Adjusting

Stephanie:

After beginning the trip extremely jet lagged and exhausted, I don’t think I ever fully recovered while abroad. Now that I have been home a week, I think I have finally recovered. I am back to my normal sleep schedule, which is great!

Luckily I have had no issues getting to bed at a decent time. If. I had, it would be a problem because my dogs are up and ready to eat before 6! 😑

Adjusting to my routine back home was a lot easier than adjusting to a new routine abroad! The one thing I would like to implement back home is all the walking! I’m still trying to figure out how to implement that kind of walking into my lifestyle when my only options are to do circles around my neighborhood!

Pictured: my early bird pups!

Weather

Hope

I actually miss the weather in Slovenia right now.  Here, it is rainy and chilly. In Slovenia, it was sunny and so nice outside. It did rain a couple times when we were there, but not for a long period of time (that I remember anyways). One day we were there, we went to eat sausage and a few of us were sitting outside (sausage pictured below, of course). All of a sudden, it started pouring rain. We were, thankfully, under umbrellas - so, our sausage and wine were mostly safe. The down pour only lasted a few minutes, then it cleared up and the sun came right back out. Now, at home, it is rainy, foggy, and humid. I can't wait until we have nicer weather here - or I guess I'll just have to go back to Slovenia!

Missing the beautiful views

~Caitlin~


Like I have mentioned in previous blogs, what I seriously took for granted was the wonderful scenery in Europe. I loved being able to wake up and go walking and seeing the mountains in the distance. I loved how clean and crisp the air felt. I seriously am so disappointed at how polluted our air is (particularly in IL just alone).  One highlight I want to reflect on that I really enjoyed was going to the small village of Motovun, Croatia. I thought it was so beautiful and awesome that this small village was at this peak of a mountain. Although I didn't climb the mountain like originally planned, it was still nice to have the bus take us up. That would have definitely put me in shape had if we didn't have the bus. I was really disappointed with the rain storm that day. It would have been super lovely doing more exploring. Overall, though it was still a wonderful time spent and the food was great. I had some kind of sausage and it was wonderful.  Hope to visit Motovun again and Croatia overall because it is a beautiful country.

New Friends

Jessica D.

We've been home for about five days, but it seems like much longer to me. I'm enjoying my free time and time with family but I definitely miss Slovenia and the friends we made in Ljubljana. From day one, the students from the University of Ljubljana made us feel welcome. They were energetic, enthusiastic, and helpful. I enjoyed getting to know them, talking, walking around town, and taking in the sights. I think these are some of my favorite memories from the trip because we were able to experience the city of Ljubljana through the eyes of a native and just relax. After a busy day on the bus, at the University, or at site visits, it was so much fun to just talk and relax with people from another country who really aren't that different from us at all.

Some Other Favorite Memories from Slovenia

One of my absolute favorite memories from Slovenia was going out with Sara and our group of girls. We all had a blast and I am sure none of us will forget that night. I am thankful that we got to spend time with Sara and Urska because they were so friendly and easy to talk to. I also learned so much from them about their language, education system, and differences between Slovenia and the US. Another memory of mine was all the time spent with our group. I was the only person who knew everyone that was going on the trip, but I definitely got to know everyone a little better during the trip. I really enjoyed my time spent in Slovenia and I miss spending time with our whole group.

Thanks for reading!
Jess White

What I Miss

Stephanie:

Now that I have been home for some time, I am beginning to miss life abroad. I think I miss the food most! I can still taste the smoked ribs I ate over two weeks ago! 😂

I am still shocked at how much I truely enjoyed Slovenian cuisine. Everything was always packed with a freshness I have never tasted before. I’m not sure I will ever be able to eat eggs in the United States again. Nothing compares to that freshness!

This experience has pushed me to eat less processed food and more fresh foods.

I’m looking forward to seeing the health results of this!

Missing the Ice Cream

Right now, I am missing the ice cream from Slovenia and Venice. Cacao was amazing. The place at Lake Bled, amazing. In Venice, amazing. My freezer-burned carton of generic brand ice cream, definitely not amazing. Not only was the ice cream fantastic, but being able to get together with all the girls on the trip as well as the students from the University of Ljubljana to just relax was great. The night we got ice cream at Cacao with the whole group was a lot of fun. We walked around the city and got to know each other. A few of us even walked down the river and sat on steps leading down to the river for a while, just talking. It was a nice, relaxed night. In my opinion, this just shows that getting ice cream is a great way to bond and form new friendships!

What I Learned in Slovenia

Jessica D.

I loved our learning experiences in Slovenia, particularly the learning focused on the topic of education. I enjoyed visiting the three education centers including Livada Primary and Vodmat Kindergarten. I learned that education in Slovenia is very highly valued and high-quality. From a very young age, children are encouraged to take part in advanced learning opportunities that promote higher-order thinking. Activities are often based on the project-learning concept and build gradually on knowledge which pertain to the likes and interests of the children in the center. I also learned that education in Slovenia is inclusive and focused on benefiting the needs of the whole child. This system is based on the Swedish system, which has worked wonderfully for many years.

Favorite Memory from the Trip

If I had to choose one part of the trip that was my favorite it would be the trip to Lake Bled. It was so peaceful and absolutely beautiful there. We got to travel to the top and the view was even more amazing than when we were on the boat. I will definitely be returning here someday!

Thanks for reading!
Jess White

Something I learned from Europe

Something that I learned and haven't really talked about much was my time spent in Croatia. Although, it was only one day that I spent there it was still so much fun and so information with such rich history. One of my highlights in Croatia was not only being on the coast of  Pula, but also visiting the Pula Arena. What I found to be so interesting was that this amphitheatre is the only one that remains a Roman amphitheatre that has all its original constructions. It withholds its four towers. Additionally, it also is one of the six largest surviving roman arenas throughout the entire world. It also is really interesting to see that it is considered to be one of the best preserved monuments throughout all of Croatia. (Turner, 1996).

Reference:

Turner, J., Grove Dictionary of Art, Oxford University Press, USA. New Ed edition, January 2, 1996

Reflection

Stephanie:

As my busy weekend finally settles down, I reflect on my entire experience abroad with gratitude. I am so thankful for the opportunity to travel abroad and study what I love. Learning about the education system in Slovenia is something I will keep with me forever. The memories made on this trip will last a lifetime.

This experience has given me the itch I needed to learn more about the world around me. I cannot wait to return to Europe! 😊

Something I Learned In Slovenia

I learned a vast amount of information while in Slovenia. One of the most important things I took with me from this trip was the fact that Slovenian children begin to learn English by the age of nine. I found this so interesting and it made me wish public schools in the United States followed the same system. If children in the United States were required to learn Spanish, or any other language, then that language barrier would most likely be diminished. I believe all children should be bilingual. I learned many of the students at the University know not only one language but multiple languages. This blew me away and made me wish that my schools had required learning a second language.

Thanks for reading!
Jess White