And now for part two….
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE: Overall Rating 3.8 out of 5 stars
Attitude towards Women: 2.3
Attitude towards Cultural Diversity: 2.5
“Island Lifestyle”: 4
Safety: 4.7
Night Life: 2.9
Today (or I guess I should say yesterday because its 6:44am now), we graduated the IES Abroad Beijing program. Dressed in the nicest clothes we brought to China, everyone said their thank yous, shared memories, and took lots of pictures. This entire week has felt completely ordinary--the only exception being everyone talking about how soon we're leaving. Though I've been going through the motions, it still hasn't hit me.
Each school in the United States has various methods of teaching that differ from one another. I knew before I left for New Zealand that I should be prepared for not just a different method, but also a whole new view on education. Christchurch students grow up throughout primary and secondary school wearing uniforms and traveling to school through public transport.
We had our final dinner this week. It has been so bizarre to be saying goodbye to all of these folks here in Dublin—I hear myself say goodbye, and give people hugs, but I don’t feel like it’s real. I feel like I’ll see them again next week, and not (potentially) many months from now! It’s truly surreal, and equally sad.
It’s All Good - lyrics
[Verse 1] It’s All Good
It’s all Good like everything’s alright
I got this slice of life and I’ve been taking bites.
I Remember it was just a few months ago
Sittin in on a plane contemplating where my life would go.
There is so much to say about Istanbul, so much I loved, and so much that changed from day to day. The only thing that stayed the same was my constant state of bloatness from eating anything that I found in front of me. Here is a shortlist of my favorites. It is by no means comprehensive.
1. Turkish delight
They told us re-entry would be hard. We are coming back home, a world all so familiar, with a whole new mindset, an altered perspective. I have spent the last four months waking up every morning awaiting a new adventure in Santiago. Everything was new and everything was exciting. We spent so much time planning our independent travels and mapping out how to explore our new city in the most genuine way. I have spent the last four months on a non-stop adventure.
It is finally at that point – one day left before we leave the Galapagos. For me, I still can’t really tell if these last four months were real life…. I spent 4 months with people I had just met, at the beach everyday, traveling every weekend, and making friends with wild animals. Wow, what an experience.
