Letters to America

Author: gpolanco@rollins.edu

The Last Times

Posted on by gpolanco@rollins.edu

I have less than a week in Samoa. Looking back at old pictures and blog posts leaves me in awe. It can’t be possible that this time next week I will be in my own bed in Florida, let alone next month when I’ll be back at Rollins! The last few weeks were extremely stressful….

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Darbathon

Posted on by gpolanco@rollins.edu

I’ve decided that all you need for a successful semester is a bunch of cake. My only Rollins pal that came on this trip with me was Darby, who I was already good friends with. Before we came, we had many people warn us about friends going abroad together and getting sick of each other….

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Fiji Day.

Posted on by gpolanco@rollins.edu

For the first time I woke up excited for my freezing shower. IT’S FIJI DAY! My flight to Fiji leaves in a couple of hours and the butterflies in my stomach are as strong as the day I left America. Even a year ago, when I would think of Fiji it was this far off…

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Lotofaga

Posted on by gpolanco@rollins.edu

When I was finally starting to feel at home on the USP Samoa campus, we were told to pack our bags and get ready for the next adventure. We piled up in our van, Debbie, and took off for the village. Looking back, living in a rural village of Samoa was one of the hardest…

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First Week of Adventure

Posted on by gpolanco@rollins.edu

I have only been away from home for two weeks but it feels like I have been living in Samoa for two months. Our campus looks like an old summer camp surrounded by trees and mountains. In the mornings I can hear my friends waking up and getting ready for class. The campus feels like…

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Aloha!

Posted on by gpolanco@rollins.edu

I can now answer a few questions as if I have memorized a monologue. “Yes, Dwayne the Rock is from Samoa”, “Well, they speak Samoan” and “it’s a small island next to Fiji”. It should make me nervous that Samoa is so unknown and remote, but it only makes me more excited. I am also…

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