After 2 nights of 14-hours of sleep, I’m awake enough to write this.
iSEED is officially over and I’m incredibly sad to see it go. While the month was full of ups and downs, I can’t express how much of a positive experience this was. From meeting new friends to seeing the Eiffel Tower and Amsterdam Canals in person, I will hold this program as one of the most fulfilling times in my life.
During my metro, plane, and car ride home, I had a lot of time to reflect on the memories I made during iSEED and honestly can’t pick a specific one that stands out as the most memorable one. A few important ones will be blinding running into Daniel on the first day and immediately becoming friends, biking at full speed for almost thirty minutes to make it to Fabel Friet’s before they closed, and breaking 2/4 of my luggage wheels and having to buy a new one. The other members of this program are really what made it be such an amazing month. We were very lucky to have all became friends and because of this, we were able to do a ton of stuff together, which I’m sure AmPar locals didn’t appreciate because what’s more terrifying than a horde of dumb college kids with nothing to lose.
While everyone in the group individually taught me something that I can carry with me now, having the three guys by my side for the majority of the month will definitely be something I’ll miss. Even though I had never met Matthew or Daniel before this program, the four of us bonded immediately and were close the whole time. While the initial connection might have been formed from having to share a 10sq ft room together, it definitely became a special bond that I won’t forget soon. It’ll be hard not having all of us back next semester but the moment we’re all back at Rice I know it’s going to be like we hadn’t spent a moment apart from each other and I can’t wait for that day to come.
One of the most memorable days in Paris was the night we decided to jump on a random river cruise. It was fairly cheap so without checking the weather we all booked it and were very surprised to see the thunderstorm that wanted to get on the boat as well. After roughing out the hurricane for a while, it calmed down and we were able to get on the boat. We stood at the very front of the boat and, thanks to Sasha, began screaming every time we went under a bridge, and eventually got the rest of the boat to join. After an hour of riding around we started chanting Wiess and Brown chants, which got the attention of four guys from Rice who had just graduated. They heard us screaming, found us, and started screaming toaster at us. After some pictures we parted ways and our group started walking back to the hotel, until we basically drowned in the flooded streets and had to climb fences to make it back.
For anyone who is considering iSEED I envy you, because it means you might be able to experience all of this for the first time. Please apply and do everything you can to have this experience as it is something so unique to the OEDK and a program I think everyone should go through. You don’t have to be loaded or come from a luxurious background to spend a month abroad. There are dozens of places at Rice and online scholarships that will help cover the costs. All that matters is how much you want it, and trust me, you should reallyr really want it.
pretend this is right side up
ALSO throw the eggs if you can pls ignore Sasha she doesn’t know what she’s talking about