On Sunday, May 4th, I hugged my parents one last time before I went through the Atlanta airport security line. This was my first time flying alone and I was trying not to be nervous about the idea of being suspended over the Atlantic for eight hours. Compared to the others on my trip, my journey was uneventful: no delays, missed connections, or forgotten passports. I arrived in Dubrovnik around noon on Monday, and everyone was already starting to get to know each other. One of the last things my parents told me before I walked away was that most people study abroad with a friend. I hadn’t even considered the fact that I didn’t really know anyone until then. Monday, my goal was to talk to as many people as I could, and I think I did a pretty good job. Today, on Friday, I think I could name all fifty people on the trip.
Monday was a day of getting settled and exploring. Prior to the welcome dinner with local faculty that night, people dropped their bags and found lunch at a local bakery. Everyone talked in a local pub for the afternoon about hopes for the trip while we enjoyed local cuisine. The welcome dinner was at the dorms we were staying at, and soon after I went to bed.
Tuesday was our first day of class. Due to flight delays in Newark, some of our group didn’t get in until that afternoon, so class was shorter. In the morning, we walked to the University of Dubrovnik, and after we got lunch and went into Old Town. Here, we walked around the walls of Old Dubrovnik for about two hours. After, some friends and I found a Salvador Dali exhibit, then ate dinner and went back to the dorms. We also packed our bags this night, because on this trip we only stay in one hotel for about three days at a time.
Wednesday, everyone was here for class. It was a nice day, and after our studies a group of us rented a boat. The boat took us to underwater caves that we could swim in and we toured around the southern coast of Dubrovnik. Our last stop on the boat was at a small island where we could go on land and eat a quick lunch. After this, we went back to the dorms to move our things to the new hotel. This one was in the beach town of Dubrovnik, and a little farther from the school.
Thursday was very eventful. Our group had planned to go kayaking in the afternoon, but we had to be at the port earlier than expected. To accommodate this, we got off of class early and went to the beach. When we got there, the guide said that the conditions were too rough for the kayaks, so we’d have to wait until later. While we were trying to decide how to fill our time, someone noticed a camera crew. Turns out, The Amazing Race was being filmed in the city that day! We climbed up to a castle like tower and found where the competitors were completing a challenge and we cheered them on from above. Finally, the kayaks were ready, and we went on our trip around Old Town by boat. After this, my friends and I got dinner, and we went to bed.
Friday, both classes took their first exam. We spent the rest of the day at the beach cliff jumping and swimming. In celebration of being done with our midterms, that night we watched the sun set and sang karaoke at a local bar.
Today, we’re driving to our next cities- Split, Zadar, and Zagreb. School starts again on Monday, and next week we get to tour the bank of Croatia. Until later!