Tag: adventure (page 3 of 10)

“My Fall Break in Italy” by Hayley Whiting

November 20, 2018 / / Comments Off on “My Fall Break in Italy” by Hayley Whiting

One of the advantages of studying abroad is visiting other cities and countries besides the one you’re studying in. For example, in Europe, a neighboring country is just a short plane or train ride away! So, over my fall break, I left Paris on a blissfully short flight (under two hours) to meet my parents for a week-long trip in Italy.

Our first stop was Rome, where we spent half of the week. Right away from our first day, I was surprised at how crowded the city was, especially for non-tourist season! To get to our Airbnb from the airport, we took a tram that was so packed there was barely enough room for anybody else to get on, and, later that day while sightseeing, I was surrounded by swarms of people in the streets and squares. The city definitely has a crazy, energetic, boisterous feeling to it, even at night, when you can hear shouts in the streets and scooters whizzing by! Continue reading

“Reunion Run” by Erin Jackson

November 13, 2018 / / 1 Comment

I recently ran the Café Gelato 10 miler alongside an amazing assortment of individuals whom I couldn’t have imagined together in any other circumstance. To be honest, I was not in my best shape and I didn’t know anyone else running the race, but I figured if nothing else, it would be a wake up call to myself to start working out more. Anyway, I am not going to write about myself because that would be boring; I want to write about my state and my school and how lucky I am that they are in the same place.

I didn’t know anyone else running when I registered that morning. However, once I began making my way over to the start, the reunion began to unfold. People from all parts of my past were crossing my path. Some I said hi to, others I maybe only smiled as they walked by, not noticing me. Still others I didn’t acknowledge at all for I didn’t know how to. Friends from high school cross country, freshmen to seniors, showed up in various stages of in-shape-ness since the glory days of having scheduled time to run together every day. More familiar faces included parents of friends, old teachers dating back to middle school and beyond, and that person I did that one project with one time but don’t know if they’d recognize me so out of context. Continue reading

“My First Week Studying Abroad in Paris” by Hayley Whiting

October 23, 2018 / / Comments Off on “My First Week Studying Abroad in Paris” by Hayley Whiting

Studying abroad in France has been a dream of mine since I was in middle school. French has always been one of my favorite classes, and I distinctly remember the day when my friend’s sister (who had studied abroad) told me that if I could study abroad in the future, it would be the best decision I ever made. Fast forward to my sophomore year of college, and here I am in Paris, thankful and excited to be here after many more years of studying French, with my aspiration to study abroad no less radiant than back then.

The day of my flight, I was extremely excited. I took a plane overnight, landing in Paris in the morning and basically missing a whole night of sleep with the six-hour time difference. Thankfully, I stuck to my goal of staying up that whole day and only going to sleep that evening (which is the best advice for avoiding jet lag – it worked!). The day of my arrival, I was greeted by my really kind and welcoming host mom, who gave me a tour of the neighborhood and plenty of food. She even prepared a special “apéritif” before dinner to celebrate my arrival. Continue reading

“Eating Cookies for Homework” by Jenny Gloyd

October 9, 2018 / / Comments Off on “Eating Cookies for Homework” by Jenny Gloyd

You did not just misread the title. I ate cookies, and it was 100% endorsed by my university studies class. UNIV101 is a class to get students more involved within the UD campus. The class reminds me a lot of the unconventional and wildly exciting accounting class in the television show, Community. In the show, the accounting teacher demonstrates a very unconventional teaching method. He jumps on desks, throws textbooks out of the window, and twirls with ribbons, while encouraging his students to “seize the day” as the only requirement for the class. While every student dreams of a class like this, university studies is slightly more structured; we are encouraged to gain “passport points” over the next few weeks.

We get these points by seeking out involvement on campus, and it has been very fun to complete. I have one passport point from visiting Main St. and another from attending an RSO meeting, but the best point earned by far was from my trip to Insomnia Cookies. It was approaching 2AM – I feel as a disclaimer that I should mention the professor did not endorse the exceptionally late hour- and after completing our work for the night a few friends and I decided that we wanted cookies. Driving at night on Main Street is both peaceful and stressful. It was quiet except for the low hum of cars driving by, their tires rolling across the rainy pavement. The traffic lights were shining on the buildings so beautifully. I love rainy nights like this, but as a new driver in Delaware, it is still intimidating to drive on new road. Continue reading

Missing the UD Community from 7,000 Miles Away by Jenna Newman

October 4, 2018 / / Comments Off on Missing the UD Community from 7,000 Miles Away by Jenna Newman

As I sit here writing this post, I hear the rain pounding down on the tin roof of my house in the middle of the rainforest. You’re probably thinking, “Wait, Newark, DE is definitely not the middle of the rainforest.” Well, you’re right. I’m currently spending the semester abroad in Cameroon interning for World Team, a missions agency based out of Warrington, Pennsylvania. I’m taking a semester off from school to pursue my passions and get some experience living and working internationally. As I wrote about last spring, UD has been nothing but supportive and honestly, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s been really hard to be away.  

I miss my friends, my classes, the clubs I’m a part of, and just the general community of UD. College is a unique time in life because you are surrounded by people all in the same age-demographic as you. I think that is one of the things that I miss the most about campus. The only other American girl who is my age out here still lives about twenty minutes away. It’s a weird reality that you step into.

Also, on campus, you really are never alone. Yes, maybe you live in a single, or maybe your roommate is never home, but still. Most of your friends probably live fifteen minutes away at most and you could always go to Morris, Perkins, or the gym and see someone you know. There are so many places to go to be alone together, including on Main Street. If I’m having a bad day and need to vent, my closest friends can be over in seconds. That’s a luxury that does not exist in most of life, especially when you’re in a remote area of Africa.

Part of the idea of constant community is a college thing in general, but I think it is also something UD does incredibly well. UD gives us spaces to convene and hang out without worrying about imposing on someone’s personal space. From the second I arrived on campus in fall of 2016, I was meeting new people and making new friends. Despite being a relatively large state school, it is almost impossible for me to walk across campus without seeing someone I know because of the way UD promotes community.

The post is meant to be more than my rambling about how much I miss UD’s campus. I want to encourage everyone to enjoy your four years. Enjoy having your best friends right down the hall from you. Enjoy being able to go to the Pod for midnight snack runs. Enjoy having so many options of delicious food places on Main Street. Enjoy what UD has to offer because before you know it your four years will be over.

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