A “Ferry” Interesting Escapade: A Reflection

My personal goals to accomplish while abroad were firstly to develop relationships with

my classmates as friends as well as to become more well-acquainted and comfortable with

European travel and culture. While I had been to Italy previously, I had been chaperoned on a

group tour, and my mother also traveled with me. I was excited, though also daunted, to be

completely responsible for myself in a foreign country. I also hoped, though cliché, to break out

of my comfort zone and try new things, from navigating the streets of big cities to tasting new

foods, such as haggis (FYI: not a fan). Most importantly, I hoped to generate, capture, and

preserve memories from what I know will be one of the most enriching experiences of my entire

life. Academically speaking, my goals were to observe and learn from the cultures surrounding

me. With an open mind I looked forward to experiencing the similarities and differences between

each of our destinations, but also those between our lifestyle and theirs. I wanted to gain more of

a global perspective, and I desired to be enlightened by each city.

In order to attain these goals, I took steps prior to departure, during the trip, and even

after we returned home. I was glad to link up with other students before the semester started who

were willing to travel to our first destination of Dublin together, some of whom I’d previously

known, and some who I had not. I enjoyed branching out and getting to know the people I would

be spending a semester, and, more deeply, a spring break, with, and I continued cultivating

relationships with my classmates as the semester progressed, through our group projects and

various class discussions. On the trip, we all bonded, as if we were family. I remember one

specific moment, on our final night in Dublin, at the Old Storehouse pub, when everyone had

finally arrived and we were all together, enjoying ourselves and relaxing. I reveled in the

moment, and I now cherish it. I do not consider it a coincidence that we were all on the trip
together, and I find purpose in the seemingly random group of students and faculty’s presence

and ability to connect. I was expecting to create fun memories; I was not expecting nor could I

be more grateful to have been able to establish several strong friendships that are continuing to

prosper. I digress to discuss how several aspects of my life have come full circle-I had Professor

Walsh during my first semester of my freshman year for my Honors Colloquium class, and she

was also present on our trip. Looking back, I see how much my involvement in UHP has

enriched my college career, and as I prepare to become a junior, it is interesting to view the past

two years as both a closed chapter but also an open book. I am thankful for my past experiences,

but also equally as excited for what is to come, particularly through UHP. As for becoming an

experienced traveler, I think I could potentially qualify as such. To prepare for independent

international travel, I consulted mentors in my life who were knowledgeable about the subject,

spent much time surfing the Internet for tips and tricks (and each city’s best restaurants and

shopping centers), and reached out to my travel group. Though we planned out every flight,

layover, and seating arrangement beforehand, the Irish Snowmageddon prevailed. A cancelled

flight from Toronto to Dublin, five stressful hours of Googling and decision-making in a

Canadian airport, a forty-five minute ride on the tube, two multi-hour train rides, seven hours in

a bone-chilling Welsh ferry port, a three hour ferry ride, a bus ride, and a long, snowy walk to

our first hostel in Dublin made for quite a stressful, though memorable, arrival experience. It is

safe to say that if I were ever to be stranded in Europe, I believe I could find my way to safety. I

reflect on the trip with great joy, not only for the memories made but also for the growth I

experienced. I took leaps out of my comfort zone, interacting with unexpected locals and

venturing beyond boundaries, such as walking through haunted underground vaults in

Edinburgh. I tried everything I could, from local beverages and foods to world-renowned
delicacies (seriously, the Nutella waffle on the front lawn of the Buckingham Palace was

legendary!). I am proud of myself for branching out, but more so, I am thankful for the people I

was surrounded by who encouraged me and supported me in doing so. The memories crafted

from this experience are beyond my wildest dream-never have I laughed so hard nor learned so

much in only a week as I did on this trip, encircled by wonderful people, intriguing history, and

dynamic culture. I am privileged to have not only learned about, but also experienced, the

similarities and differences in culture, both internationally and domestically, as intended by the

City as Text initiative provided for me by UHP. I have grown to love this method of learning,

and I am excited to continue to travel and enact this mindset, whether formally or informally, in

the future. I prepared for this portion of the trip by formulating research questions beforehand, as

well as planning my observational research, as assisted by the course timelines and the guidance

of our fearless leader, Dr. Warner.

Much like how my research questions explored the stereotypes held by citizens of the

countries we visited, I had some stereotypes of my own going into this experience. I had often

heard that Irish people were blunt and rowdy, that Scottish people were uptight and arrogant, and

that Londoners were rude and narcissistic. I could not be more grateful for having entered into

the trip with an open mind, as I quickly learned that, much like many other stereotypes, what

people say is often biased and skewed. In Dublin, while the folks used more crude language than

is often socially accepted in America, they all seemed very peaceful, while still managing to

enjoy themselves at local pubs in the evenings. As for Edinburgh, while the city itself was more

refined and pricey than Dublin, the people were kind and approachable, politely correcting our

improper habit of waiting for the check to be brought to our table as opposed to paying at the

counter, among other occurrences. I truly felt safe in both cities, a small aspect of the trip I was
somewhat unsure about, having been born and raised in a more rural area (not to worry, as I had

more than my fair share to see sheep in the English and Welsh countryside…). Finally, I was

shocked by the unexpected dynamic of the people in London. Upon finally arriving in London

initially, following security mishaps and our stressful ordeal of trying to formulate a plan to get

from London to Dublin, we were greeted by the kindest man at the airport as we filed out. The

Brit through and through was intrigued by our trip, and he provided us with travel wisdom and

warm wishes, much appreciated and later needed (literally). I figured that nearly everyone

outside of America would look down upon us, partly due to our portrayal in the media as citizens

or only as constituents of our leadership, but I was pleasantly surprised by the mutual respect

held between our group and all those we encountered, prompting me to challenge myself to

break down my own stereotypes of others beyond my borders. It is interesting that the more time

spent there, the more tangible the similarities between our country and theirs seemed while the

more pertinent the differences between us and them appeared. However, I think these differences

only serve to enhance our unique cultures and complement them well.

The most significant challenge I faced during the traveling was definitely the heart-

sinking feeling I experienced when I stepped off of the plane in Toronto with a phone buzzing to

notify me that my flight from London to Dublin had been cancelled. For five hours, my five

traveling companions and I put our noses to the grindstone and Googled, Binged, and Yahoo-ed

nonstop to try to find a different travel arrangement. Upon realizing that it was essentially

impossible to cross the Atlantic by going over it, we discovered that we must go through it-we

must travel from London to Dublin by ferry. We nearly missed a train (we literally leapt into it as

it was departing a countryside town in Northern England!), had to switch ferry lines, and were

unable to board an Uber as planned upon arriving in Dublin. Regardless, we made it. And, not to
toot our own horns, but I am extremely proud of the way my companions and I handled the

situation. Though we were stressed, we remained (relatively…) calm. We each settled into

various roles, some as designated airline agent trackers to inquire about switching flights, some

as defined backup plan makers (which turned out to be the only plan), some as snack

purchasers/preparers, and me, who mediated communication between several people scattered

around the airport. Because we worked as a team, we were able to find the tube-to-train-to-train-

to-ferry tickets, for an even lower price than the intended flight (monetarily speaking). We

handled the excess waiting in the freezing ferry port by entertaining one another, snuggling, and

playing silly games on our nearly dead phones. We were moody, hangry, exhausted, and

generally discontented, but we made the most of it, appreciating the mere fact that we were

headed to meet up with our group, had become quite the travelers, and were in Europe for our

spring break, together. I truly couldn’t imagine having had such a dilemma with any other group

of people, and while the escapade probably caused my blood pressure to increase, I would not

change that experience because of all that I learned and for all of the memories made. From

arriving in Dublin on out, we felt invincible, and it was smooth sailing (after stepping off of the

seasickness-inducing ferry, of course…).

Going into the trip, I subconsciously, narcissistically thought all other countries despised

America, either for our perceived stereotypes, our current leadership, or our portrayal in the

media. I assumed the locals in our destinations would instantly be judgmental of our basic,

American tourism. I did not expect folks to be willing to discuss our research questions with us.

However, I was met with nearly the exact opposite experience. While there were the typical,

busybody civilians on the crowded streets in Dublin and packed into the tube, for the majority,

the people were kind and welcoming and appreciative of our interest in their culture and opinion.
Most of the news in Ireland, Scotland, and England was comprised of American news, as

expected, prompting the assumption that those cultures paid great notion to Americans and the

state of the States. However, as eloquently phrased by a Londoner on the tube, Londoners “don’t

really care about Americans, at all,” meaning that people in London, and, likely likewise, people

in Dublin and Edinburgh, actually don’t pay mind to the stereotypes they have of us, and rather

meet us with face value, as we should them. It was refreshing to see that neither history nor our

present political situation nor even the media are enough to deter United Kingdom residents from

having tarnished perspectives on the American people. From this I’ve learned that my deeply

ingrained biases towards other cultures are not only false, but unnecessary, and I will continue to

work toward making progress and change these inhibitions as I grow and experience

international travel throughout the future.