Kendall Flake
Blog 4
The day has finally come when the trip of a lifetime has come to an end. UA in the Caribbean will always have a place in my heart as I will never ever forget this past month.
When I first got on my flight to come to St. Maarten I was filled with some nerves and excitement, but still a lot of nerves about the experience, classes, and if I was going to make friends.
Well an entire month later, I have memories that will last a lifetime, an excellent final project critiqued by brilliant professors, and friendships so close I could never have even imagined making.
UA in the Caribbean has genuinely changed my life and I will never forget the time I spend on this island and can not wait until I get the opportunity to come back and relive all the moments I have made here.
But taking a second to look inside the classroom on our last day of class, the professors asked us what did we think, and if there was anything that we could improve on or any overall comments. I had to add my input and say that I have never had better relationships with my teachers ever, especially at the collegiate level. I felt like we had made a special connection being here on the island and that made me not nervous to ask for help or to say hey could you take a look at this. And in the end, they really did build up my educational confidence. I have gained that on the trip as well as a campaign that I will be proud to put in my professional portfolio, which really reassured my decision to come on this trip.
Looking at this past month from an experience-based level is one I will never be able to measure. I have spent countless moments trying to make sense of how my life was before this trip and before meeting these people and I can not justify it other than saying we were all meant to come on this trip and leave it at that. We have all bonded over silly moments, and looking at the sunset as it seemed to have perfectly wrapped up our entire experience on one of the last nights, to be able to look on my phone and see over what seems like a million photos of my new best friends doing everything that the island had to offer with the largest smiles on there faces. Those memories will last a lifetime.
And those laughs that I have had will keep me alive for thousands of years.
But looking into the future I can not wait to get back to Tuscaloosa and to continue to build my friendships with the people I have met here, as well as my professional relationship with Doctor Hayes and Doctor VanDyke as I head into my senior year at school.
So to that, I say goodbye to UA in the Caribbean, but hello to the new friends, see you in the fall!
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