On the 15th of February, I left America and made the seven hour plane ride to Iceland. Exactly a month later, on the 15th of March, I was back at my house in Colorado. While I was only gone for a month, I had the opportunity to experience many different things in both Iceland and Finland; I walked on a glacier, swam in a geothermal river, went cross-country and downhill skiing, and made some amazing friends. I saw the natural beauty of Iceland, and learned about Finland’s unique government. I studied about climate change, Icelandic culture, and experienced cooking in a small kitchen with 13 other people.
The day when we made our long journey up to northern Iceland was also the day that my program got canceled: we were supposed to start our homestays in one week. The first sign that something was probably going to happen was when Trump had his press conference, and said that the US borders were closing. On that note, two of my fellow classmates schools called them back home, a sign that the rest of us probably would be too. That evening, our program and all of the other SIT programs in Europe were canceled. Before midnight, all of our flights home were booked. Two days later I was back home.
This was a turn of events that no one could have predicted. I still expect to be able to go back, and see all the friends I made again — it’s almost as if my time at home is a vacation from my program. However, I know that I most likely will not go back during my time at Rollins, and it leaves me sad and wishing for more. Although I am continuing my program online, I feel as though the academics are a poor replacement for the experiences that I would have gained in Iceland.