Life Landscapes
My ideal trips to Paris, India, and Germany do not involve the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal, or Heidelberg Castle, respectively. I went to England and I didn’t see the golden rafters of Big Ben,...
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Dansk!
3/1/12 7:55 p.m. After no sleep for about 34 hours straight it is finally time for bed. Maybe I’m in a sleep-deprivation haze, but the...
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For the love of France!
This summer I was given the opportunity...
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On a Mission: A Week of Service and Fellowship in Bridgton, Maine
From 16 to 23 June, I went on a mission trip to Bridgton, Maine with the Hurlburt Chapel Youth Group. Donning our blue group T-shirts, we flew out of Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport,...
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Serving the Joplin Community
On May 22, 2011 the town of Joplin, Missouri was struck by an EF-5 tornado. The tornado in Joplin was approximately three-quarters of a mile wide and left behind a path of destruction that was 13 miles...
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British Bunting
My sister and I made our way to the nearest underground station, walking swiftly past the plethora of shops lining Oxford Street as light, but steady rain fell. Taking the Jubilee Line from Bond...
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Desperation, Warm Welcomes, and Smiles
I desperately read the signs posted around the Newark Liberty International Airport as I tried to navigate to the gate I was supposed...
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Touching History
In the summer of 2010, I traveled with my high school symphony to a small town in the south of France to play in the international music festival, Le Festival Des Anches D’Azur. We performed...
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Dachau: Preserving the Past
The cool breeze flickers in the air, momentarily relieving my skin from the scorching sun. As we follow our tour guide, I notice how perfectly the tree’s green leaves complement the blue sky....
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A Scintillating Sabbatical in Singapore
After landing from a 20-hour flight I was tired and grumpy. Jet lag was weighing down everyone in my family as we crossed customs and collected our luggage. As we drove through the modern city of...
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Personal Evolution through Familial Tradition
Since I can remember, my family has taken a yearly travel to the beach. Through the changes in my life (divorce, lost friends, and the like) the beach seemed to always be a safe-haven...
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The Greatest Trip Ever
The greatest trips are the unexpected ones. This was the case for my family in April 2012. We were headed back home from a youth convention in New Orleans, Louisiana when we decided to visit family...
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Traveling- It is an Education in Itself
I peered down the airplane window watching the lights glow as I descended into the city of Tehran, Iran. After...
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Somewhere Between Two Oceans
Icy air stung as the weight of panniers propelled my bicycle downwards. The steep road twisted and turned until the sign boldly proclaiming: “Roger’s Pass/ Continental Divide/ Elevation 5,610”...
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Cross Country Dreams
I was once told that everyone out there should save a little time, somewhere in their life, for a cross country road trip and that is exactly what I have just experienced. For the month of...
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A Journey Through Uttar Bharat
I had never been far from the metropolitan city of Mumbai when I had visited India, so traveling to North India, or Uttar Bharat, was the first time I would see different parts of India. North...
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My family’s weekend trip to Barcelona, Spain during the summer entering my senior year of high school
I flew in to Reus, Spain from Frankfurt Hahn, Germany. My sister and I are staying in Germany to visit our dad, who is stationed in the Army, but we took a side trip to Barcelona and flew in ahead....
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Boracay, Philippines: Your Next Beautiful, Fun, and Memorable Vacation Spot
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My Trip at the Indian Head Camp, in Honesdale, Pennsylvannia
From May 20th to May 25th of the year 2012, I attended a trip sponsored by the Rotary International, District 7490, along with over a hundred other high school juniors to, The...
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So Much More Than Just A Vacation
I have lived my entire life in
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The Other Coast
Something about breathing the air of the other coast and exploring the other side of America gives me an exhilarated feeling. On a late July summer night in 2011, I walked to the...
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We are home
“We are home” my mom said as the plane landed in the Port Harcourt Local Airport in Nigeria. My mom brought my younger sister and me to Nigeria to live. I was not sure...
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Making a New Family in Colorado
This summer was amazing! I, Monica Estrada, was able to spend my summer in Trinidad Colorado in a program called Math Science Upward Bound (Also known as MSUB). With MSUB I got to experience the...
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A Montanan Meandering
My sisters married Viking brothers. No, no, not like the kind who wear horns; but that is my affectionate name for my very large, and hairy, Norwegian brother-in-laws from Montana. They are great...
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Impressions and Reflections
As I slowly opened my eyes, my vision became clear as light faded and my eyes focused, and then I remembered that I was on a field trip with the MESA organization to the Griffith Observatory. The...
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A Token of Gratitude
From my aunt’s hillside cabin in Silver Gate, Montana I could hear the strums of a guitar in the children’s park below. My dad had already set up our chairs in the lawn so we could...
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The Never Ending Journey
Traveling, it's a never ending journey. Traveling through life, through memories, through stages and phases. It also signifies journeying to a new landscape. Facing new climates, challenges,...
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Chased down the Mountain
An Adventure and beautiful scenery– that was the promise my dad and younger brother made to me as we made our way to the trailhead for the MacRae Peak hike on Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. ...
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The Kintamani Experience
If you saw my family and me in the early morning hours of June 17th, 2008, you would never guess that we were in for the experience of a lifetime. It came in the form of a bicycle tour...
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I Climbed The Great Wall
On August 5, 2011, my family embarked on an adventure. Our adventure would take us to five continents, 16 countries, and countless cities and towns all over the world. We spat in the face of normal...
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College is brighter on the West Coast
All my classmates attending were gathered in front of the school, everyone with their luggage at hand. It was 5:30 in the morning;...
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Aquatic thrills, mingling with mammals, and much more found only in Paradise
As I gripped the rails that kept me from plummeting, my knuckles turned as white as the grains of sand on the pearly white beach. Then the light turned green signaling that it was my turn. ...
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Alamosa
Running. Most people consider it a hobby, or something that people without lives do. However, for me, and the other members of my cross country team, it's a way of life. Because of our trip to...
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Hoodwinked
When I first found out that I would be vacationing in Haiti, I had mixed emotions. Visiting exotic locations is one of my passions, but the idea of spending three weeks in isolated villages had me...
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The Rain Clouds Below Us
A blast of hot sticky air hit my face as I got off the bus; my first instinct was to turn around and retreat back into the air-conditioned oasis. But unfortunately for me the bus doors had already...
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New York City also known as the “Big Apple” With so Many Wonderful Places to See
The big city of New York had always been on my list of places to go. As seen in the movies, the tall buildings and the thousands of people seem to make it all the more inviting!...
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The Art of Giving
Stepping off the bus, I was hit hard with the hot August air and the smell of burning forests miles away. I looked around this small, forgotten village in the Russian countryside and sensed the sharp...
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Destination Free Wifi
Getting up at 4:00am to go to the Airport is not what I had in mind for my first week of summer vacation....
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Personally Exotic
In the spring of 2012, my junior year of high school, I had the pleasure to go on a Royal Caribbean cruse to the Bahamas. It was for four sun filled days spent out near the beautiful clear ocean...
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Life in Sandwiches
My first morning on the Cherokee reservation was spent being sardined between hundreds of ecstatic teens from all over of the country on groaning bleachers in a dimly lit auditorium in beautiful...
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Passions found in Santo Domingo
I have been told my entire life that it is important to find something you are passionate about. Fortunately, for me, I was able to figure out that passion at the age of 8. That marks my first...
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A Tale of Two Countries
The scorching sun beams on my face, the dry, sandy wind blows by, causing me to squint my eyes, and the sizzling terrain burns my feet. Saudi Arabia is one of the hottest places in the world; it’s...
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Foot-sore and Fancy-Free
Ten AM local time, and we’re taking our first steps into Midway Airport on patriotic July Fourth. My family has no map, no plans, and no problems. At face value, our reason for coming here...
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Slovakia: Little Country, Big Heart
Slovakia. No it’s not near Kazakhstan. Nor is it in the Middle East. If your geography is failing you, does Czechoslovakia ring a bell? Actually, Czechoslovakia dissolved almost...
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My Trip to South Africa
Last winter I had an amazing experience in Johannesburg, South Africa. My father and I traveled with a group called Swamp Corps to help set up a church camp. Swamp Corps is a group from...
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Unexpected, Unforgetable
If I had to describe my travel experience at World Youth Day 2011 in only one word instead of six hundred, I would choose 'unexpected'. I embarked on this semi-annual pilgrimage...
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A Southerner’s Trip to the Middle East… and Back
Though I have had the honor of participating in a multitude of programs throughout my high school career, there is no doubt in my mind that none will ever be able to compare with studying abroad...
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A Shift in Perspective
Travel. That one word brings many images to mind. Beautiful locations and amazing times, new foods and different...
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And My Future Was Written To Be in NYC
It all started with Nick Jonas. I was 16 and madly obsessed with him and the Jonas Brothers. He had a Broadway show and I live 3000 miles away from it. So, I longed. I persuaded. I convinced. I bought....
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