I am no stranger to the Newark International Airport, traveling from their on several occasions this summer. However, this was the first time I have traveled internationally from Newark. Everything was similar to the domestic flights, except for the length and the fact that we flew through the night. After not sleeping the entire flight, we arrived around 6am in Dublin, having not slept for about 24 hours. The day we arrived was rough, with a packed schedule, and no opportunity to sneak in a quick nap. I made it through the day, and had the best nights sleep of my life after that.
The first week in Belfast was a great opportunity to get to know everyone, as well as get crucial training for the next ten months. It was a pleasure getting to know the other scholars, learning where they came from, and sharing our motivation and inspirational stories with each other. While we were being trained most of the time, we also had the opportunity to have some fun in this first week. Probably my most memorable event of the week was visiting Cave Hill and hiking to the top. Some of the sights were once in a lifetime experiences, and some of the pictures I took were breathtaking. We also got to experience the nightlife in Belfast, which turned out to be a great time. Being able to hang out with the other scholars in a less structured environment was an awesome time, and we all had a lot of fun
