{"id":14519,"date":"2026-08-07T08:29:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/?p=14519"},"modified":"2026-08-07T11:14:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T16:14:55","slug":"a-day-in-the-life-study-abroad-edition-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/a-day-in-the-life-study-abroad-edition-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"A Day in the Life: Study Abroad Edition\u00a0(Part I)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e021e5f610371b7d0d2043f5236cd9f7\">\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea&nbsp;Ireland (June 9\u201314, 2026)&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ireland was our first stop, and honestly, I&nbsp;couldn&#8217;t&nbsp;have asked for a better introduction to Europe. Every day was a mix of learning, sightseeing, and just enough free time to explore on our own. Looking back, it was the perfect balance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-832f9c6cc4738f3803d56950139b2cb6\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 10 | Welcome to Dublin!&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>9:45 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Arrive in Dublin \u2708\ufe0f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After months of planning (and anxiously checking that I packed my passport approximately 47 times), we finally landed in Ireland!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>10:45 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Airport transfer&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Health &amp; Safety Orientation&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Received our public transportation pass&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Checked into Dublin City University&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One thing I appreciated right away was that we were given public transportation passes. Before the trip, using another country&#8217;s transit system sounded intimidating, but having unlimited access made it so much easier to get comfortable navigating Dublin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udf74&nbsp;<strong>Lunch:<\/strong>&nbsp;On your own&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was our first chance to explore and figure out Irish caf\u00e9s!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2:00 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Dublin City Tour&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was honestly the perfect first activity because it helped us get our bearings while learning about Dublin&#8217;s history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4:15 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 St. Patrick&#8217;s Cathedral&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of those places that feels even more impressive in person than it does in photos.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>7:00 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Welcome Dinner &amp; Celtic Nights Show&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was such a fun way to kick off the trip. Great food, traditional Irish music, dancing, and the excitement of realizing, &#8220;We&#8217;re actually here.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-78034898eba6a80066edf154b9c27ecb\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 11 | Educational Leadership &amp; Coastal Ireland&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2615 Breakfast &#8211; we were provided meal passes to enjoy at the campus cafeteria and it was delicious!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>10:00 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Academic visit with the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As someone working in higher education while pursuing my doctorate, I loved hearing how educational leadership works in Ireland and comparing it to the U.S.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>12:00 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Train to Howth&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This ended up being one of my favorite afternoons of the entire Ireland&nbsp;portion&nbsp;of the trip.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:35% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Howth-Cruise-1-768x1024.png\" alt=\"Danielle on study abroad trip.\" class=\"wp-image-14520 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Howth-Cruise-1-768x1024.png 768w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Howth-Cruise-1-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Howth-Cruise-1-300x400.png 300w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Howth-Cruise-1.png 1086w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We explored the harbor, grabbed lunch at a small local fish&nbsp;market,&nbsp;had the best fish and chips&nbsp;I\u2019ve&nbsp;ever had in my life, took a boat cruise, and had time to hike and enjoy the coastline. If&nbsp;you&#8217;ve&nbsp;never heard of Howth before, add it to your list. Seriously.&nbsp;It&#8217;s&nbsp;beautiful!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&nbsp;evening&nbsp;we headed back to Dublin where some of us watched the World Cup together before exploring places like Temple Bar and other local pubs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-778cf0cfe03815c128269eddeb59a6f9\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 12 | Learning at Dublin City University&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was definitely our most academic day,&nbsp;and&nbsp;also one of the most valuable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We met with the Higher Education Authority before spending the afternoon at Dublin City University attending research workshops.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the topics included:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Researcher bias and reflexivity&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Design-Based Research&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Making research more accessible to the public&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As someone currently working on my dissertation, I&nbsp;filled&nbsp;pages of notes during these sessions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&nbsp;evening&nbsp;we had&nbsp;the&nbsp;option&nbsp;to grab&nbsp;dinner with our DCU partners, which gave us an opportunity to continue conversations outside of the classroom, or we were free to spend the evening on our own. Half of the group stayed and grabbed dinner with our DCU partners, and the other half went back to the dorm to&nbsp;rest up&nbsp;for the next day!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bc847123286be5d5213f644639595f44\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 13 | History, Books &amp; Guinness&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our final full day in Ireland packed in several iconic experiences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2615 Morning at Dublin City University&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udf74 Lunch with DCU partners&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udcda Trinity College &amp; the Book of Kells&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seeing the Long Room library in person honestly felt surreal. Pictures absolutely&nbsp;don&#8217;t&nbsp;do it justice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 38%\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udf7a Guinness Storehouse&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if Guinness&nbsp;isn&#8217;t&nbsp;your drink of choice, I still recommend visiting. The building itself is impressive, the history is fascinating, and the panoramic views of Dublin from the top are incredible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Guinness, we took the bus to The Church Caf\u00e9&nbsp;Bar&nbsp;which was a beautiful, thoughtfully converted 18th Century Church with amazing food, drinks, and&nbsp;Irish music and dancing!&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end of the day, it was hard to believe everything&nbsp;we&#8217;d&nbsp;already experienced in just four days.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Guiness-tour-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Danielle on a tour with her fiance.\" class=\"wp-image-14521 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Guiness-tour-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Guiness-tour-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Guiness-tour-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Guiness-tour-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Guiness-tour.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9aa1b36c4a0206b7a7ce96738925dc0b\">\ud83c\udff4 Scotland&nbsp;(June 14\u201317, 2026)&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scotland somehow managed to feel completely different from Ireland while still being equally incredible. Edinburgh looked like something straight out of a storybook with castles, cobblestone streets, centuries-old buildings, and bagpipes playing as we walked down the Royal Mile. If&nbsp;you&#8217;re&nbsp;a history lover like I am,&nbsp;you&#8217;ll&nbsp;probably never&nbsp;want to leave. Edinburgh is&nbsp;in&nbsp;my top 3 favorite places I have ever been to!&nbsp;Also, if you are a Harry Potter fan, add Edinburgh to your bucket list!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7740faa34586f85925fcdfb05441d660\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 14 | Welcome to Edinburgh!&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2615 Breakfast on our own before an early travel day.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>6:15 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Check out of Dublin City University&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was hard saying goodbye to Ireland, but we were excited for the next adventure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2708\ufe0f&nbsp;<strong>10:20 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Flight from Dublin to Edinburgh&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By this point, airports were already starting to feel much less intimidating than they had just a few days earlier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>11:40 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Welcome to Scotland!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After arriving in Edinburgh, we met our local staff, checked into our hotel, grabbed lunch nearby, and had a little time to freshen up before heading back out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udeb6&nbsp;<strong>4:00 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Old Town &amp; Royal Mile Walking Tour&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&nbsp;can&#8217;t&nbsp;think of a better introduction to Edinburgh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Walking through Old Town felt like stepping back in time.&nbsp;Every street had centuries of history, and it seemed like there was something interesting around every corner. The Royal Mile quickly became one of my favorite areas because there was so much to see, from historic buildings and churches to local shops and street performers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f Dinner was on our own, which gave us another opportunity to explore the city and try local restaurants.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By the end of the day, I was already wondering how&nbsp;a place could possibly be this beautiful.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9fdce2f101a3951fc0750cc2af69ba34\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 15 | Castles &amp; Royal History&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breakfast was included at the hotel, which was delicious and convenient!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udff0&nbsp;<strong>10:30 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Edinburgh Castle&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was easily one of my favorite historical sites from the entire trip.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Tarleton study abroad group in Scotland.\" class=\"wp-image-14522 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/Edinburgh-Scottland-Castle-group-photo-1568x1176.jpg 1568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As someone who loves history, walking through a castle&nbsp;that&#8217;s&nbsp;been standing for hundreds of years was surreal. Everywhere you looked there was another incredible view or another fascinating piece of Scottish history.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re planning a visit, definitely wear comfortable shoes because you&#8217;ll be&nbsp;doing a lot of walking, but it&#8217;s absolutely worth it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udf74 Lunch on our own: I used this time to grab a quick bite on the go, explore&nbsp;Victoria&nbsp;Street, and go shopping! I went to a local artisan market and bought one of my favorite pieces painted by a local artist of the colorful Victoria Street.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc51&nbsp;<strong>2:00 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Palace of&nbsp;Holyroodhouse&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After lunch, we visited the official royal residence in Scotland. Between the beautiful architecture, gardens, and history, it was another reminder that we were seeing places&nbsp;I&#8217;d&nbsp;only ever read about before.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rest of the evening was free to relax, explore, or enjoy another dinner in Edinburgh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-tarleton-purple-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e00bd2da13391174abac47c684832b88\">\ud83d\udcc5 June 16 | Loch Lomond &amp; Farewell Dinner&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This was one of my favorite days of&nbsp;the&nbsp;entire study abroad experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\ude8c&nbsp;<strong>9:00 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Coach ride to Loch Lomond&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the drive to a destination is just as beautiful as the destination itself, and this was definitely one of those days.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udea4&nbsp;<strong>11:30 AM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Loch Lomond Cruise&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pictures simply&nbsp;don&#8217;t&nbsp;do this&nbsp;place&nbsp;justice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mountains, the water, the fresh air&#8230;everything about Loch Lomond was peaceful. It was one of those places that&nbsp;makes&nbsp;you stop talking for a minute because&nbsp;you&#8217;re&nbsp;just taking everything in.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We had free time afterward to grab lunch and explore the area before heading back to Edinburgh.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f&nbsp;<strong>7:30 PM<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Farewell Dinner&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our final dinner together was bittersweet.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the past week, our group had gone from classmates to travel&nbsp;buddies.&nbsp;We&#8217;d&nbsp;navigated&nbsp;airports together,&nbsp;explored&nbsp;new cities together,&nbsp;laughed&nbsp;through unexpected moments, and&nbsp;learned&nbsp;so much from one another. Saying goodbye to the academic&nbsp;portion&nbsp;of our trip felt much harder than I expected.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was the perfect way to celebrate everything&nbsp;we&#8217;d&nbsp;experienced together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Although our trip had come to an end, this was only the first half of my abroad adventures. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/a-day-in-the-life-study-abroad-edition-part-ii\/\">Check out part II for more.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddea&nbsp;Ireland (June 9\u201314, 2026)&nbsp; Ireland was our first stop, and honestly, I&nbsp;couldn&#8217;t&nbsp;have asked for a better introduction to Europe. Every day was a mix of learning, sightseeing, and just enough &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":687,"featured_media":14552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":210,"footnotes":""},"categories":[210,228],"tags":[223,145],"class_list":["post-14519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-graduate-studies","category-study-abroad","tag-graduate-studies","tag-study-abroad"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/27.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Blake Smith","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/author\/bsmith1\/"},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Blake Smith","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/author\/bsmith1\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/36\/2026\/08\/27-300x158.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/category\/admission\/graduate-studies\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Graduate Studies<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/category\/study-abroad\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Study Abroad<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Graduate Studies<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Study Abroad<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/category\/study-abroad\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Graduate Studies<\/a>","<a href=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/category\/study-abroad\/\" class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Study Abroad<\/a>"],"unlinked":["<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Graduate Studies<\/span>","<span class=\"advgb-post-tax-term\">Study Abroad<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 day ago","modified":"Updated 1 day ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 7, 2026","modified":"Updated on August 7, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 7, 2026 8:29 am","modified":"Updated on August 7, 2026 11:14 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/687"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14519"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14555,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14519\/revisions\/14555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/becomeatexan\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}