Writ in Water
Oscar Wilde called it the most sacred place in Rome, nestled in the shadows of that strange, out-of-place pyramid-- the tomb of Keats. Walking along the streets of, not just Rome,...
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2 weeks, 11 states
On July 17th-22nd, our denomination had it's quadrennial National Youth Conference, a time in which Brethren youth from all over the nation swarm onto the campus of Colorado State University. Our area...
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Kerrville: An accidental love
Three days after last Christmas, I fell in love and experienced an explosion at just thirteen years old. However, there were no flames or a handsome boy riding a white horse; it was just the...
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Philippines Summer 2010
This was not the first time I had traveled to the Philippines. It was June 13, 2010 when I arrived with my family...
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Vacation in the Mountains
My journey began on July 4, 2007, when my grandparents and I headed down to North Carolina.
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Memorable Trip
One of the most memorable trips I took was to Kerala, India during...
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Slovenia: A Fantasy Land Nestled in the Mountains
Sweat is dripping down my back and as I sit slumped on the sofa, the book on the coffee table seems to mock me. On the cover, in big bold lettering, the word Slovenija spans across a picture of a tiny...
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Nature Affects A City Girl
I am a Los Angeles teenager who loved every aspect of the urban life. Los Angeles is a city filled with bright neon lights and gritty music venues. L.A. was my playground; a location where I spent countless...
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2010 Florida Band Trip
Life is full of moments. Happy moments, sad moments, I could care less moments, but most importantly it is full of those wonderful life changing moments. Those life changing moments sneak up on you...
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Impact London
Eight hours and three minutes, that is how long it took to get to the place that would change everything. My mission trip to London began the second my parents dropped me off at the...
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Pride, Politics, and Patriotism: A Three-Day Tour of Washington, D.C.
I stood on the hexagonal-tiles of the Eisenhower Avenue Metro stop, glancing at the sky, waiting for the train to speed by. On both sides of the track were covered walkways,...
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Family Vacations, Teenage Angst, and Travel Experience
Growing up, I lived a pretty charmed life. My family and...
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Breakfast at Giolitti’s
"Ciao, bella" Massimo greats me exuberantly as I slip out from the group and hand him my slip. "Cioccolatto, coco e lampone. Grazie." "Si," he hands me my cone. "Next? Ah! Maria! Bella!...
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Anachronistic Athens
As I awake with my legs blanketed in warm sand, anticipating my appointment with a Greek sunrise, a Mediterranean breeze enraptures my senses. Bitter air it is not. It wafts, venting...
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Making the World a Better Place
After a twenty-eight hour bus ride, I stepped down onto solid ground. It was great to...
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My First Mission Trip
For years I had dreamed of going on a mission trip. A chance to be able to express my love for service and kids...
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Travel in America’s Western Frontier
The Beauty of Things Untouched I could not believe my eyes. There, spread before me and the world, was Yellowstone National Park, with its millions of trees, thousands of animals...
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Canada
When my aunt Laura called from Canada and asked if my sister and I could visit, I did not know what to think. Going somewhere, completely new for the first time can be hard. My sister and I were...
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A Fantasy World
So, for this year’s summer vacation my dad and I had tons of plans, places to see people to visit. But unfortunately I was only able to visit one of the places, North Carolina,...
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“Oh Canada”
“Oh Canada, our home and native land.” These were the first words I sung...
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Great Wall of China
The cool, crisp mountain air refreshed me, a Texas boy. An aura of adventure emanated from the lush green slopes, beckoning for the climb, for someone to conquer its legendary path of stone. An hour...
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A Good, Old Fashioned Road Trip
Our family has been going on road trips for as long as I can remember. Every summer a new destination is set - an airplane...
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Pure White
The UHAUL was full to bursting, the bus was loaded with snacks and pillows, parents were standing around in pajamas and coke bottle glasses, and the students (that's us)...
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Happiness at a Rest Stop
"Destination: Garmisch, Germany. Five hours, thirty-seven minutes. Take the first right, then turn left." the monotone voice of our trusty GPS echoed through the car. ...
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“An Okay Bass Player”
At the Berklee college of music program I went to this summer in Boston, MA, an introductory conversation would usually go like this:
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Blue Mounds Excursion
It’s Fourth of July weekend! Yay! Parades, fireworks...
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Scuba Diving in Costa Rica
The sun dried the sticky layer of salt that coated my skin. I looked out at the sparkling water. Who knew what mysteries lurked underneath the beautiful surface? Costa Rica was...
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Snorkeling and Scuba Tips from my Kauai Hawaii Vacation
Snorkeling and scuba diving are both exciting activities when you visit a beach, but only if you are in a nice place to do it. The state of Hawaii offers...
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To Italy with Chocha
Chocha is my grandmother. She was born in Rome, Italy and had promised me since I was a small child that she would one day take me to visit her homeland. This was a day that I dreaded! You might...
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Reflections
Whether it was the feeling of being overwhelmed or the opportunity to be pushed to my limits in a way that words couldn't even begin to describe, whichever it may have been, it...
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Australia Done On Wheels
There are things a person learns when they find them self in a wheelchair. For instance, how water fountains are never user-friendly, and how to adjust to being eye-level with...
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My trip to Puerto Rico
I spent seven days this summer in Lares, Puerto Rico, building an altar for the International Bible Baptist church — a trip sponsored by my church in Warminster, Pennsylvania....
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Life Changing
To say I’m uncomfortable would be an understatement. With a cold sweat, I wake up from a dream where I’m running. It’s about 4:00 in the morning. I’m nauseous. I’m about to suffocate from...
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Vaccation
I wish that you, The panel of judges, or however the winner is picked for a scholarship, could see my family in action. You would give me the money as soon as possible and...
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2010 Global Youth Leadership Conference in China
The only thing more challenging than eating eel, octopus and jelly fish is writing a teen travel essay using 600 words or less. The only thing almost as exciting as experiencing Chinese culture firsthand...
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My Life-Changing Traveling Experience
During the summer of 2008 I traveled to the Choctaw Reservation located in Mississippi. My church goes there every summer to teach Vacation Bible School to the Choctaw...
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A “Thriller” Night in Biko, Mali
I shifted in the metal folding chair, picking at the threads of my shirt. Nervous, I glanced at my host family, who surrounded me in a semi-circle. Thirty eyes stared expectantly back at me. Intimidated,...
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Take Time to Notice a Sunset
There are a few places in this part of the world where life is not easy, where the human inhabitants do not quibble over minor inconveniences, and where the elements of nature rule what is allowed and...
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Band Across Seas
In the beginning of April of 2009, I was still in my freshman year at Vista High School. I was a member of the Vista Regimental Marching Band, and I was going to the United Kingdom with this group...
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The French Connection
I had just graduated from middle school, and my french class had decided that we wanted to visit France...
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Mission Trip to Iquitos, Peru
In July of 2008, I packed a suitcase full of bug spray and work clothes and traveled with my twin brother and fourteen adults from my Nazarene church to Iquitos, Peru. Our mission was simple- help to...
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The Impact Europe had on Me
Last Summer I had the experience of a lifetime. My friend and her mom were traveling to England to stay with a friend of the family and they asked me to come explore Europe with them! This is something...
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San Francisco by GoCar
The day I became a tourist attraction started out with tunnel safety lights flying past as we rode the Bart into San Francisco. Riding a clunky but reliable cable car,...
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The Family Resort at Lake Coeur d’ Alene
Every year I take an eight hour journey to a place that I think is heaven on earth, Coeur d’ Alene Lake, Idaho. My family of four: my dad, mom, my little brother, and I all pile into our white GMC...
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Meeting the Stones of Stonehenge
It first started with a trickle. Those few drops of cold water had landed on my head, as I walked around the ancient city of Bath. My friends and I had just come out of the building housing the Roman...
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