The Riviera - Daily Blog

by Katherine Stachowski | 12/30/2022 | Spain

When I was asked to chaperone this trip I couldn’t pass it up. What an incredible opportunity to spend 9 days abroad, visiting 3 countries with so many Limestone students, including 8 of my women’s lacrosse student-athletes. A lot of people don’t understand careers in higher education, especially coaching. They don’t get why we work long hours and holidays, why we always have our phones on us awaiting a text or phone call from a student-athlete, or what we do in the office (FYI it isn’t all X’s and O’s..not even close) why the little moments mean so much. We have the unique opportunity to stand alongside our students as they walk through some of the most formative years of their lives. We are beside them when they’re homesick, or adapting to new cultures (shoutout to our international students), as they adjust to different time demands, and higher expectations in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.

Walking alongside them in this experience is just another piece of the puzzle. It’s the little reassurances in the ticketing line and through security and customs to so many of our students that have limited experience flying and so many of whom have never left the country, It is learning new phrases in Catalan, eating new foods, like paella, croquettes, stonefish, monkfish, and squid. It’s walking through the streets, trying to keep up with our incredible tour guide as phones are in the air trying to capture pictures-just trying to lock in that one moment in time. It’s learning the Spanish metro system..and having to turn around a few times when we were heading the wrong direction and being mesmerized by the architecture and stained glass windows in La Sagrada Familia-the largest building in Barcelona and a completely unique and treasured cathedral and the center of the city. It’s ringing in the New Year in the future (6 hours ahead of EST) as our crew danced all throughout the restaurant and got the entire place off their seats. It’s watching the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes as the countdown to the New Year commences-the entire place in silence for those 12 seconds as they race to complete their task before celebrating with everyone around them.

 It’s connecting with so many students and hearing them say how much they value the opportunity to connect with their peers that they haven’t gotten the chance to know yet. Cheering them on as they take on challenges with language barriers and currency differences. It’s hearing them ask to recreate moments from past trips, not yet realizing that it’s THEIR stories that future students will want to recreate. It’s the memories that last a lifetime, the bonds that are created, and the doors that are open for our students to experience something so many of them could only have dreamed of. It’s for them to realize that they too belong to this world, to make the places they leave a little bit better and to take a small piece of it home with them. And it’s just the beginning. Barcelona, you have been so good to us, and we can’t wait to see what Monaco and Southern France have for us as we continue this journey.

by Josh Strickland | 01/03/2023 | Monaco

So often today, many people (including myself) become so absorbed in our own daily lives that we forget about the lives that are lived by those around us and those who came before us, each with its own unique history and perspective. 

We often tend to only focus on our own little world with little regard for what is going on outside of it. It is quite easy to focus our attention on what is inside of the bubble that we create for ourselves, and it has been made far easier during the recent Covid pandemic, in which each and every one of us were forced to isolate ourselves from one another. 

However, with the world opening back up, it is important to remind ourselves that there is more to the world than what we see when going about our consistent routines. The greatest lesson, although certainly not the only lesson, that I have learned from this Global Experience trip is that each one of us should to remember how small we are in the grand scheme of things. There is a whole world outside of ourselves, full of people who have come from different backgrounds and who have lived far different lives than our own.

If we are too inwardly focused, we lose sight of this fact. This trip with Limestone has allowed me to change my perspective in this regard by showing me the uniqueness of multiple different cultures and their histories. Seeing the beautiful works of architecture, such as La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and historical monuments such as the Pont du Gard in France, serves as an excellent reminder of what is possible when we recognize that our value comes not from what we do for ourselves, but what we do to improve the world for others. 

There is so much to see in our beautiful world, and unfortunately, so many people see so little during their time on it. Seeing just a little bit more of the world has revealed to me just how insignificant we all are by ourselves, and also how significant we can become when working with others. I consider myself truly blessed to have been able to participate in this Global Experience. I hope the lessons that I have learned will stick with me throughout my life, and I hope that those who participate after me are able to receive the same value from the opportunity that I have. 

Whether you are a member of the Limestone community considering a Global Experience trip or simply a prospective member of our community, I would encourage you to look beyond the bubbles that we each and every one of us create for ourselves. 

You just might like what you see.