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The chance that I have a .5 photo of you is extremely high. If you ever feel safe, just remember.. I am out there. Waiting. To take a .5 photo of you.

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The chance that I have a .5 photo of you is extremely high. If you ever feel safe, just remember.. I am out there. Waiting. To take a .5 photo of you.

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This was quite possibly one of the best trips I have ever been on in my life. The amount of experience I have gotten out of it, and how it has changed my life and who I am as a person in so many little ways is irreplaceable. 

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This was quite possibly one of the best trips I have ever been on in my life. The amount of experience I have gotten out of it, and how it has changed my life and who I am as a person in so many little ways is irreplaceable. 

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Here are my top TEN memories, experiences, tidbits, and just overall moments from the trip that will forever stick out in my mind and help shape me into who I am!

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Here are my top TEN memories, experiences, tidbits, and just overall moments from the trip that will forever stick out in my mind and help shape me into who I am!

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How did your experience impact your perspective of individuals from cultures different than your own?

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How did your experience impact your perspective of individuals from cultures different than your own?

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One of the largest cultural differences I experienced came to my piercings and tattoos. I have 5 face piercings and six visible tattoos on my arms when I am not wearing long sleeves. Learning how to properly cover my tattoos and piercings so that they did not show was tedious, but also crucial! I wanted to respect their culture as much as I could, and if that meant coming home with weird tan lines and almost losing my lip piercing, I can confidently say that it was all worth it.

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What impact has your time in the Bahamas had on your communication skills with people from other cultures? 

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What impact has your time in the Bahamas had on your communication skills with people from other cultures? 

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Honestly, I think I would absolutely crush the word count and all of your attention spans if I truly went into full detail over how my time in the Bahamas and at the Centre for the Deaf has impacted me and my life. Working in the school alongside the teachers and the students has been nothing short of one of the most incredible experiences in my life. I have learned so much from both the students as well as the educators, and every minute that I spent within the school taught me something new that I will keep so close to my heart and carry with me throughout my own career and the rest of my life. At the end of the day, communication is hard, especially when it comes to communicating with those who speak a different native language than yourself. All I can say is: patience is a virtue, kindness is a skill, and both are crucial.

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How has this study abroad experience influenced your ability to empathize with people from different cultures? 

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How has this study abroad experience influenced your ability to empathize with people from different cultures? 

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Aside from being one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life, Spanish Wells also included the experience of being able to see what those from other cultures, backgrounds, and wealth levels have to go through when it comes to having hearing loss or a disability in general. It's one thing to learn about those kinds of things in a classroom surrounded by your own peers who come from very similar situations that you do, but it's an entirely other thing to be experiencing it all first have - especially language deprivation and things akin to that. This was a truly eye opening experience, and one that I will remember for a very long time.

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I am truly TRULY terrified of flying when it all comes down to it. The idea of flying and the act itself are fun in theory, and I do enjoy going through the airport and such, but when it comes down to turbulence count me OUT. There is nothing that can ever convince me that we are not going to crash as soon as the plane does a little baby jostle LOL.

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I included the flights in my top ten memories because they were some of my first introductions to a bunch of new friends! Getting to sit in the airport with people who would unknowingly become some of my best friends over the next week was so fun, and I like thinking back to the airport before we all left Grand Rapids - just lil guys about to have the experience of a lifetime together.

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(Also: Trinity drinks tomato juice on planes. With ice. I NEED y'all to know that.)

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(Also: Trinity drinks tomato juice on planes. With ice. I NEED y'all to know that.)

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Also, I will literally never shut up about this picture of me and Zaida on the swings. It's so cute - one of my favorites.

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Also, I will literally never shut up about this picture of me and Zaida on the swings. It's so cute - one of my favorites.

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How was this experience transformative for you on a personal level? 1/2

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How was this experience transformative for you on a personal level? 1/2

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When I first applied for this trip, the only two people that I knew were Zaida and Trinity. So, I stuck with the both of them. I booked the flights beside them, I planned to bunk with the both of them, we had a group chat and everything - and then I met everyone else. Never in my life have I felt the anxiety and the nerves of meeting new people fade away as quickly as I did on this trip. As cheesy as it all sounds, I felt like we'd all somehow known each other for years. Everything was easy, fun, amazing. I no longer felt this terrified need to stick with the people that I had known, because it immediately felt like I'd known everyone within the cabin for my entire life.

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STRESSFUL

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SO much fun!! It's a huge staple of Nassau, and if you ever visit you need to go at least once. There's so many things to see, buy, people to talk to - and it's the perfect place to practice your ASL/interpretation skills if you feel so inclined (thank you Alexia for being our interpreter <3).

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Honestly, these were some of my favorite bonding times. 

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Honestly, these were some of my favorite bonding times. 

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There's just something so special about doing a bunch of fun and crazy things with people you love and then all crashing right after like a group of young kids in the summertime.

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There's just something so special about doing a bunch of fun and crazy things with people you love and then all crashing right after like a group of young kids in the summertime.

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I don't even have the words - Nassau is honestly without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure of seeing with my own two eyes.

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I don't even have the words - Nassau is honestly without a doubt one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure of seeing with my own two eyes.

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How was this experience transformative for you on a personal level? 2/2

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How was this experience transformative for you on a personal level? 2/2

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I have known that I wanted to be a teacher for almost my entire life. My mother is a teacher, and so I always grew up on the educator's side of the classroom. For years upon years I always wondered if I was missing something within that end goal, something that would truly help to make my career feel full and perfect - and that thing is ASL. As soon as I realized in eighth grade that I could both teach and use ASL on a daily basis, I was sold. Fast forward six years, one ASL minor, one education major, and a study abroad trip later - I can confidently say that this is exactly where I am meant to be: working in a school for deaf students!

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We all somehow turned into the world's best photographers over this trip - here's some pictures that I am not and honestly never will be over.

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We all somehow turned into the world's best photographers over this trip - here's some pictures that I am not and honestly never will be over.

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Zaida I'm sorry for moving for like 20 minutes straight that one night 

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Zaida I'm sorry for moving for like 20 minutes straight that one night 

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I just couldn't get comfortable :(

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(I look so weird without my face piercings)

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(I look so weird without my face piercings)