Morning came early but everyone was up on time. We enjoyed enough of a light breakfast to get us through until we found a food court at the airport. The trip to the Dublin airport was uneventful and the city was quiet at 6 in the morning. Once again we were not dropped at the door, due to the possibility of bombings that took place a couple of years ago...we have no idea how spoiled we are in the US! We pulled into the bus parking, unloaded the abundance of luggage quickly, and had a brisk morning walk and reached the ticketing area in a fairly short time. The airport is very modern and beautiful...and very effecient. They had a number of staff with laptops on rolling card, so they did a pre-check in while we waited in line. The process was pretty fast and we even did the US customs check in Dublin...so we could arrive as domestic flights when we reached Newark. It was so nice not to have to pick up luggage in Newark!
By the time we cleared security, customs, and security again..and reached our gate...they were starting to board! Quick trip to the deli counter! (I personally had a most incredible coconut orange muffin!)
We settled in for our 7 hour flight and most of the kids did a lot of sleeping! It was essentially a three movie flight!
It was a bit more relaxed in Newark. We had a bit of time for lunch, charging electronics, and I managed to download most of our camera cards. It is funny they way things changed over the last 8 hour. The kids started out the day really not wanting to get on the bus. We all wanted another day in Dublin. We knew there was so much more to see and we longed to be able to do it. By the time we reached Newark though...they were ready to be home.
We had such a great team of students. They got along with each other so nicely. When anyone needed 'space'...which most do at some point....others were respectful and gathered in the lobby or other gathering areas so their roomies could have their quiet in the rooms. Different personalities travel differently and it is so nice to have a group of students who think of the group and not of themselves exclusively. It helps, because we can also try to give each what they need and not have too many raw nerves! I especially appreciated the low drama element of the trip, especially with such a high percentage of girls. The guys are so easy to travel with. About all I have to do is watch the consumption of energy drinks (which we had said no to....but you know how that goes!)
But all in all, this was as incredible a group as the London and Italy teams were!
And yes, we made it back to Orlando, a few minutes early in fact! Most of us were in the back of the plane and we had a great dismissal plan. (This is always necessary because the chaperones can not leave the airport until a parent for every student is accounted for). As soon as I got off the plane, I hit the deck running toward the shuttle. The rest of the group stayed together until all students were off the plane, and then they proceeded to the shuttle. By that time, I had made it back to where the parents and siblings were gathered, did the 'checklist' and we waited patiently for the students to arrive. What a great homecoming it was too!
I love it when the kids are as excited to see their parents as the parents are to see them. If you have ever been a parent of teens, you know that is not always the case on a day to day basis! (Meaning of course, that we can tend to take our families a bit for granted on a day to day basis....not meaning to, of course)
Families and friends gathered and hugged and chatted for a bit before heading down to the baggage claim area. (And we lost NO LUGGAGE - going and coming home!) Our only problem with luggage was that it was too big and too much (Myself included!) ...and we would have had a serious problem had the group been larger....but I will address that for another year!
I guess the highlight of my very long day was having so many very happy parents. This trip was a sacrifice for so many, a gift from grandparents for others, or a dedicated effort to save for things they felt were important for many others. It is often hard to tell what the impact of travel is on the students, but I got the idea that many of these young people came back with a greater appreciation of the freedoms we have in America. This is something that you just can not effectively put on paper. It is an intangible thing that is hard to explain in other cultures because freedom means different things to different people groups. I hope they always treasure what they have and stand ready to fight for it.
I feel like they saw the beauty of God's creation. So many days I heard them comparing the landscape to areas familiar to them in America. We can travel all over the world, but sometimes forget that we have the same beauty right here at home.(USA home, not just Florida) Sometimes we get bored with what is around us daily but in America, we can just pick up and travel...no passports, no check points, no questions about where we are going and why.
I am anxious to start sorting their photos for our memory album. I have a feeling that it is going to be quite full of great photos. I was also quite impressed with the skills of some of our young photographers. Many of them had very nice cameras, but a nice camera does not guarantee great compositions! I will enjoy re-living this trip through their eyes.
I am also thankful for Terry, our very delightful tour guide. I absolutely love it when we have a guide who is from the culture and area where we visit. It just gives a different perspective than I could give alone. He is like us, and he is different from us. The history he taught us goes so much deeper (and is much older) than our own history. He brought it alive. He also brought a different perspective to things like religion and politics than we have. Where you grow up and the history of time and place is part of what forms you and your beliefs. I did not see the Brits/Europeans changing anything in their history. In other words, it is what it is, good bad or ugly. I realized that what bothers me so much in America today is this movement to remove from our history books, anything that is not politically correct today. While we do not have a long history, we do have a rich history and that history is steeped in faith in God and I feel so often that we are fighting so hard to not have that erased.
I particularly love visiting cathedrals and old cemeteries. I love the stories, I love the architecture, I love the masterful craftsmanship of the projects. We don't see true craftsmanship in America today ...not often anyway. We don't see people who are willing to work diligently and stay dedicated to one project for even a year, much less a lifetime. Some of these Cathedrals took decades to build. One story that struck me, and I believe it it was in the Belfast Cathedral...was the marble floor. Generally you hear that the marble came from here or there and that the colors of the marble represent this or that. This Cathedral had a simple black and white floor with an interesting, but not symmetrical pattern. Occasionally you would see colored marble breaking up the design. Our guide told us that if you follow the black marble, it is sort of like a maze but will lead you nowhere. If, on the other hand, you follow the white marble, it will lead you to the altar where you can meet God. Do you get the symbolism, even in the floor? The dark marble represented Darkness, life without Christ, really lead you no where. You can live your entire life wandering and never reach anything of real eternal significance. On the other hand, the light marble, from wherever you were in that Cathedral (representing anywhere in life), when followed, would lead to Christ....and actually....eternal life with Him should be the destination we are all seeking.
I am so thankful for dedicated, growing, young people and for the godly parents who saw great value in allowing their students this experience.
As I go through photos, I will try to post shorter, more individual stories about some of the things we saw. My journal was short on stories this year, but it has lots of notes, and some very treasured comments from some very delightful students.
It is 5 AM now and jet lag has me all mixed up. I have been up since 3 AM, so I guess it is time for a power nap!
I look forward to seeing all of our students at the luncheon at 12:45 on Friday, camera cards or flash drives in hand. The event team has a lovely afternoon planned for us, so remember that it is mandatory for students. Parents, please call the office to RSVP.
I shall now drift off into slumberland with most wonderful thoughts of another adventure with students who stayed healthy, happy, and so so enjoyable!
