I am unsure of where to even begin when it comes to describing my experience at CR. Usually my first sentence when talking to people goes “We just did so much in 3.5 weeks, I can’t wrap my head around it”. I am going to stand by that statement, but I will do the best I can to sum it up, even though thats not entirely possible.
There is nothing like CR. From the cities of Germany, to the mountain tops of Switzerland, then to seaside Rio Maggiore, to finish back in the cities of Rome, we truly covered it all. My abroad experience beforehand was brief and involved a lot of handholding, this however, was far from handholding. We dissected each city with our team members and gained more knowledge than could ever be done in a classroom setting. We had the opportunity to dive into each culture and make the city our own as we grew together as a group. I did things on this experience that I did not think I would ever do. I am pretty positive that I conquered my fear of heights after jumping off rocks, hurling myself out of a plane, and being tricked into doing the thrill walk in the Swiss Alps. I could not have done any of it without the support of my friends. They made every aspect of the trip so fun and I know that I can trust them and count on them to support me for the rest of my life.
As amazing as all the things we did are, what CR really boils down to is the people. I cannot thank Dr. P enough for finding such genuine, supportive, and caring people to go on CR and then somehow deciding to put me with them ;). For three and a half weeks I talked to and experienced life with the same 17 people and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It becomes pretty clear how amazing the people you are with are when you are constantly asking yourself how on earth you did life without them before. I am so grateful that from this point forward, I don’t ever have to do life without them again. Each and every one of them has impacted me greatly and my love for them runs so incredibly deep. Thank you all for showing me what makes you, you, and I am beyond grateful for you. Thank you for the memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Looking back on my experience, words cannot describe how much I miss it and how badly I want to go back a do it again. As sad as I sound, there is an upside. I now have 15 best friends that I get to do life with for the rest of college and for the rest of my life. Now that, that makes me happy.
A special thank you to Dr. P and Lindsey. They are remarkable. This experience is planned so perfectly, every moment of everyday has been thought out and it is out of them love that they have for their students. Dr. P left his wife and kids, Lindsey left her husband, to spend 3.5 weeks with 16 super loud, always hungry college kids. I am not sure why they wanted to do that but they just love us that much and want to invest in students and I cannot thank them enough for that. I have grown in numerous ways through this experience and none of that could have happened without the help of CR. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and learned how to live in the uncomfortable, its pretty fun I have to admit.
I also want to thank my wonderful parents for allowing me to start off my summer away from them and allowing me to go see the world. I love you and I can’t thank you enough for all you do for me, I am truly blessed to have you as parents.
Thank you CR!
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