By: Sarah Rosales
The moment I stepped foot in New Jersey from Ireland, my heart was already hammering “I want to go back, I want to go back, I want to go back!”
One of the benefits of attending Kean University is the affordable and various travel abroad options. The Travelearn program is a short-term study abroad program offered to students if studying abroad for a semester or one whole year feels daunting. They last about one to two weeks and are specialized to a specific academic course. Students can study Asian History in China on Kean’s Wenzhou campus, go to England to learn about Contemporary British Theater, or travel to Iceland to learn about geothermal energy.
I chose the English department’s Travel Writing program in Ireland. I had been eyeing it ever since I was a freshman, and was overjoyed when I finally got accepted into it three years later.
Led by Professors Lisa Sisler and Christina Mastroeni, 14 students and I learned what it took to be travel writers during our spring break. Before we headed abroad, we were tasked with setting up our own blogs through WordPress to document our experiences, as well as brainstorming topics we wanted to write full-length travel articles to send out to publications.
I resigned for the longest time that I’d never travel to Europe. It seemed like one of those storybook places too far away and too expensive for me to even think about setting foot in. I had traveled outside of the United States to visit family in the Philippines so the place wasn’t a complete stranger to me. I had my parents to rely on to guide me, unlike Ireland. I wasn’t alone since it was a class trip, but ultimately I had to watch out for myself because I was on my own.
Between exploring Trinity College, Dublin Castle, and the Museum of Literature Ireland, I was surprised at how much free time I had to explore Dublin. The walking must have racked up to two miles a day; my calves were sculpted. We were warned to bring good shoes for the trip, but it did not prepare me for how exhausted I would be at the end of each day.
From the bitter air cloudy with smog and cigarette smoke to pedestrians that had an intimate relationship with jaywalking, I was finding New Jersey everywhere. But there are novelties that I miss even now. Everything was cheaper, the streets and sidewalks seemed to be swept daily, and the people were super polite.
I took over 400 photos and videos, partly so I could remember every detail of the trip, and partly so that I could have photos to accompany the travel articles I planned on writing when I had to head home.
My favorite aspect of the trip, overall, was the exploration. Admiring the art graffitied on the walls to trying new foods to stepping into the homes of historic literature superstars—Kean’s Travelearn programs are there for students to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity while also stepping out of their comfort zone to expand how they see the world.
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