CP Abroad With Jared Smith

Jared Smith, Media Planner

As a 2023 college graduate, you could imagine that COVID had a huge impact on my college experience. Going into college, I knew I wanted to study abroad. I’ve always loved traveling and have had an ongoing curiosity to experience new cultures, so why wouldn’t I take advantage of a full semester halfway across the world!? Well, after a global pandemic halted world travel, cut my freshman year short, and made my sophomore year start late, my outlook on study abroad changed. I had already lost out on two semesters of college with my new-found friends and I didn’t exactly want to leave them for another semester to study abroad. 

The launch of the CP Abroad Program gave me another opportunity to experience something that I otherwise would have missed out on. 

When I first arrived in Dublin, I felt excited for the opportunity ahead, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at all a bit nervous. 

I shook off those nerves pretty quickly, as I started off my trip by immediately traveling across the country to catch a rugby game in Limerick. After three separate trains, a bus, and a few miles of walking, I had finally made it. It’s wild to say, but this helped me settle in and feel much more comfortable with the journey ahead.

This trip, along with weekend trips to Rome and Paris, were highlights of my time abroad. However, no trip would beat a short journey I took just south of Dublin to the city of Bray. 

One thing that really makes me who I am in the workspace and in life is my curiosity. I love to learn and explore new things, and this trip to Bray was exactly that. I had no plan whatsoever, I was simply going to hop on a train and get off wherever looked interesting. I decided on Bray as I could see a beautiful ocean view and hiking path. After a short, but very steep climb on the path, I was met with one of the most breathtaking views of my life. I had the ocean on one side of me and the countryside on the other. I stayed up there for a while, feeling absolute bliss and taking in the beauty that this world has to offer if you’re curious enough to go find it. 

It’s experiences like this that continually pique my curiosity and help me grow to be the best version of myself that I can be. I am forever grateful for this experience, and I greatly appreciate CP for providing an opportunity for employees to explore themselves and the world.