Maggie Stasko is a 21-year-old junior at Point Park University. She studies public relations, advertising, and multimedia. Maggie is currently an intern at Community Elf, a digital marketing company. She is passionate about live music, traveling, writing, and photography and cannot wait to get to see another part of the world.
pre-trip blog:
The time has finally come… almost. We’re in the middle of finals week, but we’re less than three weeks away from starting our trip!! Of course, I am beyond appreciative about having this experience and I would like to first and most importantly thank my parents for giving me the ability to take this journey on. I 100 percent could not have done it without you two.
Luckily enough, I have had a similar experience traveling abroad with my high school’s french club. We traveled for a little less than two weeks to France and Belgium. It was, again something I could never have done without my lovely parents help. Beyond that, the trip really helped me in becoming a fully well-rounded individual. I think it is so necessary to see cultures and lifestyles that differ from my own. For the knowledge I gained on my first trip abroad, I am forever grateful and hope to continue that while I travel to Iceland and Ireland.
There is so much to still get done before actually making the trip, and it is a little bit stressful. However, I am not worried because there is a beaming light at the end of the tunnel: exploring new countries and seeing how their media outlets function.
My goals are:
- enjoy every second
- eat amazing food&drink
- discover as much as possible
- expand my knowledge of foreign culture
- make connections with media outlets
- go to a hot spring (iceland)
- take photos
- journal my experiences
- make some friends
Sunday, May 14: Day one in Reykjavik, Iceland
After a sleeping through a meal and any drink offers on the plane, we finally landed in Keflavik, Iceland. The airport was beautifully designed with clear glass doors/walls and had wood floors. Customs was also a breeze and we were off to baggage claim. Unluckily enough, myself and two others on the trip had difficulty finding out suitcases. Mine had been left in JFK (our connecting flight location – even thought I had double checked that it had been pushed through to Reykjavik and wasn’t in JFK’s baggage claim) and the other two bags were left in Pittsburgh (where we began our journey – how this happened I have no idea). Of course it was beyond frustrating but I had loaded my carry-on with two outfits, two jackets, a hat, a scarf, travel size toiletries and my boots. Delta did inform me that my bag would arrive on Monday morning so if anything, it was a minor setback. I decided to not let it ruin my trip because it was pretty fixable.
One of the first pictures I took of Iceland’s landscape.
With all the luggage drama behind us for the moment, we joined the group on our tour bus and met our tour guides and trip planners: Helga, Rachel, and Jan. Helga introduced us to Iceland as we drove to Reykjavik. We a made stop at their President’s Residence, which was crazy for us to seen considering how protected The White House is. Iceland’s president has a subtle property with just a fence. It was suggested to keep our distance out of respect of his privacy.
Photo by Maggie Stasko of the President’s Residence. It is the second building, in front is a church.
The weather here is chilly and pretty windy, but nothing that will be able to ruin my trip. We had a decent amount of free time today to check out all of the shops and the area. It’s somewhat similar to Market Square in Pittsburgh with way more shops and a skate park in the center. I tried an Icelandic hot dog for lunch.
This hot dog is traditionally served with ketchup, french fried onions, mayonnaise & sweet mustard. I can proudly report that it was good!
After lunch, we finally were allowed to check into our hotel rooms. The room is equipped with two dorm style sized beds, a tv, a small room for the bathroom and then a separate room for the shower. The accommodations are greal and the water pressure in the shower is incredibly strong.
I didn’t want to nap today because I am trying to adjust to this time schedule. So Caite and I went all over Reykjavik. We went in a ton of shops and got coffee. I purchased an expensive crew neck sweater from 66 North (a brand comparable to North Face). Everything here is so expensive, I don’t understand how people live here. I asked a cashier and she told me that their minimum wage is around $16USD/hour and they take 32% out for taxes.
Caite and I saw so much street art that was all interesting and fun to look at.
We also attended a flea market and I almost spent $65 USD on vintage postcards. Also at the flea market, there was a fish market where I sampled another Icelandic delicacy: dried fish – sort of like flakey fish jerky. It was served by an adorable young man I introduced myself to because I couldn’t pronounce his name after he told it to me twice. The dried fish wasn’t as gross as I imagined, but the aftertaste was unpleasant.
Me shaking hands with the dried fish boy at Reykjavik’s indoor flea market.
Reykjavik has a lot of tourists shops with similar stuff for sale. We were out shopping for at least 3 hours. Then met our group for a pre dinner meeting.
Tonight’s dinner was had at the Reykjavik Restaurant. An appetizer of cauliflower soup, pork tenderloin & chocolate cake for dessert. I was starving, but the food was well thought out and tasted amazing.
To finish, I’d just like to acknowledge that it is in fact, Mother’s Day and my beautiful mom allowed me to miss her annual party for this trip. Thanks Sally, you’re the best.
Excited for tomorrow’s Golden Circle tour!!
May 15: The Golden Circle Tour
Today began after an amazing, well deserving night’s sleep. We got ready and headed down to the hotel’s breakfast in the basement, which was tasty. No decaf coffee, unfortunately, but the homemade granola and porridge completely made up for it. Breakfast came with good news too – my luggage hand landed in Iceland and was guaranteed to be delivered to our hotel within 12 hours!!
The majority of today was focused on The Golden Circle Tour. It is an all day adventure to all of Iceland’s hotspots – literally. We started around our hotel and learned of the first viking settlers in the 840’s and of Reykjavik’s National Holiday which is June 17. Helga says they are festivals and it “gets wild.”
My dad had the genius idea of bringing a pens playoff giveaway towel and everyone loved it!!
Our next stop was a 360 degree view of Reykjavik at a museum type place. It was windy, as expected, but beautiful. From here, we went to Iceland’s national park: Thingvellir. At the park, we walked through and touched the warm, steamy rocks. Little did we know that the North American tectonic plate and the European tectonic plate ended and began with it the pathway of the park. Near the park, we passed Iceland’s biggest lake, which is made from melted glacier water and is safe to drink!! 
After the park, we stopped at a dairy farm. We had farm fresh ice cream on homemade cones and got to see cows, mini horses, and 3 dogs. I had white chocolate ice cream and it was delicious. As we journeyed away from the farm, we saw a lot of sheep, too.
Following the farm were the geysers. The area was mostly flat with stream coming from the ground. There were roped off areas where hot springs were bubbling. The runoff, however, was cold. It smelled strongly of sulfur and there was a total of about 5 geysers. We saw Strokkur erupt 4 times. The first was like of scary because I wasn’t sure if the water would extend over the roped area and hit me. The water’s temperature was 80-100 degrees celsius. When the steam hits you, its warm and slightly wet. It was something I’ve never seen before and it was so cool.
Last stop on The Golden Circle Tour was Gulfoss, which is a very large waterfall. It was a hike to get to the good view. We went down 5 stories of steps to reach the path, where we were misted from the waterfall. From the path, it was a half of a mile to the scenic view. It was basically just roped off and I was surprised at how little protection from the waterfall was provided. I feel like that would never happen in the states. This stop was probably my favorite for the day because again, it was something I had never witnessed with my own eyes and it was breathtaking. We took almost an hour to capture the moment.
I took a pens playoff towel with me all day long to have some photos with it. A Canadian man told me that he only has pens players left in his fantasy league. And apparently there are some people from Ottawa in our hotel….
Tonight’s dinner is at Sky on the top floor of a hotel and we had a scallops appetizer, chicken marsala type dinner dinner, and a pineapple, lemony cream pie for dessert. Once again, amazing food here!
My luggage update: IT’S HERE!!
And now the trip is perfect.
Tomorrow we have our first two media visits and I’m asking questions at the Reykjavik Grapevine magazine. It’s going to be cool to interact with professionals here.
The six of us decided to go to a bar for an hour or so after our long day, and it was such a cool experience!! Headed to a bar called Lebowski Bar that was themed after the movie, The Big Lebowski. I haven’t seen it, but the idea was cool I got a gin & ginger The ginger ale here is so much more gingery and delicious than at home While there, Kristin recognized an actor, who we later got to meet It was Misha Collins from Supernatural He was accompanied with screenwriter, Derek Cianfrance, who is responsible for The Place Beyond The Pines – starring Ryan Gosling. Kristin also took one for the team and got a beer spilled on her by two Icelandic girls who fit us two free rounds. Even after leaving the bar around 12:30, the sun was only just setting. The experience here is a story I’m sure I’ll be telling for a while.
My friends and I with our new friends: Derek and Iris (Icelandic girl).
May 16: First Day of Media Visits (Promote Iceland & Reykjavik Grapevine)
So today started with a more serious attitude than the others and this was because we were beginning out visits to the media outlets. I was slightly nervous because I was partially in charge of getting the ball rolling asking questions at the Grapevine.
First stop was Promote Iceland – an advertising agency that focusing on promoting visiting Iceland. We met with Sveinn Birkir Bjornsson, who in my eyes, is basically a genius. The entire company are. They focus on their authenticity of their people and that’s it. They promote Iceland in a way that I have never seen before using videos that prove they are the most welcoming, nice, funny, adventurous and truly do want us all to visit Iceland. I asked him a question about humor being lost in translation. His response floored me (and Darlene – as we talked about it multiple times throughout the trip). My question was along the lines that if someone who didn’t understand the humor in the campaign of the old fat men in a hot spring talking about washing their bits before jumping in, or found it offensive – how they work on that. Sveinn said that if someone’s culture didn’t agree with the campaign or they didn’t understand the jokes, then Iceland wasn’t for them. He said Icelanders aren’t trying to change to be the place for everyone. This concept was inspiring to me. He always told us of an Icelandic saying,”answer the door in the clothes you’re already wearing” – another example of how great the attitudes of the Icelandic people are.
to During our lunch break, Kristin, Jess, Coleen, Caite, Nicole & myself were approached by two Icelandic girls who asked us if we had any free time. Ironically enough, we were looking to kill an hour and a half. They asked us to be extras in a music video. We followed the girls to Hurra (which was really cool to see because it’s a concert venue I studied during the semester). While waiting for the filming to begin, we chatted with Solrun, a 20 something year old living in Reykjavik with her girlfriend. These two were the stars of Karo’s Overnight music video. It’s apparently going to be on youtube within 3 weeks. (If it is, I’ll link it here).
It was so cool to go to the Hurra because I wrote about it in class being one of Iceland’s live music venues.
After we finished starring in the video, we headed to Reykjavik Grapevine – a free, cheeky, cultural magazine run by some of the coolest dudes I’ve met. The way these guys talked about their publication was completely inspiring. It was started by a 21 year old, 14 years ago. The language works for both Icelandic people and tourists. They said they write more than just the time and date of an event – more of what the core of it is. The Grapevine has a Best Of issue that comes out four times a year and takes a great deal of planning; they also host music awards. It stuck out to me when one of the layout designers said, “it’s okay to have a voice in journalism.” It just seemed like they were a group of guy friends who collected were passionate about the same things and created something meaningful with it. Crazily enough, none of them had traditional training or schooling. Self taught and doing great things.
Once our visits had be completed for the day, we came together as a group and discussed our opinions of the trips It was unanimous that they were enlightening and refreshing and we all loved their work.
The six of us (same 6 as before), had previously planned and booked a trip to the Blue Lagoon with our tour guide, Rachel. So we took about an hour bus ride to the hot spring. Once there, we upgraded our package to include a beverage and two mud masks and a towel (which comes in more handy than you’d think considering it’s chilly outside walking in your bathing suit to the water. First thing you have to do is shower because it a culturally frowned upon to enter a hot spring dirty. It’s also recommended to condition the heck out of your hair because the steam and hot water really dry it out. Looking back, I wish I would’ve put more in. I had strawberry sparking wine, a silica mud mask, an algae mask, and a freaking relaxing few hours. The Blue Lagoon is a MUST.
You know, the more I think about talking about this trip, the more I feel like Ryan from The Office when he returns from his trip to Thailand. He asks Pam and Michael if they’re ever going to ask him about his trip and they do and he responds saying it was indescribable.
It is now almost 2 am, it’s not even pitch black yet and we’re leaving for Dublin around 3. Tomorrow is going to be as always, exciting but equally exhausting.
May 17, Journey to Dublin:
After returning back from the lagoon around 11:00, we had about 4 hours to kill before we were heading to the airport to leave Iceland. So we stayed awake – showering and packing and face timing (because it was a good time in the states) and before we knew it, it was time to leave our beloved Iceland.
The airport situation in Iceland is the smoothest process ever. Customs is a breeze. Our flight did get delayed a little so we didn’t leave the country until around 7,
still no sleep.
We flew Wow Airlines, which means the plane is decked out in pink, but the seats were roomy and i even got about 2 hours of sleep while flying. I was woken up by what I thought was us landing, however it wasn’t. Our plane touched down for a split second and shot right back up into the sky. They said it was a no go on landing and we’d try again in 5 minutes. The second time was the charm though and we had arrived in Dublin.
Their airport system isn’t as smooth, but it didn’t matter to me because my luggage was with me!! We met our Ireland tour guide and bus driver, the two cutest older men in the world: Joe and Mick.
I was surprised at how warm it was, definitely in the 60’s. Our first stop was food – we went to KC Peaches, which reminded me of Bluebird Kitchen in Pgh., except way bigger and more options. I ate from the buffet/prepared food section and got some chicken, pork, and vegetables. It was really tasty. After shopping around in a few tourist shops, we met back with the group to go to the Parliament tour. The tour was kind of difficult to pay attention to considering how exhausted we all were. But we did get to meet some members of the senate and watch them work.
We finally arrived at hour apartment/hotel around 4 p.m. and got our rooms. They’re just like a college suite and we are now in a room for four, with Emily, Chloe &. Cait. We had to grocery shop for breakfast foods because our apartments don’t offer breakfast. I got some cereal, fruit and wine – only -3 euros. Really refreshing because in Iceland it would’ve been close to 30 USD.
Dinner was located at the Brazen Head and we ate greek salad, Guinness stew, and chocolate cake. I got a Smithwick’s Pale Ale. It was 6 euros for a pint and it was delicious. Dinner finished at 9 and I immediately went to sleep after.
May 18, Dublin:
Today at Dublin City University, we had a very interesting lecture with a professor. She spoke of Ireland media, television, and their Future Journalism Media project. She taught me things about Ireland that were shocking – like their censorship of media. the We also ate at their cafeteria, which was different from ours but somewhat the same. I had time to interview some students for my article on Irish Millennial Fashion, which was fun! I took photos, got some names, and had some funny rejection interactions with students. They’re in their final weeks so it was hard, as a student who’s dealt with finals week, to interrupt their day. However, they were all very nice! And their campus was beautiful!
We also visited Harmonia, which is the largest publisher of Irish magazines. We learned about sales, advertising and editorial/creative parts of the magazines they own. Their advertising approach is very smart and I was impressed by their ideas. Listening to the editor of Food & Wine speak taught me that soft skills, such as politeness and organization are sometimes more important than that learned in classrooms. They were equally inspiring.
We are on our own for dinner and the evening. I’m not sure what we are going to get ourselves into. However, I am sure that it will be with my 5 friends in the group.
Also in Dublin, it is my groups turn to ask locals about Trump. It’s an assignment to see the outside world’s reaction to the United States’ President.
We went to dinner at Trinity Bar. I ordered Bangers & Mash with Caesar salad and a Guinness. It was traditional and really good! They had live music, but the opened with Coldplay… They were still good though!
After dinner, we talked to some locals and then headed to another bar that was very empty called the Czech Inn. After spending a half an hour or so there, we returned for the night.
May 19, Dublin:
Today, we headed to visit with PR Agency, Heneghan, and the Press Photographers Association of Ireland. For both of these visits, we met in a hotel conference room. They offered water, coffee, and pastries (chocolate croissants) which was nice because we weren’t going to have time for lunch.
Heneghan PR was very interesting to hear about for many reasons. One of the being that the CEO was who we’re meeting with, along with his American intern, Mariah. They were super informative and helpful about their work, getting internships, and applying for jobs. Really good people, I felt. It was great to see Mariah in a position that I potentially could do if I wanted to. Their PR Firm focuses on crisis communications, which is something I found interesting. Their slogan was, “If you don’t like the conversation, influence it.” 
Our next presentations was from PPAI – Michael Chester, their president spoke to us about photography. He was a character and had amazing stories of taking criminals photos, celebrities, and so much more. Could’ve listened to him talk about his passions all day long.
That concluded our media visits for the day and so we were off to Trinity College to tour the campus and see the Book of Kells (something I wasn’t too interested in, but the library within the museum was beautiful!)
On our own for dinner tonight again, so we decided to go to O’Neills to try and watch the rugby match. The restaurant was like a maze, three different stair cases, lunch trays, no hostesses – seat yourself and order on the buffet. We couldn’t find a seat for 6 so we had to split up. After we finally figured out how to order, I got the fish and chips. It was delicious – partially because I was starving but also because it was freshly made to order. Made to order items took an extra 20 minutes, so we were there for over an hour. Then we popped into a few bars and went to a dancing one – mainly for Colleen, but we all had a blast!
Today was my dad’s birthday and I forgot to send him a video!! Sorry dad, I’ll get you one today. I’ve got to get him the best gift ever, considering he gifted me this trip.
May 20, Dublin:
Today we allowed ourselves a much needed extra two hours of sleep, which felt incredible. And I actually had some hot water for my shower! (The apartments we’re staying in have only a 20-gallon hot water tank and living with 3 other girls, I’ve mostly had cold showers here).
We went to Grafton Street, which is the main shopping area. We popped in and out of all the shops and got lunch and coffee. I bought jeans at Topshop (ones that I’ve had before that I wore so much, I ripped holes in) and a new carry-on suitcase. We really loved a store called Penney’s – no relation to JC Penny’s and the only one in the states is in Boston.
For lunch we ate a local pub, it was good. I had a burger and the best part was the Irish cheese. After lunch, we met Colleen who was spending her morning at a few museums.
Since it was our free day, we were given transportation cards to use the buses, trains, and trolley (Dart) systems. We wanted to see the water so we headed to Bray. It did take a while but it was worth it!! We ate a fancy restaurant for dinner called Ocean Bar & Grille. I had seafood chowder and Irish barbecue beef. The five of us split a bottle of Prosecco. On the dart, we met a group of guys who were playing Heads Up on the phone. We all took a turn playing. It was fun!
However when we got off the Dart, it was a little bit difficult to find our way home. But we made it! Once in the room, we had to pack and prepare for our train ride in the morning for Belfast.
May 21, Belfast:
We took a train from Dublin to Belfast. It was a nice way of transporting considering it was scenic. Once we got there, we took a bus tour around. We saw their parliament building. We got to see the Titanic shipyards and museum from a distance. If there’s one thing I wish we had time for on this trip, it was the Titanic Museum. Right near here is where they film Game of Thrones, I couldn’t believe that I was so close, yet so far away from the Iron Throne!!
Rainy day in Belfast
Titanic Shipyards
We stopped at City Hall for a quick walk through and lunch! I had a deconstructed ham sandwich. It was good – minus the dill. Dill seems to be big here and I’m not a fan. Then Caite and I shared a piece of cheesecake that was possibly the best thing I ate on the trip. It was barely sweet and the best consistency ever. I unfortunately do not have a picture of it.
Continuing on the tour, we stopped at Belfast Castle. We didn’t go inside, but we walked around the garden which was themed after cats – not real ones.
We also stopped to sign the peace walls – which are symbolic in Belfast from their former and current divide in religion. Tonight’s dinner was at McHugh’s. It was a group dinner but we were able to choose from a set menu. I had salad, chicken and a potato pancake, and sticky toffee pudding for dessert.
After dinner, a group of us went to a pub called The Dirty Onion. It was humorous because the majority of the bar was filled with Americans.
May 22, Belfast:
Today, we have two media visits including BBC Northern Ireland and Irish News, which is one of the top newspapers in the area. We walked to these locations because they are all fairly close in Belfast.
It was so cool to see that they had a touch screen ordering system, different menu items and different dipping sauces. Of course, we got 20-piece nuggets because USA doesn’t sell them, as well as cheeseburgers and fries. Caitlin got an apple pie and I got a Cadbury McFlurry. Both delicious- different than home, but somehow still the same.
After dinner, we went to Cosgrove’s Pub across from our hotel. This place apparently has extremely local customers, so as soon as we walked in, they knew we were foreigners. Multiple people sat down and talked with us about their lives and what we were doing. It definitely attracts an older crowd, but I don’t mind that at all because they have a story to tell. We stayed here for a few drinks and then headed back to the hotel to pack.
Church in city of Kells
The next stop was for lunch and we ate a small cafe. I got a sandwich called ‘Get Stuffed’ that had all the components of a Thanksgiving dinner in it.
Once we arrived in Galway, we got our rooms and had a group discussion about our media visits and Belfast in general. We were on our own for dinner. I, once again, got fish and chips. It’s a safe that I know I’ll like and it’s always tasty. We went to a few pubs. On our walk home, we stopped to listen to this 10-12 piece band called Galway Street Club which is made up of a bunch of talented people from all over (one even from New Mexico). Really enjoyed listening for a while but then we headed home for the night.
May 24, Galway:
Today, we were able to sleep in and I ended up skipping breakfast because I wanted to eat up some of my snacks.
We had one media visit at Galway Bay FM Radio station. It was cool to see how a local station works. We met with their promotions intern and the host of one of their news morning shows. It was going very smoothly until one girl on our trip passed out. The studio was extremely hot with half of our group in this tiny studio room. It was scary but thankfully she is doing fine!!
From our visit, we went straight into town and shopped around, got some sticky toffee pudding ice cream, watched street performers and met a train conductor/tour guide. He offered us a tour for 5 euros. We got to see Salthill Beach and a few other tourist stops. The train was cute and it was a nice break from all the walking. On our walk back, we stopped to listen to Galway Street Club again. They’re really good! Definitely going to check out if they have their music online.
Views from Salthill
A few of us decided to stay in for the night as we are all running low on money and need to catch up on some blogging/work. We ate at our hotel, the Travel Lodge. I had fish and chips – which is incredible in Ireland.
Now we’re just hanging out and packing again because tomorrow we leave for Bunratty for the Cliffs of Moher and a castle dinner. Can’t wait!
and yes I’m still supporting the pens!!
May 25, Galway/Bunratty
Today we departed from Galway. We took a scenic route to our final destination, Bunratty. On our trip, we saw some castle ruins and a lot of cattle, sheep, horses and even llamas.
We made a 20 minute stop to this national park that’s privately owned. It was covered in pieces of limestone. It was really cool to be honest. Fun to hop from stone to stone. There was a class there on a field trip and the kids were adorable in their uniforms. Very scenic stop!!
Our main stop of the day was the Cliffs of Moher. We had a two hour stop so we could walk the cliffs and get lunch. These cliffs were enormous and beautiful and somewhat scary. Once again, Europe trusts its people and tourists much more than I feel America ever will. Near the edge of the cliffs there is nothing but natural rock boundaries and signs. Anyone could easily slip/fall/jump/tumble off of them. However, we safely saw them and got as close and I felt comfortable. It was breathtaking to see. I have never seen anything quite like these cliffs. We took so many pictures.
I had a quick lunch with Nicole and Caitlin and then back on the bus for our journey to our final hotel in Bunratty. We have dinner at an old castle tonight and then in the morning, we leave for JFK. I’m so glad we were able to see Irish countryside. It’s much more of what I pictured Ireland to be.
Fun fact about the Cliffs of Moher – one of their bathrooms on the first floor is completely neutral. Men and women stand in the same line and wait for a stall to open. I thought it was really cool to see considering how big an issue this in back home.
Our final hotel is adorable – probably my favorite so far. One thing I don’t like about Irish hotels is the lack of air conditioning. I understand it’s not needed all the time, but it’s a nice touch when it’s getting stuffy with shower steam and hair dryers.
May 26: Bunratty/JFK/PGH???
The morning started as I woke up feeling well rested (probably because I fell asleep at 10:30 the night before). Cait and I got ready and packed and headed to breakfast. We were able to order from the menu, which was nice. I got Eggs Benedict. I’ve never had it before but it was really delicious. At breakfast, we received some bad news: our flight from Ireland to JFK had been delayed a few hours, which could mean that we will miss our connecting flight to Pittsburgh. If this is to happen, we will be put in a hotel near JFK for a flight to Pittsburgh tomorrow, 5/27.
Although this news wasn’t ideal to receive, it happens. And once someone agrees to travel, these are the things they should prepare for and expect. It’s not that bad, I mean I don’t like airports as much as the next guy, but I’m not going to let a hiccup like this (or like my
lost luggage) ruin my trip/day.
For now, we are waiting in the Shannon Airport near Bunratty, Ireland.
What a day. After being delayed for 4 hours in Ireland, We had to taxi for over 20 minutes and stay in the air for an extra 20 minutes for some reason. We sprinted to our next gate to find out that our connecting flight had already left.
This is when everyone lost it. It was, of course, upsetting to realize that we wouldn’t be home that night. But the way some of the group reacted is what really upset me.
We received food and hotel vouchers. A group of us ventured to Kmart on a toothpaste and underwear run and then ate burger king on our beds in the hotel room.
As far as flights home, the group had been divided. 5 people took a flight to Cleveland (their luggage never made it though), someone’s boyfriend drove up and they got a hotel room for the night, and the remaining 15 of us are all on direct flights today (5/27) to Pittsburgh.
Our night at the 5 Town Inn was honestly enjoyable. We were completely exhausted and got to sleep in until 9!! However the time difference woke me up around 4 (9 am Ireland time) but I was able to fall back asleep. We got a continental breakfast and have been shuttled to the airport.
May 27, JFK, Pittsburgh!!:
(The first group of 5 traveled to LaGuardia around 10 am.)
Our group of 10 are all Sky Priority and made it through security very easily. We are currently using our $15 vouchers at Buffalo Wild Wings. After dealing with the hassle of having 10 bills with 10 different vouchers and 10 remaining totals, we finished up lunch and headed to our gate.
Unfortunately, we got delayed about an hour and found out that our plane was overbooked. Delta was offering $700 to anyone willing to give up their seats and take the next flight out to Pittsburgh – which was later this same evening. Darlene and Trevor took Delta up on this offer. I wish I would have too!!
As we boarded the flight, Cait, Jess & I were all first class, first row – which was really nice considering everything we’d been through trying to get home. It was a quick flight, I just watched a movie and we were there!
Our luggage was held at the Delta Customer Service counter. We descended down the escalator and I spotted my parents! We hugged and they gave me flowers. Finally, I was home.
May 30, North Huntingdon:
As I begin to put my final touches on my blog and finish my assignments for International Media, I am overcome with emotions. I feel blessed to have had the experiences on this trip with likeminded people I enjoyed spending time with. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only get to witness and live in another culture for a period of time, but to make connections with professionals in my field, was incredible.
I would once again like to thank my family for allowing me to make the trip, my friends (on and off the trip) who supported me and made me enjoy every second, and lastly my professors/tour guides, thank you for providing students this opportunity and making it worthwhile.
xo, Maggie