Ireland: Myth and Magic

“Do you see that over there, up on the wall next to the driver?” I ask my friend as we slide into our seats on the bus. A line of IES students file their way in behind us. I point to a wooden design the driver must have put up on the wall. “Remember when …

Day Trip: Howth, Co. Dublin

During their taxi rides in, several members of our writers group had been told of a quaint fishing village nearby, that had the best cliffside views one could hope for. After a bit of research, we discovered that this village was called Howth- from Old Norse Hofuth, meaning a promontory- and was only a half …

On The Rocky Road to Dublin

January 8th (first day of orientation), I woke up not exactly remembering where I was. Squinting out my window into a powerful gray sky, and listening to the harsh calls of seagulls reminded me: oh yeah, I’m in Dublin. There are far more seagulls in Dublin than I expected, as I didn’t even think there would …

Wading in Wadis

This past weekend, I jumped off a cliff! Well not exactly, but it was still really high. Our group went out to a place called Wadi Shab on Saturday. We also visited a place called the sinkhole. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of rocks and water involved. A wadi is a stream …

Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights Last weekend, my classmates and I got the wonderful opportunity to attend a show at the Royal Opera House in Muscat! The show had performances of traditional Arabic music. Although I couldn’t understand a single word of it, it was amazing! The upbeat rhythms and the syncopated accompaniment of the harp-like instrument and …

A Once in a Lifetime Chance

Earlier this week my group and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to the United Arab Emirates. We were there to witness and participate in the Papal mass in Abu Dhabi! It was the most surreal experience I think I have ever had. Getting there and returning back was really difficult, but I would …

In One Weekend I Was Drained!

Justin made it very clear that he was going to help us get over our jet lag as soon as possible! We had an extremely packed weekend. We had arrived early on Friday, so after just a few hours of sleep, we all woke up early to get a tour of the city. Later that …

The adventure begins…

The Adventure Begins… Before I even left the country, trouble ensued. My mother and I were driving from our home in Grand Rapids to the Chicago O’Hare airport so I could catch my first flight to get to Oman.  Our drive began easily enough, but trust Michigan to throw a weather curveball when you most …

Drinking Problems

Costa Rica takes their coffee very seriously. Since 1989, the government has forbidden the growing of the lesser coffee, Coffea canephora (robusta). It is only legal to cultivate Coffea arabica, which is considered the superior coffee because its lower caffeine content decreases bitterness and allows for more subtle flavors. If you buy specialty coffee, you’re buying …

Shetland Islands

The University of Aberdeen’s final exam schedule is spread out across three weeks. Because of this extended time frame, a few friends and I were able to fit a two-day trip to the Shetland Islands between studying for exams. The Shetland Islands are a group of islands north of mainland Scotland. We took an overnight …