Hello UNCG Honors College,
I'm sitting
here on a couch in Rome with my dragon, Aireole (pronounced
ah-ear-oh-lay, for all those unfamiliar with the ancient dialect of
dragonian, Yerstra, and its pronunciation), and he and I are about to
set out on part 2 of our adventure through the city. So far, Aireole and
I have been all through the UK, Ireland, Morocco, Paris, Spain, and
now Italy. We'll be in Roma for another two days before heading up to
Tuscany to teach French to a lovely Italian family who will be hosting
us for nine days. After that it's on to Florence and Bologna before we
fly into Warsaw, Poland to teach English ( and maybe even a little bit
of Yerstra, if the Poles are lucky and Aireole feels up to it) for two
weeks. Then to finish up our little European adventure we'll head over
to Prague for a couple of days before heading back home to Manchester
for one last week.
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| The Colosseum in Rome |
So, I suppose I should back up a bit, huh? Aireole and I arrived bright and early into the Manchester airport on January 8,
and what an adventure it has been since. Together, we found our way
through the city, met the Mancunians, and sampled as much of the local
culture as possible.
There have been so many
great moments, like the time we stumbled upon a lively bar called "The
Whiskey Jar" in the artsy Norther Quarter of Manchester, where we met
tons of native Mancunians who told us endless heaps of information about
the incredible industrial history of the city and its unique
integration of so many minority groups, and then... There were the less
than stellar moments, like the time we got mugged and robbed on our way
home from a night out. But hey, even that moment left us with some
valuable information about British culture. Well, I suppose you learn new things all of the time.
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| Abe Lincoln in Manchester! |
So
much has happened and we've had so many different adventures in the UK
and outside of it, that's it's becoming increasingly difficult to try
and sum up our entire or even a piece of our aggregate study abroad
experience in just a few paragraphs. But, if there's anything that
studying abroad has taught me, it's that whatever the world throws at
me, I should trust myself enough to find a way through it. As expansive
as the world is, and with so much of it still left for me to see, we're
not really all that different from everyone else.
 | |
| Aireole's cousin, Nessie, on Loch Ness |
I
had an incredible time in Wales on an international student retreat to a
a town called Llangollen, (Google it, lots to see and learn) and in
just a few days, 23 students all from different cultures all around the
world came together and really got a chance to discuss ideas of peace
and international culture. I met some of the most amazing people there
and it's likely that we'll stay in touch for many years to come. But
perhaps the most valuable thing that came out of it, was the realization
that with just a little bit of tolerance for the unknown, the "foreign"
one can quickly begin to see how truly similar we all are, how our
goals, or struggles, our dreams, all fit together quite seamlessly.
 | |
| The Welsh countryside |
Unfortunately,
Aireole and I must get on with our gallivanting, but please, if you
have questions let me know. We'd be happy to tell you as much as we
can.
Until we return, hope all is well back home!
Sincerely, Austin and Aireole
