Submitted by Katrina Anderson on the 2016 winter session program in London, England sponsored by the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice…
Week four was wonderful. It is so sad how fast the time has flown. This week, we had the opportunity to take a tour of Oxford and listen to sessions being held in Parliament. Being able to learn from experiences here and not only in the classroom has changed the way I view the world and has truly opened my eyes to the different cultures that surround us. Not only have I learned an extraordinary amount about my major, criminal justice, but I have also had the opportunity to travel.
With traveling, comes situations in which you are tested in your ability to adapt to various situations and problem solving is a must. This weekend, my four new friends and I traveled to Ireland. With limited time, we attempted to plan our travels in order to get to every place on our agenda. But of course, things do not always go as planned. Our very first day there, we ended up getting onto the wrong bus, and going in the wrong direction. As we rode the bus for at least an hour, we realized we were the only passengers still on the bus. We finally decided we should ask the bus driver if our stop was coming up. When he broke the news that we were nowhere near our intended destination, we were distraught. The bus driver went above and beyond in order to help us reach a few of the sites we were hoping to see. He flagged down another bus for us going in the right direction and allowed us to ride for free. We ended up taking three different buses and each ride was free and the drivers made an announcement on the loud speaker specifically for us in order to give us a heads up that our stop was coming up. Although half of our day was on a bus in the suburbs of Ireland, we got to experience the true kindness and compassion the Irish had for us students. That one little incident led to a life changing view of Ireland and their hospitableness.