November 15th, 2022, was my second day as a Salve delegate at the United Nations’ 27th Conference of Parties. I was excited to explore more of Egypt, the host country. I was especially excited to get my first glimpse of Sharm El-Sheikh’s world-renowned coral reef. During breakfast, Dr. Gomaa offered to take me and Liadan […]
The Irish Goodbye: Lessons Learned from my Experience Abroad
Having to say goodbye or leave something behind is an experience that everyone will encounter at some point in their lives, and it is inevitable that it will happen more than once. Throughout my life, there have been several turning points in which I have had to leave aspects of my life behind and take […]
COP27: Women and Gender Day
November 14th, 2022, was Liadan and my first day at COP27 as Salve’s student delegates. This year, the annual United Nation’s Conference of Parties met in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. We moved into Mövenpick, a beautiful seaside resort, at 4:30 am. Our hotel room balcony boasted a breathtaking view of the Red Sea. Watching every sunset […]
The Mooloolaba Beach Gatherings
26-hour flight ahead all alone. Can I really do it? These were my initial thoughts. Saying bye to my family and friends knowing I wouldn’t see them for 4.5 months and not knowing when I would be able to talk to them once I landed in Australia with the 14-hour time difference. Yes, you can […]
Developing a Love for Traveling
Most of my childhood was spent dreading travel plans. My mom would always have the day packed with an itinerary from sunrise to sundown, and frankly that was just not something I wanted to do. Playing basketball, videogames, eating ice cream, and watching baseball was more of my cup of tea. Exploring some god-knows-where place […]
The Importance of Sharing Experiences with Other People
I’ve always been somewhat of an introvert. Don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with friends and socializing, but I tend to value my alone time and feel the most comfortable when by myself. Sometimes that can be a negative thing though, and I end up regretting not putting myself out there a bit […]
Barcelona: Heaven and Hell, Demons and Angels
~Prologue This is the honest truth. As I write this, I am replaying in my head what occurred over those seventy-two hours. I can’t quite tell if it was a fever dream or a glimpse of paradise, but I seem to recall that I visited Barcelona. There is no time for artistry; I must simply […]
Ireland: My First Two Months in the Emerald Isle
The first two months of my study abroad experience in Cork, Ireland, have been a whirlwind to say the least. While I’m having trouble coming to terms with the fact that my semester abroad is halfway over, I’m using this time to reflect on some of the things I’ve learned not only about Ireland but […]
Me llamo Vergelia
One of the best parts of any intranational or international travel in Europe is that it is exceedingly easy. Public transportation is affordable, clean, and reliable; never in Europe have I worried about getting from place to place as I normally do in the United States. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a program that will […]
Deep in the Heart of Castile
It doesn’t take long for a foreigner to realize that there are many Spains. From the outside, we may see a monolith; we refer to its primary language as Spanish, we imagine a dry land of guitar music and olives, and we think of a people attached to the Mediterranean south of Europe. On the […]