A Letter to Future Students
Dear Future Iron Dialoguers,
So you’ve decided to partake in a grand Europe trotting experience, good for you! I’m sure as you get ready to depart on your trip, many things will be going through your mind. Maybe you’ll be wondering about what the places you’ll be visiting are like, or whether or not you’ll get along with your classmates, or if class is hard. Let me tell you right now, don’t worry about it. This trip is going to be amazing; you’re going to spend five weeks running around Europe seeing amazing things, spending time around 25 wonderful people, learning tons of interesting things. Every minute will be busy, you’ll feel like you never get enough sleep and you’ll probably get sick. You’re going to get lost in some of the biggest cities in Europe and spend hours trying to figure out the train system to get home. You’re going to eat some amazing food and some not so great food. You’ll laugh, you’ll talk, you might even cry. The whole thing will seem overwhelming at times, but don’t for a second think that you won’t walk away with a meaningful experience under your belt. It’ll seem like five weeks goes by in a second and before you know it it’ll be time to go home, so take advantage of every minute.
There is so much advice I could give you about how to make the most of this time abroad. You learn a ton of tips and tricks over the weeks. Our class’ favorites were:
– Remember to make a sandwich at breakfast to bring for lunch. It’s free!
– Take advantage of all of your free afternoons to explore the cities. You probably won’t get another chance.
– Don’t trust the hostel laundry rooms! Try to find a full service laundry mat instead that will wash, dry, and fold for cheap.
– Make sure you bring good walking shoes. You’ll being doing a lot of it!
– Sleep when you’re dead!
Hopefully you can put these tips to good use earlier than we did and avoid some of our mistakes. Of course, you’ll have your own obstacles to overcome, but nothing is ever too much to handle when you’re surrounded by a great group of friends and keeping a positive attitude. I think you’ll come to find that the people will be the most special part of your journey. I know mine wouldn’t have been the same without them.
Europe has so much to offer, so don’t be scared and jump right in. The best way to have an adventure is to act like you know where you’re going and get a group together to follow you. As long as you’re safe, you’ll always have fun and find something cool to see or do. Every city has its pros and cons, its own sights, cultures, food, etc. You will experience a hundred different things, so get ready! There’s barely time to adjust to one city or country before you’re whisked away to somewhere new. That constant state of transience is part of the appeal of this trip. It’s not something I could do forever, but it works for this situation. As much as I’m ready to go home, it’s still hard to say goodbye.
At the end of my journey, I can say with total honesty that it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever done. I hope you get as much out of it as I did and wish you the best of luck. Have a great adventure!
