FINAL THOUGHTS

This is my last post on the blog.....We get up at 2 a.m., catch the bus at 3 a.m. for our three-hour ride to Shannon Airport. Our flight leaves at 9 a.m., "Irish time". As promised, we had one of our busiest days yet: Games at the Community Center, Gaelic football drills, leaving chocolate at the site of the "Fairies", throwing a penny over the bridge to satisfy the trolls, cutting peet in the bogs, dinner (of, what else?  FISH - Brayden even told us how good it was!) We are returning your children to you tired - and changed.

I asked a few of the delegates who actually enjoy expressing themselves in written form, to leave final thoughts. Here they are:

CHRISTIAN - In the beginning of the trip, in my opinion, we were all a bit immature. Lines took forever, count offs were impossible, and everyone was a stranger. But now, as the trip comes to a close, we make straight lines, count offs are fast. But the most important part is that we are more than strangers or friends. We are a family.

CARA - Probably one of the biggest aftermath advantages of our trip is the emotional experience. A lot of  us became older, stronger, more mature. Others remained stubborn....Dynamic and Static characters.

Three weeks ago, we were practically strangers, Now, after traversing through Northern Europe with these nutcases, I've grown much closer to them. It was a necessity: we needed some stability in this foreign land. Cliques and clans were formed amost intantaneously. Drama and rivalries sprang up behind the scenes. Scandals whispered between roommates in the dead of night. Harsh remarks hissed between clenched teeth in the breakfast room at daybreak.

Despite this irritating-teenagerness-fueled drama battle, deep attachments have drawn us all closer together. It's wierd; I feel like it's been years since I stood in the line at airport security wishing people would go faster....Just another surreal aspect of our Whirlwind Tour of Europe.

TINHNY - You are walking down the street, when suddenly a beggar stands in front of you; clothes torn and filthy. They hold their shaking hands out, cupped together, pleading for any amount of money that you can spare.

Have you been in this situation before? Have you seen unfortunate men and women on the streets, begging for money to make their unfortunate lives better, only to have their pleas rejected and ignored?

Humans have a tendency to create what we call a "First Impression". The impression of dirt and scum is placed upon us when we see these people traversing the streets. Upon seeing these people, we create our first impressions.

From fairly recent experiences, I have learned that first impressions are inaccurate. The act of creating a first impression of someone is the same as judging someone without knowing who they are. Who are we to judge others without knowledge of who they are, what they've been through or where they're from? Creating that inaccurate first impression is a misunderstanding of another's position in life.

There is only one way to eliminate the first impression , and that is to open your mind to understanding. Open your own mind to understand others and who they are. Open your mind to compassion, so that you can see the truth in others' character, emotions and actions.

MORGAN - As we pulled out of the first hotel in Amsterdam, I noticed a common theme. Everyone jumped around from group to group, never really establishing a best friend or place we fit into more than the rest. This let us get to know everyone, but that and the short time we have together kept us from getting close and making the lifelong friends that were promised in the meetings.

But over the course of the trip, we have warmed up to each other, showing the beginnings of a family. Of course, with teenagers there is eternal drama. and hurt feelings. I'm sure every one of us has felt sad or left out over the last three weeks. But through living so up close and personal, we've gotten closer. Helping each other through homesickness and upset simply comes with the territory.

At the beginning, I was uneasy and nervous about making friends. Now our delegation is a home.

CAMERON - Towards the beginning of our trip, at the aiport I just thought of all the others to be fellow travelers and nothing else. I had no idea that some of them would turn out to be my closest friends.

Something else that has changed is our perspective of different countries. \Before the trip, we may have thought of other countries as strange or wrong. But at the end, we have matured so much, and now we feel that this different lifestyle is a part of us.

 I feel that I will remember this trip for my entire life. The things that we've done will be stuff that many of my friends never have done and possibly never will. This trip has given me so much, and I am so thankful for that.

Ms. Mary - Well said. Good Night from Ireland.

The Final Five

TRE'VON - Yesterday I had lots of fun. The bus ride was very long (*from Limerick). But the boat ride was awesome! The rain was off and on, but the views were amazing! Also our home stay family is cool. It's a man and two boys and one girl. They are fun, and I got the best shower, sleep, and breakfast of the trip.

TINHNY -  Ireland, like many European countries, is often misrepresented by stereotypes that have spread around the world. From wearing green to crocks of gold, the Irish culture is often seen incorrectly. The Irish scenery is beautiful. One thing about Ireland that is often overlooked is its great mountains, vast countryside and fresh, cool air. Our delegation was able to see this for ourselves with the jaunty ride we took. Similar to a horse-drawn carriage, we toured the Irish countryside in groups of four, enjoying the ride through rain and sun, experiencing sites and smells that warmed our hearts. We discovered sites and smells that we will forever remember.

TITO - Yesterday was really fun. The best part was the jaunting car. We got to ride around the hills and mountains. We also rode through the Gap of Dunvel. It was very magnificent. I loved the view. We also went on a boat ride for one hour. It was also fun because we were all ducking under the tarp.

PAIGE - Yesterday was fun but sad, because I didn't feel well. I have had two painful bruises (elbow/knee), but other than that it was amazing to watch my delegation. I loved the talent show. I loved the 15-year old Eleanor song.

HANNAH - After a great, warm breakfast, we had to go out on a boat while it was raining. The ride might have been miserable, but the view was beautiful. When we got off of the cold, wet boat, we got to eat a warm lunch. They even gave us hot chocolate. Ever thought about going to the top of an Irish mountain? Well, we got to. We even got to ride in a horse and carriage up there. The waterfalls were outstanding. We also learned how to Irish dance. It was so fun. Getting to know the other delegation (* high schoolers from California) was interesting, because they were quite shy. There was a talent show, and the things people could do was fun to watch. We all had a great time.

Ms. Mary - BTW, our delegation dominated the talent show! TJ started off with his deep voice and his chipmunk voice - which cracked everyone up! Morgan followed by singing (acapella - sp?) "We Are Young", which everyone joined in on the chorus. Sam, Malik and Isaac brought down the house with their version of "Bacon and Cheese". We will request encore performances at the reunion party!