Our final day abroad started early as we had to be to the
airport by 9. Thankfully the Doolin
Hostel where we stayed was nice enough to start their breakfast earlier than
normal so we would be able to have something to eat before we left. After breakfast, we boarded the bus at 7:20
and headed for the airport. Once we
arrived, we took one last photo before the group started to go their own
way. Three people split off to catch flights
to other countries to visit other friends.
The rest of us would be taking the long 8 hour flight back to Chicago.
The flight back to Chicago was a lot more comfortable than the
flight to London. The food was still
disgusting but there were a lot more options for in flight entertainment. We each had our own screens and were able to
pick from a wide variety of TV shows and movies to watch. The luckiest person on the flight was Eric as
he was able to sit next to Santa!! As
for being sustainable on the flight, the crew made an announcement that they do
recycle everything that they possibly can.
I even noticed one crew member separating all of the cans into a
separate bag to be recycled.
When we finally arrived to Chicago the group split up even
more. A few people stayed to meet family
in Chicago and a few took another flight to Des Moines. One person was lucky enough to catch an
earlier flight back to Cedar Rapids.
There were a total of 13 of us remaining for the last flight to Cedar
Rapids. After a long layover we finally
were able to board the plane and arrived in Cedar Rapids a short time
later. We all said our final goodbyes
before heading out to meet our families and get our luggage.
Looking back on the trip I was surprised by how much I learned
about sustainability. Every place we
went seems to be so far ahead of the United States in terms of sustainability
and they are so proud of it. There were
signs everywhere explaining what they are doing to be more sustainable. A lot of the things that they are doing are
so simple that it is amazing we have not started to do them ourselves.
I know I am not alone when I say this was the most incredible
experience of my life. I saw things and
accomplished challenges that I never thought would be possible. I made so many great new friends that I am
excited to keep in touch with. I heard
many people say they were excited to come home because it was a long two weeks
but the number one thing they were going to miss was being around so many great
people every day. Thank you to Eric and
everyone that put so much time into planning this once in a lifetime
experience.
Cheers!!
Ryan Schilling
Senior, Criminology
