Newfound Confidence

Right before I left for Ireland, I had an online orientation with a few other American students and a program manager from Greenheart Travel. One of things we did was read aloud different pieces of advice from former study abroad students.

My favorite was something along the lines of, “Say ‘yes’… Say ‘yes’ to everything”.

This is the phrase I constantly reminded myself of while studying abroad, and it allowed me to find the courage to do new things and explore new opportunities. Doing those things has allowed me to build my confidence.

Now, thanks to this newfound confidence, I find myself able to say ‘yes’ to anything! Applying to jobs I wouldn’t have considered previously, finding opportunities to shadow careers I never thought about, trying new things I would have bypassed earlier, and so on and so forth.

 

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Are you ready to say YES to studying abroad!?

Part of me feels like I’ve still got ages until it’s time to go home. But most of me can feel each day passing so quickly. On the 29^th of April I’ll have only 28 days until I fly home. And while I’m incredibly excited because it’s been nine months since I’ve seen my family in person, I’m also still sad to leave all this behind. So here, in no particular order, are somethings I will undoubtedly miss from my time studying abroad in Ireland.

1. My friends

This one seems kind of obvious, but it’s true. In the past eight months I’ve made some amazing, and hopefully lifelong friends. To be honest, its almost astonishing to think that just eight months ago I was dubious that I’d ever really make friends here.

For about the first month I was here, I often felt like an outsider. When I would hang out with the other foreign students, I’d feel out of place because I spoke English as my first language, and with the Irish I’d feel awkward because most of them had been friends for years and I was new. But eventually I got to know people, exchange students and Irish, and I’ve made friends that I feel like I’ve known a lifetime.

2. The Scenery

Ireland is beautiful. Everyone says it, but you don’t truly understand just how beautiful until you visit in person. Everything is always green here, there are hills, mountains, forests, waterfalls – everything you could imagine and more.

The natural beauty of this country is breathtaking. And yeah, it’s a bit cliché, but I have completely fallen in love with Ireland. Even just walking around town shows me some beautiful and wonderful sights.

3. The Greenness

One of Ireland’s stereotypes is that everything is extremely green. This is one-hundred percent true! From August till April, I’ve seen nothing but green grass and bushes. Autumn had some amazing colored leaves, and winter had a bit of snow, but throughout it all- the grass was green.

4. Living So Close to the Ocean

Where I live in the USA, it’s a good nine or ten hours to the ocean, but here, we drive about 20 minutes and we’re right on the coast. Sure, it’s not warm and I don’t swim in it, but it’s till amazing. I love being able to walk along the beach and watch my host family’s dog run in the water. I can collect sea-shells or run along the sand-dunes. I never say no to going to the beach!

5. My School

My school has a little of 200 students. Total. While at first this seemed like too small to even imagine, I’ve grown to like being able to know everyone in my class. It’ll be quite an adjustment to go back to my much larger school. The school here has a lot of little quirks and odd things about it, but they only make it more interesting.

6. My Host Family

Of course!! How could I not? This family has gone to great lengths to ensure that I was happy, comfortable and at home here in Ireland. They’ve included me in family events and celebrations, we’ve had many interesting experiences and conversations together. While it will be very strange to leave them behind, I know I’ll be back.

With so little time left until I leave, I find myself anxious to get home and also very sad to leave Ireland . Its been an incredible adventure so far, and it hasn’t ended yet! I’ll be doing my best to make sure I make this last month count!

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

I started looking into studying abroad in Ireland as a freshman in high school. I wasn’t necessarily looking for it, I just happened to stumble across it. And once I started reading more about it, I found I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

I’d always come back to it; it was a “what if” I couldn’t get out of my head. I didn’t really tell anybody about this ‘what if’ my freshmen year or that summer. I ended up mentioning something about it to a friend once, and then also to my mom. But, other than that, I kept it under wraps. In September of my Sophomore year; however, I decided I was tired of it being a ‘what if’. I had been sitting on it and thinking about it for around a year, and I knew it was something I really wanted to do.

Studying abroad isn’t a decision to take lightly. It’s an experience that will change you and challenge you in ways you never thought about before. This is something that requires extensive research, planning, and saving. That’s why I’d like to offer a little bit of advice about what I think should be considered before studying abroad.

If you’re considering studying abroad, here are a couple of things you need to take into account:

Deciding to Study Abroad

Are you prepared, mentally and emotionally to leave everything you know for however many months you’re planning on going for?

Studying abroad can take a toll on you that you may not be aware of prior to actually going. It’s not easy to deal with a new culture, new people, homesickness, schoolwork, and everything else you will be handling.

During my study abroad program in Ireland, I had to cope with not having the everyday face-to-face support I was used to from my family and friends. Homesickness often made my daily interactions with people in school and at home a bit harder in the beginning. However, being able to cheer myself up and be positive really helped me with my homesickness, and I think made my whole experience better.

Are you able to finance this expedition?

Everyone pays for their program differently, but I was responsible for the majority of the cost. I had a part-time job at a local toy store, babysat, held fundraisers, and applied for a Greenheart Travel scholarship. I had to start saving before I was even accepted into my program. But trust me, the pay-off has been worth it.

For me, there is something about the fact that I wasn’t just handed this incredible opportunity. I worked for it. I personally think this makes it a bit more amazing.

Do you have any idea what an absolutely awesome thing studying abroad is?!?

In the months you spend in another country, you learn about a new culture, find new interests, meet some amazing people, and grow as a person. So, if the sound of all this excites you, you should most certainly keep looking into studying abroad!

Choosing a Country

When I first came to Ireland, I was often asked why I chose to come here if I spoke English. For most students, studying abroad is about becoming fluent, or at least better, at a foreign language. So, the first question you might ask yourself when choosing a destination might be, “Do I want to go to a place that speaks a different language?”

I chose not to go to a country that speaks another language for a number of reasons.

To begin, I did not meet the language requirements for Spanish-speaking programs.

Most study abroad programs require at least three years of a foreign language before you can go, and I was worried I would not be able to handle the pressure of having to communicate in another language and deal with culture shock and homesickness at the same time.

While I think that living in country that speaks a different language is a great thing, and people who do it are extraordinarily brave, I don’t regret choosing an English-speaking place to study. I truly believe that this was the best choice for me, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

I also chose Ireland because, out of the programs offered, it was the only one that would allow me to stay for nine months.

Personally, I didn’t see the point of staying in a country for less than that time. I feel like this was the best way for me really step out of my comfort zone and truly enjoy the Irish culture.

Lastly, I chose Ireland because I had had an interest in Ireland for a long time.

I’d always wanted to go, and this seemed like the perfect chance. If you’ve had an interest in a country, be it studying in Australia, Italy, Sweden, or wherever, it’s worth looking into.

So, that’s all my advice for now! On a more personal note, I got to experience the “Ring of Kerry” last week! It was a very long drive, but the stops were beautiful. It’s absolutely crazy to think that I only have 50 days until I fly home!!! While I’ll be sad to leave Ireland, I do really miss my home, and I’m excited to get back. But, I know the time will continue to fly, so I’m trying to make the most of my last few weeks!

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Where are you interested in studying abroad? Tell us below!

St. Patrick’s day is obviously an important day here in Ireland. People get the day off of work and school, towns have parades and all the shops do bit of decorating. But really, I don’t think it’s too huge of a celebration. All the big cities have parades and neat decorations, but here in Castle Island, I joined a handful of friends for a small parade.

The weather was stereotypical of Ireland – heavy rain and cold winds. I got completely drenched, but it was worth it. The parade wasn’t much – a lot of tractors, some vintage cars,  the primary schools with banners and things, some musical floats, that sort of thing. There were a lot of floats about Trump, which I didn’t really understand. All in all, a nice parade.

From what I can see, this is the thing most towns do. Apparently in the bigger cities ( Cork and Dublin) the parade is bigger and they’ll light up buildings. I know some of my friends plan to go out this weekend in celebration, and that also seems to be the norm. St. Patrick’s day is more of a one day celebration, than a week-long thing. It was a really great experience to have while studying abroad, and I had a lot of fun!

Have you celebrated a holiday while studying abroad? Share your experience below in the comments!

It was about seven months ago that I called my host parents for the first time. I’ll be honest and say it was extremely awkward. I wasn’t sure what to say to the people that I’d be living with for nine months. I don’t actually remember what was said, but I know I stuttered out of nervousness, and that the phone connection was terrible.

A week or so later, I Skyped them for the first time. It wasn’t a long conversation, as I was still quite nervous and they had a plethora of people running around. I only talked to them directly one other time, for about fifteen minutes with all of their family around, and all of mine. Needless to say, we didn’t exactly know each other well before we met at the airport. Yet, they still managed to help me relax and feel at home.

When I first met them, they were quick to hug me and make sure I knew I was welcome in their home, and they were happy to have me. This and the way they repeatedly told me that it was “my house too”, and that I should treat it as such, helped me feel less homesick and happier here while studying in Ireland. I have been extremely lucky with my host family, as they are sure to include me in everything and we all get on well.

Not all students are as fortunate, and many have issues and complaints with their host family. However, I feel that it is natural to feel uncomfortable in your host family sometimes. You’re in a new place, you don’t know what is and isn’t acceptable at first. The things you might have done in your own home aren’t things your host family will do, and vise versa. And I think there are some things you will never feel comfortable doing with your host family.

For example, I don’t like to come downstairs in my pajamas here. At home I’d wander all over in my pajamas, but I just don’t do that here. In pretty much every aspect of my life here I feel safe and comfortable around my host family. That’s what’s important. My host family has gone to great lengths to ensure that I am at home here and at ease.

My family and friends back home were also incredibly helpful with my transition. Many people wrote encouraging notes and letters to me before I left, about how proud of me they were, and how much they were going to miss me. I took quite a lot of these with me and used them to decorate my room. Especially in the first few months, when I was particularly homesick, I would read over these letters and notes and would feel a little bit closer to home. I’ve found that even just having these things around me helps me deal with my homesickness.

While everyone’s experience will vary, I have three pieces of advice for any students nervous about living with a host family:

1) Try and be apart of your host family. I know it isn’t easy, but it’s important. It’s as simple as spending time in the areas they spend a lot of time in, like the living room or kitchen. Don’t be afraid to take part in celebrations or casual conversations they have.

2) If your family is one that has regular meals together, try to be at home for them. Family meals are a big part of both my family here and at home, so this was not only a way to help me with homesickness, but also helped let me get to know my host family better.

3) Help out. Heaven knows I’m no saint when it comes to keeping my room clean, but I do try to keep it generally straightened up. Some host families may request you do certain chores, others may not. Either way, offer to do the dishes, or set table. It’s your home for however long you’re there, and it’s important to take care of it. Your host family is a big part of your study abroad experience, so do your best to enjoy your time with them!

 

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Have you lived with a host family? Share what you made you feel more at home in the comments below! 

Having been in Ireland for about five months and going to school here for just as long, I feel I now have an idea of how the school system works. So, I have decided to create a little guide for those of you who intend to study in Ireland, or for those of you back home who like to understand what I’m talking about half the time.

First of all, the Levels in an Irish School System.

I’m a little embarrassed to say it wasn’t until this week that I actually got this all figured out, and I needed two people to explain it to me! However, it’s really not that complicated.

Have a look at this chart for level differences between the USA and Ireland:

USA	Age	Ireland	Age
Preschool	4-5 years	Junior Infants	4-5 years
Kindergarten	5-6 years	Senior Infants	5-6 years
1st grade	6-7 years	1st class	6-7 years
2nd grade	7-8 years	2nd class	7-8 years
3rd grade	8-9 years	3rd class	8-9 years
4th grade	9-10 years	4th class	9-10 years
5th grade	10-11 years	5th class	10-11 years
6th grade	11-12 years	6th class	11-12 years
7th grade	12-13 years	1st year	12-13 years
8th grade	13-14 years	2nd year	13-14 years
Freshman (9th grade)	14-15 years	3rd year	14-15 years
Sophomore (10th grade)	15-16 years	4th year (transition year/optional)
Junior (11th grade)	16-17 years	5th year	16-17 years
Senior (12th grade)	17-18 years	6th year	17-18 years

While in the US most school systems have elementary school, middle school (or junior high), and high school, in Ireland its primary school (1st class through 6th class), and then Secondary school. In Ireland, the primary school you go to does not determine the secondary school you will attend. In this town, you have the option of going to an all boys school, an all girls school, a mixed school, or there is the option of going to an all Irish school.

There are two major tests an Irish student has to take during secondary school, in addition to exams and normal tests. These are the Junior Cert and the Leaving Cert. The Junior Cert is taken at the end of 3rd year, and they get their results at the beginning of either 4th year (if they chose to take that level) or 5th year. Then, at the end of 6th year they take the Leaving Cert. They must earn a certain number of points depending on the major they want in college.

The Irish Grading System Explained.

When I got my exam results back at first, I didn’t realize that the percentages were different as well as the letter grade. This led to quite a bit of confusion and distress! Luckily, I found this handy little guide on the Internet! If you’re an American student abroad, there are a lot of online charts and calculators that will help you get a better idea of what your grade will transfer to.

Here’s an Irish to American grade comparison:

Grade	Scale	U.S. Grade
H1	90-100	A
H2	80-89	A-
H3	70-79	B
H4	60-69	B-
H5	50-59	C
H6	40-49	D
H7	30-39	F
H8	0-29	F

So there you have it! An extremely simple guide to give you an idea of what the Irish school system is like!

Thank you Kayla!   See more of Greenheart Travel’s High School Abroad programs in other countries HERE!

Christmas while studying in Ireland was a lot like Christmas at home. Family, friends, a Christmas tree, lots of food, and gifts. But there were a few Irish things that stuck out to me. Firstly, the Christmas dinner. It reminded me a lot of Thanksgiving dinner back home. Turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetables. It was of course very tasty.

Another thing was the lighting of the lights in the town. This happened at the beginning of December and I went to it with my friends. There was live music, free food, fireworks and these interesting puppet-like things of Mr. and Mrs. Claus. It wasn’t a long event, and it was cold. Also, because this is Ireland, it started to rain during it. But, that didn’t prevent us from having a good time.

Something else that was quite different than the usual, for me at least, were the school celebrations. Having attended a public school for my entire life, I never had any sort of school-wide Christmas event. But because this is a Catholic school, we had a big Christmas party of sorts on the last day of school.

I spent New Year’s Eve with two of my fellow foreign students. It was a relaxed and enjoyable evening. We were all pretty tired though, so we were in bed by one!

I thought that I’d be incredibly homesick all Christmas break, but I really wasn’t. Not that I didn’t miss my family, of course I did. Christmas, for me, revolves around spending time with my family. So, of course being away from them was hard. But, I didn’t have the desire to sulk in my room or mope around by myself. I wanted to play with my host parents’ grandkids, and talk to my host family. I wanted to help make the Christmas dinner, and teach the kids how to play card games.  I did all that, and I had an amazing Christmas.

Sure, watching children that weren’t my siblings opening presents and yelling for us to wake up at ten past six in the morning was difficult, and yes, it was strange to sit around a table without my cousins and eat a Christmas meal. But, it didn’t ruin my Christmas. I still had fun and it will be a Christmas I will always look back on and smile at the memory.

 

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Have you celebrated the holidays abroad? Tell us about your experience below.

If you had told me how fast time was going to go by before I came to study in Ireland, I would have called you crazy. I was convinced that it was going to feel like centuries going by, not months. Obviously, I was very wrong. Four months have gone by! I only have five months left here in Ireland. And sure, sometimes that seems ridiculously long, but mostly I feel like it’s going to go by in the blink of an eye. 

Since I’m almost halfway finished with my stay here in Ireland, I thought I’d do a little assessment of my time here.

When I began thinking about studying abroad, the main draw was the incredible opportunity to be immersed in another culture. However, I was also excited to meet new people and develop new relationships. But, I failed to anticipate the effect these relationships would have on me.

Forming Bonds from the Beginning

I typically take a long time to develop relationships with people, but here my options were to make good friends fast or have no friends. By forcing myself into an environment where I knew nobody, and nobody knew me, I really had to put myself out there and make friends.

My first friends here were with other foreign students because no matter what our personalities were like, we all bonded over being in this similar situation. We were all able to talk about the little goals we were achieving, which no one else would understand, and the troubles we were having, which would have been difficult to explain to other people. This created stronger bonds than we might have had had we not met here.

At the beginning, we couldn’t even imagine being here without the others, but now three have gone home for good, and another is leaving at the end of December. It’s strange how hard it was to say goodbye to people I’d only know for a few months, but it was almost more difficult than saying goodbye to my friends back home. This was because, while I knew I’d be seeing my friends in Indiana in nine months, there is no telling when I’m going to see the friends I made here again.

Becoming a More Confident Person While Studying Abroad

Another draw to studying abroad was the idea that I’d grow to become a more confident person. I’ve struggled with my confidence for a long time, but now I feel that every day I become a bit more confident. I talk regularly in class, I talk to people I don’t know well without being nervous, and I’m more outgoing and willing to try new things.

I’m amazed that, first of all, I actually notice these changes, and, secondly, that I’ve changed this much in just four months. I feel braver and more determined to step out of my comfort zone in order to achieve my goals and I’m happy with that.

Feeling at Home in Ireland

I was really worried before I came that I’d never really feel like I belong here, and that I wouldn’t be comfortable here. But, in fact, it’s been quite the opposite. I’ve made a good group of friends, and I don’t feel out of place in any of my classes. Of course, there are some days when I’m homesick or hit with culture shock again that I feel completely separate from the rest of my peers. But, thankfully those are far and few between. I also feel very at home with my host family, and I feel like they are also happy to have me here.

In summary, I think that I’ve had an amazing four months, and I can’t wait to see what the next five bring!

 

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

What personal goals inspire you to study abroad? Tell us below!

When choosing to study abroad, language is an important factor. For what seems like a majority of people, studying abroad is a lot about improving their language skills. I, on the other hand, specifically choose not to study in a non-English speaking country for a multitude of reasons.

I hadn’t taken enough years of another language to qualify, I didn’t want the added stress of trying to communicate in a new language, and so on and so forth.

However, what I failed to take into account, when choosing to study in Ireland, was how incredibly important Irish is. Irish, or Gaelic, although I hardly ever hear that term, is everywhere:

• Irish is an exam subject in school.
• Students can focus on it in college.
• Parents can choose for their kids to attend schools that only speak and teach in Irish.
• Irish is written next to English on road signs.
• There are TV programs that are in Irish.
• The news also comes on in Irish every evening.

And those are just a few examples!

Irish is everywhere, and its important to the Irish people. Some people are fluent, others only know a few words and phrases. Some Irish words have become part of the everyday slang-like “craic” (pronounced ‘crack’), which means something along the lines of good fun. So while I’m not learning a new language, I’m still surrounded by one.

Another thing I didn’t really think about was Irish phrases. I’ve learned a whole new vocabulary since I’ve been here, and I’ve begun to notice myself occasionally using it in my everyday life.

Here are a 10 Irish words and phrases I’ve learned since I’ve arrived:

1. Grand – used like you’d use great, fine, okay or alright.
2. Craic – I mentioned this one earlier. “What’s the craic?” “How’s the craic?” “Just for the craic.”
3. Swot – kind of like nerd. Basically, someone who studies a lot and does a lot of schoolwork.
4. Banjaxed – broken, messed up
5. Lads – I’ve heard this one used by everybody. Any group of people can be referred to as ‘lads’.
6. Doss or dosser – to skip class or one who skips class. I’ve heard it used as “This class is a right doss,” or “Having a doss class.”
7. Your man – that guy
8. Your one –  same as ‘your man’. “And your man said…”
9. Fair play – well done
10. Ye –  similar to ‘you’

 

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Does studying abroad in a country like Ireland sound grand to you?

November is here, and with it comes colder weather, darker days and apparently more rain! I don’t mind, I like rain. Last week was mid-term break at my high school in Ireland, and it was very nice and relaxing. Both Halloween and the local horse fair fell during the break this year, which was fun. On Halloween, my host family took me to Bunratty, which is a castle and park. It was set up for Halloween, with decorations, games, and scares. The usual Halloween sort of thing! It wasn’t particularly scary, but the grounds were beautiful. We didn’t get to see much of the castle itself, but what we did see was pretty neat.

The horse fair here is an annual affair, and was really cool to see. The whole main street was filled with horses. I’ve never seen so many horses in one place!

I also got to go the city of Cork with some friends again, which was extremely fun. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas. Many shops had their Christmas things out, and on the street there were Christmas lights and trees being put up.

My midterm break was actually extended by two days this week, due to strikes. The teacher union at my school was on strike for a number reasons, but it seems that the problems are getting solved since we are back in school. During my extra time off, I was able to go to a local beach and see the sunset with some friends, which was incredible.

While I am still truly enjoying my time here, I have noticed a bad habit I’ve been developing – romanticizing. Mostly with my school. I tend to idealize my school back in USA because it is bigger, has more class options, etc. When things are far away, we tend to develop our own idea of them. It’s like when you think about somewhere you’d gone as a child – you remember it as much grander than it actually is. I’m afraid that’s what I’ve been doing with some things back home.

Learning to Appreciate the Little Things

On the other hand, I think I’ve also developed an appreciation for things I used to take for granted. The little things I didn’t notice about my day-to-day life are often the things I find myself missing. My hope is that I will remember how much I missed these things when I go back, and will be thankful for them. I am also trying to appreciate the little things here in Ireland I’ll probably miss when I return. Things like my walk to school, and having a fire every cold evening (which is about every evening now).

Tomorrow I am going with my school to visit a local college, which should be interesting. I am trying to take the advice previous study abroad students have given me and say ‘yes’ to everything. I’m glad I have so far, as it has led to many little adventures.

 

Kayla Trowbridge is 16 years old and lives in Zionsville, Indiana. Her goal during her study abroad program is to “create relationships that will continue throughout my life and develop a new understanding of the Irish culture.” Follow Kayla’s adventure in Ireland on her blog post updates throughout her program.

Does having many little adventures abroad sound good to you?