The Monaghan family graciously opened their home in November to Sue Ann, a student visiting us as part of a cultural exchange from Peru. Sue Ann had a wonderful time visiting IA and made some lasting memories with the Monaghan family.
We asked Samantha to share her favorite memory from the visit with us.
We went to the beach over Thanksgiving break. After six grueling hours in the car without stretching or anything, we ran straight to the beach. The beach was warm, sunny, and open, just us and miles of beach as far as we can see. She and I walked down to the water in astonished awe, looking every which way, trying to balance ourselves in this unexpected beauty. “It’s so mesmerizing,” I said. She was speechless. Then, unexpectedly, she ran straight into the ocean, fully clothed in light blue jeans and a cropped top. Drenched, I walked up to her and jumped into the water. I said, “TAG, you’re it!” and ran away as fast as possible. Drenched as we were, windy as it was, we had the largest smiles on our faces. Later, when we had dried a little bit, we saw the sunset in the most beautiful colors. From the blazing sun when we arrived at the beach to the golden hour when the sun set just right on the ocean, we saw it all. A memory, I will never forget.