Disability Taught me Love
I stood in front of that small fence that was only keeping the children and me apart. Shocking. No, a word that means much more than shocking. Horrifying? Terrifying? What happened to these children?...
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The Edge of the Earth: My Family’s Vacation to Norway, Iceland and Beyond
An eight hour plane ride and a 20 degree drop in temperature was what kicked off the beginning of my summer. After a frenzied week of packing, my parents...
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The UC Berkeley Trip Featuring San Francisco
It was the summer of my junior year going into my senior year and I needed to go and visit my top colleges and universities that I was definitely going to apply to; I suppose that's what led...
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Home Sweet Philippines!
On the summer of 2008, I was twelve years old when we had a vacation in the Philippines. We visit the Philippines every couple years to reunite with our relatives again and explore the country. The...
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Dear John,
I believe I can safely state that we have all had a time where the desire for a restroom outweighs any rational decision making typical of humans. You know what I’m talking about--like that...
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Helen: The Town Where Time Stood Still
In life, there are moments when one feels a sense of happiness that is not common or experienced often. Those moments...
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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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