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Traveling has always been one of my passions. So far, I have traveled to Spain, Italy, Japan, and now, Ireland. I love being able to learn about different cultures and take in the differences in scenery.
This summer, I was given the opportunity to study abroad with the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), and I chose the Advocating for Social Justice program in Dublin, Ireland.
For the last three years, I had been a part of another program called the Salinas Valley Dream Academy. Some of the CIEE staff would come to our meetings and have presentations about the programs. I was intrigued by it during my freshman year, but kind of shrugged it off because I didn’t think I would be able to spend almost a month in a different country without my friends or family. It wasn’t until my junior year that I started becoming somewhat more independent and my passion for traveling grew, so I decided to apply.
My application got processed after a month and I got the email that I was accepted into the program that I wanted. I was extremely excited when I found out. On top of that, I got a full-ride scholarship and the only thing I had to pay for was the plane ticket. I called my parents right away and they were proud and excited for my upcoming trip.
My parents had been extremely supportive about the whole idea and they were the ones who pushed me to apply. They knew this was a bit out of my comfort zone but they knew it would be something that I would regret not doing. They have always supported my ideas and I will forever be grateful for them.
Mr. Pizarro, the director of the Dream Academy, wrote an amazing letter of recommendation for me, which helped me get in.
While there were destinations such as Spain, Italy, and Costa Rica, I ultimately decided to go with Ireland because it was the only place that provided the program that I was actually interested in.
Don’t get me wrong, other programs such as culinary, culture, and language sounded pretty interesting, but social justice just did it for me. Also, Ireland itself has amazing scenery and I really liked that.
Preparing for the trip was honestly kind of stressful. I was going to be gone for 3 weeks and I genuinely didn’t know how to prepare. A few months before the trip, I made a list of things that I thought I would need throughout the trip. This included many outfit changes, a bulky blanket, and a full sized pillow. As time got closer, I started to both add and remove things from the list. I ended up making a completely different list and only took some essentials such as clothes, hygiene products, my passport (of course), and my chargers. I didn’t stress out too much about clothes though. I knew I would have the chance to buy some throughout my trip and I didn’t want to overpack.
To be completely honest, the travel day wasn’t too bad. I had a six hour layover in Philadelphia, which I was a little bummed out about at first. Then, I realized that I could use that time to talk to those who were also a part of the program. This completely changed the mood because we ended up having great conversations and it helped break the ice between us. They were all from different states which was pretty cool. I specifically got close to three people there: Katie, Simon, and Gabby. Everyone else was super sweet, but I just stuck with those three the most.
Once we got to Ireland, we were all extremely tired but we got there in the morning meaning that we had a whole day ahead of us and we made the most out of it. We might have been sleep-deprived and sore from the flight, but after getting some food in our systems, we were good to go.
We ended up going on a small walking-tour around Dublin. We got to visit St Patrick’s Cathedral which was absolutely beautiful. After a lot of walking around, we ended up going to The Landmark which is a pub. Of course, we only got food. Most of us went with the classic, fish and chips. The food was really good and we all had an amazing time.
After that, we walked back to where we were staying. We stayed at a student accommodation called Highlight. We all had our own rooms and bathrooms, which was amazing.
The program involved taking classes Monday to Friday, with weekends off. The classes were from 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM. We got to learn about the differences in government/politics from the United States to Ireland. We also went into depth with social problems such as poverty, racism, social class, etc. This was really interesting to me since I want to go into political science after high school so this program gave me some insight.
Since the classes were done by lunch, we had plenty of time to explore. The CIEE staff had many activities planned out for us during our time there. We would go on hikes, visit museums, go to the beach, and do more hands-on activities.
I liked the fact that we didn’t just stay in Dublin. We were able to explore other parts of the country such as Howth, Malahide, Kilkenny, Dalkey, and more.
I personally loved going to this place called “Causey Farm.” We got a tour of the farm and we got to pet the animals. I loved being able to feed the horses and pet the baby sheep and calves.
We also got to make soda bread which was pretty cool especially since it originated from Ireland. While the bread was baking, we got changed into shorts and a shirt we didn’t really care about. This was because in that farm, they have this popular activity called “bog jumping.” This is a fun tradition at the farm which involves jumping into a spongy wetland. It’s kind of like mud but it is much softer and safe to fall into. I will say, it was hard getting out. Once we jumped in, we had to wiggle ourselves out which took anywhere from 3-5 minutes. It was definitely messy, but it was such a fun and amazing experience.
One of the best things that happened was meeting my friend Katie. She was the first person I talked to on the layover in Philadelphia and we instantly clicked.
We continued to talk more throughout the trip and we got extremely close. She lives in Orlando, Florida, and I now consider her one of my best friends and I can’t imagine what the trip would have been like without her.
She was always so full of energy and she was always there for me. I still text some of the others who were on that trip, but I have the most communication with Katie. We call almost every day and our bond is stronger than ever.
Recently, she caught me by surprise by telling me that she would be coming to California during winter break, so. I am looking forward to getting to see her again and show her around my part of the world.
To be completely honest, coming back home was the hardest part for me. Don’t get me wrong, I missed my family, I really did. It just felt weird leaving all of that behind since I liked being more independent and it definitely helped me become more responsible as a person. I’m glad I was able to experience this and I will continue to cherish all of the memories I made throughout those three weeks.
If I got the opportunity to study abroad again, I would take it on the spot. No hesitation. It was an amazing experience and I will forever keep those memories with me. I would 100% recommend it to others.
If you are interested in studying abroad or maybe you just want to look at the programs provided, you can visit the official site at ciee.org. They have lists of places you can visit and programs you can take and it is all based on your preferences.
