On Monday, September 17th, I attended a Global Initiatives Program sponsored night to discuss the four different travel programs that were available to Poly students last year. The night provided me with an excellent opportunity to present what I loved about the trip to my classmates: in preparation for my presentation, I was forced to reflect on what I appreciated most about the incredible opportunity to travel to Iceland. Reconnecting with my peers as we shared our collective memories of endless daylight and waterfalls and perpetually-smiling people and fish at every meal reminded me that although the destination was incredible, one of the best parts of participating was the group itself. I went into the trip not knowing many of the people I was traveling to a foreign country with, but over the course of ten days, I became closer with all of them. The trip to The Land of 1000 Postcards was fabulous, and the GIP night provided me with a chance to share a tiny slice of the beauty of the trip with the rest of the world. Moreover, the GIP night also gave me ample opportunity to learn more about other trips. I discovered that interviews in Spanish with Poly students were emblazoned on the front page of Argentinian newspapers, that students in Italy read original texts in Latin to an amphitheater of people, and that Nicaraguan volunteers helped to teach English to local elementary school students. In essence, the night reminded me that global travel intersects cultures and forges lasting bonds across communities--as well as within them.
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| Me presenting alongside some of the members of the Iceland GIP trip. |
Ian, thank you for your reflections. The theme of the closeness of your group came through loud and clear in the presentation. So pleased you were able to share AND to hear about the diverse opportunities and experiences from among the other travel program participants.
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