International Life

Article

International Life

ID # 3734

Hey y’all!  My name is Elizabeth Lauffer and I am a senior in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I was born and raised in Durham, North Carolina and the “bull city” will always be near and dear to my heart.

In fall 2010, I spent a semester abroad at the University College Dublin (UCD) in Dublin, Ireland.  As I boarded my US Airways flight in early September, I had no idea the adventure that lay before me.  In only a few short months, I returned home with a handful of life-long international friends and a new global perspective of the world that I live in.

After a night of turbulent traveling, I arrived in Dublin being kindly welcomed by pouring rain (perfectly fitting for Ireland, I suppose).  I found myself surrounded by a concrete jungle of a campus without a single familiar face in site.  Despite my fears and insecurities, I quickly came to find that my fellow international exchange students were friendly and welcoming.

Throughout the semester I spent my free time traveling all over Ireland and the UK with my new-found partners in crime.  I will never forget the weekend that we went on a road trip down the coast to a jazz music festival in Cork.  Let’s just say, it took some time for the Canadians to get used to driving on the left side of the road.

Since I have returned from my semester in Ireland, I have been fortunate enough to have opportunities to continue my international travels.  I spent last summer visiting my friends in all of their home towns.  It was absolutely incredible to be able to experience the culture of a country through the life of a friend who has always lived there.  I have a drndl hanging in my closet that constantly reminds me of the fun I had dancing the night away at a Bavarian ball in Ingolstadt, Germany.  Without my amazing international friends, my traveling experience would never have been so intimate and unforgettable.

Although it often seems difficult to keep in touch, these friends will always be in my life.  I owe them for all of the wonderful experiences that they have given to me and for the amazing stories that they have shared with me.