Why you should travel to Dublin, Ireland
Ireland is calling, and we all think you should answer. And this call is not only for freshmen through juniors because this summer will be the second chance for graduated seniors to join in on the Irish experience.
This Xavier affiliated trip lasts 13 days from the end of June to early July. The girls travel to Dublin, Galway, Howth, and Inishbofin, led the entire way by two amazing guides from Putney Student Travel: young, hip professors of creative writing and media at major universities. Also accompanying the students on the trip are the Xavier moderators, including Kelly Hubbard, sophomore Greatbooks and senior AP English teacher. Mrs. Hubbard comments that “This experience is so much more than a trip. The Ireland Creative Writing trip is a chance to explore. To explore a new country, to explore new ways of writing, and to explore new insights that you will have about yourself as a writer, a traveler, and a friend.”
Xavier alumna, Arden Schraff, ‘17, who traveled on the inaugural Ireland journey in 2016 says “I loved the Ireland program, it actually helped me realize that I definitely wanted to be a writer ‘when I grow up,’ and it further reinforced my love for writing. I wasn’t able to do much creative writing throughout high school until this opportunity, and I am now and English major and minoring in creative writing.” Schraff also adds that at Duke University, where she currently attends, she “ended up taking a creative writing class with Brenna Casey, one of the writing instructors on my trip.”
Ana Castro, ‘18, who is currently a freshman at Arizona State University and was a member of last year’s trip as a graduated senior, comments: ”I think about that trip almost every day… within those two weeks I really felt myself grow. I was worried about being one of the oldest teenagers on the trip, but I really connected with everyone. I made amazing friends from every grade (including the teachers).” She continues with the comment that “being able to travel with [and] experience everything as a group was something that was really special to me. I’ll never forget how beautiful Ireland was, the friends I made, or the overall experience.”
When in Ireland, one might be surprised by the equal parts of creative writing, walking, eating of diverse foods, and consumption of a lively culture. A traveler could expect to see beauty in all sources, ranging from green pastures to Georgian architecture and the Gallic Sea. Some of the highlights of the Ireland creative writing trip include wandering across the green hills of a remote island, strolling through the streets of Dublin’s bustling inner city, and suntanning on the beaches of the Irish shore, all the while, with a pen and a journal in hand. However, the greatest perk of them all is the blossoming of new friendships during what can be compared to a two-week sleepover in the finest hostels Ireland has to offer.
