Travelling

I have tried to keep up with my friends who were studying overseas in Italy this semester since I returned home.  It was such a blessing to be able to visit them during the middle of the semester when I took my trip.  I was able to see them before the rest of the students on campus would be able to do so, and I was able to explore the beauty of Europe with them.  However, while I have been back in the classroom, they have been continuing to experience Italian culture and even free-travel more.

Now, most of them have all returned to the States, and several have even been on campus to catch up.  Guys came back with massive beards; girls came back with tons of souvenirs; but all came back with the glow of Italy.  I went out with a group to celebrate their return this past week which was great.  We reminisced about being in Italy together, I heard new stories from since I had left them and was told about some of their experiences travelling to various other countries during their free-travel.

However, some of our friends have still been unable to come home due to the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland.  The ash and other atmospheric problems have disrupted flights from Europe caused severe problems for travellers like our HU students.  Some are in England and others are on our campus in Greece, for example.  One main problem for anyone going through this is they are running out of money.  My prayers have been with our friends and any other stranded vacationers.

Hopefully they will be safely back in the United States soon and able to celebrate with the rest of us!