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My Summer Adventure

England, Wales, and Ireland

I have served as a People to People Student Ambassador Leader for the past two years, and I am getting ready to start my third year. I journeyed to Australia with the Texarkana delegation with Phyllis Ballard the summer of 2007. This summer I spent from June 12 - July 1, 2008 on a journey through England, Wales, and Ireland with the combined junior high delegation from Texarkana, Texas and three Georgia delegations.	Texas/Georgia Delegations at Stonehenge, England.
Leah at Blenheim Palace.	While in England we visited Blenheim Palace, the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill and home to the various Dukes of Marlborough. We learned about the art of punting in the beautiful City of Oxford. Punting in not kicking a football, but it is pushing a flat bottomed boat through a river with a long staff. We took a stroll through Stratford-upon-Avon, the birth place of William Shakespeare, and visited his grave in Trinity Church. We also spent the night in a medieval camp at Warwick Castle where we learned how to fight with a sword and a staff, and watched a demonstration of the world's largest Trebuchet launching a fireball. We also learned how to wake up very early, around 3 am, when the peacocks started howling at sunrise. We witnessed the magnificence of the blue stones of Stonehenge, and toured the Roman Bath House in the City of Bath. While in London we took a city walking tour, witnessed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, visited the Tower of London and viewed the crown jewels, road the London Eye, cruised the Thames, and saw "Wicked" at the Victoria Apollo Theater.
Leah and one of the Queen's Guards.
Wales was a quaint little country that was very rainy and cold. We toured the bronze age Orme Copper Mine and Big Pit Coal Mine. We abseiled a tower wall at Penrhyn Castle during the FullOn Leadership Challenge, and went shopping in Conwy. We visited the beautiful Cardiff Castle that has a history that spans 2000 years. We also visited a 5000 year old burial tomb from the Neolithic time.	Leah on Prothcrawl Beach, Wales.
Blarnery Castle, Home of the Blarney Stone.	My favorite was the time we spent in Ireland, even though it rained most of the time. I now know why Ireland has 40 shades of green. We were given the opportunity to visit St. Patrick's Cathedral, play soccer in Phoenix Park, and toured the Gaelic Athletic Association while we were in Dublin. We did a bit of shopping as well. This is where we had our home stay visit. We spent the night with families to learn how they live and what they do for fun. We became Irish for a day when we visited an Irish farm where we learned an Irish dance, learned to play an Irish drum called the Bodhran, and we cooked Irish Soda Bread. Some enjoyed the old Irish past time of jumping into a peat bog. I chose not to, I was already wet and cold. We toured Bunratty Castle and Blarney Castle where we continued the old tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone to gain the gift of gab. We took a drive through County Claire to view the Burren, and the majestic Cliffs of Moher. We stood on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean at Gallway Bay on a beach made of stones. We took a boat ride across the Lakes of Killarney and a horse drawn jaunty car ride through Dunloe Gap in the rain. We toured the Waterford Crystal factory, and watched as they hand blew, etched and cut the glass pieces.
Leah at the Cliffs of Moher, Ireland.
Eli, Leah, Seanne, and Cassie at Gallway Bay, Ireland.

The People to People Adventure is a life changing experience for the students and the leaders. The program creates life-long friends who share very special memories from wonderful places all around the world. For more information about Student Ambassador Programs, ask me or visit the People to People Student Ambassador web site.