Dry Tortugas National Park
Seventy miles off the coast of Key West in the Florida Keys lies an unknown paradise that is rich in history, nature, and architecture. It is called the Dry Tortugas National Park and it is the best...
Read More 3 min read
A Perfect Tiramisu
As the rain outside slowly dwindled away we walked into a preserved castle, tucked gently away in Italy. Upon entering, the shadows of people danced upon the walls as they talked in hushed voices at...
Read More 3 min read
An unforgettable Journey
One of the most memorable vacations I’ve had in the recent years was my trip to Yosemite National Park this summer. My family goes to Yosemite each year with Mario, my dad’s friend, and...
Read More 3 min read
Italian Suprise
Rolling hills and death-defying slopes hinted with lush green grass and the multi-colored buildings. This sight cannot be captured in the United States, but only in the beautiful...
Read More 3 min read
visiting a concentration camp
I have traveled internationally quite often over my life, but one of the most educational and emotional trips I’ve taken was to Germany...
Read More 2 min read
Japan Essay
I loved Japan before I visited there-- loved their video games, TV shows, martial arts, and amazing sword fights. But my only...
Read More 2 min read
Teaching in Taiwan
“Okay, okay,” I answered, obediently following the herd of girls, ages 7 to 11, out of the small classroom and into the sweltering summer heat of Taiwan. Although the...
Read More 2 min read
China: To the Other Side of the World, and to the Other Side of Me
I’ve always wondered about the possibility of having two real homes, and looking back at that moment, my heart couldn’t have felt happier to...
Read More 3 min read
Disney World
In my sophomore year, spring 2008, at East Detroit High School, I had an extraordinary opportunity. As a member of our marching band I went to perform at and tour Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Our...
Read More 2 min read
A TRIP THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET
When I was in the tenth grade a selected few students in my class took a trip to the historical Civil War battle site: Gettysburg. I was 15 at the time, and we stayed at Farnsworth...
Read More 3 min read
The Great Wall and Beyond
It all started on June 10, 2009. I had just loaded my luggage onto the bus and said goodbye to my family. It was finally time to start on our voyage to a new and unknown world. The...
Read More 2 min read
Bella Italia
I have dreamed of traveling to Rome, the Eternal City, for years. I always longed to...
Read More 3 min read
Visiting a Homeland
In December of 2008, my mom and I took a trip halfway around the planet and to an entirely different world. We visited my parent’s home country of Bangladesh after almost...
Read More 3 min read
Freezing Hands, Warming Spirits: My Experience at the Inauguration of President Barack Obama
Twenty-eight--it seems such an innocent number.That is, unless you were actually there in Washington, D Twenty-eight--it seems...
Read More 3 min read
Machu Picchu
I held the seat in front of me in a white-knuckle grip as our tour bus negotiated the switchbacks and hairpin turns necessary to ascend from the valley town of Aguas Calientes to our destination in the...
Read More 2 min read
My Northern Michigan Paintball Trip
In the final weeks before our senior year, my friends (Jon, Phil, Denton, CJ, and Jeffery) and I decided we needed to celebrate the close of summer...
Read More 3 min read
My Paradise
What do you think of when you hear the word paradise? Do you think of lying on a beach in Hawaii? What about taking a cruise to Jamaica? Before, when I heard it, that’s what I thought about,...
Read More 3 min read
Bienvenue En Haiti
In February of 2009, I learned several things about my life, through a trip to Haiti. First and foremost, Haiti is a poor country. Over 80% of the people are unemployed, and have...
Read More 2 min read
Shooting for the Stars
Curled up in a beach chair, I hunt the myriad of specks for a streak. Flanked by two best friends, all fighting for a piece of the blanket, I search for luck in the Shenandoah...
Read More 3 min read
Haiti
I take a big breath in, and the smells of burning trash fill my lungs. Though it is an unpleasant first wiff it makes my heart smile and all I can think is, "it's good to be back."...
Read More 2 min read
HBCU Tour
The best trip I have ever taken was on a tour bus going up the southern east coast. I went on it when I was a sophomore in High School....
Read More 3 min read
Of Traveling to the Beginning of Freedom
A little over two years ago, my family got a chance to take a trip to the New England area of the United States because of a benefit my father had gained at his workplace. While we...
Read More 2 min read
The African Field of Dreams
Throughout the canoe ride across Lake Bunyonyi, all I could think about was building my soccer field. We had come to Uganda, East Africa from the U.S. through Brussels to work with Juna...
Read More 3 min read
Cabo-The Many Sides
This past summer my family and I decided to get away from town and vacation to Cabo San Lucas located at the tip of Baja California. When I arrived I expected it to be like any other happening vacation...
Read More 3 min read
A Trip For Someone Else: Puerto Peñasco
I knew what Mexico looked like. It was beautiful, rich with culture, and flowing with a language that made the soul dance. I also knew that a fun time could be developed by everyday accessories. I knew...
Read More 2 min read
My Trip To Australia
Going to Australia was a chance of a lifetime. I was there this past summer of 2009 for five weeks. I am really glad...
Read More 3 min read
Travel essay
My name is Michelle Norden and I love taking road trips. One of my favorite ones is when I was in volleyball and my team had to go up to Gillette for a tournament. We had to be...
Read More 2 min read
Summer Breezes of Paradise
Secluded out in the middle of the ocean, just off the coast of Florida awaits white beaches, unimaginably clear ocean water, and the atmosphere of the perfect island getaway. Never...
Read More 2 min read
Guatemala Mission Trip
In the Bible, Philippines 4:13 says " I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." This verse has impacted my faith and my life in so many ways. During the summer...
Read More 3 min read
Trip to Turkey
I have always said that some families buy nice cars or some families buy big houses, but my family, we travel. I have been to more than half of the United States, Mexico,...
Read More 2 min read
Vacation to Home
The morning is just light enough to distinguish blurred human figures already bustling through the streets of Beijing. I lie in my bed listening as the voices outside...
Read More 3 min read
Chicago Connections
As soon as I stepped out of the car the fumes and smog hit me. I was no longer in the suburbs of the mid-western state of Iowa, my hometown. Squinting through the sun and smog, the...
Read More 3 min read
The Other Side of the United States
Coming from Idaho and never traveling farther east than Utah, I could just feel in my bones, this was going to be a whole new experience. There were five of us all together and we were headed to see...
Read More 2 min read
A Trip to Costa Rica
In Costa Rica, it feels as though the entire world has slowed down. Time is irrelevant. The days are long, and yet short. I had fallen into the charm of the small village called Cerritos within the...
Read More 2 min read
My Coloradan Road Trip
When I arrived off the plane in Colorado I was greeted by hugs from my aunt and cousin. It was a happy Rooney Family Reunion. The time was 3:00pm MST, but my body was set to EST which would be 5:00pm...
Read More 2 min read
Mission Jamaica
Superman, Spiderman, and Batman all risk their lives to save the world. Although average teenagers cannot fulfill these impressive tasks, help can be offered in minute ways. “We can do no great things-...
Read More 3 min read
A Journey Into the Unknown in a Mega City
"Thank you,” I said to the bus driver as I stepped out of the bus. He was my regular driver whom I saw everyday. I walked home down the same path I walked everyday. I wondered...
Read More 2 min read
French Fever
The city of love! The city of lights! Baguettes for breakfast, snails as a snack and cheese galore! Wine all the time, cigarettes all around, and berets abound! Sadly, this wildly stereotypical depiction...
Read More 2 min read
Emerald Water Memories
When reflecting on a significant tradition in my life, I feel sand surrounding my feet and sun rays quickly warming my skin. I hear waves crashing into the shore and I see seagulls flying above, looking...
Read More 2 min read
A World Away from Home
As I step off the airplane all I am thinking about is if the rest rooms in the Nairobi, Kenya airport are sanitary, because I desperately need one after flying for fourteen hours. I don’t even take...
Read More 2 min read
Miso Queasy
I began to gag as something slid down my throat; it was long (I had assumed, and really hoped, that it was a noodle) and had nodules on it, much like a tentacle of some...
Read More 2 min read
Liverpool/London trip!
For my dad’s 50th birthday, my family decided to surprise him with a gift that none of us would ever forget. We bought him a book about the Beatles. No, that wasn’t the surprise! The surprise was written...
Read More 2 min read
Tijuana, Mexico: An Eye-Opening Trip
Gripping my father’s coat, I gazed upon the unfamiliar land with awe and curiosity. My forehead trickled with sweat and my heart raced uncontrollably. Each step became heftier and slower as I approached...
Read More 2 min read
China, A Second Home
Exhausted after fourteen hours of flight time I looked at my new surroundings, the Beijing airport. I realized my journey across the world had just ended, but at the same time freshly begun. Thinking about...
Read More 2 min read
